Did you ever play the sequel, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island? Criminally underrated game, probably because the graphics make it look like a game for young children, though the game play thoroughly indicates otherwise.
My favorite baseball NES was Little League World Series . I thought it was just a good sound fundamental game of baseball. I remember playing my Dad every night after dinner, and the loser would take up dish duty.
Two players with spread guns was how we did it. You could completely cover the screen with gun fire. The laser, while nasty, just couldn't keep all the baddies at bay as easily.
Quote: Also, if people really have the itch to play retro games, going the emulator route is not too bad. It's cheaper, and won't take up any space next to all your physical consoles. The controllers for the computer are dirt cheap, amazon even sells NES/SNES usb controllers.
I actually got into Super Mario World some months ago. I still found the game enjoyable. The levels look great for a 2nd gen Nintendo system, and the game wasn't super hard.
I did this when I was in college - had TONs of games! Absolutely loved having an emulator... I do a lot of my NES games on my Wii now...