Thursday 27 October 2011
at
04:37
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There would still be video game systems today, but perhaps they wouldn't have developed so quickly if it weren't for Super Mario Bros. This one game created a virtual race that led to the current battle for video game marketplace domination that exists today. Super Mario Brothers took the US by storm back in 1985 and catapulted Nintendo into the giant corporation it is today. It's worth a look into this game to see why it became so successful and why it's still revered by fans.
Before this game there wasn't much along the lines of side-scrolling action games featuring a human looking character. You could play Pong, Space Invaders, or Pac-Man on the Atari if you had one. When Super Mario Brothers hit American homes it was like nothing kids had seen up until that point. Here was an identifiable character with 2 arms and legs just like a real person. He can run, he can jump, and can shoot fire. he can get bigger, and shrink. And you are in control of it all! Plus there are levels with increasing difficulty and a common objective. There's a timer so you'd better hurry. Saving the princess from a castle and an evil dragon is a classic theme used in many fairy tales. Letting kids control the main character on this quest was a recipe for roaring success.
From a technological standpoint the game was remarkable. When you compare it to what was available at the time it was really no contest. Take Pac-Man for example. It's very addictive and it's basically a yellow circle that moves around a single, stationary board eating smaller circles and running away from 4 ghosts. Super Mario Brothers offered an entire world to explore. It even had secrets to find and tricks you could do. Rather than a yellow circle Mario looks a lot like the average Joe Plumber.
Giving Mario power ups was the brightest idea to come out of Nintendo. Every kid and most adults wish they could get a power up and feel invincible. Shooting fire balls and killing turtle shaped bad guys is immensely fun for some reason. Getting a star and buzzing through a level without being able to get hurt is loads of fun. These types of special abilities are themes that come up in almost every future Nintendo game featuring Mario and his friends. For example, in Mario Kart you can get the invincible star and knock your opponents off the track. You can also shoot turtle shell missiles at them.
It was truly a groundbreaking game, and to this day many Nintendo fans still make Mario the king of video game characters. It all started with the original Super Mario Brothers
Before this game there wasn't much along the lines of side-scrolling action games featuring a human looking character. You could play Pong, Space Invaders, or Pac-Man on the Atari if you had one. When Super Mario Brothers hit American homes it was like nothing kids had seen up until that point. Here was an identifiable character with 2 arms and legs just like a real person. He can run, he can jump, and can shoot fire. he can get bigger, and shrink. And you are in control of it all! Plus there are levels with increasing difficulty and a common objective. There's a timer so you'd better hurry. Saving the princess from a castle and an evil dragon is a classic theme used in many fairy tales. Letting kids control the main character on this quest was a recipe for roaring success.
From a technological standpoint the game was remarkable. When you compare it to what was available at the time it was really no contest. Take Pac-Man for example. It's very addictive and it's basically a yellow circle that moves around a single, stationary board eating smaller circles and running away from 4 ghosts. Super Mario Brothers offered an entire world to explore. It even had secrets to find and tricks you could do. Rather than a yellow circle Mario looks a lot like the average Joe Plumber.
Giving Mario power ups was the brightest idea to come out of Nintendo. Every kid and most adults wish they could get a power up and feel invincible. Shooting fire balls and killing turtle shaped bad guys is immensely fun for some reason. Getting a star and buzzing through a level without being able to get hurt is loads of fun. These types of special abilities are themes that come up in almost every future Nintendo game featuring Mario and his friends. For example, in Mario Kart you can get the invincible star and knock your opponents off the track. You can also shoot turtle shell missiles at them.
It was truly a groundbreaking game, and to this day many Nintendo fans still make Mario the king of video game characters. It all started with the original Super Mario Brothers
Posted by
zahirah
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Super Mario Brothers - The Original
