Finally back to the chaos that is my attempt to review every Angry Video Game Nerd episode, we hit the amazing Super Mario Bros. 3 episode! Yep, just as the Nerd himself says in the opening, he’s reviewing a good game. One of the best, if you ask me.
It’s a bit of an interesting episode for a few points, the first of which is there are 2 somewhat different versions of this review — the short one, and the full one. The original full form of the video is about 18 minutes long and contains a review of the 1989 family film “The Wizard” as well as the Super Mario Bros. 3 review and the crazy ending (seriously, it makes the episode.) The short form cuts the film review, due to concerns about copyright violation on YouTube — you know, something that a decade later they still haven’t gotten right for reviews.
Anyway, for our purposes we will actually be focusing on the short form of the episode. The review of The Wizard is just that – a film review. I’d say I agree with what James says – as kids, it was a film with Nintendo in it. As an adult, I can look back at it and see how crazy a film it is, but I still enjoy it personally, kind of liking the plot for what it is. I could honestly spend all day talking about that film, and probably will as it’s 30th anniversary is coming up.
Continuing onward to the actual game review, James has nothing but good to say about it. He doesn’t go long before the obscenities start, but what else would you expect with a Nerd episode?
Here too he describes the game pretty well, all those little elements that make the game so beloved by the gaming community, the mini games, the level design, the power ups, it’s all just great. He does however seem to get fixated on the Power meter at the bottom of the screen and the “P” blocks in the game, so you get your expected “pee” jokes before continuing to describe the remaining power-ups.
Oh, if I’d feel bad if I didn’t mention it here, the Tanooki suit statue ability (down + B) can be used to kill enemies like Thwomps. I fucking love the Tanooki suit.
He continues to talk about the enemies, and some of the crazy level design before realizing that world 8 of the game looks like Hell to him, and this is where he stumbles upon the realization that the game is full of satanic imagery and symbology!
Yes, that’s where this review goes. No, he isn’t serious, let’s address that – with the way some people talk about things online these days someone might actually take it all seriously. No no, this is just an hilarious explanation as to what might be the real reason the game is just so damn good. It also sets us up for the (for lack of a better term) epic ending.
So the cartridge eventually comes alive, possessed by Satan! What follows is madness — recreations of scenes from “The Exorcist” in absolutely absurdly amazing style, before James unleashes Super Mecha Death Christ!
This, I just won’t explain. It would take too much time to get it all out. What we have, much like Shit Pickle from the Master Chu episode, is another one of James’ characters, put into this episode to fight the demon inhabiting Super Mario Bros. 3.
It’s hilarious and gets even more absurd when James comes in covered in Nintendo accessories in a style mimicking Ash from Evil Dead (with a Necronomicon thrown in for good measure) figting basically everything he owns gaming wise, all of it being possessed by demons. This includes the tearing apart of an SNES console (which certainly was a dead one anyway, older ones do have a tendency to die suddenly) and so much more absurdity.
Eventually the Nerd and SMDC win, and the demons are gone. That’s when SMDC inquires about what in the hell all the stuff James has on actually is. This functions as a segue to the next episode, which will focus on Nintendo gaming accessories.
Final Rating: 5/5
This is a superb episode, if only for that ending. It’s strange — He could have just talked normaly about Super Mario Bros. 3, but that wouldn’t have been in the style of the Nerd. Something had to give, something absurd had to happen, and what resulted was something that, at its time, was the most complex thing James had yet done for the Nerd series. Completely unexpected as well when first viewed, it’s gone down as a classic moment in the series.
Sure, it’s absolutely insane, but that’s the kind of stuff James likes to make. He’s a film maker first and foremost, or at least that’s always been his goal in life and little moments like the end of this episode are chances for him to just have fun and do what he loves.
It may be crazy, but it’s a crazy I like.
Above is the short form of the episode. For those who want to see the full form, it’s below. Enjoy!
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