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The Making of Super Mario Bros. 3

Posted by Zonk on from the it'sa-me! dept.

Via Press the Buttons, a Nintendo Power feature on Super Mario Bros. 3, and the making of the game. From the post: "It's an interesting little article that has largely been forgotten over the years, as I've never seen any of the little tidbits and factoids in the piece resurface in other places (such as the existence of a centaur power-up instead of the raccoon leaf)."

72 comments

  1. Mario as a centaur? by game+kid · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I couldn't imagine him galloping on Goombas either. I'd reject it too.

    I speak for every Slashdotter when I say the Tanookie Suit kicks ass, and huge portions thereof.

    --
    You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
    1. Re:Mario as a centaur? by Iron+Clad+Burrito · · Score: 1

      Most geeks liked the Tanookie suit as "Ta" was the only "nookie" they were getting. :p

      Great game, though, and I do agree about the suit.

      The downside was that the TV show was even worse than Pac Man's.

    2. Re:Mario as a centaur? by IthnkImParanoid · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't forget THE SHOE. You will bow before the awesome power of THE SHOE. THE SHOE is unstoppable, THE SHOE is untoppable, THE SHOE makes you irresistible to FAT PEOPLE. Okay, okay, that last thing could certainly be better, but THE SHOE excels in all other areas.

      Man, no government would overstep its bounds if we all had THE SHOE. We'd stomp em good.

      --
      It's nothing but crumpled porno and Ayn Rand.
    3. Re:Mario as a centaur? by game+kid · · Score: 2, Funny

      Why yes, THE SHOE, how could I forget the Spiny-stomping tool that--hey, I was once morbidly obese you insensitive clod!

      --
      You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
    4. Re:Mario as a centaur? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where can I find more info on the centaur power-up?

    5. Re:Mario as a centaur? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you're saying the obese aren't attracted to people in footware?

    6. Re:Mario as a centaur? by gangien · · Score: 1

      only problem is, as I recall, it was only available in one level. :(

    7. Re:Mario as a centaur? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      here

    8. Re:Mario as a centaur? by yoyhed · · Score: 1

      World 5, level 3 to be exact. Watch out for the hammer bros. in the overworld, they walk all over the shoe level (kind of ironic, no?)

      --
      WHO NEEDS SHIFT WHEN YOU HAVE CAPSLOCK/ DAMN1
    9. Re:Mario as a centaur? by empaler · · Score: 1

      A Pac-Man TV Show?
      Damn, missed that one. But for some reason they keep sending SMB reruns here in Denmark.

    10. Re:Mario as a centaur? by Jakeypants · · Score: 1

      Way to jock Seanbaby's shit.

      "Oh shit! I got the shoe! I'm so invincible! Oh! Eat it, you bitch! You don't understand! I got the damn SHOE! It's the shoe! And look at how cute I am with my stupid plumber head poking out of the wind up sock! I am the cutest invincible shoe rider ever! Mario! Mario! He's in the ULTRA green SHOOEEE!"

  2. impossible! by MasterDirk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is it just me, or has the guy in the middle picture down on the third page got some impossibly long arms? Are Japanese programmers extremely well-armed?

    Linkage:

    http://nintendope.iodized.net/smb3/smb3article3.ph p
    --

    "Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

    1. Re:impossible! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      indeed, they just look like my d****

    2. Re:impossible! by jericho4.0 · · Score: 1

      Interestingly enough, programmers, on average, tend to have longer arms than the general population due to the occurrence of Aspergers syndrome.

      --
      "A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
    3. Re:impossible! by bburns · · Score: 1
      Is it just me, or has the guy in the middle picture down on the third page got some impossibly long arms?

      You know what they say. Long arms... long sleeves...

  3. 404 by cyberkreiger · · Score: 4, Funny

    Their 404 page is more interesting. :)

    --
    Stumbling in the dark
    I hear slavering of jaws
    Eaten by a grue.
    1. Re:404 by Neillparatzo · · Score: 1

      But not as cool as my 403.

    2. Re:404 by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "But not as cool as my 403."

      Sorry bud, boobs > hero we'd like to be.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
  4. Best game ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Super Mario Bros. 3 is my favorite game of all time. I can remember every secret to be found in that game by heart. The game industry today consists of a bunch of uninspired dogshit with pretty eye candy.

    1. Re:Best game ever by matthewcharlesgoeden · · Score: 1

      I agree. It seems like every other video game after SMB 3 lacks the "heart" SMB 3 had. Do you remember the hype around SMB 3? (or the coolest movie of all time -- The Wizard?!) I still get excited when I think about seeing SMB 3 for the first time!!!

    2. Re:Best game ever by snuf23 · · Score: 3, Funny

      All I can say is:

      I love the power glove, it's so BAD.

      Uh that and "He touched my breast!"

      --
      Sometimes my arms bend back.
  5. Random Question for Game Designers by Prien715 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So I'm a programmer on PC. As such, I don't like changing dozens of lines of code before testing.

    So my here's my silly/ignorant question: how do traditional console programmers test/debug code? Did the SMB3 crew do it the same way it's done today, and if not, how did they do it differently?

    I see lots of pens and paper and a couple computers in the photos and a bit about how the graphics are explained but a lot of "how it's done" isn't really explained.

    --
    -- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
    1. Re:Random Question for Game Designers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      In general, console programming on all the cart machines was done on a workstation with custom software(I remember reading somewhere that Nintendo used Apple IIs into the early SNES era). They all used assembly, of course. The compiled program was then transferred by data link hardware into some form of memory identical to ROM for test purposes. Debug monitors were also put together by the more sophisticated outfits.

      Part of the problem for homebrew developers is that nearly all of this stuff was proprietary, custom-built, and usually became lost to history as soon as the developer folded. None of the systems were particularly HARD to make this stuff for with the right electronics knowledge and some reference material, but there wasn't any getting around it either, which is why 80s game development has such a mystique to it. Nowadays everyone develops with "off-the-shelf" kits and software, so it's substantially less interesting.

    2. Re:Random Question for Game Designers by MyDixieWrecked · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Programming for the NES actually seems quite fun compared to traditional programming. I've been toying with the idea of actually sitting down and learning it.

      I've got a pretty intricate knowledge of the NES cartridge format, since I wrote a tool (based on openly available information) for modifying the graphics. (http://nesromtool.sf.net/)

      Also of interest is http://grandtheftendo.com/ since the guy wrote tons of custom software to program that and has some pretty interesting things to say.

      --



      ...spike
      Ewwwwww, coconut...
    3. Re:Random Question for Game Designers by Zangief · · Score: 1

      In the "Article" (just a magazine scan), Miyamoto is asked what is needed to become a game programmer.

      He says that a good knowledge is necessary, so I guess they programmed in assembler.

      Soooo, I guess they didn't have such a great IDE as we can get now. And they probably had to rewrite A LOT.

      Today, there is a nintendo.com page that answers the same question. But today it says a game programmer should have a firm graps of C++. C++ is a great improvement over assembler, but it is still a hassle.

      I guess we haven't reached the point in which you can program for a console with a high level language, like perl, python, ruby or lisp, except on some very special cases. (lisp was used by the naughty dog developers on the ps2, though).

    4. Re:Random Question for Game Designers by KrisW · · Score: 1

      Actually, I think Python has been in a PS2 game or two. Possibly a game from Humongous(like the Backyard Baseball series), since I know they're quite fond of Python.

      --


      "Think you can take me? Go ahead on. It's your move." --Joe Don Baker in Final Justice
    5. Re:Random Question for Game Designers by Zangief · · Score: 1

      The Hitman 2 manual for Gamecube, gives credit of Python usage. But since they mention Zope, I guess they used it as a tool, instead of actually developing the game IN python.

  6. check out the picture... by Knara · · Score: 1
    ... the middle one in the lower righthand corner at http://nintendope.iodized.net/smb3/smb3article3.ph p

    Putting aside my guess that the picture is posed and they didn't actually use those boxes to code, that's some beautifully vintage-looking pc hardware they captured.

    1. Re:check out the picture... by ZosX · · Score: 1

      Nah. That is probably what they used. Remember that SMB3 was released in 1988 or so in Japan and that they had been working on it for two years. You wouldn't need a very powerful development platform to code for a 1.7mhz machine with like 16k onboard.

      They look like some old IBM PCs or something. Hell, since they were Japanese they were probably using MSXs at the time.

      --
      zosxavius photography
  7. Amazing Staff by TheoB · · Score: 5, Funny

    From the Article: "The team that produced Super Mario 3 consisted of over TEN PEOPLE..." My God. I mean, can you imagine ordering take out for TEN PEOPLE? Must have been a management nightmare.

  8. from the article by Flunitrazepam · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "The team that produced Super Mario 3 consisted of over 10 people and they worked over a 2 year span".

    Maybe if design teams these days consisted of "over 10 people", there would be better games!

    --
    1) Your analysis is based on bad assumptions so your result is way off. 2) You're a sick bastard for fucking a horse.
    1. Re:from the article by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

      Games nowadays are not lacking in the design department. They are missing innovation. All it takes is 1 person to innovate. But since we live in a world of lawyers are copyrights, ideas always get lost somewhere.

  9. SMB 3 by lbmouse · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm holding my breath waiting for it to pass the number of "Rocky" sequels.

    1. Re:SMB 3 by Masami+Eiri · · Score: 2, Informative

      I believe it has.
      Mario Bros
      Super Mario Bros
      SMB2
      SMB3
      Super Mario World
      Mario 64
      Mario Sunshine

      That's 7. I think there was a total of 5 Rocky movies.

      And I KNOW I forgot alot, and didn't count the partial sequels like the Yoshi line, or the Wario line.

    2. Re:SMB 3 by jessecurry · · Score: 1

      I know that you forgot a few, but what about Super Mario All-stars?

      --
      Those who know, do not speak. Those who speak, do not know. ~Lao Tzu
    3. Re:SMB 3 by defy+god · · Score: 1

      super mario all-stars consisted of remakes (enhancements) of super mario 1-3 and the "lost levels" placed in an SNES cartridge. was the "lost levels" version ever released as a stand-alone game?

      --
      hackers of the world unite!
    4. Re:SMB 3 by yoyhed · · Score: 1
      was the "lost levels" version ever released as a stand-alone game?

      It was standalone in Japan, as Mario 2. Mario 2 was originally developed to be another game and they just stuck the Nintendo characters in there. They used that game because Lost Levels was too hard for Americans.

      --
      WHO NEEDS SHIFT WHEN YOU HAVE CAPSLOCK/ DAMN1
    5. Re:SMB 3 by BTWR · · Score: 1
      I don't count Mario Bros as part of the series, more of a prequel-spinoff, if such a thing exists. It's like Donkey Kong to Donkey Kong Country: they have just about nothing in common except the main character.

      But, Super Mario World 2 might be considered in there. But then again, it's mostly a Yoshi game, with Baby mario on his back.

    6. Re:SMB 3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FYI, the game you're talking about was called Doki Doki Panic:

      http://www.nesplayer.com/features/doki/doki.htm

    7. Re:SMB 3 by Westacular · · Score: 1

      Actually, now that you mention it, Donkey Kong is worth mentioning as well; it's protagonist was basically Mario before he had a name, and its gameplay was a direct ancestor of Super Mario Brothers.

      Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, while being the progenitor of later Yoshi-only games (...only Yoshi's Story comes to mind, but I may be forgetting something), is still part of the main Mario series in title. It's gameplay is to SMB2us what SMB3 is to SMB; it's like a sequel to the red-headed step-child of the series.

    8. Re:SMB 3 by datenkeller · · Score: 1

      Super Mario Land on the original GB comes to mind.

      --
      Security, Podcasting and the Truth (aka my personal opinion)
  10. Screw this... by Jason+Scott · · Score: 2, Funny

    .... I would pay good money to see an article about the making of Donkey Kong 3. I would love to know, conclusively, what set of decisions and approaches could take the Donkey Kong property and totally drive it into the ground like an oil drilling expedition.

  11. pithy quote from mr miyamoto by vistic · · Score: 0, Troll
    When asked for his advice to aspiring game designers, Mr. Miyamoto had these words of wisdom: "It's one thing to design games based on established characters, but the key to success in designing games is to try and create your own interesting and original game play ideas."


    Yeah... you don't see too much originality in games anymore. It's all about recycling genres and franchises.

    1. Re:pithy quote from mr miyamoto by randomizer9 · · Score: 1

      I'll second that, as much as I like playing Mario and Zelda games, I'd like to see companies take more chances. Occasionally something good does fall through the cracks like a Lumines or Katamari Damacy. Pikmin (also by Miyamoto) is probably the most original Nintendo game I've seen in awhile.

      --
      A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men... --Willy Wonka
  12. New game in the works... by rlbond86 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm still waiting for this "Super Mario Brothers 4" they talked about.

    1. Re:New game in the works... by NeoChaosX · · Score: 1

      It's called Super Mario World.

      --
      One man's selflessness is another man's annoyance.
    2. Re:New game in the works... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it's not. It's called New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS.

  13. I still have this one... by shoptroll · · Score: 1

    I still have this issue lying around somewhere. I recall digging this article up a while back, but there's not a whole lot aside from the usual gaming mag "behind the scenes" information (read: get you hooked, not really giving away a whole lot on the creative process)

    --
    Insert Sig Here
  14. audience by orcateers · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Its interesting that the article is written for such a young audience compared to Video Game articles today.

    1. Re:audience by StocDred · · Score: 2, Interesting
      You haven't ever seen Nintendo Power before, have you?

      It is interesting to note that their journalistic style has remaining almost totally stagnant from that SMB3 article to today. Every article is still along the lines of "OMG this is teh AMAZING GAME" and ends with something like "We are really looking forward to playing this game! Wow!"

      Although lately they have been trying to hip it up by using the word "ass" here and there. That always catches me off guard, coming a page after the fan art of some six year old who drew Kirby in a Link hat.

    2. Re:audience by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you're still reading it because...? I picked up on the lack of substance and cancelled my subscription once I hit puberty.

  15. Crazy Talk by CanadianBoy · · Score: 1

    That's crazy

    I mean, why would they have called it Super Mario World when they mean Super Mario Brothers 4. The letters are all different!

    :p
    1. Re:Crazy Talk by Mekabyte · · Score: 1

      Super Mario World was subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 in Japan.

  16. Check out Miyamoto! by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 1

    Wacky seeing how young this guy was.

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
    1. Re:Check out Miyamoto! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hehe... yeah.

      And his daughter was 2. I'd figure that article is from 1989 or so. Which means she was born in 1987. Which means she's 18. W00t!

      It gets better. She's one of those hot asian chicks. Double w00t!

    2. Re:Check out Miyamoto! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, given that this article was most likely written after the release of SMB3 in 1990 (note that it is written as if readers know about all the innovations in the game), she's likely forbidden fruit. Either that, or your whole post was a ridiculous flame which I failed to catch.

    3. Re:Check out Miyamoto! by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Legal age in Japan is 14 so that's not an issue.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  17. re-release on GBA by jensen404 · · Score: 1

    I just wish they'd put a man-year towards making a new quest to go along with the GBA re-release of the original game. I've played some quite fun and creative SMB3 mods... why can't Nintendo spare a bit of time to make their own?

  18. Other reasons, too by empaler · · Score: 1

    AFAIR, also because it was "more of the same", and that you could get Mario-type games for every other competitor's machines at the time (Great Giana Sisters, anyone?). It was just "more of the same, only harder" (as mentioned in parent), and it was deemed not viable for entry-level consumers in the US.

  19. Ironically, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SMW came out before SMB3 (at least in Denmark)

  20. Just ship her to Scandinavia by empaler · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    In the Scandinavian countries, we don't have silly rules like that. 15, and you're good to go.
    Mind you, some idiot politicians have talked about moving the legal age to thirteen! (Pedophile sons of bitches)

  21. mother 1 / earthbound by himitsu · · Score: 1

    anyone notice the "mother" reference about Miyamoto working with Shigesato Itoi on a game set in modern times that will be coming to the NES in the future. Nintendo Power is untrustable!

    1. Re:mother 1 / earthbound by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It did come to the NES.

  22. Nothing to see here folks... by dmauro · · Score: 1

    Al of us SMB3 fans (read: all of us that give a damn about this article) probably already have this issue of NP sitting on our shelf or somewhere easily accessible so that we can take it out once a year and reminisce about the greatest game ever made. So how is this news?

  23. Where do these people get a racoon leaf from? by Will2k_is_here · · Score: 1

    Racoons can't fly!?

    1. Re:Where do these people get a racoon leaf from? by Ailure · · Score: 1

      Tanooki's uses leafs to transform into things, usually a human to trick people...

    2. Re:Where do these people get a racoon leaf from? by Will2k_is_here · · Score: 1

      Ah, checked out tanooki on wikipedia and that kind of helps.

    3. Re:Where do these people get a racoon leaf from? by sesshomaru · · Score: 1

      Haven't you ever watched or read Inu Yasha?

      --
      "MIT betrayed all of its basic principles."
    4. Re:Where do these people get a racoon leaf from? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Yeah, and maybe next time you can read before you start asking the stupid questions? Huh? You think so? What the FUCK is wrong with you?

      You are ultra-super-gimptarded.

  24. Super Mario 3 and Tango and Cash by pnice · · Score: 1

    I think Super Marion Brothers 3 and the movie Tango and Cash came out around the same time. I remember seeing the movie with my parents and some friends and then going home to take turns between 4 or 5 people playing SMB3. For some reason, after watching that movie, we started calling the Mario brothers "Tango Mario" and "Luigi Cash" and it kind of stuck with us. We were kind of strange I guess.

    --
    My Xbox Live Gamer Card
  25. See Mekabyte's post above by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It was called Super Mario World, actually.

    http://i17.ebayimg.com/03/i/04/0c/86/7f_1_b.JPG