Most gamers have a character that defines gaming for
them. Think Master Chief, Crash Bandicoot, Sonic, Pikachu and so on. Of all
such characters though one stands above all other almost undisputedly and he is
of course the worlds favourite plumber: Mario.
Mario first appeared in the arcade game Donkey Kong in 1981, but that’s not the
game that is synonymous with his character. That would be Super Mario Bros.
Since it’s release in 1985 on the NES, Super Mario
Bros. sold over 40 million units making it the best selling game ever until the
release of Wii Sports in 2006.
The game was more complicated than previous Mario entries
with more features and levels. The player would control Mario in his attempt to
reach Princess Peach from the evil Bowser saving Toads on the way. The player had
to pass obstacles and enemies while collecting coins by jumping up and hitting
boxes in the air.
Since its release in almost thirty years ago it has
spawned several re-releases on new Nintendo consoles with various other games
being released in the franchise. Despite this, no follow up since Super Mario
Bros. has come close to being as successful or as recognisable.
Most early games on this list are really considered
to be forerunners to something bigger and better in the future, the way through
to modern games if you like. Here though we have an exception, Super Mario
Bros. not only defined one of the most successful franchises ever, but also
cemented the Platform genre as one that will exist forever.
Mario’s first major outing then is still as playable
today as it was 29 years ago. And on that note I’d say have a Google search,
find a flash version of the old original- or better yet drag out someone’s old
NES and play it like it was meant to be played. Go on, you know you want to.
