Atari 5200 Review: MARIO BROS. by Atari Before Mario became an international superstar with an unfortunate wardrobe, he was just like you and me - a working class stiff. Yes, it's true, at one time Mario was a plumber with his brother Luigi. Mario Bros. for the 5200 chronicles Mario's working class roots in the sewers of Sicily (and the origin of his infatuation with coins!). Many will claim that Mario Bros. is an unrealistic or exaggerated version of Mario history. Sewers filled with angry turtles, crabs, giant bugs, fireballs, and bizarre ice-things? It does sound hard to believe. However, having lived in Sicily for four months (in Siracusa from Sept - Dec 97), and having seen the movie Alligator, I can verify the 5200's account of Mario's early years. It's all true! In fact, even though the 5200 version looks and sounds pretty different from the original, it nonetheless offers all of the fun-filled excitement of the original, especially in the two-player version. As Mario or Luigi, you must subdue the aforementioned subterranean beasties, then kick them out of the sewers. Unfortunately, no matter how many of 'em you eliminate, the pipes never stop trickling these strange critters! Control, even with the 5200 sticks, is no problem. Die hard fans of the original might complain about the different graphics, but screw 'em if they do, because the graphics for the 5200 are just fine, and may even be an improvement in some specific cases. For example, allow yourself to get hit by a fireball. In what other version will contact with a fireball turn you into Ronald McDonald and send you hurtling into the water?! I rest my case. This game isn't tough to find and it's not expensive, so what other incentive do you need? Title Mario Bros. Publisher Atari System Atari 5200 SuperSystem Graphics 6 Sound 5 Gameplay 7 Overall 7 Reviewer Karlis Povisils