I beat SMB without warping in an arcade on a coin op machine.
SMB3 was also the first game I bought the very first day it was available. Saved up for a good long time and picked it up as soon as it hit the shelves. Beat it the first night, but continued playing it every day for weeks. No whistles warps or cheats.
SMB2 took me and my friends much longer. This was back when you rented a game from a dirty little store and had to bring it back the very next day (Blockbuster wasn't a thing yet). So that one took about 3 rentals, give or take.
SMB3 was also the first game I bought the very first day it was available. Saved up for a good long time and picked it up as soon as it hit the shelves. Beat it the first night, but continued playing it every day for weeks. No whistles warps or cheats.
SMB2 took me and my friends much longer. This was back when you rented a game from a dirty little store and had to bring it back the very next day (Blockbuster wasn't a thing yet). So that one took about 3 rentals, give or take.