Mario Bros + POKEY: Does It Exist?

[OldStyle]

22 hours ago, Defender_2600 said:

 

 

Considering what happened with Princess Rescue for 2600 and with SMBros for C64, I would really like to recommend the utmost caution with this, therefore minimize any form of noise / social disclosure and above all absolutely not publish videos on Youtube. I'm sorry to say, but even sharing a demo publicly exposes you to some risk. The demo may be privately distributed to some of our trusted beta testers and the game may be released when it's definitely called "done". Maybe a pre-order formula could be studied for the physical cartridge that has no media exposure. The possibility of being able to buy the game in digital form would also be a nice option. I'm really excited about what has been shown and I'm sorry to look so negative. I really do hope that the game will fly under the radar, but I believe that as a precaution we must also think about the worst case scenario. It would be a very sad loss to get a "cease and desist letter" before the community has had a chance to get the game, as was the case with SMBros for C64. Just my opinion.

 

I remember the Princess Rescue thing and thought that was harsh considering it didn't look like or make me think yeah that's SMB.  Didn't know about the C64 version though, that's unfortunate.  I understand protecting their IP and all but it's hard to tell with this because it seems like there's a port for every system unlike SMB which exclusively was on the big-n systems.  Probably best to keep it on the DL.  Afterall, we're trying to figure out if a version of mario+pokey exists 

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

7 hours ago, OldStyle said:

Probably best to keep it on the DL.  Afterall, we're trying to figure out if a version of mario+pokey exists 

Will do. It's hard not to show off all the great work being done, but I'll avoid discussing on the show for now. ?

 

- James

[Trebor]

8 hours ago, OldStyle said:

I remember the Princess Rescue thing and thought that was harsh considering it didn't look like or make me think yeah that's ---.   

It wasn't the look; rather, Big N came down hard on it because of utilizing the melody.  It is too familiar, too well known, and still widely used by them.  Thankfully, Plumb Bros doesn't have such a connection or widely known/used background theme.

[The Usotsuki]

I've also heard that the story of the C64 port getting a C&D was made up by a news site, and then spread because people don't fact check.

[+Defender_2600]

7 hours ago, The Usotsuki said:

I've also heard that the story of the C64 port getting a C&D was made up by a news site, and then spread because people don't fact check.

 

I don't know what your sources are but it looks like you are missing this:

https://torrentfreak.com/nintendo-targets-amazing-c64-port-of-super-mario-bros-after-7-years-development-190423/

 

And here you can find the "cease and desist letter":

https://www.commodorecomputerclub.com/super-mario-bros-64-dmca-takedown-notice/

 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Defender_2600

[+darryl1970]

Just for fun, I dug out a hack (re-release for the FDD??) of the NES version last night. It was only distributed in Japan, for the FDD disk system. Fortunately, those games run on the NES Everdrive.  Somebody hacked in the shellcreeper animations. Mario and Luigi die by fire or ice, when hit by the corresponding enemies. It even has the icicles. They added so much goodness back in, except they ruined it by making Mario and Luigi steerable mid jump. They jump more like Super Mario Bros, and that doesn't work for this game. It's ridiculously easy for that reason. For example, in the 3rd image, I was able to pull left and avoid the icicle. I ended up purposefully dying. I wanted to get to the icicles and capture the death animations. By then, I was pretty bored. I thought I would capture some pics, as it's kind of relevant to the topic.

 

Edit: I came back, and there was corrupt text in the place of this image.

Edited April 5, 2021 by darryl1970

[Trebor]

5 hours ago, darryl1970 said:

Just for fun, I dug out a hack (re-release for the FDD??) of the NES version last night. It was only distributed in Japan, for the FDD disk system. Fortunately, those games run on the NES Everdrive.  Somebody hacked in the shellcreeper animations. Mario and Luigi die by fire or ice, when hit by the corresponding enemies. It even has the icicles. They added so much goodness back in, except they ruined it by making Mario and Luigi steerable mid jump. They jump more like Super Mario Bros, and that doesn't work for this game. It's ridiculously easy for that reason. For example, in the 3rd image, I was able to pull left and avoid the icicle. I ended up purposefully dying. I wanted to get to the icicles and capture the death animations. By then, I was pretty bored. I thought I would capture some pics, as it's kind of relevant to the topic.

There is an official cartridge along the lines described above that was released by Nintendo of Europe for parts of the PAL B region. 

 

It's the "Classic Serie" version, circa 1993, which is a port of the original FDS game, Kaettekita Mario Bros. from 1988, minus the advertisements between levels and Nagatanien World.  It contains updated graphics and sound (Unfortunately, also retained the switchable/steering jump). 

 

It's running below under NES NTSC hardware, resulting in a speed increase for sound and video:

 

 

 

The post below contains box and cartridge captures:

 

[+darryl1970]

32 minutes ago, Trebor said:

There is an official cartridge along the lines described above that was released by Nintendo of Europe for parts of the PAL B region. 

 

It's the "Classic Serie" version, circa 1993, which is a port of the original FDS game, Kaettekita Mario Bros. from 1988, minus the advertisements between levels and Nagatanien World.  It contains updated graphics and sound (Unfortunately, also retained the switchable/steering jump). 

 

It's running below under NES NTSC hardware, resulting in a speed increase for sound and video:

Thanks for sharing.

 

Pretty cool. It's a shame about the steering jump, because it really ruins the game. Some may thing it's better, because it's easier or familiar to Super Mario; it's not. It changes the whole game, for single and dual play.

 

Cool that they released that. Is the NTSC speed up ROM available anywhere? The version I have still has Japanese text in places. I don't know what I am selecting.

 

[Trebor]

4 hours ago, darryl1970 said:

Some may thing it's better, because it's easier...

  

Nintendo knows...See Doki Doki Panic instead of the *real* Super Mario Bros 2. 

I had to get the real one on cart when it was available several years ago.  Same place I obtained my PowerPak many moons prior to that.

Good ol' bunnyboy.  Purchased some controllers/adapters too, a long time ago.

 

Back on track, for the record, I like the Arcade challenge better with the original jump mechanics for Mario Bros.  We may be a bit of a ways off, but perhaps to satisfy both camps, if possible, a selectable option "Arcade Jump"/"New Jump" could be implemented (?)

[OldStyle]

2 hours ago, Trebor said:

Back on track, for the record, I like the Arcade challenge better with the original jump mechanics for Mario Bros.  We may be a bit of a ways off, but perhaps to satisfy both camps, if possible, a selectable option "Arcade Jump"/"New Jump" could be implemented (?)

Hmm would be interesting to see how that is and not bad as an option if it's feasible.  I played the FDS version a while back and recall the jumping as well as how incredibly short the game was.. 25-30 phases total?

[+darryl1970]

On 3/22/2021 at 3:32 PM, Trebor said:

Back on track, for the record, I like the Arcade challenge better with the original jump mechanics for Mario Bros.  We may be a bit of a ways off, but perhaps to satisfy both camps, if possible, a selectable option "Arcade Jump"/"New Jump" could be implemented (?)

It would be GREAT if somebody could FIX the NES Classic version, so people can experience what truly makes the arcade great. One of my biggest pet peeves with the NES generation was how they ruined the home games. They looked great, but they lacked many of the details that made their arcade classics a true classic. This was not the case after Super Mario Bros, but their "Classic" series were lacking in ways that ruined the arcade versions for a whole future generation. It created a generation that can't handle the arcade versions, because they are "too hard". It's sad to see people miss out.

On 3/22/2021 at 5:52 PM, OldStyle said:

Hmm would be interesting to see how that is and not bad as an option if it's feasible.  I played the FDS version a while back and recall the jumping as well as how incredibly short the game was.. 25-30 phases total?

Steerable jumping absolutely ruins the game. I would be sadly disappointed. It makes sense when Mario has to aim for the enemy, like SMB. This would not only ruin the single player challenge, but it eliminates the true competitiveness of the dual play. Even when playing to help each other, it adds an element of accidental mishap, which would be sorely missed.

 

The problem with the original 7800 Mario Bros is that it was based off of a neutered version (The NES), but that "copy" was terribly done. I'd rather see that ship "righted".

[adamchevy]

It would be amazing to have an updated version of this game for the 7800. I have been a huge fan of Mario Bros since the first time I played it in the Arcade. The 2600 version in my opinion has the best overall feel and gameplay of any original console version from the early days. It’s not arcade perfect but I’m not sure that’s necessary to really enjoy the game.

[BrianC]

The Steering Jump was also one thing I didn't like about the GBA remake of Mario Bros that came with the Super Mario Advance games and Mario and Luigi, though that one at least added a 4p mode. The Super Mario All Stars ports of SMB1 and 2 (aka Lost Levels) actually got much right, but added a brick delay that ruined the pacing. Thankfully, that was fixed in a hack. 

[+darryl1970]

On 9/27/2021 at 12:14 AM, adamchevy said:

It would be amazing to have an updated version of this game for the 7800. I have been a huge fan of Mario Bros since the first time I played it in the Arcade. The 2600 version in my opinion has the best overall feel and gameplay of any original console version from the early days. It’s not arcade perfect but I’m not sure that’s necessary to really enjoy the game.

The 5200 is the best version of the era. (In the US) It actually captures some play aspects and tricks that the NES version misses. No other version of the period allowed the level 2 point trap, because no other version released enough shellcreepers at one time to pull it off. Also the 5200 had proper shellcreepers with full animation. It also captured the character with the different death animations. It is give and take though. It does play a little slower than some, but it's light years better than the incomplete and incompetent 7800 release. The 5200 captured a lot more than my friends and I expected back then.

 

I find the XE version superior (but 5 years later and a larger game). Not even the XE releases enough enemies to execute the point trap.

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

EXCLUSIVE WORLD PREMIERE

MARIO BROS. FOR THE 7800

 

 

 

TOMORROW ZeroPage Homebrew has the EXCLUSIVE WORLD PREMIERE of the incredible new port of MARIO BROS. for your Atari 7800!

 

To answer the question in the title of this thread, IT DOES NOW! ? This faithful arcade port of Mario Bros. is an incredible achievement and you don't want to miss the world debut of this new game ONLY on ZPH this Tuesday! We also have a written interview with the developer OldStyle talking about the making this classic game!

 

Tue Dec 28 @ 6PM PT | 9PM ET | 2AM GMT+1Day

WATCH: https://www.twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/

 

Games:

• Mario Bros. (Exclusive World Premiere WIP | 7800) by Oldstyle @OldStyle, Bobby Clark @Synthpopalooza

(WATCH AT 1080P60 FOR BEST QUALITY)

 

[Rob_OTrron]

Question for @OldStyle: What are the future plans for this? Any chance of a cart release or ROM release of some sort?

I'd love to pick this up, looks so much better than the original 7800 version.

[OldStyle]

3 hours ago, Rob_OTrron said:

Question for @OldStyle: What are the future plans for this? Any chance of a cart release or ROM release of some sort?

I'd love to pick this up, looks so much better than the original 7800 version.

Hello Rob, thanks for the sentiments!  The build featured on ZPH was about halfway or so complete at the time.  Since then it's been thoroughly improved with lots of custom options tacked on.  The current version has been sitting at 99% since Nov. only lacking support for high score saving.  I certainly want folks to try this out and do intend on sharing something sooner rather than later because it'd be a shame for it to collect dust.

[Silver Back]

11 hours ago, OldStyle said:

Hello Rob, thanks for the sentiments!  The build featured on ZPH was about halfway or so complete at the time.  Since then it's been thoroughly improved with lots of custom options tacked on.  The current version has been sitting at 99% since Nov. only lacking support for high score saving.  I certainly want folks to try this out and do intend on sharing something sooner rather than later because it'd be a shame for it to collect dust.

I'd love to see it on a cart and while the big N probably would cease and desist a sale on Atariage it could still be sold much like another improvement featuring an ape and plumber.  I would fully support whatever way it's release by either purchasing a cart or rom for my concerto. 

[bikeguychicago]

On 3/30/2023 at 7:56 PM, OldStyle said:

Hello Rob, thanks for the sentiments!  The build featured on ZPH was about halfway or so complete at the time.  Since then it's been thoroughly improved with lots of custom options tacked on.  The current version has been sitting at 99% since Nov. only lacking support for high score saving.  I certainly want folks to try this out and do intend on sharing something sooner rather than later because it'd be a shame for it to collect dust.

Awaiting with bated breath. 

 

So... are DKjr and DK3 next up?

[Trebor]

2 hours ago, bikeguychicago said:

So... are DKjr and DK3 next up?

Something more celestial.

[OldStyle]

On 4/8/2023 at 4:40 PM, bikeguychicago said:

Awaiting with bated breath. 

 

So... are DKjr and DK3 next up?

On 4/8/2023 at 7:28 PM, Trebor said:

Something more celestial.

 

I do have something else in the works aside from Lunar Patrol that I plan on sharing a demo of.  It has nothing to do with DK though 🙂

[+sramirez2008]

16 minutes ago, OldStyle said:

I do have something else in the works aside from Lunar Patrol that I plan on sharing a demo of.

Do tell.😉

[OldStyle]

3 hours ago, sramirez2008 said:

Do tell.😉

Ohh.. it's another co-op.  Have I given too much away?

[+sramirez2008]

Hmm.

[Trebor]

On 4/13/2023 at 7:54 PM, OldStyle said:

Ohh.. it's another co-op.  Have I given too much away?

Throwing my guess in as Bubble Bobble. 

 

It's a similar foundation to Mario Bros. with often multiple creatures moving across platforms while picking up items and taking out enemies, type game.  Similar to what was done in Mario Bros., I can see the sprites being updated for the 7800 as well.

 

However, "Lunar Patrol" is in the works, so if the next also incorporates scrolling and cooperative, and in need of a remake also, Double Dragon, perhaps.

 

Keeping my money placed on Bubble Bobble though.