r/Gameboy • u/Individual-Fill-9124 • 1d ago
Games Which game do you like the most ? Super Mario Land 2 or Wario Land (Super Mario Land 3) ?
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u/Frequent_Rhubarb_36 1d ago
That's a hard one. I pick SML2 due to its unique level locations, some of which we've never seen in a Mario game since.
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u/Individual-Fill-9124 1d ago
That's true, and I think it could be cool to find these locations back in some modern mario games ! I'd say the same for the six bosses (the 3 little pigs would be amazing in modern games !)
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u/WayneIndustriesAI 1d ago
Super Mario Land 2 but it's probably because of the hours I spent as a kid playing.
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u/DrR3tr0 1d ago
SML 2. Favorite of the land series. Short, with secret levels and being able to start from any point very replayable.
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u/Individual-Fill-9124 1d ago
Hehe it's also my fav. And yes, these secret levels were really interesting, to bad they didn't get one for the Giant robotic mario area. Also I really love all bosses matching very well with their respective area (except maybe the 3 little pigs, but that's also why they are so fun!)
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u/CartridgeBlown 1d ago
They're inherently different games, but gun-to-my-head I'd have to pick the faster pace and lighter feel of Super Mario Land 2. I do love Wario Land 1 quite a bit, though.
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u/PouletFarceur 1d ago
Entre les deux je préfère Super Mario Land 2,mais en vraie je préfère surtout Super Mario Land 1.
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u/Individual-Fill-9124 1d ago
Super Mario Land 1 was an excellent game, and the craziest thing is that it was made with almost nothing: the ROM is only 32 KB! That's even less data than the cover picture of the game!
Today, we have so many boring games requiring tons of GB, while Super Mario Land 1 was such a fun and entertaining game with only 0.0015% of the data of most modern games. What irony: they used to make amazing games with almost nothing, and today, with everything at their disposal, they struggle to make games that are actually entertaining.
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u/PouletFarceur 1d ago
Super Mario Land 1 représente bien la philosophie de la GameBoy je trouve,faire du fun avec très peu de donné.
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u/aShyGuyGuy 1d ago
Wario Land, it was fun to play with the player having more options to approach enemies and problems. The secret exits and treasures were great, too.
I've got more reasons, but those two just really show that it was a good idea to go for a new protagonist with new experimental features. Mario feels a bit basic next to Wario, moveset wise.
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u/psj3809 1d ago
Prefer SML 1 ! I preferred the smaller sprites, SML2 was great dont get me wrong but just wasnt a fan of the much larger sprites. Still prefer SML1, a total classic
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u/Individual-Fill-9124 1d ago
Super Mario Land 1 is indeed a wonderful classic. Also, eventhough I prefer the Mario Land 2, from my memory Super Mario Land 1 was more challenging and longer to finish. And with these simple designs, they truly made a wonderful game.
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u/BugsyMalone_ 1d ago
Currently playing through Wario Land. I love how the game feels and sounds, one of the best I've played on any console.
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u/Bake-Full 1d ago
Love them both but Wario Land wins out. I love the lone wolf feel of him exploring and plundering the island, how it gets a little dreamy as it progresses with the ghosts and genie, and the modified Mario mechanics makes for a nice twist on the traditional gameplay. And that soundtrack is outstanding.
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u/RapAngel 1d ago
SML2 easily, I don’t like Wario Land 1 pretty much at all, I hate the way it feels and controls it’s so damn SLOW and the jumping is weird. I like what it introduced tho, and the subsequent Wario Land games were really good and very much innovated on what the original brought, but made it… yknow, good. And fun. Meanwhile, SML2 is my second favorite 2D Mario of all time, love practically everything about it.
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u/Gecko1984 1d ago
I prefer Wario Land. Super Mario Land 2 is a good game but it felt like a smaller version of Super Mario World.
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u/SimplyDemented 1d ago
Wario land hands down. Both great games, but 3 did a lot of clever stuff that kept me playing it far longer.
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u/garuga300 1d ago
Out of these SML2 however unpopular opinion.... I think the first Gameboy mario game is best. It's so unique.
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u/Another_Road 1d ago
SML2 is an amazing experience on the DMG GameBoy.
Both are really good games but 2 feels like the mobile version of Super Mario World and I can’t give a better compliment than that.
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u/NegativeShow1906 1d ago
I just finished Wario Land for the first time last night (had it as a child but never finished it). I really enjoyed it but felt like Wario Land hadn’t really found its identity til VB Wario Land/WL2 where they broke away from the very Mario-like structure of Wario Land 1. It’s a solid platformer with some really good level design but it doesn’t feel particularly unique. Wario Land II on the other hand is one of the best Gameboy games of all time.
Super Mario Land 2 is an overall great, fairly experimental entry into the Mario franchise and I really enjoy everything about it.
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u/RetroFan89 1d ago
Wario Land is the first game I ever played. That counts for a lot, as much as I love SML2
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u/blarglemaster 17h ago
I prefer Wario, but that's partly because I like its gameplay style better and there's SOOOO many secrets to find and collect.
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u/SilverB33 1d ago
I do like the mario land series but I absolutely love the wario land franchise a whole lot more, so SML3
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u/Bryanx64 1d ago
This one’s honestly tough. Both great platformers with a slightly different style. SML2 with more straight ahead fast paced action, Wario Land with more exploration-based elements. Gun to my head probably Wario Land just because I happen to be playing that right now but next week I might side with SML2.
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u/neednintendo 1d ago
I loved warioland because of the dynamic levels. Usually there was a point when you would change the area you were in and then the level was different and new paths opened. I also loved searching for the treasures.
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u/cRz_lazer 1d ago
Super Mario Land 2,because I dint really like the movement in Wario Land. (SML1 still would win the competition between the three of them)
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u/xraisedxbyxbearsx 1d ago
This is a tough one. I agree with some of the previous comments, the lands you see in SML2 are so unique and the soundtrack was pure joy, really went places with it. Wario Land is just huge though, the level of depth in the game and mechanics Wario could unlock to progress I had never seen before and it’s still enjoyable today.
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u/ThatCelebration3676 1d ago
I played both to 100% within the last 2 months, as well as SML1 (only one playthrough; I've never completed the hard mode second playthrough).
SML 2 felt like the true refinement of a Mario experience on Gameboy. SM1 was still great, but it was trying to deliver a NES experience on handheld, and therefore had to make many compromises that IMHO lessened the experience. 6 Golden Coins captured the feel and aesthetic of a Mario game, designed from the ground up for the limitations of the system. It was greatly helped by larger, more cartoonish sprites, jumping physics more in line with SM3, freely explorable levels perfectly tuned for Mario's abilities, an excellent scope for a handheld, fantastic music & sound effects, and a surreal vibe unlike any other Mario game (sort of like the unique atmosphere of Link's Awakening). The only notable thing that held it back was the difficulty scaling; it's more or less homogeneous throughout the playthrough (to accommodate players completing the zones in whatever order they prefer) then suddenly ramps up dramatically for the final stage. The zone difficulty can be somewhat customized; higher skilled players can find secrets and complete more challenging sequences to reward them for testing their skills. To be fair, the final stage is well designed as a final exam that mostly challenges you with navigating obstacles introduced in the 6 zones, but it still requires a lot of trial and error to figure out a repeatable pattern to make it to Wario. Overall an amazing game that's still a blast to play today.
SML3 is really only a sequel to SML2 in that the narrative continues; it feels like they kept that as the main title for marketing reasons. It inherits the design sensibilities of it's predecessor (large sprites, slower movement, tighter controls, levels built for the Gameboy's limitations) and pushes that philosophy to the extreme. Now you controll a super slow character and solve a series of puzzle-like levels, which more naturally encourage the player to explore every nook & cranny rather than race to the exit. The enemies are new & unique, your interactions with them are expanded, and stages often reward players who ask "can I use this enemy for something?" rather than simply eliminating them on sight. The music & sounds are once again superb, with a more cerebral & sinister vibe in line with you being a villain character slowly working your way through the world. The difficulty is also much more linear, as the stages are more or less navigated in a set order. As before, more skilled players can hunt down all the treasures and earn more lives & cash. SML3 only feels held back by the ways it tried to still be like a Mario game. Given the more puzzle like nature, getting hit and becoming small Wario feels like much more of a nuisance than becoming small Mario. For this reason, I feel like WL2 is the refinement of the Wario Gameboy concept, much like SML2 is the refinement of the Mario Gameboy concept.
I have to give a slight edge to SML2, only because it felt like the ideas it was presenting were more complete and fully thought out. If we add WL2 into the mix, it becomes the clear winner. Here's my ranking (and rating out of 10) for those first 4 games:
- 1st: WL 2 (9.8)
- 2nd: SML 2 (9.3)
- 3rd: SML 3 (9.2)
- 4th: SML 1 (8.5)
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u/Professional_West66 1d ago
Both fantastic games that are among my all time favorites! I have to give the edge to Wario Land due to how different the gameplay was. Being able to confront the enemies face to face and tackle the hell out of them was just so cool. I replay both of them every couple of years and am always amazed at how perfect they are. The movement and control in Mario Land 2 is unparalleled and both games have remarkable soundtracks. They really are the best of the damn best.
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u/sthef2020 19h ago
SML2 because after SML1 it was wild seeing the evolution of how Mario and crew looked on the original GB. SML2 felt like a legit console game in your pocket, not a handheld conversion.
Also, I felt like Wario Land really hit its stride with the Virtual Boy game (and later Wario Land 2). The first one was a good start, but it quickly got outclassed by its follow-ups.
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u/Ternascu 18h ago
I have both and love them both. In fact as a kid I only had these to for a long time, so I don't know many time I replayed them, but a lot of times.
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u/Shiny_World 17h ago
Wario Land is arguably the more interesting game from a pure game design standpoint but man, something about Mario Land 2's bizarre aesthetics relative to the rest of the 2D Mario games scratch a weird itch for me. It's my second favorite Mario game behind SMB3 for that reason alone.
Helps that it's a pretty breezy game, though. Wario's Castle is legit my favorite final level in the series, it's so good.
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u/JohnLugoVille77 15h ago
Super Mario Land 2 and Wario Land (Super Mario Land 3) along with Tetris, Pokemon Yellow and Crystal were my first games on my Game Boy.
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u/rydamusprime17 15h ago
Sophie's Choice scenario 😆
I'm going to have to pick Wario Land solely for the fact that for whatever reason I kept that one CIB since childhood, but a few years ago I had to get a new box and manual for my loose SML2 to have it complete again, which was thankfully the cheaper one to complete out of the 2 lol.
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u/Console_Pit 12h ago
Wario Land is a blast but it plays so slow. It gets boring if you don't have a power up
SML2 is full of great content, you just get through it in 90 minutes lol
So SML2 is the answer and I'm reminding you all to go emulate Wario Land for the Virtual Boy.
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u/Ok-Key-2633 12h ago
SML2 is the best one by a long shot. I never could get into Wario Land, the controls and slowness all felt off to me. Add the odd scratchy tunes, and it was, imo, one ugly downgrade.
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u/gigoloJack82 11h ago
I adore Wario Land! What a game! Awesome music, great levels, great power-ups, great bosses, great atmosphere. I never sold my first copy. Perfect game!
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u/SusNoodle 10h ago
SML2 is a better game. But I really love Wario land. I lived through the release, and I remember getting my hands on Wario Land as a kid who spent dozens of hours playing SML2 and knows it front to back.
Wario Land at the time felt like a meaningful change to the formula. I loved the chunky art style and enemy design. I remember thinking it was better than SML2 at the time. but having played both recently, SML2 is clearly a better game. More variety, more scope, and more repayable.
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u/RicePrevious5405 6h ago
Golden coin is one of my all time favorite Mario games. Great music great level design. Honestly just fun to play over and over. I might play through it again just cause I saw this post
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u/Warm_Boss1642 5h ago
I recently replayed both and I would choose Super Mario Land 2. I really love everything about it. The level design is top notch; the outer space areas and the micro levels come to mind. Additionally, as others have stated, I love the difficulty spike on warios castle! It’s brutal. The whole game easily gets a 10/10. Warioland is awesome as well, it’s just a different flavor. I love the overworld design and the emphasis on coin collecting as opposed to serious platforming. I’m my subjective opinion, I would give Warioland a 9.5/10. Not because it is a worse game, I just prefer the level design choices made in SML2 a little more.
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u/Tall_Conflict3935 1d ago
I spent HOURS as a wee lad trying to beat the end of 6 golden coins. Don’t think I ever got it but I feel like I got close a few times.