Wow, this game is as old as I am! This was the follow-up to the original Super Mario Bros., over here in America, anyways. Any good little obsessive knows what's up with SMB2, but I'll explain its background for the clueless. ^_^ So, the year is 1986, and Nintendo is on crack. No, but what else is new? :p They release the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, which is graphically and mechanically the exact same thing as Super Mario Bros. The difference between them, I hear you cry? Well, SMB2j is insanely difficult, and many of the games concepts will definitely make you screech out a "Crack kills!" Of course it does, sillies. :p
So anyways, over in America, people were just about finished with the original SMB, and, like the good little pests that were are, we wanted a sequel, duh! Well, since Nintendo was ever so observant, they noticed that there was no chance in hell that Americans would want the game, because of what it was; (1) Exactly like the first one, except it's (2) Disturbing and insanely difficult. So, now Nintendo's problem was to create an appropriate sequel. Not too hard, right? Well, since they were feeling cheap or lazy, or both, they didn't want to create an entirely new Mario game.
Of course, this only left them with one other logical solution; take a game they would never release outside of Japan, bump out the games' characters and concepts, and make it a Mario game respectable of the first one. Looking for an acceptable alternative for SMB2, Nintendo dug up an Arabian-style platformer called Doki! Doki! Panic, which translates to the Dream Factory, according to random internet losers, and they found out the game had potential. Actually, DDP! was completely unlike Super Mario Bros. on all levels, but that's okay! It had room to become a true Mario game, right?
Of course not! Instead of erasing DDP!'s characters, enemies, and concepts, they left everything exactly as it was, and only changed the character sprites for them to match the Mario gang! This is why SMB2 was always the oddball of the Mario clan, it was never a true Mario game. Hell, they didn't even touch the character traits from DDP! to SMB2. The Princess in DDP! was capable of floating, like Peachie. Pfft, uncreative losers.
Actually, SMB2, despite being such a mess-yourself-silly odd game, ultimately went on to sell millions of copies, some because of it's remakes in Super Mario All-Stars, and Super Mario Advance. Here's where you can read about the screwball of the series, Super Mario Brothers 2! (Note: Stuffs from Super Mario Advance will not be covered here. Deal with it. :p)
Story
Well, this is another reason the game was so messed. SMB2 was one of the only Mario games to break the tradition of "Peach is kidnapped by Bowser, so Mario and Luigi must save her!" In fact, the Princess herself is on the wacky hijinks, so yay! So anyways, while SMB2 has an original story, the story itself is also worthy of a drug dealer. You see, Mario has a dream. Oy, you know right off the bat that this is heading into the ranks of the "Award-winning Storylines," category. x.x; But I digress. In the aforementioned dream, Mario is climbing a flight of stairs, which have seemlingly appeared out of nowhere, to reach the door at the top. When Mario reaches the door, he *gasp* opens it, finding the lovely land of Sub-Con, the world of dreams. A voice calls out to Mario in a disturbing fashion, and tells him that Subcon has been taken over by Wart, the evil toad, who felt like being evil by causing everyone on Earth to have nightmares. This is probably why no one likes Wart. :p The freakish voice askes Mario to help break Wart's spell over the land, and save everyone's dreams. He also mentions that Wart just HATES vegetables; too bad for him that they grow EVERYWHERE in Sub-Con, even on the backs of the local whales! :p So anyways, Mario wakes up to find himself falling out of bed. Nice move, Mr. Hero. :p A few days later, Mario goes on a picnic into the mountains with Luigi, Peach, and Toad, and since he felt like sharing, explained his dream to the group. Well, the storyteller got a hold of his crack, and before you can say "SHY GUY!," Mario and his friends find a cave in the mountains. And, since they felt like being noisy, went in. Of course, the cave turned into Sub-Con, Mario's dream land, and now, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad must fight to save thier dreams! I cannot stress enough, CRACK KILLS! :p
Gameplay
As we all know, this is the reason that Super Mario 2 was the oddball of the series; after a few small differences, Mario 2 and the other games in the series are nothing alike. The only real similarities are that both SMB and SMB2 are platformers. Also, a couple items, the Koopa Shell and Starman, reappear in the game, and the four good characters from SMB1 show up. That's it, everything else is completely different.
The main idea of each level is simple, and like all other platforms. :p You start at a given point, and jump, fight and run your way through a level of enemies, pits, and other fun fun silly willy things. :D But, instead of killing by jumping onto them like the caffiene addicts we are, we get a little help from the local flora. Yep, to beat enemies, you pelt them with turnips, pumpkins, raddishes, and other enemies! :D
Moves are as you would think. All four characters have the same moves. Use the control pad to walk, and get around the worlds. Hold B and use the control pad to run, which is faster. Logical, eh? :p Use the A button to jump, so you can land on enemies and get over pits like the happy jumpers that we are! :D Use the A button when on top of an enemy or item to lift that item, and use B to throw it. There's also a Super Jump you can do by ducking in place until your character starts blinking freakishly, and that let's you jump even higher! Peach also has the ability to float in the air for about two seconds, by holding A, since she rocks like that. :P
Now for the hit point system. Instead of SMB's "I'm stronger when I'm Super! :D" rule, SMB2 has heart containers. You start with two heart containers at the beginning of a level, and as you go along, you can collect from zero to three more! And you need them, because enemies hurt you just by walking into you. O_o;
Oh yeah, now I need to explain the Sub-World place thingie. :p You reach Sub-World by finding a Potion and throwing it on the ground to from a door. Oooh, magic. :p Once you go through the door, it's sorta like you're on the "other side" of the world, and everything's shadowed, except the Hit Point Mushroom you grab to get another Heart Container. So yeah, if you pluck veggies in the Sub World, you get coins, which you can use on Slots.
MB2 has an assortment of levels for ya to wander through, unlike SMB1 which had about five level types all togethers. Nearly all the Worlds have a specific terrian, with World 3 being an exception. Here's a small description on each World.
-World 1, Grassland: A nice, easy World. Mostly, you're on the grassland, but you got some sky and cave action here, too.
-World 2, Desert: Everything's desert-like, we have plenty of pyramids, quick/sand and cacti here!
-World 3, Everywhere: World 3 doesn't have a real theme, it's all over. You got sky, factory, and underground action here.
-World 4, Arctic: Lots of fun fun arctic life, including trout, snowmen, and whales. Slippery ice awaits!
-World 5, Jungle: Lots of tough jumps, weird wildlife, and wimpy little coconut trees are here. :p
-World 6, Desert, Take Two: Back in the desert we are! This land is the same as World 2, except the quicksand is faster!
-World 7, Sky: Only two levels are here, but there are lots of tough tasks here; Wart's not letting you off that easily!
After you past through the series of terrian for a level, you'll reach the end of the level! Oooh, aaah. :p Usually, you fight a mini-boss containing a crystal, and when you beat the mini-boss, they die and leave the crystal behind, allowing you to access Hawkface and reach the goal, yay! :D In Super Mario Bros. 2, there are seven unique worlds, with three levels per world. Nearly all of the first and second levels of the worlds have a mini-boss, and the third level of each world has you square off against a big bad boss dude. :p
Then ya reach the goal, you get to use the coins you so rightfully earned from Subworld. Now, if you didn't get any Slot Coins, you can't play, ya loser! :p If you got some coins, try to get a match so extra lives. :D If you can beat all 20 levels of SMB2, you'll beat Wart and save Sub Con! Can you do it? (Hehe, that was lame. :D)
Characters
Once again, being the kewl hero guys that they are, Mario and Luigi have returned to save whatever needs saving from whoever
they need saving from! :D This time around, the Brothers have gotten some unexpected aid from the unlikeliest of allies; Princess Peach and Toad have joined the ranks of the Mario Brothers in this game! As one would think, with four different characters, they each have different traits about them. Here's where you can read about the characters:
Mario: After saving damsels for seven years, this is Mario's first game where the spotlight isn't completely on him for once! Just like you've come to expect of our red plumber friend, Mario's the all-around characters of our lovely little foursome. His running Speed, Jumping, and Power are all average, but his jump is little worse than his other stats. When Mario holds an item, his running speed and jumping decrease a little bit. Mario's a good choice for all players, because he's so well-rounded.
Luigi: In Luigi's third game ever, he's already become a co-star AND he's already become independent from Mario in everyway, so yay! :D Luigi also has all the traits you've come to expect of him from over the years. Luigi is the best jumper of the group, but the control he has over his jump is small. He also slips when he runs.. Speaking of his Speed, his Speed and Power are just about average. His jump drops by a lot when he's holding an item, and his speed falls a little, too. Luigi's for the more advanced player, because his control is so wacky.
Peach: In her second real appearance ever, Peach has already broken out of her female stereotype to help Mario kick Wart's ass. Kick ass, Ms. Toadstool! :D Peach is actually a very good character, although her stats wouldn't say so. Being a dainty Princess, she's the slowest and weakest of the group, but her real power comes from her aerial abilities. She jumps high, and also has the unique ability to float in the air for a couple seconds, making her quite useful. Her jump and speed drop a lot with an item, but her floating makes her the perfect choice for beginners.
Toad: After basically spending SMB as a damsel, like Peach, Toad has returned to give revenge as only a psychotic mushroom drug could give it! :p Toad's who the majority of Mario fandom would consider the "best," but I think it's Peach. Anyhoo, Toad DOES have the most Power, and the fastest Speed(considering he's a type of it. :p). Of course, this comes at price since he can't jump to save his life. Luckily, when holding an item, his jump doesn't drop at all, and I don't think his speed falls either. Toad must be on steriods. :p His stats make him a good choice for intermediate players.
Stat Comparisions:
In case you're wondering how the four characters would fair against each other, here's where you can see how fast they are, how high they jump, and how fast they pick up items! They're ordered from worst to best.
Power:
Peach, Luigi, Mario, Toad
Speed, with or without items:
Peach, Luigi, Mario, Toad
Jump, with or without items:
Toad, Mario, Peach, Luigi
Enemies
Okay now, since Mario Bros. 2 doesn't work on a score system, and since nearly all the regular enemies can be taken out with one hit, I'll just be explaining what trait each enemy has!
Red Shy Guy: The main enemy of the game. We all know what these cute little guys look like, right? :D They don't do any but walk in straight line, and they'll walk into pits or off cliffs without a second thought. And they move slowly. But, they do seem to like to follow you, which is annoying in some places.
Blue Shy Guy: The other variation of Shy Guy, these guys are just as pathetic. They also just walk into you, and they're just as slow. The only different between them is that Blue Shy Guy don't walk off the platform they're currently patrolling.
Tweeter: These are those weird little dinosaur-bird things. I guess they're supposed to be birds, because they hop up and down trying to fly. That's all they do; jump at you, pretty slow at that. They'll easily jump into pits and off cliffs, too.
Ninji: Those are those cool little star dude. :D They either jump in place and wave you cutely, :P, or they tail you by running and jumping after you. The latter can be hard to beat because they're on the move, they're pretty fast.
Hoopster: These are those disturbing caterpillar that bug ya on the local vines. They don't do anything but patrol the vines, and if you jump on their heads, they'll give you a boost. They can get a hit on you, if you don't know one is on a vine and it runs into you.
Pidgit: This guy's a psycho. :D He has a magic carpet, and he tries to dive bomb you from the air. If you time it right, you can jump on his head and throw him away, stealing his carpet, which is usually what you do if he's around. It's easy to spot his attack though.
Beezo: These things look sorta like flying Shy Guy's in Yellow. They're pretty annoying, because they're fairly fast, and a lot of them attack you at the same time. All they do is charge toward you with their staff, and they'll fly off-screen and won't come back. If you jump on a Beezo, you can ride it by running on it. If you don't move, you'll fall off.
Phanto: UGH, these guys are ANNOYING. Phanto are those stupid opera mask things that attack you when you steal their stupid keys. They'll only charge at you repeatedly, and you can stop him from charging by throwing the key out of your hands. He'll keep coming back though, until you reach the locked door.
Gray Snifit: These guys look sorta like Shy Guys, except they have a mask with circle structues. Remember those little buggers in the Caves of Mario 64? Yep, these are those guys. They'll stand in place, shooting cannonballs from their motuhs, but it's easy to see. They usually shake before they launch attacks. They also seem to fire the most out of all Snifits.
Blue Snifit: Blue Snifit seems to be exactly the same as Gray Snifit, and exact that they don't shake when they're about to shoot cannonballs, making it harder to know when they're going to attack. They also fire less shots than the Gray ones.
Red Snifit: These guys are capable of walking, uh-oh! They'll walk right off cliffs though, apparently the Red enemies in this game aren't to bright. :p They still have the ability to shoot cannonballs at you though, even though they fire the least amount of shots at you.
Trouter: I must say, Nintendo was feeling original when they named the baddies of Mario 2. :P Trouter is a *gasp* trout, who'll jump out from lakes and try to mess up Mario and his friends. They jump up and down fairly fast, but they stall in mid-air, which is why you'll eventually use them as stepping stones to cross levels, oy.
Spark: These guys are probably the ancestors of Watt from Paper Mario. :D They circle around solid surfaces, like platforms, and Mushroom Blocks, but not chains because chains are metal. They'll zap you if you get too close. Some Sparks travel slow, and some must be on speed, because they're a lot faster. :p
Cobrat: These guys are cobras (Gee, ya think?) that hide out in the desert sands and the local pottery. They can chase Mario and his friends, or they can just shoot cannonballs at them. Cannonballs. O_o; Crack kills.
Pokey: Hey, it's Pokey! :D Too bad he's green this time. :p Pokey's one of the few enemies that can take more then one vegetable to kill. Hehe, he's special. :p Pokey can travel through any platform just to chase the gang, but you can still throw an item at him, and knock out three to all of section, ha HA! :p
Panser: These flowers are sorta like the Pirahna in Mario 3. They stay put, but they fire fireballs at you in three different directions. Time yourself, then get in and smack it with a veggie, or just run right by the immobile ones. Oh yeah, some are capable of walking and following you. O_o; But the mobile ones are easy to run away from, they're slow.
Flurry: Eee, these guys are cute. :D They're little snowmen dudes that chase after you in the ice levels, but they have no control, and usually just slide right off cliffs. LOL, smooth move. :p Just run away from them, you'll be faster on ice, even has Peach.
Autobomb: This has to be the weirdest enemy, they look like freaking cameras! In the ice levels, Shy Guys can be seen ride these, but some Autobombs can be found without a rider. Actually, I think you can get a ride on them, too. Either way, they'll ride towards you and try to ram you, or they'll just shoot fireballs at you. o_O; Crack kills.
Ostro: Three guesses on what animal this enemy is. :p For the clueless, Ostro is a pathetic pink ostrich who will almost always be seen with a Shy Guy riding them. Methinks you can throw the Shy Guy away and get a ride yourself. With or without the Shy Guy, they'll only chase you, and they're slower than any of the characters in the game.
Porcupo: Sonic the Hedgehog, anyone? Nah, they're not quite that ugly. :p *Gets bashed by Sonic fans* Anyhoo, Porcupo is the only regular enemy you can't pick up, because they have needles, duh! Just hit them with a veggie, or other enemy, they're pretty slow.
Albatoss: Yes, it's an albatross, and the name is a pathetic pun. Bad Nintendo, no biscuit! :p Oh well, I like these guys, despite how annoying they are. :p They randomly drop Bob-Ombs on you, but otherwise, they're harmless. They fly pretty fast, but you can catch a ride on them by using the Super Jump.
Bob-Omb: Yep, this is Bob-Omb's first appearance ever! Actually, they look more like ninjas on crack in this game, hehe. :P They'll be randomly thrown at you by the Albatoss, or you may even pluck an exploding one from the ground. O_o; They like to chase you, and that hurts, not to mention when they explode. Run, run, run! Or smack them with a turnip, whichever. :p
Bosses
Well, there are seven worlds in the lovely land of Subcon, and each world has it's own Boss. And, nearly all levels in the game have a sub-boss. Actually, Mouser appears as a boss three times, and Birdo's the only sub-boss you'll ever fight, period. :p Oh well, the game has its share of unique bosses, too.
Birdo: Birdo is basically a disturbing specie of Yoshi, IMO. Birdo's quite screwed in this game, Nintendo offically calls him a transvestite. :p The line is something like "Birdo is a boy, but he enjoys wearing a bow and looking a like a girl. He prefers to be called Birdetta." Crack kills. :p Birdo's the first transexual in a game ever, but that's a story for another time. :p Well, there are three types of Birdo; Pink, Red and Green. You beat all three colours the same way, by hitting him with eggs or Mushroom Blocks three times. Pink Birdo shoot only eggs, Red Birdo shoot eggs and fireballs, and Green Birdos shoot only fireballs. Yep, the Mushroom Blocks work dandy against the Green ones.
Sub-Boss in: Worlds 1-7
Mouser: Mouser is, of course, a mouse. He wears sunglasses, and enjoys carrying an endless supply of bombs in his nowhere-to-be-found pockets. You know what I say about crack. :p Anyways, all three times you fight Mouser, you beat him the exact same way. You stand under Mouser's platform, letting him throw his bombs at you, and you run out to catch one or pick one up quickly. If the bomb is flashing pink, don't bother, because it'll just blow up in your hands. :p When you get a hold of a bomb, throw it on Mouser's platforms, preferably, on the right side, because he'll usually walk there when he finishes a Bomb Barrage. Repeat as necessary(twice/four times depending on the World).
Boss in: World 1, and World 3. (NOTE: If you're playing Mario Advance, you'll take on Robirdo in World 3.)
Triclyde: Triclyde is basically three Cobrats melded into one freakishly disturbing snake. Unlike Cobrat, they have the ability to shoot fireballs, and that's basically their only attack, because, for some reason, they're immobile. You'll have a lot of Mushroom Block against them, so make a wall of two or three for a barrier for protection. When they stop shooting fireballs, get in fast and throw a Mushroom Block at them. Repeat twice.
Boss in: World 2, World 6. (NOTE if you're playing Mario Advance, Mouser will be the Boss of World 6.)
Fry Guy: Fry Guy is basically a huge ball of fire. Um, kay. Strangely enough, Fry Guy is the boss of the Arctic World. Hehe, isn't it Ironic? Don't you think? :D Okay, now that I've had my share of Alanis Morissette, time for strategy! :D Fry Guy basically circles around the room, shooting fireballs at you. You have Mushroom Blocks, so just throw them at him three times. I think it's three, anyways. When Fry Guy gets hit for the third time, he'll blow up into about five little flames. This is easy, just get a Mushroom Block and throw it at the flames, one block will probably kill about three or four of them. :p
Boss in: World 4.
Clawgrip: Whee, a completely original boss! :D I think so anyway, in Doki Doki Panic, you would fight Mouser a third time. o_O; Okay, so anyways, Clawgrip, if you didn't notice, is a huge freaky crab thing. :p He'll pick up boulders from his pile, and randomly throw them in your general direction. :p For some reason, you can't pick up any of the boulders in his pile. o_o; Okay, so that means you need to snag the ones he throws at you, of course! :D There's a flight of stairs leading up to Clawgrip, duck on the very first step, and jump when the rocks come to you. Quickly pick up the rocks before you both go flying into the pit. :p Then hit Clawgrip with them. Repeat four more times. Yep, it takes five hits!
Boss in: World 5.
Hawkface: Hawkface are actually in every level of the game. Hawkface is is that weird eagle head at the end of each level, who let's you pass with Birdo's Crystal, but only in the last stage of the game does he attack you. When you pick up his crystal, he'll suddenly will chase after and attack you! He's actually quite easy to beat. There's Mushroom Blocks around, so just pelt him with a Mushroom Block three times in a row, and Hawkface will give up, letting you access the lair of...
Sub-Boss of: World 7-2
Wart: He's the final boss that no one seems to like, he's Wart! :p Stupid introductions aside, Wart must like crack. Why do I say this, I hear you cry? Well, it seems Wart hates vegetables, and he's in Sub-Con, land of turnips. :p But wait, there's more! Wart also has a machine in his lair that dispenses vegetables at random! What the hell? :p Okay, so anyways, Wart is pretty annoying. He attacks you snot bubbles (note: crack kills), which also destroy your vegetables. You have to successfully throw six vegetables in Wart's mouth to beat him, and I suggest using Peach. Get as far right as you can on the level with the veggie dispencer, float just before Wart blows his snot, and toss the veggies right when he opens his mouth. If you can beat Wart, congrats! You beat SMB2!
Boss in: World 7.
Items
Well, compared to SMB, SMB2 has vastly improved it's item selection. However, the only items you'll see making a return to the series are the Koopa Shell and Starman, but that's okay, because there's a lot of fun fun silly willy itmes that have taken the place of the originals!
Unripe Radish: These are probably the most common veggie that'll you'll pluck. It's a little circle with a tuft of grass on it, and because it's so small, it'll be harder to take out more than one enemy with. In the sky world, they have pointy tufts, but they're not different.
Ripe Turnip: Oh yeah, now we're talking! :D These turnips are nice and big and have :) faces, but they take a little longer to pluck. Since they're bigger, they have a better chance of bouncing into more enemies. In the sky world, they have diferent faces, but are also not different.
Raddish: There are basically the unripe Turnips of the desert stages. You pluck them quickly, and they're smaller and hard to KO more than one enemy with.
Pumpkin: These are like the ripe Turnips of the desert stages. They have an :O expression on their face, and take longer to pluck then Raddish, but can KO more enemies.
Bombs: These are purple bombs that take about five seconds to explode. When they turn pink, that's a sign they're ready to blow, so quickly, get rid of them! They're good to blast away enemies and loose rocks.
Koopa Shell: Hehe, these rock! When you throw a Koopa Shell, they slide along, taking out any enemies in its way, like all Mario games. Also in tradition, if you get it with it yourself, you lose a heart, so watch out!
Cherries: I really didn't know what these were for until just a couple days ago, when I realized what they do. If you collect enough Cherries in a given area, they make a Starman appear on the screen.
Starman: True to its SMB roots, Starman makes your characters completely and totally invincible for a short time. Use it to clear out hordes of enemies, sillies! :D
1-Up Mushrooms: Oops, I forgot about these, making a return from SMB. Instead of being green and yellow in blocks, they're solid red and appear randomly in grass tufts. Obviously, they give you another life. :p
Potion: These are little bottles of red liquid that you throw to form a door to Sub World. In Sub World, you can find Mushrooms, Coins, Warps, and that's about it. :p
Mushroom: As I just said, Mushrooms are found exclusively in Sub World. You use Mushrooms to gain another Heart Container, and you can get usually two per level, for a total of four hits. :D
Coins: And again, Coins are also found exclusively in Sub World. Any tufts of grass in Sub World will get you Coins, and when you finish each level, you can use the Coins to win lives at the Slots.
Bob-Ombs: These technically count as items because you pluck them from the ground. They're just about ready to explode if you get them from the ground, so quick, throw them away! :p
POW Blocks: Um, hehe, okay, so there are four items from previous Mario games. ^_^; Oh well, POW Blocks are good and useful, just throwing it kills every enemy you see on the stage. Good for stages with lots of enemies. :D
Hearts: If you kill enough enemies, usually from POW Blocks, a Heart will float up, and you can recover a heart container, which is always good, especially on long stages!
Rockets: Rockets are pretty rare, I think you see them about twice in the whole game, and you don't control them at all. You just use them to fly to a new area, whoo. :p
Keys: Where there's a key, there's a Phanto. Grab the key, and RUN. Head for the locked door, and the key and the Phanto will disappear forever, at least until you restart that level. :p
Mushroom Blocks: Mushroom Blocks can be used as Projectiles, or they can be used to give you a boost up. Mushroom Blocks are also the only way you can beat Green Birdos.
Crystals: If you smack Birdo around at the end of each stage, when he croaks, he'll leave behind a Crystal. Crystals summon Hawkface to open his mouth, and you can pass.
Extra Help
Time Traveling in the LATE-1980's: Well, SMB2 also sports a Warp Zone, and you can only access them by using Sub World and using the local pottery. :p
Gambit: While playing the slots, if you get Cherries in consectutive order, you win extra lives! However, it must be in correct order, so if you get SHY GUY-CHERRY-STARMAN, you get squat. :p
Secret Passages: There are some hidden areas in the places you'd least expect them, like in World 3-1, if you just walk off the clouds, you'll fall to a secret area where you can get a lot of Coins.
I'm Young, and I'm Underpaid: Hehe, maxing out my Alanis quota, you see. :p Anyways, if you use a potion, you can get up to nine coins altogether, and if you're nearly out of lives, feel free to exit and re-enter an area with a Potion to get more coins. :D
Koopa Bullozers, Part 2: Yes, like SMB, you can use Koopa Shells to clear out fields of enemies, and if you clear about eight or so enemies, you get a 1-UP! World 5-3 is the perfect place to do this. I got 99 1-UPs in Mario Advance, hehe. :D
Mystery Person: Well, if you ask me who I think the best character is, I have to say Peach. Sure, her speed's bad, but Speed isn't important in SMB2. You rarely need running away, except against Phanto, who you can sent away by dropping the Key. Peach's jump rocks, and her floating is really important, especially in World 5.
TimeForce: Sure, this could fit in the Item section, but you need to do something for it. :p Okay, so if you start to pull up a row of vegetables, if there are four or more RIPE vegetables, the fourth RIPE vegetable becomes a Stop Watch, and it stops EVERYTHING in the WHOLE stage for about five seconds! It's really useful in stages with waterfalls, and lots of enemies.
Super Jump: Well yeah, this is a really obvious one, but if you can reach a ledge by just jumping, use the Super Jump. It's practically a key move if you like Toad. :p
Well, that about covers everything I have to spew for Super Mario Bros. 2! :D I suppose Mario 2 isn't as classic as Mario 1, because I needed to use Super Mario Advance to finish this. ^_^; Or maybe I never finished it because I was too little when it came out. :p Oh well thank you and goodnight! And remember, crack kills! :p