I remember fondly the day I turned ten years old. For that birthday, I was lucky enough to get my very first Nintendo. They were new that year and I wanted it more than anything. Nearly twenty years later, I am still Nintendo loyal. In fact, I am waiting anxiously for the chance to get a Wii (anyone want to help me out here?). Seriously though, Mario has always been my favorite franchise in Nintendo and Super Mario 3 was always my favorite game.

I am sure this was a big deal, at least to some extent, when it was on television, but I honestly do not remember ever seeing in on. However, when I heard Shoutfactory was putting this out on DVD and I was asked to review it, I knew how I would be spending my weekend. I knew, just like when I was ten years old, it would be me and Mario back together again.

I remember when Super Mario 3 came out in video game form. I would have to fight my brother for use of the system and since he was nine years older than me and a boy, he often won. When we got this game he was so addicted, he learned to rig the system so that he could save his game. Being that these were the old systems, there was no save option. He would play his fill and set it to standby so that he could come back and play later. One day the power went out and he lost his game. It was like the world had ended. As an adult, I look back to those moments fondly. Shows like The Adventures Super Mario Bros 3 remind me how good it was to be a kid. Shows like this remind me how much fun we had and how good cartoons used to be before they all became too adult and too boring for child consumption.

This was one of three Mario series cartoons that actually made it to a network. Now, it’s available on DVD and we have one available for a contest, so if you want to win one free you have a chance!

This box set include three DVDs. The first two are all episodes and the third is dedicated to special features. The three shows were all somewhat similar in many ways and offered numerous signs of the times. For instance, some special guests were the first lady at the time (Barbara Bush) and some cartoon caricatures of Milli Vanilli. Although the lip synching scandal tended to mess things up at that point, but the DVD looks as good as it possibly can and the changes that were made were done before the DVD ever came into play.

The special features include an interactive Writer’s Bible. The Bible features the show’s back story, character information, concept art, and all of the original music. The three discs held up as good as they could considering video and sound at the time. You will notice some grit compared to current DVDs, but if you were a lover of the show or the game you should be able to look past this minor annoyance.

In the end, this is the perfect bit of nostalgia for anyone that missed the old pre-3d Mario that was played on game systems that had controllers with only four buttons. Ah, the good old days might be gone but Super Mario 3 still lives on. Well, at least in DVD form that is. It makes me want to head to eBay and buy an old Nintendo so I can relive my childhood. Perhaps, one day, I will, but until then I have these DVDs to bring back all those fond moments I never want to forget.

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Technorati Tags: The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3, Box Set Review, DVD, TV Show

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