This is it! The game that took a popular, overweight, monkey abusing anti-hero, and turned him into a pop culture icon! As video games continue to evolve from a simple geek hobby, and into a huge entertainment medium Super Mario Bros. is sure to go down in history as a masterpiece that revolutionized a genre. I have very little doubt that in 100 years this game will be looked at by the video game community as Picasso is now looked at, by art lovers.
Released in the winter of 1985 Super Mario Bros. almost singlehandedly raised the crashed
video game market from the dead. It was not only a much larger game than the video game community
had ever seen, but it was full of top notch graphics and sound. As well, the game was loaded with
secrets. It was so good, in fact, that it has taken Mario from a video game character, and succeeded
in plastering his face on everything in sight. You name it, and Mario's mustached mug has probably been
on it. Shirts, fanny packs, comics, watches, handheld games, underwear, toy chests, stuffed animals,
books, cereal, wallpaper, cartoons, mustached mugs and a movie plus much more! You name it and the Super Mario Bros.
have been there, done that. In fact, the Super Mario Bros. have launched a multitude of sequels, including
two more for the NES, as well as Super Mario World for the SNES, Super Mario 64 for the N64 and Super
Mario Sunshine for the GameCube. As well, the Super Mario Bros. have guest starred in several games,
and had several spin offs.
By today's (2005) standards Super Mario Bros. seem primitive. The graphics, though incredible at the time of it's release, are far dated. The sound, while still catchy, is hardly comparable to the sound that current generation game systems can produce, and the gameplay is simple 2D platform jumping. Yet, this game manages to stay just as much fun today as it was upon it's release. Despite how dated this game has become, the graphics and sound are still enjoyable, even if they don't match today's standards. The reason I gave this game a 10 for graphics and sound is because at the time of it's release the graphics and sound were incredible.
Now the gameplay is where Super Mario Bros. continues to shine. This game still holds as
much enjoyment today as it did upon release. At the time the eight worlds with three levels and
a dungeon apiece seemed huge. Today it seems rather small, but still fun. Most seasoned gamers can recall
a time when it took hours of playing to get anywhere in Super Mario Bros., and as a result of those
hours of playing these seasoned gamers can now breeze through the game in less than ten minutes, using
warp zones of course!
All in all Super Mario Bros. is still just as great as it has always been. I would recommend this to any gamer that enjoys 2D games. Unless you're strictly only a 3D gamer than play this game. Though, I'm pretty sure that nearly everyone on earth has already played it!
