Mario Bros. by Kimberly Keyes Stark

In some ways, one could argue that Mario is the Anakin Skywalker of the videogame world. In Donkey Kong he was a hero trying to rescue his lady love from Donkey Kong's clutches. In Donkey Kong Junior he became a villain who tries to do everything possible to hurt a sad-faced baby ape who only wants his papa back and prevent a father-son reunion from ever happening. In Mario Bros., the first game that Mario appeared in without Donkey Kong, he becomes a hero once again.

This game not only marks Mario's first outing without any apes but it also marks the debut appearance of Mario's look-a-like brother, Luigi.

Some people may question the title of this game. After all, whenever someone refers to the Smothers Brothers or the Smith Brothers, you generally assume that the brothers' last names are all Smothers or Smith. If you were to assume that the Mario Bros.' last name is Mario, then you'd have to wonder what kind of twisted parent would name a son Mario Mario.

This game is also one of the first ones where the player had a choice of which characters he/she wants to play. That's significant because in many earlier videogames the player had no choice of characters. If a person wanted to switch from playing as Pac-Man to Ms. Pac-Man, that person had to switch machines.

However, there were limits to this choice of characters. If you wanted to play as Mario, you had to choose to be Player 1. If you wanted to play as Luigi, you had to choose to be Player 2. And if you happened to be playing by yourself, you were required to be Player 1, which meant that you were stuck with being Mario and you could never choose Luigi.

The game takes place in the sewers, which are teeming with all sorts of creatures. Mario and Luigi had to rid the sewers of these critters. In the case of turtles (known as Shellcreepers in the game), you had to hit the floor beneath them to stun them, then go up to the platform and kick them to the water below. With Sidesteppers (crabs), you had to hit the floor twice before kicking them below. With the flying Fighterflies, you have to wait until they land on a platform before hitting the floor.

Once you stun the creatures, you have to hurry up and kick them to the water before they revive. Once they revive, they become more powerful and even harder to catch. And if they happen to catch you, then you lose a life.

Sometimes you could be a nasty player against your friend if your friend happens to stun a critter and you decide to kick that critter before your friend can reach it.

If all that wasn't enough, from time to time a fireball will appear to try to destroy you so you have to watch out for that one. Later in the game the Slipice will come out and freeze the platforms, making the traction very poor.

From time to time some coins will also fall through the sewer. You can collect the coins for extra points.

Mario Bros. is quite an addicting game that includes fanciful-looking creatures. Mario Bros. is one of those games that haven't aged one bit. It is just as challenging today as it was back in the 1980's.

Mario Bros. became such a monster hit for Nintendo that it has made numerous adventure and educational games starring Mario (sometimes alone and sometimes with Luigi). In fact, judging from the numerous Mario home gaming titles that are out there, it seems like Mario is the one classic videogame character who has appeared in more games than any other character. (If you don't believe me, then check out all the Mario games that are for sale below this entry.)

There was even a feature-length live action movie called "The Super Mario Bros." but that film was a box office flop. To date, that one is the only dark spot on Mario's success and it hasn't made any impact on videogame sales.

What's more, Mario would later become the corporate mascot for Nintendo. Which isn't so bad for someone who once had to be in a game that takes place in the sewers.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is based on one person's biased opinions of which videogames should be considered to be classics and why. It is not meant to provide a complete history of the videogame industry, the latest videogame news, technical support, or hints on how to play a certain videogame. None of the videogame manufacturers or programmers mentioned here have endorsed or supported this blog in any way, shape, or form.

NOTE: If there are any errors or updates to what I have written about Mario Bros., please send an e-mail to [link=mailto:kstarkREMOVE-ALL-CAPS-IF-NOT-SPAM@erols.com]kstarkREMOVE-ALL-CAPS-IF-NOT-SPAM@erols.com[/link] (remember to remove the capital letters from my mailing address before sending or else it will get rejected) and I'll edit this piece when time permits.

MARIO BROS. GAMES AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
GAME BOY ADVANCE E-READER
Mario Bros.--This is the original classic arcade game that started the entire Mario franchise that continues to this day. Mario makes his first appearance without Donkey Kong or Donkey Kong Junior. His brother, Luigi, makes his debut here.
e-Reader Mario Party--It's an adaptation of the popular Mario Party videogame series.
GAME BOY ADVANCE
Game & Watch Gallery 4--It's a port of a series of 1980's handheld games that Nintendo made. It includes the Game & Watch version of Mario Cement Factory.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga--It's an adventure game starring the Mario Bros.
Mario Golf--It's a golf game starring Mario and a whole host of other Nintendo characters.
Mario Kart Super Circuit--It's a racing game starring Mario and other Nintendo characters.
Super Mario Advance--This game is a combination of Super Mario Bros. 2 with the original Mario Bros. arcade game.
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3--It's an adventure game featuring Mario.
Super Mario World--It's a port of the classic SNES adventure game featuring Mario and Luigi. This game also includes the classic Mario Bros. arcade game.
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3--It's an adventure game that also includes the classic Mario Bros. arcade game.
GAME BOY COLOR
Mario Golf--It's a golf game starring Mario and a whole host of other Nintendo characters.
Mario Tennis--It's a tennis game starring Mario and a whole host of other Nintendo characters.
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe--It's a port of the original Nintendo Entertainment System game featuring Mario and Luigi.
GAME BOY
Dr. Mario--It's a Tetris-style puzzle game.

Mario's Picross--It's a puzzle game.
Super Mario Land--An action adventure game starring Mario.
Super Mario Land 2--It's a sequel to Super Mario Land.
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3--It's another sequel to Super Mario Land that features Mario's nemesis, Wario.
GAME CUBE
Luigi's Mansion--Luigi makes a solo outing in this adventure game as he inherits a haunted house.
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour--It's a golf game starring Mario and a whole host of other Nintendo characters.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!--It's a racing game starring Mario and other popular Nintendo characters.
Mario Party 4--It's a party game starring Mario and other popular Nintendo characters as they compete in a series of mini-games.
Mario Party 5--It's a party game starring Mario and other popular Nintendo characters as they compete in a series of mini-games.
Super Mario Sunshine--It's a 3-D aventure game starring Mario.
Super Mario Sunshine Game Cube Bundle Pak--You can get this game and a Game Cube together for one low price.
Super Smash Bros. Melee--It's a fighting game starring Mario and many other popular Nintendo characters.
NINTENDO 64
Dr. Mario--It's a Tetris-style puzzle game.
Mario Golf--It's a golf game starring Mario and a whole host of other Nintendo characters.
Mario Kart 64--It's a racing game starring Mario and other Nintendo characters.
Mario Party--This is the title that started the entire popular Mario Party series. You can play as Mario or any other popular Nintendo character in a series of mini-games.
Mario Party 2--It's a party game starring Mario and other popular Nintendo characters as they compete in a series of mini-games.
Mario Party 3--It's a party game starring Mario and other popular Nintendo characters as they compete in a series of mini-games.
Mario Tennis--It's a tennis game starring Mario and a whole host of other Nintendo characters.
Paper Mario--It's a sequel to the Super Nintendo role-playing game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
Super Mario 64--It's a 3-D adventure game starring Mario.
Super Smash Bros.--It's a fighting game starring Mario and many other popular Nintendo characters.
SUPER NINTENDO
Mario is Missing!--Mario stars in this educational game that's supposed to teach geography.
Mario Paint--It's a combination game/paint program featuring Mario.
Mario's Early Years: Fun With Letters--It's an educational game.
Mario's Early Years: Fun With Numbers--It's an educational game.
Mario's Time Machine--Mario stars in this educational game that's supposed to teach history.
Super Mario All-Stars--It's a collection of Super Mario Bros. 1-3.
Super Mario Kart--It's a racing game starring Mario and other Nintendo characters.
>Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars--Mario appears in his first role playing game.
Super Mario World--It's a 3-D adventure game starring Mario.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island--It's a sequel to Super Mario World.
Super NES/Mario 5/1
Tetris & Dr. Mario--It's two puzzle games in one.
NINTENDO NES
Dr. Mario--It's a Tetris-style puzzle game.
Mario's Time Machine--Mario stars in this educational game that's supposed to teach history.
Mario is Missing--Mario stars in this educational game that's supposed to teach geography.
Super Mario--It's an adventure game starring Mario.
Super Mario 2--It's a sequel to Super Mario
Super Mario 3--It's another sequel to Super Mario.

RELATED PURCHASE
The Super Mario Bros. on VHS and DVD--This is a feature film adaptation of the popular videogame series that was a major box office flop. I haven't seen the movie myself but I've read mixed reviews about it. It does have a strange cast, which includes British actor Bob Hoskins as Mario, Hispanic actor John Leguizamo as Mario's brother Luigi, and Dennis Hopper as a diabolical lizard king. If you're a Mario fanatic, this one may be worth checking out.

MARIO BROS. LINKS
ClassicGaming.com's The Mushroom Kingdom--Includes the latest Mario news, a list of new Mario titles that will be released in the future, a fan fiction section, a list of every single Mario game ever released, the history of Mario, downloads of Mario-related images and sounds, a list of Mario commercials, and much more.
The Donkey Kong Megasite--It's an ultimate fan site that's devoted to Donkey Kong. It also includes some information on Mario.
The Killer List of Videogames' Mario Bros. Exhibit
Nintendo--The official site of the company that's responsible for Mario Bros. as well as other classic games like Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior.
Phosphor-Dot Fossils: Mario Bros.--A brief history of Mario Bros.
Super Mario Brothers Headquarters--It's a fan site that's devoted to Mario and Luigi. This site sponsors an online Role Playing Chat every Sunday. This site also includes fan fiction, a complete reference on Mario, personal memories of Mario, and a place where you can submit new game ideas (despite the fact that this site is completely independent from Nintendo).
The Super Mario Monster Compendium--This site is devoted to the monsters who appear in Mario games. It also includes--of all things--an interesting rant on the lack of gender equality in gaming, including the lack of a decent female character who doesn't have gigantic breasts (like Lara Croft) or who is always a damsel in distress who needs to be rescued (like Princess Peach).<