So that's what all the Mario 2 levels look like...

August 1, 2011 8:44 PM

NES Maps - for when you have to see exactly how that level of Zelda looks in an overworld view. Complete with full maps, background only maps, or sprites for your perusal. Complete with character names and title cards for most maps. You can even get one to hang on your wall to map out your conquests in Hyrule. Even more maps from VG Maps from a previous posting.
posted by deezil (8 comments total)

They have Secret of Mana and Mario Kart but no Link to the Past for sale? For shame!
posted by lumensimus at 9:02 PM on August 1, 2011

I used to love the maps in old issues of Gamepro. so gorgeous
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:06 PM on August 1, 2011

I definitely want some of the posters. I think I'm gonna have to get Marble Madness for the office.
posted by deezil at 9:11 PM on August 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Take note everyone, the maps of Commando reveal a little-known fact about this game that I've not seen mentioned anywhere else: the game is riddled with secret passages.

There are secrets everywhere in that game, revealed by throwing a grenade so that it explodes in the right place, or in some cases when you walk into an open doorway. The great majority of the game's POWs are in those places, and the game even rewards you with larce point awards and a special message if you find all the POWs in an area, or in a whole mission. But there are also booby trap secret areas, which include some enemies not found elsewhere. Some of these areas have to be bombed to find an exit hatch, and if you run out of grenades while there the game kills you instantly. There's also the "Gasroom," which you have to bomb open an exit within a 10 second timer.

These secrets are not in the arcade version. Although the arcade version of Commando has much better graphics and none of the terrible flickering that plagues the NES version, it's a less interesting game because there aren't all those great secret areas to find.
posted by JHarris at 9:26 PM on August 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

I guess it's no longer a secret to everybody.
posted by weston at 10:07 PM on August 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Why do I still feel like Super Mario Brothers 3 is a new game?
posted by AndrewKemendo at 6:53 AM on August 2, 2011 [3 favorites]

I really miss that little map that was in the front of the Legend of Zelda Manual. It looked like a little model, and was hidden behind text, but it did a lot to really get me to peer at it's tiny version for ideas on where to go and what to do in Zelda.
posted by yeloson at 2:35 PM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Zelda map was one of the best extras in Nintendo Power. You know, back in the day when they had the comic with Nestor that provided gaming tips and tricks. And the Dragon Warrior guide was the only way I got through that game (and is to blame for my love for JPRGs).
posted by smirkette at 2:56 PM on August 2, 2011