Binding: Video Game Brand: Nintendo EAN: 0045496630140 ESRB Age Rating: Everyone Label: Nintendo Manufacturer: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo NES Publisher: Nintendo Sales Rank: 2637 Studio: Nintendo
Features:
Two buttons control all the action
A classic that introduced many players to video games
Earn power-ups and shoot fireballs at your enemies
Rating: - Absolute classic
The first Mario game for the NES pretty much redefined video games: it essentially was the first platform sidescroller ever and paved the way for future games such as Sonic the Hedgehog and the Commander Keen series for PC. While good for a beginning gamer, it also is an extreme challenge to beat even for seasoned gamers such as myself, giving it tons of replay value . I really wish the game allowed you to continue from the last world you were on before you lost all your lives (as Super Mario Bros. 3 does, and Super Mario Bros. 2 does for several continues), but it's a minor complaint. It would just save me plenty of hair since I pretty much rip it all out in frustration when I die from the Hammer Bros. or Lakitu in World 8. Alas. In short, a classic and highly recommended for all gamers.
Rating: - Biggest selling video game of all time (over 40 million copies); The game that singlehandedly saved the videogaming industry
The game that singlehandedly saved the videogaming industry
Arguably the single most important videogame in history, SUPER MARIO BROTHERS, along with the Nintendo Entertainment System (hereafter referred to as the NES) singlehandedly resurrected the video game industry after the historic crash of 1983-1984. Rather than reviewing the game itself, which has been done many times, I think many people may find the history how of this revolutionary title came to the videogame industry's rescue very interesting; I know I do. I draw much of this information from various websites, one very good one in particular; unfortunately, I can't really plug them due to Amazon's policies. Email me if you want the websites.
By 1983, the gaming industry, in existence for a mere twelve years, had risen to an astonishing 3.2 billion dollar industry. Atari spearheaded the industry, which introduced its first console in 1977 (Atari Video Computer System), and since had grown to hold two thirds of the entire market. However, in 1984 all this would end with a thunderous crash. This concise overview will show you the history of the home consol crash and how SUPER MARIO BROTHERS came to the rescue.
In 1976, Warner Communications bought Atari for $28 million from the company's founder, Nolan Bushnell. Over the next two years, Atari, suffering major production problems and Bushnell's bizarre management, lost Warner millions. Bushnell and Warner's CEO fought, and in 1978 Bushnell was forced to leave. Warner totally revamped the working style, and in 1979-1980, produced twelve new titles. However, Atari was still dragging down Warner's stock. Struggling to gain the market share, Atari made the smartest move they possible could have; in 1980, they began licensing arcade games, the first being SPACE INVADERS. Over the next two years, Atari overtook the market, bringing in over half of Warner's overall profits.
However, very significant problems would totally destroy the infant industry. In 1981, Atari released PAC MAN on the VCS, and, because it was such a huge arcade hit, quickly became a bestseller. Unfortunately, the quality was very low. This was a major blow to the company's image, with fans and critics alike extremely disappointed.
Another major stumble was one of video games' most infamous games, ET. Warner bought the rights from Spielberg for twenty one million dollars. Atari, expecting the game to be as big a hit as the movie, which was the highest grossing film at that point, purportedly made more ET cartridges than there were consoles themselves. ET proved to be a huge flop, nearly breaking Atari.
By 1983, Atari was in serious trouble. Suing Activision (which was disgruntled Atari employees who broke off and formed their own company) and Imagic, the two leading third party developers, Atari tried to gain control over its software catalogue. Atari lost the suits. Third party developers began popping up overnight, and the industry becomes saturated with very low-quality products. (One of the most controversial is CUSTER'S REVENGE by Mystique, where the goal is to rape a Native American woman while avoiding being shot by arrows.) The third-party developers went bankrupt; these cartridges were heavily discounted, and the major companies couldn't compete. Another factor is the home computer market, that was just starting to come alive in 1984. With an increasing amount of computer games and low prices, people started buying these over the consoles.
All these factors lead to the crash of 1984. In 1983 alone, Atari lost $356 million ($2 million daily). Warner sold Atari to Jack Tramiel, former head of Commodore. The video game industry died, with no major American corporation coming anywhere near it. Enter Nintendo.
A little history here will be highly illuminating as well. What many people don't realise is Nintendo is a very old company, founded in 1889 (yes, you read that right) as a playing card company. It became Japan's largest playing card company, and was very successful. In the 1960s, they moved away from the cards and got into the game and toy markets. (A very interesting sidenote: during that same decade, Nintendo's president opened up a `special hotel' rented `by the hour.' Supposedly, the married president was one of the hotel's top customers). In the 1970s and early 1980s, the company scored significant points with big arcade hits and the Game and Watch product line. In 1983, Nintendo released the Famicom (Family Computer). It was a massive hit in Japan. In 1983, Nintendo went to Atari because they wanted to release the Famicon to the American market. Do to complications I won't go into, the deal fail through. In 1984 they were looking to broaden their market share.
1985, Nintendo announced the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System. They release SUPER MARIO BROTHERS in Japan, scoring a huge hit. In 1986, the NES comes full throttle into the American market, quickly becoming the biggest selling console ever, largely because of this title. The NES owes much of its success to SUPER MARIO BROTHERS. Coming prepacked with the console, there are an estimated 40 million copies of SMB in existence, making it the highest selling video game ever.
Unparalleled, SMB blew open the doors to the videogaming world. With rich palettes of colour, eight four level worlds, spot-on play control, and expert level design, SMB was a much longer game than most of Atari's products and was a game unlike any other at that time. SMB also had the benefit of being very simple to grasp; run, jump, and fire. It was also the first side-sroller as we know it, though Atari's PITFALL set up the concept. Also, it's one of the best. Without SMB, NES wouldn't have been nearly as big a hit.
In the end, Nintendo came at the industry's key moment. With a powerful new console and a very well-designed game, Nintendo resurrected video gaming. With its phenomenal success of the NES and this game, the video game industry once again took off, becoming one of the world's most significant economical contributors.
And we very largely have this game to thank for it
Rating: - Endless hours of entertainment
When this game first came out I played it for 8 hours straight. A friend and I in college (explains my grades) played this game continuously because is was so much fun! I still owned my NES and my SNES gaming system but have lost many of my games so I purchased this here. It remains an excellent source of distraction from the day-to-day grind and I recommend it to anyone of any age as my 10 year old is mystified by it just as my wife and I were years ago.
Rating: - One of the best games ever and I do mean EVER!
I won't run you history about how Nintendo (Cleaner's factory) came about and started making video game. But I will tell you some cool stuff of how the Japs made this game. The story of Mario (Mario was called "Jumpman" a carpenter in the 1981 arcade game "Donkey Kong", Arakawa decided to rename Jumpman after the landlord of NOA's (Nintendo of America) warehouse in Segali Business Park, Mario Segali. Thus, the name Super Mario was born. In 1983, Mario would title in his own game, Mario Bros. On the input of a colleague who mentioned the character looked more like a plumber than a carpenter, Miyamoto decided to change Mario's profession. Fallowing the Dark crash of the Video Game Industry in '83 and '84, many companies didn't survive do to the american people fed up with home systems that looked like computers and the game system companies suing other game companies for copy rights. The industry wend down low to almost instinct. Nintendo knew they would take a hard risk so they came up with the idea of making a video game system that looked like a VCR and looked good on your TV set. It worked and so the games also were inserted just like a VHS. Now about Super Mario Bros., the game is not just about breaking bricks and stomping on turtle but it was created as a metaphor of being high on drugs. Yes I did said high! As the game was being created in 1984, the designers were kind of high all the time as they made this game and so Mario game represents a world of illusion worlds while being high. When you get high on some drugs what starts to happened? You go crazy! Mario eating a mushroom (magic mushrooms that get you high) you feel like your taller on top of the world. In the game Mario gets taller. Japanese love those magic Mushrooms! When he eats a star (overdose drug) you go crazy and start stumping on everything, breaking things etc. In Mario 3 he takes a leaf and he can fly (Marijuana in real life makes you feel like you can fly). The creators also said that when someone is very high on some strong drug they feel they want to jump of something. You seem those folks that overdose and want to jump a bridge? Mario at the end of every level he has to climb up some stairs and then jump as high as he can to a pole. Now theres pipes everywhere in the game, smoking some real good stuff on a pipe makes you see worlds doesn't it? lol... Its funny how they made Mario take a red flower and starts shooting fire balls. Some how making this game with influence of the real world made this game a hit but the secret signs are hidden in there if you really look. This game by far is one the greatest games ever and so is what kept Nintendo in business for so many years! Just something about how Mario was really based on and how it was created! Its designers being high as they created the game!
Rating: - Classic!
I love this game! STORY: You are a plumber named mario. You go down a special pipe that leads to another world! you see hostile koopas and walking mushrooms. You can get bigger with magic mushrooms! stomp on the bad guys, and save the princess. NOTE: only the last castle will have the princess. The only thing i do not like in this game is that when you walk forward, some of the background goes away, and then when you try to go back, you can't! (this can be very frustrating if you missed a magic mushroom.) besides that, this...game...is...GREAT!!! By the way, there is a king koopa named bowser guarding the castle. Even though you kill him first, you see him again guarding another castle...........BOO!!............SAYONARA!!
- Absolute classic
