Mario video games have been part of many people’s childhood. Many grew up playing these wonderful video games about an Italian plumber in red dress with a mustache and a cute hat. Mario was also the series that provided a major breakthrough to the then struggling Nintendo franchise.
Everyone knows who Mario is and what he does, but its origin and the back story is little known and is a very intriguing one.
Mario – How he came into being
It all started in the 1980s when the video game giant Nintendo was just a card and toy company. Some of its earlier attempts at video games did not prove to be a success. Then, the Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi asked Shigeru Miyamoto, a resident art designer to design a video game. But, Shigeru Miyamoto was not a programmer. What he did next totally revolutionized the gaming world. He created a story for the video game which was not usual at that time.
The first ever Mario game was Donkey Kong. It featured a love triangle between a man (Mario), his pet gorilla and his girlfriend. And, Mario was not called Mario then. He was known as Jump Man because he could climb ladders and jump over anything like walls and trees. Despite the initial doubt, the game became an instant hit and one of the biggest video game franchises in the entire world.
But how did Mario come to be known as Mario?
There is another interesting thing about it. Nintendo had reached America as well and was busy distributing the game. Their rent was late and the owner of the warehouse came asking for it and his name was Mario. What the staff started as a joke by calling Jump Man Mario actually did become his official name. And, this Mario name has stuck with people ever since then.
Some of the greatest Mario Games
Over the four decades Nintendo has presented us with some of the most compelling Mario Games. With the expansion of desktop computers, smart phones and iPhones, the game has changed over the years in terms of levels, scenarios, technology and so many other things.
Everyone has their favorite Mario Game. What is yours?
Here are some of the best ranked Mario Games:
- Super Mario World
After Donkey Kong, there were many versions of Mario games and one of them was Super Mario World. It is considered as one of the best so far. This version is superb in many ways. It is gigantic, open world theme with many secrets, ghosts, powers and levels that was never seen before. The character itself had so many things added to it, making it more high-tech than his predecessor.
- The Original Super Mario Bros.
The Mario video games list is incomplete without the Original Super Mario Bros. series. It too is considered as one of the best Mario games and one of the stepping stone game versions for the future series. This version was all about basic skills and developing on them. If you skipped even a minor step you had to start all over again. This version also provided many challenges, which is why it became so popular.
- Super Mario 64
Super Marion 64 was a world of its own. It came with a bang and brought a new era of gaming. With new background and Mario in 3D, it was the first time and using an analog stick, players had to move the character around. It was in the 1990s and it was magical. The game set a new precedent for the upcoming games. It still remains one of the best Mario Games.
- New Super Mario Bros.
If the Super Mario 64 was the new era of Mario games, then the New Super Mario Bros was even bigger and more advanced than the last one. It literally transformed the 2D Mario into 3D with new graphics, functionalities and multi-player mode. It became totally interactive. Combining the old powers like jumping the wall with the newer features, this version created one of the best Mario video game versions.
- Super Mario Galaxy 2
The Super Mario Galaxy 2 is another addition and the more advanced one. It combines the 3D and the space world so perfectly that it is hard to forget it. It is even more adventurous, challenging and graphically superior and an improved version of the last one. With this version Nintendo did take Mario to a whole new level.
Mario is more than just video games. It is stories that started in 1980s and still continue to entertain and thrill the masses. It has inspired a lot of merchandise and internet memes and topics of discussion. If you are a fan of Mario then we have some amazing selection of Mario based T-shirts you should check out.