Mario Games

Mario Games: Super Mario is there a bigger icon in gaming?

I guess you could perhaps argue about maybe Pac-Man or Donkey Kong maybe even Sonic the Hedgehog, but I think it is fair to say that most people if they are gamers or not have some sort of idea who Mario is.

Super Mario Games concept: When you think about it Super Mario Bros is quite a strange concept. You play as a small fat plumber who needs to save a mushroom Princess from a big reptile. This concept that has really stuck in all the games (except a couple) the story line in the Mario games has and probably never will be award winning, yet at the same time every time a new Mario game is released you want to save Princess Peach. It does not need to give you a ton of text to get the story across, for the most part you’re own mind makes up the story.

A little look at why we love Mario: For me the reason the Super Mario games work so well is the core game play. Right from the very first Super Mario Bros game that was released in the mid 80’s the game play was so tight and perfect it offered a great challenge without ever being unfair. As an introduction for many gamers out there this was the right game to get people hooked. Mario Bros 2 the western release at least did change the formula considerable. But it added the ability to play as 2 extra characters in Peach and Toad and kind of fleshed out the story of the Mario Universe a little bit.

It was Super Mario 3 that really for me at least put the Mario train into high gear. This game by many is considered an absolute master piece. While it returned to the game play of the original Super Mario, it expanded on it in every way. The Mario universe was greatly expanded with a whole host of new characters including the Koopa Kids. For me the main thing that makes Super Mario 3 so great is the fact that in truth it is quite a simple game that anyone could pick up and play. However there is a ton of secrets in this game that only more skilled players could do this is where the greatness of Super Mario comes into play it really is a game that is easy to play yet hard to master.

The last of this era of Mario games would be on the Super Nintendo and for me personally this is the greatest Mario game ever created. Super Mario World is like Mario 3 yet on steroids. Everything about the game was expanded. Mario had a few new moves at his disposal, and just like in Mario 3 there was a ton of secrets and hidden levels for players to uncover. The challenge was a little harder than that of Mario 3 but at its heart it was still a game that anyone could play. While there was a sequel to Mario World in Yoshi’s island it is not really a direct sequel and differs greatly.

You have 3 fantastic 2D platform games (4 if you count Mario 2) that all share similar game play styles and for me this is what makes Mario the icon in gaming that he is. Super Mario games are fun there really is not much more to say than that. They are classic video games that have aged perfectly. There has been a few newer 2D Mario games released on the DS and Wii and while they have given Mario a few extra tricks up his selves and they look considerably better the core game play remains the same. Even in his transition to 3D games the Super Mario games still remain master pieces of gaming. Despite the switch to 3D Nintendo gave never forgotten that the reason us fans love Mario is because he is such a pleasure to control.