Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 39

39: Super Mario Bros. (NES)
Developer: Nintendo
Year: 1985

So, where would this game fall on my list of “Most Influential Games” is what you mean to ask. And what I mean by this is, some of you will likely have angry feelings toward this game not breaking Top 10 or, even, the Top 20. A game like Mario Bros. and/or Tetris, the original Legend of Zelda, or something like Zork (even) would be high up on such a list if I were ranking them based upon their impact on the gaming world at large. But I’m not. Nothing pisses me off more than a game’s list that places this at the number 1 spot. Its not the best game ever made and it isn’t even close to my favorite. But the fact is… Super Mario Bros.’ first title is a classic and a ton of goddamned fun.

As far as plots go, this game was first generation. And by that I really do mean first generation in regards to console gaming. So, the story came in the instruction manual. Basically, a pair of plumbers fall down a warp pipe and are then charged (by who, exactly?) to save the Princess of the Toadstool Kingdom from King Koopa, or Bowser, depending (this is not the same as calling Dr. Robotnik “Eggman” – Eggman is not his name) by… running to the right side of the screen. Its really siimple, but – again – its the birth of platform gaming… the fact that they could program so many different kinds of enemies was probably enough of a breakthrough to really make this game a winner.

As the birth the platforming genre, Mario Bros. really has it all, albeit at its most basic form. Running, jumping, collecting points, and stomping on monsters. And with an addictive gameplay format or simply progressing right as much as possible until a castle or warp pipe ends the level, it meant that the challenge was in survival and good timing, not in memory skills or anything like that (until the last castle, which – for the sake of this review and my own sanity – will be known as Castle Bullshit). This accessibility made it easy to pick up for any gamer of any skill level, something that wasn’t quite as true in the arcades at this time. Mastering each level meant you could get through it faster, and finding the warp pipes to skip ahead meant you could skip entire segments of the game, like any time that cloud mother fucker drops those little spine assholes. It offered bragging rights and, above all else, a high level of fun.

While clearly dated by today’s standards, the fact remains that this game is one of the most iconic in each area of its’ presentation. Almost anyone (I’d wager) that has played a video game – and then a ton of those who haven’t – can sing the main theme song, and maybe even some of the other levels’ tunes, too. Its a testament to this game’s influence, true, but its also of high quality if a game this old can have a single musical number that is that recognizable, by now. In five years, the game will turn 30. Think about that, for a minute (I’ll turn 30, too…!). As far as the graphics go, these little pixel bits of old glory aren’t winning awards today, but they set the stage and designs for the rest of the Mario franchise, forever. And everyone and their fucking dog knows who Mario is. I suspect that most children named Mario, these days, despite their nationality, are named after this guy. ‘Nuff said.

All in all, the fun of the first Mario Bros. game can’t be denied (unless you’re mentally handicapped, that is) and, as such, retains its high ranking on my list after all these years. Were I to posses a working NES (or, even Super NES with All Stars) I’d be plowing these this game all the time, off and on, for simple nostalgia. And that, right there, is where the real staying strength of this game comes from; flashbacks to childhood. At no time in the future will any game really remove this from my memory. In a time in which people are constantly clamoring for “modern” remakes of classic games (Final Fantasy VII, Half-Life 1, Goldeneye – which got one, etc. etc.), there can be no remaking this game. New Super Mario Bros. on Wii and the DS have tried, but it will never capture the magic of the NES titles. That’s right. All three of them. Which one do you think we’ll see on this list, next?

Classic Moment:
Well, what a dumb thing. I guess that, when you beat the game, Princess offers you another run through of the game, this time, though, the monsters are more difficult. From level 1-1 on, you’re faced with Beetle Bailey’s! And I know that isn’t what they’re called, shut up. It makes the game tons of fun and insanely difficult.

Why Super Mario Bros. > Link’s Awakening:
Simple: That nostalgia I talked about. Nothing more needs to be said.

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Added March 17, 2017
Blasphemy, I know: I’d rate Link’s Awakening higher than this, at this point. But the first Mario game will never fall from the top 40, for sure. Despite its simplicity, the simple fact that you can pick it up and play it immediately without much cause for strategy, with little-to-no experience needed, is amazing and hold up surprisingly well to this day.