Celebrating 25 Years of an Italian, Fat, Mustachioed Plumber

A Love Letter for Super Mario Brothers

This photo will bring back memories to any gamer

So today is a very important date in video game history. Today marks the 25 year anniversary of the release of Super Mario Brothers for the NES. That's right, it's been 25 years since a little Italian plumber with a hunger for shrooms busted into the American limelight. Even though Mario technically first appeared in the 1981 arcade hit Donkey Kong, (which is a much better game than Mortal Kombat) the 1985 platformer would ultimately be the game that would drive millions of little nerds to take their baby steps into the realm of video games, and establishing a unique social life. So this is my love letter, and I guess a pseudo memoir, to Super Mario Brothers.

Mario and Company

1985. I was merely a microbe inside my father's nether regions. Not even conceived, the game would have to wait until it could take hold of me at the tender age of 4 years old. So in the meantime, just like a bad cold, Super Mario infiltrated my family through my brothers and my cousin. It wouldn't be until 1990 when I first grabbed a nintendo controller. At first, I didn't know what to do with the damn thing, and Super Mario wasn't even the first game I ever played. Instead, my first forray into the world of video games came through "Mike Tyson's: Punch-Out," and it was a sad beginning. I remember being at my cousin's house and I snuck into his room to play the game. After countless breaths of fresh air into the plastic cartridge, I finally booted the game up, and came across the first fighter...a little weakling of a ginger named "Glass Joe." But on that fateful day, after many bouts of being mercilessly beat-down by my siblings, Joe would have his day. Confused by the buttons, I couldn't land a single punch. Ultimately I was knocked out, and my fits of scream echoed through the house. That's when my cousin walked in and saw me. Chuckles turned to laughs, and suddenly I was being labeled the worst video gamer of all time by my siblings. Glass Joe has a record of 1-99...and I was that 1. I vowed to rise up to greatness somehow, and because I was so bitter about the loss, my cousin pointed me to try out a much simpler game called Super Mario Brothers.

Simplicity is key, but challenge must be present

With no manual, and just a common sense for what was on the screen, I caught on quickly to the control scheme. Anyone can jump right in, and understand the world of Super Mario. You run, jump, and sometimes shoot fireballs, and that's it. But the challenge of the game was what made it all worthwhile. While simple to control, perfect timing became the obstacle to master, and the game became harder as you completed each level. Sure there were warp rooms, but what's the fun in that? Why bother playing a game if you just want to skip to the end? It's like having someone spoil the ending to a good movie. It sucks. Anyway, I eventually finished the original game and went back to take on my original foe...Glass Joe. After familiarizing myself through the laws of gaming through Super Mario, Glass Joe became a chump ginger who I TKO'd in the first two minutes of Round 1, and it was glorious. So while I'll never be able to rid myself of the one win Glass Joe has over me, his weak fists pounding me to a pulp ultimately made me want to be a better gamer, and Super Mario Brothers was there to save the day.

A game-changer in every sense of the phrase. Super Mario 64

Super Mario is the way to get people into gaming. It blurs generational gaps, and ultimately is the defining moment in whether you like games or not. Not only that, I like to credit Super Mario with the birth of multiplayer and social gaming. The original Mario Brothers had a two-player mode, which would continue to evolve in each of its future games. Fast-forward to the SNES era, and games like Mario Kart brought friends to each others houses where we would have sleepless nights of trying to master the 150cc courses. Battle Mode was intense by the way. Not only that, I have to credit Mario for the hundreds of other games that are out there today. There is not a single game on the market today that wasn't influenced in some way, shape, or form, by the original Mario Brothers. Whether it's the 2-player system, the platforming, the level designs, etc., Mario inspired generations of gamers and game developers for years to come.

No joke, this show was gold to me as a child

In all Mario has become a cultural phenomenon in the gaming universe. With more than 200 games under his plumber's belt, Mario has made leaps and bounds in terms of gameplay variation. From platformer, to sports star, to RPG's, to racers, everyone who's played a video game has had some one-on-one time with the stocky plumber. Heck, even if you didn't play games, they made a God-awful TV show and movie which I used to think was the shit back in the day. Despite what the media loves to say about video games degenerating our youth, Mario Brothers is responsible for more than just popularizing video games. In a weird way, Mario made me challenge myself to always be persistent and to never quit. Not only that, it brought me closer with many people throughout my life. Whether it's siblings, friends, strangers, or even your parents, there's a social aspect in gaming that can't be denied. I don't know if it's the cute art style or generally comfy atmosphere in the game, but Super Mario Brothers always had a way to bring people together who are just looking to have some good old fashioned fun. I'd hate to think what gaming would be like without Super Mario because honestly, a world without Mario is chaos, and for that, I wish Mario a happy 25 years.

Sometimes Living in the Past is Good

Retro Games are Here to Stay

Retro Gaming Exhibit A: Castle Crashers...simply stunning

Full Disclosure: I am a child of the golden years of video gaming...NES, SNES, and N64 for the win! That said I think it's time we delve into the world of retro gaming in today's market, and why it's good for developers to live in the past. For anyone who owns an XBOX Live or PSN account, you'll notice that there are a flurry of downloadable games we can digitally get our paws on, with many of them sticking to the basic gameplay formulas of the past. Retro games like "Castle Crashers," "Limbo," and "Bionic Commando: Rearmed" prove that games with simple gameplay can be successful in today's market of complex games. Just like with many things in life, sometimes it's better to keep it simple, rather than get lost in pressing too many buttons.

Double Dragon...and no its not a sexual position

In order to understand why retro gaming is important, we should look at some of the more popular games from back in the day. One of the most overused retro gameplay types are "beat-em-ups." These games force players to walk through an entire level while defeating hordes of baddies that get in your way. Think of it as a Jackie Chan movie that allows you to press two to three buttons in any combination, thus allowing you to release an arsenal of attacks that rain pain on your enemies. Video games of the golden age like Double Dragon, Final Fight, and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are classified as beat-em-ups, and all were very successful. But why?

Scott Pilgrim the game, now with more sodium!

Speaking just in my experience, one key to the success of beat-em-ups is that it allowed you to play with more than just one person. As with many games nowadays, the gaming experience you can share with someone else is always a major plus. But besides that, it was simple controls that allowed for anyone to jump in and play regardless of their gaming experience. Games that stick to three button presses make it easier for anyone to follow along and keep the pacing going. But it's not that beat-em-ups are for dummies...If executed correctly, a good beat-em-up will have simple controls and a complex strategy in using those controls. For example, solely pressing the A button the whole game isn't fun, but if you're forced to switch between dodging, blocking, picking up an item, and then attacking...you've got something a little more satisfying.

Midgets and 6-foot lizards at your disposal

Another oldie but goldie retro genre is the "platformer." Platformers force players to navigate through a level using timed based movements like jumping and running, and may also include attacks and puzzles. The king of this genre of course is Mr. Super Mario. Mario Brothers changed the landscape of gaming which has influenced games even to this day. Modern retro games (I think that's an oxymoron) like "Limbo" and "Splosion Man" borrow heavily from the moustachioed plumber in their platforming elements such as the use of timed jumps and increasingly difficult level progression. But again, the key to these games is the simple controls. The basic element required in most platformers is two-to-three buttons, sprinkled in with some strategic gameplay elements.

That's right Ice-MAN! I am a difficult game

So if most retro games are simple, why is it that not everyone plays them? The difficulty. Ask anyone who played a game of "Mega Man" or the original "Legend of Zelda" and they'll tell you that those games don't go easy on you. Mega Man was a blistering hard game to beat because of how relentless the enemies and environment were. As for Zelda, that game forced you to figure out on your own where you had to go next. Sure it was frustrating, but the games weren't impossible. Gamers knew if they practiced just a little bit, then they could overcome the challenges ahead...and that was the biggest payoff for gamers of the NES days.

Limbo, a beautiful platformer that has gruesome deaths

The whole point in this rabble is that many modern games are too complex for their own sake, and a bit on the easy "sleazy" street, but I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Complex games like Starcraft or even Final Fantasy are engrossing and fun, but I think there is a similar, if not, greater satisfaction to be had with old school retro gaming. I'd love to see an experienced studio that focuses solely on developing retro style games for today's gamers. It would really separate the nerds from the mega-nerds. Games like "Castle Crashers" and "Scott Pilgrim vs the World" prove that we still love to live in the good ol' days where a challenging game was fun, even if it did make you want to grab a head of lettuce and bash it in with your fists.