Super Mario Bros. (NES) Review

What's the first word that comes into your head when you see this game? Classic? Masterpiece? Revolutionary? There are so many words to choose from its better just to say 'Nintendo'. That basically covers every complimentary word there is anyway, so now that's settled lets move on. What with the new iterations of this game, specifically on the Game Boy, few people have the resources to play this in its original state. Emulation is now the closest you will get, which is a shame, a real shame. There is nothing better than whipping out a NES controller and having a bash on this. It is very hard to put into words the feeling you get, especially if you played this all those years ago. Of course even if you do still have a NES a copy of the game and a decent controller, the chances are they won't work very well anymore. Mario Bros wash dished out to millions free with the NES and in a compilation with the game Duck Hunt. Which meant it was very rare to find someone with a NES who didn't own this game. This was a very clever move by Nintendo, which has secured the success of the Italian plumber up to the present day.

It truly started the most recognisable genre of any video game, the platformer. Taking control of Mario the Italian plumber, (and his lanky brother Luigi if you're playing with a friend) You rush around trying to rescue the princess of the mushroom kingdom, who has been kidnapped by the dinosaur-reminiscent king Koopa, Bowser, that's right a kingdom of mushrooms, a novel concept that seemed even bizarre back then than it does now. With eight worlds and 32 levels, as well as the intricate difficulty yet to be matched, finishing this game is no task to be undertaken lightly. Then again it is, let us explained. This game can entertain in probably all levels of gaming enjoyment, hardcore gamers will find a game with plenty of secrets and intuitive gameplay to last a lifetime, and for the casual gamer there is still that pick up and play feel that you get form all Nintendo games. It is for this reason as well as others, that this game has truly stood the test of time, and is no less enjoyable now than it was nearly twenty years ago!

The gameplay may seem basic now, but remember when this was released the whole idea of platformer's was totally revolutionary, and as Nintendo still try to point out in the days of the GC, simple games are often the most enjoyable. With no need to use any unnecessary brain power on remembering complicated button combinations, the player can focus on what's important; having fun, playing the game. For those of you that have been living under a rock, on Mars, with your fingers in your ears for the past thirty years, and don't actually know what a platformer is, we shall elaborate for you. You control a character, in this case an Italian plumber (the game may have been copied but that idea never was), they can move left and right, jump and usually duck. That's it, that may not sound very interesting on paper (or being read off of a PC monitor), but it truly is a wonderful experience. Of course it isn't quite that simple, there are enemies littered everywhere, trying to get in your way and prevent you from advancing. There aren't a great many types of enemies, but all will be instantly recognisable to any Nintendo fan, the Goomba made its first appearance here, as well as the Koopa Troopa, all of whom are minions of the EVIL king Koopa or Bowser for short. Don't forget those warp pipes either, the biggest secret in the game. Once discovered these allow you to skip big chunks of the game and so making it a lot easier to complete in one go.

The game is SO memorable for SO many reasons, it's just unreal. Will you ever get tired of that music? Unlikely. The tune of the first level, and when you drop down into the underground sections are probably the most famous pieces of gaming music, and probably music, of all time. The old 'chime' of picking up a coin shall never be forgotten. The 'warp' sounds of travelling through large green pipes or the strange indescribable sound of changing from Mario to Super Mario and vice versa, could well have you in tears. Of course the graphics look dated now, what do you expect? Old and dated maybe, but hard on the eyes, NEVER, some of the images in this game, are the most nostalgia filled of any game in existence.

What more can we say? Without this there wouldn't have been any Sonic's or Banjo or that one Zelda. We owe so much to Mario it is unbelievable, and of course he's still going strong today. With the (relatively) recent release of Mario Sunshine proving so. A sequel is apparently under development, and will apparently be 'much better than the last'. Mario is far from dead, so it seems only fair to give as much credit as possible to his humble beginnings that helped him become one of the most recognisable characters in the gaming industry. Let's not forget about the man behind Mario, Mr Shigeru Miyamoto himself. Truly a god among men, he is the genius behind the likes of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Kirby and of course Mario. Without him the gaming may well have died many years ago, his creativity will never have enough technology to be truly at its best.