Super Mario Bros.

The Good
How the Hell do you review Super Mario Bros.? How the Hell do you review the game that started it all? The game that single-handedly brought the gaming market out of a slump to deliver one of the single greatest gaming experiences of all time. Which without we would have never seen the glorious video games that we marvel upon today. Super Mario Bros. is a game deserving every word of praise that I give it here. This game has single-handedly changed so many things in the gaming industry that I don't even know where to begin,

This game has been reviewed so many times over, that writing a review just for the mere sake of recommendation would be pointless by adding my own review. Of course, mine will definitely not be the best, but I write this review out of sheer respect. This game holds a special place in my heart as the first video game I ever played, so I can only hope my words give you readers an idea of how this games transcends almost every other video game made.

Mario has it all. It has the addictive, smooth side-scrolling game play of the arcades and translates it directly to console. No matter how much you play, you can just never put it down. It has the simple yet utterly fun and hypnotic game play that games such as Doom and Tetris brought us. The unique challenge the game provides is so refreshing it makes the game replayable 20 years after its initial release. It's simple enough to learn, but has so much to do and play.

At it heart it is only run and jump, but comes out to be so much more than that. Running through the mushroom kingdom as the mustached plumber just feels natural and utterly satisfying. The controls are tight and refined to make it feel like you're really controlling Mario in the 2D mushroom kingdom. The possibilities of the game are endless, and with its open ended platformer gameplay, there are countless ways you can beat the game with secret passages and shortcuts. You can use items and enemies to defeat the colorful and unique and varied array of foes that stand against you, You have the quick and fast-paced game play that is enticing yet difficult to the very end. The beauty of this is that almost anybody can play the game, whether it's 7 year old boy or the 40-something year old soccer mom looking for something to pass the time.

Players had the abiltiy to traverse the 30 something levels of run and jump fun, that kept getting faster and more challenging as you go. Of course, this was utterly unheard of back then. The open yet random level design allows you to play the level any way you want to, and there are tons of secret passages everywhere, from the simple vine to the clouds above, to the secret warp pipes past the end of every underground level. Every level seems unique because it seems completely random, and this is also where the game gets some of its charm, just the feeling of having to work around the terrain that seems to have no purpose. In modern Mario games it seems like every level is designed so that every thing has a purpose, but the randomness of the level design of this game adds a charm of its own. Plus, you can't ask for more varied levels. It has everything to keep the game changing. Courses such as the underwater levels, the mushroom-top levels, the flying fish levels, and the bullet bill worlds. And of course Bowser's ever addicting castle puzzles.

The game wasn't the first to use the plot which today can be referred to as a bit hackneyed, but this game has the greatest charm with its "damsel-in-distress: scenario, not only by creating levels like castles, but it had the weird, exotic enemies like spikey turtles, flying fish, fire balls, and giant lizards. The crisp graphics were new back in the day when games could only create the thick, blocky graphics that were trademark of the era before this game. The delightful tunes of course continue to enchant us even today, even becoming icons of the video gaming genre itself.

We cannot ignore the sheer magnitude of this game. It takes the smooth, simple, and addictive game play of the arcades and translates it into a game that is essentially considered the best game of all time. Refined and polished to the very end, Super Mario Bros. is not only one of the funnest games of all time but also ceremoniously ushered in a new era of gaming.

The Bad
Hey, there's a reason the title of this review is "the best". I cannot find anything wrong with this game, its just that good. Play the game and you will understand.

The Bottom Line
Super Mario Bros. marks a turn in the history of video games. Setting a new standard for video games, Super Mario Bros. ushered in an era of games with smooth game play, fast and quick challenges, and simple controls, that combines to create an amazingly rich and detailed experience. What is essentially the greatest game of all time, Super Mario Bros. remains playable even to this very date. You are not a gamer until you have played the phenomenon that is Super Mario Bros..

The Good
Wow, where do I begin. Super Mario Brothers is definitely one of the greatest games of all time and it spawned an ever-growing collection of games. The original is always the best, as we all know, and there's no exception for this game. From World 1-1 to 8-4, you'll have fun all the way. Super Mario Bros. is an excellent game. The gameplay is rocking, the sound is rocking, the graphics are rocking (for it's time of course), everything is rocking! Of course it has its flaws but I'll get to that later. What game doesn't? Anyway, this game is an amazing game in which you play the role of, guess who, Mario! Who would've thought? You have to kill the mushrooms and turtles and collect as many coins as you can, and get to the end, all within the time limit. Face Bowser, Koopa, whatever, in countless battles over and over again. Beat the game and rescue the princess from doom! This game is truly amazing. And it even comes with Duck Hunt! Quack!

The Bad
There are a few things I don't like about this game, small and strange as they may be. I didn't really like the fact that you can't back-track to earlier sections of the course. Sometimes I'll jump to get something and then I can't go back to get it. Oh well. Also, this is just me, but I don't like the fact that it counts the seconds way to fast. I don't know, I guess I'm just weird. That's about it.

The Bottom Line
Super Mario Bros. is the game that started it all, one game to rule them all, one of the greatest games ever, the top dog, the lead man, the best, the head bull, the alpha-male, and all of those other stupid names. It's a great game where you play Mario and have to rescue the princess from sure doom. It's one of the most original games and overall, it's awesome. Three thumbs up and Six stars!

The Good
--> Simple, colorful, but effective graphics

--> Great music and sound effects (yeah, I know it's the NES, but what true gamer doesn't find themselves humming the SMB theme now and again?)

--> Great level design

--> Simple, fun gameplay, entertaining even to the day in the fact that it is simple and challenging simultaneously

--> Was revolutionary when released, nobody had ever witnessed anything like it, helped put Nintendo on the map

The Bad
umm.....hmm....can't say there is anything I don't like, a classic even to this day. If you haven't played this game you must have lived under a rock for your entire life, everybody and their sister has beaten this title at least once it seems.

The Bottom Line
A simple to control platform game that remains entertaining today, and served as the predecessor to a certain high speed hedgehog, tie-wearing ape, and countless others.