Mario Bros - Commodore 64

Nintendo's Mario Bros for the Commodore 64.

This version was ported by Atarisoft, Atari's home computer/console software division. Atarisoft created some of the best arcade conversions of the day and Mario Bros was among the best arcade conversions for the C64. My friends and I spent hours on end playing this in front of the TV.

Here's a few Phases of turtle popping action for your enjoyment.

The game plays and feels very close to the arcade version, although it's a bit slower on the C64, especially if you're playing on a PAL machine (or emulation). Atarisoft got a lot of the little touches right that really make this feel like the original though - especially the way Mario and Luigi handle.

The main differences are:
- Red, diagonal traveling Fireball is missing
- Mr. Freeze (Slipice) doesn't ice over platforms
- Icicles don't start dive bombing you in later levels.
- Critters stay flipped over a bit longer

The lack of red fireball(s!) and icicles make the home version a lot easier than the arcade.

A few minor differences include:
- Floors don't deform when Mario & Luigi punch them
- No bonus point indicators when you snag coins or kick critters off making it not so obvious the big bonuses you get kick off multiple critters
- No cut scenes introducing new enemies
- No High Score table

You may notice some of the critters, coins or fireballs appearing darker at times - they're actually flickering due to a trick Atarisoft used to get more than 8 sprites the hardware was limited to on the screen at a time.

Mario Bros is still one of my favorite arcade games and Atarisoft's C64 version is a worthy tribute to the original and has held up well over the years and still worth playing in its own right.

Enjoy!