Posts Tagged ‘super mario bros’
Podcast: Genre Study of Platformers (Part 1)
This week Fred and Jam begin to tackle the evolution of genres. One of the biggest and earliest influences is definitely the Platformer. In this episode they discuss the early instances, gameplay mechanics, and eventually what comes to define the genre. In what will have to be a multi-part series, this episode covers a majority of 1978-1990.
The Little Plumber That Could
It was 30 years (and one day) ago today that the video game Super Mario Bros. premiered on the Famicom (aka NES) console in Japan. We also got it over here in America the same year, but at the time the bookkeeping on release dates of games was quite poor. If you really want to learn the messed up system and why we cannot exactly pinpoint the release, please check out Frank Cifaldi’s amazing piece on the topic, but suffice to say the Nintendo official October 18, 1985 release date is suspect. Controversy over when the plumber exactly appeared is an academic’s interest at best because there’s no denying that since 1985 we now have a video game equivalent to Mickey Mouse. Even more interesting is that beyond being a marketing giant and notable face for the company Nintendo, Super Mario Bros. was neither the first appearance (or even the second) of the plumber, but it was the most important one starring him. In fact, I might even say it was the most significant video game in history.
Someone Made A Mario Timeline
Mario has never had the most complex tale. With the majority of the games involving Princess Peach being captured and Mario having to go on a obligatory expedition to rescue her. Well if you ever wondered how could all those Mario titles possibly link together then fear not a hard working YouTuber has placed the majority of the Mario series (including some spin offs) into a rather convincing chronological order. Who knows maybe Nintendo will take note of this effort and allow another official historia like Zelda. It’s just a shame they didn’t go one step beyond and include some of the more uncommon Japanese titles. Still, this is a fantastic video worth watching for any fan of the Mario games. Let’s face it guys there is a couple of games in this video you know you love.
Vos’ Corner: Toad!
Greetings Everyone! We wanted to share a great forum post made by reader and occasional podcast guest Vos5. He dedicated a very thorough visual history of Mario’s rarely beloved sidekick Toad.
GH101 is proud to present: Toad!
They first appeared in Super Mario Bros. with their infamous line, “Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!” They played the same role in the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, known as The Lost Levels in the U.S.
In the American Super Mario Bros. 2, Toad was playable for the first time, where he was the fastest of all the characters! However, he didn’t jump as well as the others.
Super Mario Bros. 3, is where Toad houses are introduced and Toad gives you items and extra lives.
Podcast: What Did You Expect?
This week Fred and Jam are joined by guest Fortengard to talk about the world of video game movies. Now, if we just sat around and ragged on them all day we would be just like every other gaming podcast. Instead, we delve into concepts of production, adaptation, and what makes these movies good or what makes them completely worthless.
Note: I promised to post the chat for this show as well, you can find it here (.doc version).
Review: NES Remix
Despite all the piracy and archival purposes of emulation, my personal favorite addition to the gaming landscape was the ROM hack. ROMs are the name for the entire program contained on a game cartridge and so naturally a “ROM hack” is taking a game we all know and love and changing it. Nintendo hasn’t really dabbled in this until now – sure, the 1994 World Championship cart and a few SNES competition carts exist, but they are rare and thus hugely expensive. NES Remix takes 16 established early games from the legendary 8-bit system (listed at the bottom of this review) and runs you through a series of challenges to compete with yourself, your friends on the couch, or the world online. While it’s mostly just a derivative of WarioWare, this has to be one of the most addictive games for someone who grew up playing the NES.
Podcast: It’s-a Me!
This week we have special guest Eli “Sodoom” (@sodoom) from Knuckleballer Radio on to celebrate Nintendo’s world famous plumber. Instead of discussions about the actual games we’ve all played, we delve into the snags in development, cultural significance, and multiple games that never saw the light of day. Mario has a clean release record but plenty of care and scrapping of ideas went into his games.
Review: Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams (XBLA)
For those not aware of the microcomputer craze in Europe that dominated the late 80s, the name “Giana Sisters” may not mean much. By the time the NES came out in Europe many had already invested in a microcomputer and parents were not eager to purchase a new console, so having games on popular computers like the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 was essential. The Great Giana Sisters was a widespread clone of Super Mario Bros. that provided a great side-scrolling platformer alternative to Nintendo’s classic. Unfortunately due to its highly similar content, including an opening level that literally cloned 1-1 from Super Mario Bros., Nintendo’s legal involvement got the game pulled off store shelves. Since then it has lived on as a rare holy grail for some gamers and having played it myself I must admit that it doesn’t steal as much from Super Mario Bros. as the initial level would suggest. Now the Giana Sisters are reborn in one of the first Kickstarter projects to benefit and release from the crowd-funding program and it is clear that Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is anything but a clone. In fact, Super Mario Bros. could learn a thing or two from this gorgeous modern platformer.
Twisted Dreams is a sequel to this controversial original, which did see a legal re-imagining on the DS in 2009, and picks up an original story that thankfully does not require knowledge of the original. Maria, Giana’s sister, has been kidnapped by an evil dragon and it’s up to Giana to enter the dream world and rescue her. Now a teenager, Giana is capable of utilizing the power of her two personalities – an interesting take on the changes one experiences in those awkward teenage years – allowing her to transform between a bright “Cute” persona and a rebellious “Punk” persona at will. Most interesting about this transformation is that it comes not only with new powers, but the entire world changes on the fly along with her. This dichotomy of not only the play style, but also the aesthetic of the entire game, creates a unique formula for each level. It allows the platformer to escape the confines of relying on level design and instead allows small simple spaces to become obstacle courses that will challenge your mind and reflexes. It’s not about dodging the pit and jumping on the enemy anymore, you need to think and think fast to make it in Twisted Dreams.
Retro Game Challenge: Super Mario Bros.
Console: NES
Released: September 1985
Developer: Nintendo Creative Department
Publisher: Nintendo
Instruction Manual: Not necessary – Link
Difficulty: Easy
Played it as a child? Yes
Value: $5.79 (used), $1,000.00 (new) (pricecharting.com)
Other Releases: Yes – SNES (Super Mario All-Stars), Gameboy Color (as Super Mario Bros. Deluxe), Gameboy Advance (Nintendo Classics), Wii (Super Mario All-Stars Wii)
Digital Release? Yes – Virtual Console for both Wii and 3DS
Podcast: The Final Countdown – Pt. 4 (finale)
We finally wrap up our “much-longer-than-we-ever-expected” series discussing the stories and cultural relevance of the games in G4’s Top 100 video games of all time. Fred Rojas is yet again joined by Rob “Trees” from EZ Mode Unlocked to wrap up the final games and even have a brief side discussion on games that may be missing.
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Gaming History 101 