Super Mario Bros. 2 is of course the sequel to what was at the time the most popular video game ever, Super Mario Bros. However, Super Mario Bros. 2 in North America and most of the rest of the world was not the same sequel that was released in Japan. Nintendo of America deemed the Japanese sequel to be too difficult and too much like its predecessor to be successful. Instead, an unrelated game called Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic was improved upon and retrofitted with Mario Bros. related graphics, characters, etc. and released as Super Mario Bros. 2.
Despite being derived from a non-Super Mario Bros. game, SMB 2 was still a huge success. In fact, it was so successful that it was later also released in Japan as Super Mario Bros. USA.
Super Mario Bros. 2 as a whole is very similar to the original. It is the epitome of the side-scrolling platform adventure game. However, gone is the two-player mode of the original and you now have four protagonists to chose from instead of just two. In addition, each one has slightly different abilities as opposed to all playing identically. One key new feature was the ability to lift and throw enemies and objects.
Super Mario Bros. 2 was hugely successful, selling in the neighborhood of 10 million copies and becoming the third highest selling video game for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Because of its success, it has seen several re-releases. In 2001 it was released as Super Mario Bros. Advance for the Game Boy Advance. It was also included as part of Super Mario Bros. All-Stars for the Super Nintendo which was itself expanded and re-released multiple times for the Super Nintendo and Wii. It has also seen various Virtual Console releases for multiple subsequent Nintendo systems.
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Though this game was completely different than the first (you explained why above), graphically, it makes the SMB 1 look dated. It's amazing how much they were able to squeeze out of the NES for this game. Granted SMB 3 was impressive as well, but SMB 2, a sequel to a game for the same console with dramatically better graphics is unreal.
I've never played the Lost Levels (SMB 2 in Japan) but I can see why Nintendo of America didn't want to use that one. The graphics are essentially the same as the original.
Yes they are. Every keeps saying it's crazy hard too, so, someday when I have played everything else ;)
Of all the old Marios, this is the one I still get the itch to play the most. I feel like I've spoiled Mario 1 and Mario 3 by playing them too much. But I can still sit down and Play Mario 2. I think this is in part because it's a "different engine" of sorts.
Every information fantastic.