By Carl Laron on September 16, 2010 in
In a video game world dominated by titles defined by high-octane action and heavy doses of violence, such as the just-released Halo:Reach, it's refreshing to note that Nintendo's engaging, family-friendly platformer starring a small mustachioed plumber has, to date, outlasted them all. Believe it or not, Super Mario Bros. turned 25 this week (feeling old, yet?). Along the way, the almost universally recognized and equally beloved Mario character (with occasional help from his brother, Luigi) has picked up more than his fair share of coins for Nintendo. According to the company, the original Super Mario Bros. game has sold more than 40 million copies. Even more impressively, Mario has appeared in 200+ Nintendo games, and together those have sold over 240 million copies. Versions of Super Mario Bros. are, of course, available for Nintendo's current gaming platforms, including the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DSi; see our report on gaming consoles for more on those.
The secret of his success
As Ben Kuchera at Ars Technica notes, Super Mario Bros. redefined the video game genre. The game brought together familiar video game themes in a way unlike ever before, and added a few twists that made it captivating for kids... and adults.
And while Super Mario Bros. has stood the test of time, it hasn't stood still. Over the years, the game evolved to take advantage of the latest graphics and gaming technology, notes Shigeru Miyamoto, the game designer who created Mario. Mario himself has undergone his fair share of changes since his debut in Donkey Kong back in 1981, though each version remains instantly recognizable to his legion of fans. To celebrate the character, Nintendo has rolled out a special commemorative website that includes a video with samples from games through the years, right up to 2010's Super Mario Galaxy 2.