BS Super Mario USA Power Challenge
Encyclopedia
is an ura- or gaiden
-version of Super Mario Bros. 2
for the Satellaview
system featuring graphical enhancements similar to its Super Mario All-Stars
version. It was released in March-April 1996 by Nintendo in collaboration with the St.GIGA
satellite radio station. Like all Satellaview titles it was released episodically in a number of weekly volumes. The game made use of "SoundLink" narration (radio drama
-style streaming voice data intended to guide players through the game and give helpful hints and advice) and broadcast CD-quality music. Due to the nature of SoundLink broadcasts these games were only broadcast to players between 6:00 and 7:00PM on broadcast dates, at which times players could download the game from the Events Plaza on the BS-X application cartridge. A single rerun of the broadcasts was conducted in the same weekly format from June 3, 1996 to June 29, 1996 at 5:00 to 6:00PM. The BS-X download location for the rerun changed to Bagupotamia Temple.
While the underlying gameplay itself is largely similar, new and arranged content has been added. For instance, the BS version newly featured a score. Furthermore, at the beginning of the game Mario is the only playable character. Later in the game, time-dependent events occur triggering, among other things, the possibility of using other characters. Another feature unique to the game is the inclusion of gold Mario statues (ten in total for each chapter) that are hidden in various locations (including Sub-Space). Collection of the statues in-game grants the player an extra life and refills the life meter. After clearing a level, the player could press "Select" to see some statistics such as the number of statues, coins, cherries, and mushrooms collected, as well as display which bosses had been defeated.
As a 4-volume broadcast, each week bore a different subtitle. The names of the volumes were:
BS Super Mario USA Power Challenge was never released outside of Japan and as with all other Satellaview titles it has never been re-released as a stand-alone title. The game exists today solely in ROM
-format and is traded online by Satellaview emulation enthusiasts.
Gaiden
is a Japanese-language word meaning "side story" or "tale", used to refer to an anecdote or supplementary biography of a person. This use of gaiden is commonly used in popular Japanese fiction to refer to a spin-off of a previously published work that is neither officially considered a sequel nor...
-version of Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2, often abbreviated SMB2, is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1985 game Super Mario Bros. The game was also remade as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the Super Nintendo Entertainment...
for the Satellaview
Satellaview
The is a satellite modem add-on for Nintendo's Super Famicom system that was released in Japan in 1995. Available for pre-release orders as early as February 13, 1995, the Satellaview retailed for between ¥14,000 and 18,000 and came bundled with the BS-X Game Pak and an 8M Memory Pak.The...
system featuring graphical enhancements similar to its Super Mario All-Stars
Super Mario All-Stars
Super Mario All-Stars, known as in Japan, is a collection of platforming video games that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. It contains enhanced remakes of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels , Super Mario Bros...
version. It was released in March-April 1996 by Nintendo in collaboration with the St.GIGA
St.GIGA
is the name of a defunct satellite radio company that was formed as a subsidiary of satellite television company WOWOW and later became semi-independent, forming a keiretsu with its parent. Using the BS network to broadcast digital radio via direct broadcast satellite as a test on November 30,...
satellite radio station. Like all Satellaview titles it was released episodically in a number of weekly volumes. The game made use of "SoundLink" narration (radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
-style streaming voice data intended to guide players through the game and give helpful hints and advice) and broadcast CD-quality music. Due to the nature of SoundLink broadcasts these games were only broadcast to players between 6:00 and 7:00PM on broadcast dates, at which times players could download the game from the Events Plaza on the BS-X application cartridge. A single rerun of the broadcasts was conducted in the same weekly format from June 3, 1996 to June 29, 1996 at 5:00 to 6:00PM. The BS-X download location for the rerun changed to Bagupotamia Temple.
While the underlying gameplay itself is largely similar, new and arranged content has been added. For instance, the BS version newly featured a score. Furthermore, at the beginning of the game Mario is the only playable character. Later in the game, time-dependent events occur triggering, among other things, the possibility of using other characters. Another feature unique to the game is the inclusion of gold Mario statues (ten in total for each chapter) that are hidden in various locations (including Sub-Space). Collection of the statues in-game grants the player an extra life and refills the life meter. After clearing a level, the player could press "Select" to see some statistics such as the number of statues, coins, cherries, and mushrooms collected, as well as display which bosses had been defeated.
As a 4-volume broadcast, each week bore a different subtitle. The names of the volumes were:
BS Super Mario USA Power Challenge was never released outside of Japan and as with all other Satellaview titles it has never been re-released as a stand-alone title. The game exists today solely in ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
-format and is traded online by Satellaview emulation enthusiasts.