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Super Mario Bros. is the game
that started it all for the NES.
Take a look at the other launch games for the NES and the hundred
other games that had already been released on the Famicom
prior to October 1985. You will
notice that Super Mario Bros. is a huge leap  beyond any of those games. Prior to SMB, Nintendo was just
releasing one screen action games, space shooter games or very basic
sports titles. Super Mario Bros.
was a giant leap forward because it was a sidescrolling
action game that had a goal beyond high score. You actually had to save a
princess! Super Mario Bros. also
proved to be much deeper than the few other sidescrollers
that did exist in the arcades.
This game had hidden 1-ups, warp zones, swimming levels and
dungeons. This game certainly
looks old by today’s standards but it is still an extremely fun and
rewarding game.
In Super Mario Bros. you control
Mario an everyman plumber placed into extraordinary circumstances. You must traverse through world after
world, each containing a castle in the 4th and final level only
to discover that each castle is not the one with the princess. Finally in the 8th world you
defeat the main boss, Bowser and you rescue the Princess. Then, in a classic old-school video
gaming trick, the entire game loops back around to the beginning with a
more difficult version of the same quest.
As you probably know by now,
Mario started out as Donkey Kong’s owner in the first two Donkey Kong
games. He then starred on his own
first adventure simply called Mario Bros.
He then shocked the world with Super Mario Bros., which no doubt
led to many people trying out Mario Bros. only to be disappointed at how
dull it was in comparison. Shigeru
Miyamoto was the man behind all of these games and would next go on to
create The Legend of Zelda.
Nintendo obviously owes a great deal of debt to Miyamoto because
these two early NES titles were exactly what Nintendo needed to show that
they were many steps ahead of anyone else in the home video game market.
Positives:
 Super Mario Bros. was so far ahead of its competition
in 1985 that it really didn’t even have any competition. The depth to the game is very
impressive when compared to Miyamoto’s previous games like Mario Bros.
and Donkey Kong. You are actually
trying to do something other than get a lot of points! The controls are also spot-on, you can
hold down B to run faster but that also causes you to be a little wild
when you try to stop. The key to
Super Mario Bros., though, is that all the controls feel accurate. You can easily master how to control Mario
when running and you can easily figure when you need to slow down and
execute some precision jumps. This
game also introduced different style levels such as swimming levels,
underground levels and dungeon levels.
Each type of level requires different playing styles, which
brought Super Mario Bros. depth way beyond any previous video game. SMB also features an excellent score
that is easily one of the most well-known video game scores ever.
Glaring
Negatives:
The game looks a little old by
today’s standards, but really who cares?
Graphics
and Sound: Excellent
For its age, the graphics are top
notch. Compared to Super Mario
Bros. 3, though, they look  ancient.
Everything is easily identifiable so there are really no
complaints to be made. As far as sound
goes, the score is unforgettable – it is possibly the most popular score
for the NES. The sound effects are
also easily identifiable. The sound of going down a pipe or collecting a coin bring
me feelings of joy!
Gameplay
and Controls: Perfect
SMB could have been very annoying
if the controls were not perfect because there are a bunch of very
precise jumps that need to be executed in this game. Luckily, the game handles very well and
with a little practice, none of the jumps seem very difficult.
Features:
2nd Quest and continues
If you beat the game, you are
offered a second quest that is laid out exactly the same as the first but
with increased difficulty. You can
also continue at the beginning of whatever world you are on by holding
down A when you press start at the menu screen.
 Fun?: Timeless
Super Mario Bros. is a timeless
game. I have enjoyed playing this
game for 20 years now and it has never gotten old.
Challenge:
A little
The first quest is pretty easy
once you get the hang of it, but the 8th world is definitely a
doozy.
The second quest amps up the difficulty level substantially.
Replay:
Definitely
Like I said, I’ve never stopped
playing this game. Even if Mario
hadn’t gone on to be Nintendo’s top mascot, this game would still be
legendary.
2
Player: Yes
You can play an alternating
2-player mode. The first player is
Mario and the second player controls Luigi.
Online
Manual?: Yes
http://www.nintendoage.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NES.Manual&Game_ID=1572
Bottom
Line: This is a must-have game
If you are only going to own a
few games for the NES, this is one you should own. Super  Mario Bros. is the game that caused the
initial success for Nintendo and still packs an amazing amount of fun –
even by today’s standards.
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