Any self-respecting gamer has at least one fond memory of the Mario Bros. and in honor of such an occasion I felt I should express mine.
Being born in 1991, I unfortunately missed the NES days of Mario. However, the Super Nintendo would give me the chance to relive them all and then some in one shot.
Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario World [1993, Super Nintendo]
This mega collection gave die hard fans what they needed. It came packaged with Super Mario Bros. 1,2,3, Japan's Lost Levels, and Super Mario World. I was introduced to platforming greatness. Well, given the fact that I was 3 when I got my hands on the controller, the pretty colors were more than enough to keep me entertained.
Super Mario Bros. is a simple classic that stands the test of time and will forever be one my favorite games for its user-friendly controls and difficult gameplay. Super Mario Bros. 2, on the other hand, I can't say the same. It just was too different for me. (Given that it was once an entirely different game.) The music, the enemies, and the atmosphere just didn't feel right to me. Lost Levels (Japan's Super Mario Bros. 2) is a more difficult version of the first game. My two favorite games of the bunch are Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. Super Mario Bros. 3 took everything great about the original and made it so much better. There was an overworld map to traverse each level as you wished. They introduced usable items (other than a fireflower) that you can bring up at any time before entering a level. The minigames gave a fun break between levels. Each world was unique and characteristic such as the Giant World in which all the enemies are gargantuan size. Finding the princess at the end never felt so satisfying after going through the hell that is known as level 8. It was just the game that summed up the 2D Mario experience perfectly. Super Mario World I loved as well. It left a lot of room for mastery and took the Mario franchise to a whole new level. Just see for yourself.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars [1996, Super Nintendo]
This game was a definite change of pace for me. Nintendo and SquareSoft joined forces to create a one of a kind experience. I had no idea what to think of this game when it first came out. It didn't seem like a Mario game at all. I mean you could actually team up with Bowser and at this point, a Mario game where you didn't fight Bowser at the end wasn't a Mario game at all. At least Super Mario Bros. 2 was a side-scroller like its other 8-bit counterparts. I described it as part Mario, part Final Fantasy, and part wacky. I didn't really appreciate its place in the franchise's history until it was released on the Wii in 2008. I realized that this was the beginning of what would be the series' branching off into almost every other genre in gaming there is (fighting, racing, RPG, horror).Playing it again 15 years later, man, did I enjoy it. Even though Mario did seem a little more pudgy than usual. Here's some Super Mario Fantasy for you.Super Mario 64 [1996, Nintendo 64]
If I had to choose my favorite video game system of all time, it had to be the Nintendo 64. This was the system that I grew up on. My most fondest memory is waking up Christmas morning and opening up my biggest present to find a NINTENDO SIXTY FOOUUURR!! One of the first games I played for it was Super Mario 64. Although, it came out a few months before Super Mario RPG, I consider it Mario's first true venture in the realm of 3D. Running, jumping and sliding around a 3D plane was not something that was common before the release of the 5th generation consoles. It really felt special the first time you grabbed Bowser, swung him around by his tail and threw him into a spiked mine and see him explode. "So long Big Bowser!" And of coursed they talked. It was incredible to hear the characters speak in entire coherent sentences. Charles Martinet, the current and most famous voice actor for Mario, gave his talent to the company that would cement himself as THE voice for not only Mario but for Luigi and many other characters in the franchise. Super Mario 64 was an incredible experience.Super Mario Sunshine [2002, Gamecube]
Super Mario Sunshine was a game that had fans split. Some loved it while some could do without it. I, for one, am one of those people who loved it. I believe that it took what was given to you in Super Mario 64 and made it bigger. The graphics were much sharper and brighter and still look great even today. A few tweaks to the jumping and moving I found welcoming. I suppose people just found the use of water and having to play with a waterpack throughout the whole game very un-Mario like. I give it that the scenery was very different. You weren't in the rememberable Mushroom Kingdom or Peach's Castle. You were in a strange and foreign place called Delfino Island. To me I didn't care. This new land was bright, looked gorgeous and had enough interesting characters that it didn't bother me at all. I found that the use of the waterpack was more necessary than gimmicky. I believe if it was just Mario, it would have felt too much like an updated version of Super Mario 64. That is what I liked about Sunshine. It was a game all to itself. Sure, the Gamecube will probably go down as the least remembered of Nintendo's systems, but that doesn't mean it didn't have its own library of remarkable games. It was definitely a great game in my book even though people will argue about it for years to come.Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 [2007/2010, Wii]
Regarding the Galaxy games, I would go as far as to say they are the most spectacular of any of the Mario games. The graphics were beautiful. The gameplay physics made you feel as if you were directing Mario in low-gravity worlds. The orchestrated soundtrack sounded amazing as you played through the many different and unique planets. There isn't much I can say that can describe the game without actually playing it. The story was the same as all the rest. Bowser kidnaps Peach. Mario goes on an adventure to save her and ultimately defeating Bowser. But as Nintendo has stated, the story isn't their focus. The focus is improving gameplay and making a Mario experience that fans will find new, fresh, and enjoyable. And of course, they did. In my personal opinion I cannot imagine how Nintendo can improve on the series more than they have with Galaxy. Here's a little taste of Galaxy.There you have it. My thoughts on the major Mario games. (I know there's plenty of other Mario games out there but these are the most important ones.) Mario has had a great run in his 25 years and here's to many more!
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