Super Mario turns 30: here are 10 of his greatest hits , Sunday, September 13 marks the 30th anniversary of the Super Mario series. Making up the core of the world's number one best-selling (and arguably best known) game franchise, Super Mario has frequently changed the face of video games as we know them since the first entry in 1985.
The latest release, Super Mario Maker, hits store shelves one day before the big anniversary and is both a celebration and a culmination of everything that came before it. So as that game goes out to Mario fans around the world, here are 10 of the most important times the series changed the way we think about games:Though Mario was introduced as 'Jumpman' in 1981 and the brothers (Mario and Luigi) starred together in an arcade game two years later, it was Super Mario Bros. that made them famous, revolutionising the home video game in the process.
With 32 distinct worlds of smoothly-scrolling, secret-laden adventure, the game was unlike anything players had seen before. It was so well balanced that many of the elements — from the control design to all the enemies — exist in Mario games to this day, and its various quirks and features ("your princess is in another castle!") have become part of the modern lexicon.
Though the original was quickly followed by a very similar sequel in Japan, the rest of the world instead received a wildly different game themed after Arabian Nights, which starred the Mario brothers alongside Princess Toadstool (Peach) and Toad.
The game (which is a repurposed version of the Japanese release Doki Doki Panic and was not originally designed as a Mario game) is emblematic of series' magic that can turn a game about throwing vegetables at sand snakes into something indelibly stamped on thousands of childhoods.
While we were getting to grips with Mario in Arabia, Japan was experiencing Mario's first legitimate overhaul, with the game reimagined as a colourful-animated stage play inSuper Mario. Bros. 3. Though the game arguably added more new enemies and elements to the series than any other in its history, it also introduced a graphical style and complexity of design that would endure for decades.
SMB3 also marked the start of the series' focus on power-up items, introducing the Super Leaf that turns Mario into a racoon.
Designed as a showpiece for the powerful new Super Nintendo, Super Mario World took the overhead maps and open level design of Super Mario Bros. 3 and made it into one connected journey. Even the music was cohesive, with series mainstay Koji Kondo composing various versions of the same track that change dynamically along the way.
Introducing dinosaur companion Yoshi and a whole host of new twists on the proven formula, World remains arguably the biggest and best-regarded 2D Mario game to this day.
When the Nintendo 64 first launched it only had two games, but since one of them was Super Mario 64 that isn't as bad as it sounds. The game was nothing short of a revelation, smartly translating the exploration and adventure of a Mario game into a smooth three-dimensional experience.
In an era where many older franchises (including rivals like Sonic the Hedgehog) couldn't quite manage the transition to 3D, Mario set the standard by which all other adventure games would be measured for a long time to come.
Somewhat a black sheep of the family, Sunshine marks one step on a journey Nintendo didn't end up taking, utilising the GameCube's power to make the kind of narrative-heavy adventure game found on other consoles, complete with voice-acted cutscenes.
The game sees Mario on a tropical holiday, using a versatile water cannon to traverse the environments and battle enemies, all the while trying to discover who framed him for a crime he didn't commit. It's weird, but its adorable visuals and quirky characters introduced a new sense of charm for the series.With its handheld Nintendo DS system becoming hugely popular with older demographics and non-gamers, Nintendo decided to go back to basics with a side-scrollingMario game that called back to the 1985 original. With a simplified artistic style and a few new touches, the game became one of the DS's greatest successes.
To the delight of some and the disappointment of others, New Super Mario Bros. proved so much more popular than 3D Mario games that Nintendo iterated on it for each of its machines thereafter: on the Wii in 2009, and both the 3DS and Wii U in 2012.Though the Wii is best remembered for its sports games, fitness software and casual-friendly party fare, it was also home to the last Super Mario games made in the open-world style of Mario 64. In Galaxy, our moustached hero left the Mushroom Kingdom and took to the stars.
The crazy, gravity-bending platforming of the game was a brand new element for Mario and helped the game feel futuristic, a feeling helped by the unique motion-sensing Wii remote. Mario Galaxy 2 arrived in 2010, streamlining the whole experience in line with Nintendo's move toward greater accessibility.With old-school-inspired Mario games selling better, but large-scale 3D Mario games being favoured by critics and the Nintendo hardcore, the company experimented with combining both in Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS in 2011. In 2013, it expanded the design and added the classic four-player lineup.
The result of the hybrid is a game that feels all its own and could very well be the shape of big-budget Mario games to come. Easy to pick up and fun to play with friends like a 2D game, Super Mario 3D World nonetheless feels like a premium experience and is packed to the gills with secrets and incredible challenges.All this brings us to today, where Super Mario Maker provides an online community and a brand new way to interact with a Super Mario game while simultaneously paying homage to four of its biggest hits.
At the core of the game is an expansive course editor that hands level design over to the player, allowing you to build stages in the style of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World or New Super Mario Bros. Since the Wii U console features a touchpad and stylus, creation is as simple as drawing out the levels and dragging and dropping enemies and elements. Advanced capabilities include stacking enemies, creating sub-levels and plotting paths for platforms or enemies to follow.
Even if you're not into creating your own levels, the 'play' mode in Maker can provide a near endless amount of content. Players can sort through the hundreds of levels being created by the community, leaving comments and following their favourite creators. For a more surprising twist, you can also have the game throw a series of random levels at you from the community.
The latest release, Super Mario Maker, hits store shelves one day before the big anniversary and is both a celebration and a culmination of everything that came before it. So as that game goes out to Mario fans around the world, here are 10 of the most important times the series changed the way we think about games:Though Mario was introduced as 'Jumpman' in 1981 and the brothers (Mario and Luigi) starred together in an arcade game two years later, it was Super Mario Bros. that made them famous, revolutionising the home video game in the process.
With 32 distinct worlds of smoothly-scrolling, secret-laden adventure, the game was unlike anything players had seen before. It was so well balanced that many of the elements — from the control design to all the enemies — exist in Mario games to this day, and its various quirks and features ("your princess is in another castle!") have become part of the modern lexicon.
Though the original was quickly followed by a very similar sequel in Japan, the rest of the world instead received a wildly different game themed after Arabian Nights, which starred the Mario brothers alongside Princess Toadstool (Peach) and Toad.
The game (which is a repurposed version of the Japanese release Doki Doki Panic and was not originally designed as a Mario game) is emblematic of series' magic that can turn a game about throwing vegetables at sand snakes into something indelibly stamped on thousands of childhoods.
While we were getting to grips with Mario in Arabia, Japan was experiencing Mario's first legitimate overhaul, with the game reimagined as a colourful-animated stage play inSuper Mario. Bros. 3. Though the game arguably added more new enemies and elements to the series than any other in its history, it also introduced a graphical style and complexity of design that would endure for decades.
SMB3 also marked the start of the series' focus on power-up items, introducing the Super Leaf that turns Mario into a racoon.
Designed as a showpiece for the powerful new Super Nintendo, Super Mario World took the overhead maps and open level design of Super Mario Bros. 3 and made it into one connected journey. Even the music was cohesive, with series mainstay Koji Kondo composing various versions of the same track that change dynamically along the way.
Introducing dinosaur companion Yoshi and a whole host of new twists on the proven formula, World remains arguably the biggest and best-regarded 2D Mario game to this day.
When the Nintendo 64 first launched it only had two games, but since one of them was Super Mario 64 that isn't as bad as it sounds. The game was nothing short of a revelation, smartly translating the exploration and adventure of a Mario game into a smooth three-dimensional experience.
In an era where many older franchises (including rivals like Sonic the Hedgehog) couldn't quite manage the transition to 3D, Mario set the standard by which all other adventure games would be measured for a long time to come.
Somewhat a black sheep of the family, Sunshine marks one step on a journey Nintendo didn't end up taking, utilising the GameCube's power to make the kind of narrative-heavy adventure game found on other consoles, complete with voice-acted cutscenes.
The game sees Mario on a tropical holiday, using a versatile water cannon to traverse the environments and battle enemies, all the while trying to discover who framed him for a crime he didn't commit. It's weird, but its adorable visuals and quirky characters introduced a new sense of charm for the series.With its handheld Nintendo DS system becoming hugely popular with older demographics and non-gamers, Nintendo decided to go back to basics with a side-scrollingMario game that called back to the 1985 original. With a simplified artistic style and a few new touches, the game became one of the DS's greatest successes.
To the delight of some and the disappointment of others, New Super Mario Bros. proved so much more popular than 3D Mario games that Nintendo iterated on it for each of its machines thereafter: on the Wii in 2009, and both the 3DS and Wii U in 2012.Though the Wii is best remembered for its sports games, fitness software and casual-friendly party fare, it was also home to the last Super Mario games made in the open-world style of Mario 64. In Galaxy, our moustached hero left the Mushroom Kingdom and took to the stars.
The crazy, gravity-bending platforming of the game was a brand new element for Mario and helped the game feel futuristic, a feeling helped by the unique motion-sensing Wii remote. Mario Galaxy 2 arrived in 2010, streamlining the whole experience in line with Nintendo's move toward greater accessibility.With old-school-inspired Mario games selling better, but large-scale 3D Mario games being favoured by critics and the Nintendo hardcore, the company experimented with combining both in Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS in 2011. In 2013, it expanded the design and added the classic four-player lineup.
The result of the hybrid is a game that feels all its own and could very well be the shape of big-budget Mario games to come. Easy to pick up and fun to play with friends like a 2D game, Super Mario 3D World nonetheless feels like a premium experience and is packed to the gills with secrets and incredible challenges.All this brings us to today, where Super Mario Maker provides an online community and a brand new way to interact with a Super Mario game while simultaneously paying homage to four of its biggest hits.
At the core of the game is an expansive course editor that hands level design over to the player, allowing you to build stages in the style of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World or New Super Mario Bros. Since the Wii U console features a touchpad and stylus, creation is as simple as drawing out the levels and dragging and dropping enemies and elements. Advanced capabilities include stacking enemies, creating sub-levels and plotting paths for platforms or enemies to follow.
Even if you're not into creating your own levels, the 'play' mode in Maker can provide a near endless amount of content. Players can sort through the hundreds of levels being created by the community, leaving comments and following their favourite creators. For a more surprising twist, you can also have the game throw a series of random levels at you from the community.
Blogger Comment
Facebook Comment