The Simplicity and Joy of Mario - Super Mario Bros. Intro

Super Mario Bros. Wii looks fantastic.  Those of you hating on the game can flame away like a bunch of tossers but I am all about this classic-looking 2D side-scroller.

The above intro isn't going to require a double-fold entry on Wikipedia to understand what the hell is going on plot wise unlike a lot of games now days.  For me there is a time for complexity and there is time for simple, yet fun, nostalgia.  It doesn't get much easier to follow than the Princess is captured and you need to rescue her. 

The Commodore 64 may have been the first machine I ever toyed around on playing games and the Atari 2600 may have been my first console system (second hand) but the N.E.S. was the first system that was all my own as a Christmas present.  Since then my love for Mario has rarely waned (The Lost Levels made me question that from time to time). 

To this day Super Mario Bros. is still one of the defining titles in 2D platforming games.  This may come as surprise but I actually didn't beat the game on N.E.S. first.  For the longest time I just couldn't get past those hella-far turbo jumps in what I believe was 8-1.  It wasn't until playing it on the Gameboy that I managed to beat the game and later was able to beat it on the N.E.S. as well.  I could pull the World 3 turtle-stair trick, the negative world and all that jazz but I couldn't beat the game at first.  Shameful, I know. 

All these years since the days spent mashing buttons on SMB I have been a Mario fan.  Of the core titles there are only a couple I haven't beat.  One of the Gameboy titles (6 Golden Coins I believe), Super Mario Sunshine (never owned a GameCube) and the latest New Super Mario Bros. on the DS which I am really, really itching to play (WTB DS emu for Wii ;] ). 

Nostalgia is obviously a big factor.  Mario dominated the 80's as a gaming mascot and to this day is still probably the most recognized icon in video games.  It isn't solely nostalgia however as the series still is one of gaming's premier platformers.  2D incarnations like SMB, 3D titles like Super Mario 64 and 2.5D games like the aforementioned New Super Mario Bros. show that no matter how you dress Mario up he still has critical and massive consumer appeal. 



I think back over the years and all the great memories playing Mario titles and that is why I was so excited for Mario Galaxy and now Super Mario Bros. Wii.  Playing Mario games reminds me of a more simple time in gaming when a massive plot, cutting-edge graphics and a sizable-cast wasn't a necessity.  Sometimes you don't need 60FPS, 1080p, blood and gore and T&A.  It reminds of time when games were simply about fun-factor and not a constant battle between developers of one-upmanship. 

You can count on me playing SMB Wii come November 15th.  Maybe I can convince a couple of friends to come over and be "lame" and play the "kiddie game" and its new mulitplayer mode thanks to the joy of nostalgia, the allure of Princess Peach's sex appeal and an ode to a simpler time in video gaming.