More like "stupor Mario bland," am I right??: Baseball & Super Mario Land | Game Boy Works Vol.2 003

Aw, just kidding with that title. Super Mario Land is great. I mean, yes, it is the smallest, slightest, simplest, and easiest of all the first-party Mario platform games. But that's kind of the point? Nintendo needed a Mario launch game for Game Boy's debut, and the console's own creators put one together quite ably. Super Mario Land doesn't hold up especially well when compared side-by-side to every other Mario game, but compare it to literally any action game you could play on the bus or in the backseat of a car in 1989 and it absolutely freakin' rules. Super Mario Land works smartly within the limitations of the system and maxes out the available ROM size—it's literally the biggest and best handheld action game that anyone had made or could have made in 1989, and it deserves respect for that. Also, there's Baseball. Production notes: Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more! Why watch when you can read? Check out the massive hardcover print editions of NES Works, Super NES Works, Virtual Boy Works, and Segaiden are available now at Limited Run Games (https://limitedrungames.com/collections/books)! SG-1000 Works: Segaiden Vol. I is available NOW, and Metroidvania: The First Decade is due in 2024-25. Game Boy footage captured from Super Game Boy 2 in RGB from Analogue Super Nt and a Super NES. Video upscaled to 4K with RetroTink 4X and 720p with xRGB Mini Framemeister.