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Pandamar |
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LAST UPDATED: 01/15/06 |
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REVIEWED BY:
JC |
"After years of Super Mario Bros.,
the vast sprite changes in Pandamar
will intrigue you endlessly, reinvigorating your interest in the gameplay." |
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THE
DATA
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NAME |
Pandamar |
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PLATFORM |
Famicom |
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DEVELOPER |
Unknown |
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PUBLISHER |
Unknown |
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PLAYERS |
1 player |
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RELEASE DATE |
Unknown |
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GENRE |
Adventure |
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SAVING OPTION |
No |
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NES NTSC |
No |
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NES PAL |
No |
THE RATINGS
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STORYLINE |
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4/5
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GRAPHICS |
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5/5 |
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AUDIO |
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3/5 |
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GAMEPLAY |
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4.5/5 |
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CONTROL |
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5/5 |
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FUN FACTOR |
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5/5 |
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FRUSTRATION |
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1/5 |
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OVERALL |
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4.5/5 |
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I've never seen, nor heard of, a better hack than Pandamar. It's
jaw-dropping amazing. I generally place hacks into two categories: basic,
usually just the main character is altered, and extensive, the vast
majority of the game's sprites have been altered .
Pandamar is an extensive hack, and as you might tell from the name,
Mario is changed into a panda bear. Pandamar -- Panda Mario -- has not
been found on an individual cart, but was discovered on multi-carts, tossed
among the mix of games.
Panda.
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The story is the same as
in Super Mario Bros.,
But instead of Mario
conquering eight worlds, Panda must do it. As in Super Mario Bros.,
there's a final fight with Bowser that Panda must win to rescue
Princess Toadstool -- only Bowser isn't quite himself, having been
vastly changed; Toad looks quite good, but not like Toad; and the
Princess is pretty much still a princess.
Yes, that's Toad announcing: "Thank You Panda!"
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Pandamar is amazing for what the developers did to alter, and
almost in a sense, improve on the graphics. Where you once had the
boring Goomba and turtle, you now have new enemies to look at.
Question mark boxes now have music symbols on them. And, of course,
Panda is just amazing, starting off small like Mario, and when he's
gotten the vile (no longer a mushroom), he turns into a big panda
with a huge head. Even the squids of the water levels have been
altered.
Some of the
sprites must've been difficult to change. The hackers didn't change
the Hammer Brothers, for example. They look like upright turtles and
they still toss hammers. The bricks of the underground levels have only a
new color. The coins didn't change at all.
Another Super
Mario Bros. hack,
Dream Mary, was
amplified in its gameplay, not in its graphics. Pandamar,
however, has amplified graphics, but the gameplay remains the same as
the original Mario game.
Oh heck...that turtle looks like something out of
Rock Man 2.
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The only area that Pandamar lacks is audio. I
give the hackers credit for using a new tune for gameplay, but that
tune is the same throughout the whole game. It can get very
annoying if you play through the whole game without warps. There's
no music when you reach a castle. Pandamar's
music also glitches. Sometime upon entering a new level the music
won't start playing. It'll be triggered on only when you get
hit by an enemy or die.
The sound
effects are the same as in Super Mario Bros. You hit a music box
and there's a coin sound, or the vile or flower (for fireballs, yes,
Panda shoots fireballs) that pops out makes the same sound as the
mushroom or flower rising out. Bowser's flame still sounds like Bowser's
flame. And the drawbridge beneath Bowser sounds like you'd expect when
it retracts.
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There's
not a lot to say about the gameplay, because it's exactly like what
you'd expect if you played Super Mario Bros. The developers changed
nearly all the sprites,
but didn't mess with the placement of
enemies, pipes, pits, etc. That means, though
there's that new look, the gameplay is untouched.
After
years of Super Mario Bros., the vast sprite changes in
Pandamar will intrigue you endlessly, reinvigorating your
interest in the gameplay. I promise...it's fun.
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There's something about Panda that makes it
seem like he's easier to maneuver. It might be that big head. Mario always
slid to a halt when running. Panda does the same, but with Panda's head
so big, it gives the impression that he can't stop without sliding due
to the weight of his head pulling him forward.
Panda has
Mario's abilities. With a
vile he grows big, with a flower he shoots fireballs, and with a star he
becomes temporarily invincible. Panda runs and jumps high when you
press and hold B.
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Don't underestimate Pandamar. The game is
awesome. You'll get a kick out of Mario, who is now
a cartoonish, big-headed panda bear in pink and
green
overalls. And then there's the surprise of the new
enemies (with the same moves, of course). I was
shocked to see the wacky overhaul to Bowser. I still
can't quite figure out what Bowser's supposed to be.
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Nothing about Pandamar is frustrating. If you were ever
frustrated by Super Mario Bros., I'd presume the level of
frustration here would be
similar. But because the new sprites make the game so cute, it's
hard to get mad when you misstep.
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This game is rare, but not impossible to find. Since I purchased mine in
a lot on eBay some months ago, I've seen two more of the
Power-Joy 008
multi-carts for sale on the auction site. But, if you see one, be warned
that eBay will be quick to pull it. It's definitely worth tracking
down. I've been introduced to hundreds of new games since I began
playing my Famicom, and Pandamar is ranked very high on my list
of favorites.
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Continue: When on the Game Over hold A, then press Start when the title
screen appears to get back to the world in which you just died.
Warp to World 2, 3, or 4: In World 1-2, get on top of the brick ceiling
(easily accessible at the elevator platforms). Go to the end of the level atop
the brick ceiling to find three pipes that, depending on which one you go down,
will take you to one of three worlds.
Warp to World 5, 6, 7, or 8: In World 4-2, get on top of the brick ceiling. Go
to the end of the level atop the brick ceiling to find a single pipe, which will
warp you to World 5. Find the hidden vine mid-way through the level and you will
be taken to three pipes that,
depending on which one you go down, will take you to World 6, 7, or 8.
Play the Minus World: Play Level 1-2 until you reach the horizontal green
pipe at the end. Break the 2nd and 3rd blocks from the
wall. Stand on the edge of the pipe facing away from the wall -- jump
up and to the right. The goal is to reach the corner of the block that wasn’t
broken. When pulled through the wall, go down the 1st
pipe before the screen stops scrolling.
Note that if you enter the 2nd pipe you will be warped to Level 5.
This may not work with Pandamar -- it hasn't been tried.
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