Happy 25th to the SUPER Mario Bros, Peach and Bowser

September 13, 2010 1:20 PM

September 13, 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of the original Japanese release of Super Mario Bros, featuring the return of everyone's favorite sailor, Popeye. That's not right, he's the Italian carpenter, Mario. Wait, now he's a plumber with a brother (named Luigi Mario), and they're not normal, they're super! And they're fighting to save Princess Peach Toadstool from an angry ox king, who became the stubborn but cute turtle Bowser.

If the game is a bit short, you can hack the game and make something new, or find bootlegs like Sonic Jam 6 and Super Mario World (not to be confused with the real Super Mario World with its own universe of hacks, but this SMW was based off of Squirrel King). Both the bootlegs were mentioned by Game Informer, where you can see video clips of the bootlegs and various other ports.

If you're looking for more official material, Nintendo is starting to promote the 25th anniversary, with a new Japanese boxset for the Wii. And if you're looking for more Mario trivia and information, The Guardian has 25 facts for the 25th anniversary (some covered above), Wikipedia has more details, and the (Super) Mario Wiki gets a ridiculously detailed.

posted by filthy light thief (58 comments total)

After I read that Guardian article, I tried to find playthrough video of (non-Super) Mario Bros, the game that apparently comes between Donkey Kong & SMB, but the search results were too full of SMB and SMW and clips from the movie and whatever. Does anyone know where I can see what this game looked like?
posted by shakespeherian at 1:28 PM on September 13, 2010

shakespherian: Here's the original Mario Bros. game, in the original arcade version and all ports.
posted by zsazsa at 1:31 PM on September 13, 2010 [5 favorites]

Thanks zsazsa!

Also, this is a fantastic post.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:32 PM on September 13, 2010

Super Marry-o Bros.: Frustration

Ten Things You Didn't Know About Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Crossover game (previously)

Play the original online
posted by Rhaomi at 1:34 PM on September 13, 2010 [2 favorites]

Or for another option that's Famicom centered we can check out our old friend Chrontendo Episode 1. Just watching game play is great, but I like a little context with my history.
posted by theichibun at 1:36 PM on September 13, 2010 [2 favorites]

I have one thing to say about this event:

DOOT DOOT DOOT DOOT DOOT DOOT!
posted by norm at 1:46 PM on September 13, 2010 [3 favorites]

Ah, Super Mario Bros. The game that made me fall in love with videogames. I salute you!
posted by joedan at 1:47 PM on September 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh man I played the original Mario Brothers to death for the week it was at the county fair back in the day. That and Donkey Kong, Jr.

Not knowing anyone with a Nintendo, I never even knew about the existence of a SUPER Mario Brothers until the late 90's.
posted by charred husk at 1:49 PM on September 13, 2010

I'm currently finishing up Super Mario Galaxy 2, the greatest game ever made. The real star of every great Mario game is the physics and the physicality - the acceleration and the inertia. And then the sense of comic exasperation upon being presented with an impossible challenge, and the sense of accomplishment in executing it perfectly a few lives later.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:52 PM on September 13, 2010 [3 favorites]

Derail: Can we talk about how great Super Mario RPG was?
posted by schmod at 2:11 PM on September 13, 2010 [2 favorites]

Here is a revised version of Xoc's Super Mario World covers album
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:11 PM on September 13, 2010 [2 favorites]

Everybody keep away from filthy light thief, he's mine and we're going to have a million babies together because I lurve him.

and this post.
posted by shmegegge at 2:15 PM on September 13, 2010

The Minus World
posted by Avenger at 2:19 PM on September 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

You overlook Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island at your peril, Mr. 51094612.
posted by rlk at 2:20 PM on September 13, 2010

I was going to say "No love for Yoshi's Island?" But the article makes it sorta kinda look like it might be included in the big box set they're releasing for the Wii. I'm probably going to have to break down and get one...But I do miss my SNES.
posted by Gator at 2:22 PM on September 13, 2010

Not to mention The Lost Levels and Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:23 PM on September 13, 2010

So this is what it's like to have holy days.
posted by Navelgazer at 2:25 PM on September 13, 2010 [6 favorites]

Does anyone know where I can see what this game looked like?

If you play Super Mario Brothers 3 in two player mode you can see it. It is the "battle mode" that comes up if one of the players pushes the A button while both characters are occupying the same space on the world map. Useful for 'stealing' the other players' turn.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 2:28 PM on September 13, 2010

Super Mario Bros. corrupted
posted by Avenger at 2:29 PM on September 13, 2010

This Super Mario World hack was linked recently. Is it being played in real-time?

No, no it is not.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:46 PM on September 13, 2010

What kind of pants does Mario wear underground?

denim denim denim
posted by HeroZero at 2:47 PM on September 13, 2010 [20 favorites]

If you play Super Mario Brothers 3 in two player mode you can see it. It is the "battle mode" that comes up if one of the players pushes the A button while both characters are occupying the same space on the world map. Useful for 'stealing' the other players' turn.

Yeah, after zsazsa linked it I realized that I've seen it before and known about its recreation in SMB3. This does not diminish my love for zsazsa.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:50 PM on September 13, 2010

Nintendo Papercraft and (Super) Mario Bros.-related merch in the Video Game Memorabilia Museum, circuitously from Slashdot.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:01 PM on September 13, 2010

If you play Super Mario Brothers 3 in two player mode you can see it. It is the "battle mode" that comes up if one of the players pushes the A button while both characters are occupying the same space on the world map.

Actually there are multiple possible battle modes, original Mario Bros. is just the most common.
posted by JHarris at 3:08 PM on September 13, 2010

Derail: Can we talk about how great Super Mario RPG was?

It was pretty good, but I think the Paper Mario games are actually better in most important respects. The story is lots better, the humor is terrific, the battle system is a lot more inventive and feels a lot more like a Mario game, the badges are a great concept that works even better in practice, each game includes a tremendous amount of variety, and they're just aces all around. While Super Mario RPG already begins to show the symptoms of Square Disease, the same kind of thinking that has given us endless Kingdom Hearts games.
posted by JHarris at 3:12 PM on September 13, 2010

If you haven't heard about Mushroom Kingdom Fusion...yes you probably want to start learning about it.
posted by effugas at 3:23 PM on September 13, 2010 [6 favorites]

If you haven't heard about Mushroom Kingdom Fusion...yes you probably want to start learning about it.

What. The. Fuck.

I mean, I understand what they did. But, seriously.
posted by Netzapper at 4:15 PM on September 13, 2010

(named Luigi Mario)

Your link does make that unsourced assertion, but I think it's wrong.

In this TV news show from the '80s (introduced by an up-and-coming Bill O'Reilly!), a Nintendo employee is asked whether their names are "Mario Mario" and "Luigi Mario." The answer:

"It's just Mario and Luigi -- there are no last names."

"Then why are they the Mario Bros.?"

"Some questions just have no answers."

Wikipedia is in accord with this, even though Mario is used as the last name in the SMB movie.
posted by John Cohen at 4:33 PM on September 13, 2010

Mushroom Kingdom Fusion: The Wiki. Impressive gameplay clip for only being in version 0.4 Beta.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:34 PM on September 13, 2010

Another non-canon feature of the movie is that everything is lame and horrible
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:35 PM on September 13, 2010 [7 favorites]

I'll take your word for it.
posted by John Cohen at 4:36 PM on September 13, 2010

And of course the Mario & Luigi rpgs are extremely fun, though linear.
posted by ersatz at 4:38 PM on September 13, 2010

MARIO AND LUIGI WERE NOT BORN IN THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM BOWSER KIDNAPPED PRINCESS TOADSTOOL AND THEY WERE CHOSEN 2 RESCUE HER LEAVING THERE HOME IN ???? PS THERE LAST NAME IS LAKITA MARIO & LUIGI LAKITA I'M ONLY 12 AND I KNOW JUST WATCH THE MOVIE OK? DOES THAT ANSWER UR QUESTION? OH LUIGI IS NOT A PLUMBER ONLY MARIO IS

The Super Mario Bros movie from 1993 credits the brothers as Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.

More randomness: The true face of Mario (Segale), the namesake of Mario.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:45 PM on September 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Another non-canon feature of the movie is that everything is lame and horrible

Yes yes yes. The only redeeming feature of the movie is that it features Princess Daisy, who is my favorite character to use in almost all of the Mario Sports games. They've also done something kind of cool in these games with the Princesses. While Peach is Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Daisy is Princess of Sarassaland. Through subtle design, it's now been made clear that Peach's kingdom is analogous to France, while Daisy's is analogous to Monaco.

Okay, maybe I'm the only one who thinks that's cool.
posted by Navelgazer at 4:49 PM on September 13, 2010 [4 favorites]

The Super Mario Bros movie from 1993 credits the brothers as Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.

I already said this in the last sentence of my comment.
posted by John Cohen at 4:55 PM on September 13, 2010

There was a terrific "Mariopocalypse" RPG being run on the net somewhere a couple of years ago, a whole "Dark Mario" storyline that was actually quite interesting and had some spooky art to go with it. It seems to have vanished, though.

If you view this page without logging in, you see an ad for a costume company that sells licensed Mario costumes, including an adult-sized Princess Peach. I had to talk myself down from the ledge on that one -- what wouldn't I have done for a Princess Peach costume in 1988!
posted by Countess Elena at 4:59 PM on September 13, 2010

The Super Mario Bros movie from 1993 credits the brothers as Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.

I already said this in the last sentence of my comment.

Sorry, I overlooked that.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:01 PM on September 13, 2010

This thread isn't complete without a mention of Super Mario War, which occupies insanely fun territory between a Mario platformer, Super Smash Brothers, and Mario Kart.

I'm playing it right now. I was playing it before I saw this thread, and I'm going to continue playing it until dinner arrives. I haven't even convinced my brother and friends to play it with me, and it's already endlessly fun and inventive. Yes, the server is insufferably slow.

Here's a preview!

Fun! Fun fun!
posted by tapesonthefloor at 5:15 PM on September 13, 2010 [2 favorites]

tapesonthefloor, you win. That should be a post in itself.
posted by theichibun at 5:26 PM on September 13, 2010

Maybe it was. ...

...er, wow. Not even a comment mention on the Blue. The story even has a heart-rending angle, as SMW's prime developer died quite young, leaving a sizeable community who refused to let development on SMW cease.
posted by tapesonthefloor at 5:37 PM on September 13, 2010

The only redeeming feature of the movie is that it features Princess Daisy

The only redeeming feature is that it stars the ferociously hot Samantha Mathis. Never in my young dreams had I thought Princess Peach would be so cute in real life. Ahhh, Samantha, you made this twelve year old boy love Mario's world even more.
posted by smoke at 5:58 PM on September 13, 2010

Daisy, not Peach. Yech.
posted by smoke at 5:58 PM on September 13, 2010

Well, I be damned: Super Mario and I are exactly the same age. Sweet.
posted by joe lisboa at 6:58 PM on September 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Like, down to the day. There are two dozen birthday cupcakes in MeTa, help yourselves on the way out.
posted by joe lisboa at 8:23 PM on September 13, 2010

Anywhere on the web that I can play the Mario Bros., not super?
posted by klangklangston at 8:25 PM on September 13, 2010

And here I thought that it was just coincidence that my handbell group was rehearsing our version of the Super Mario theme today. (Well, maybe it was, but hey, good timing!) Thanks for providing some excellent ways to learn my part. :)
posted by ilana at 8:35 PM on September 13, 2010

I was going to say "No love for Yoshi's Island?" But the article makes it sorta kinda look like it might be included in the big box set they're releasing for the Wii.

Nope. It looks like it's Super Mario All Stars minus Super Mario World, which was the most recent title in the pack.

So I guess we'll just have to keep waiting (and whining!) to finally get Yoshi's Island on the Wii.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:06 PM on September 13, 2010

Kuribo's Shoe! I loved that thing.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:32 PM on September 13, 2010

Anywhere on the web that I can play the Mario Bros., not super?

Mario Bros, not Super, via the below-listed Related Post #1: Play 5,000 classic video games in your browser (The Smartass.info), wherein there are a LOAD of (S)MB hacks (in the NES section) along with the original.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:34 PM on September 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

I also took a portion of the day to remember Captain Lou Albano, and his memorable rendition of the Super Mario Bros. theme.
posted by joan cusack the second at 11:47 PM on September 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm currently finishing up Super Mario Galaxy 2, the greatest game ever made.

Cleary the utterances of someone who has never played The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is pretty fantastic, but let's not be ridiculous. = ]
posted by cloax at 12:20 AM on September 14, 2010

The Guardian article says that the reason ario has a mustache is to accentuate his nose. That's incorrect. It is well known amongst pathetic Nintendo fanboys that the reason he has a mustache is because the original Donkey Kong arcade game, the game in which Mario first appeared, had such a poor resolution that gamers mistook the smile Mario was supposed to have for a mustache. The misconception stuck around because Shigsy liked it.
posted by Effigy2000 at 1:45 AM on September 14, 2010

I'm currently finishing up Super Mario Galaxy 2, the greatest game ever made.

Galaxy 2 is absolutely fantastic. It's slightly spoiled by a couple of "omg we're on the wii!" waggle-centric novelty worlds, but the harder tighter platforming, huge variety of ideas, and portable game-like structure (you can power on the game and be having fun in seconds, assuming you don't get waylaid by the patronising purple pillow, and each star takes just a few minutes) make it basically my favourite Mario ever. Much better than the tired and uninspired New Super Mario Bros games on the Wii and DS.

Clearly the utterances of someone who has never played The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

I'll see your Wind Waker and raise you Okami.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 2:57 AM on September 14, 2010 [2 favorites]

If you haven't heard about Mushroom Kingdom Fusion...yes you probably want to start learning about it.

At first I thought that was a mix with Metroid Fusion, and thought the first bad guys were Space Pirates. So sad. :(
posted by Evilspork at 4:38 AM on September 14, 2010

Cloax, I presume you are joking about Wind Waker, a game that had some fantastic fighting and decent dungeon exploration, but was hampered by the fact that I needed to sail around the bloody world fetch-questing and whatever else. It got so bad that I would play the wind song, aim my boat, and then switch to cartoons, coming back five minutes later when I reached my destination. Perhaps the end of the game redeemed it, but I could never find it in me to finish it.
posted by X-Himy at 5:23 AM on September 14, 2010 [1 favorite]

X: He wasn't kidding, and I loved every minute of the sailing. Maybe I'll understand the endless complaints if I ever try to play it through again—I played it once, over a week, while deathly ill, and it was one of the greatest weeks of my life—but during that play-through every time the ol' King and I would hit the waves, I was saying: HOLY SHIT! HERE I AM, TAKING ON THE WORLD! WITH LINK!! HEAR THAT MUSIC? IT'S GLORIOUS, AND TRIUMPHANT!! THIS IS ALL I NEED!! YOU AND ME, LINK, AND THE KING, AND THE GULLS! AND THE SEASPRAY!! HOLY GOOD GOD YES I'M KING OF THE WORLD!!!! I HOPE THIS NEVER FUCKING ENDS—...oh, here I am. Windfall Island. Boy, I can't wait to sail again.

I'm not even kidding!
posted by tapesonthefloor at 7:02 AM on September 14, 2010 [4 favorites]

Yeah, I actually dug the sailing aspect, even though I admit that was the number one complaint against the game.

ArmyOfKittens - Have you played the Wii version, and if so is it comparable to the PS2? If so I'll pick it up and give it a shot.
posted by cloax at 9:30 AM on September 14, 2010

I've only played the PS2 version, but I found a comparison video that suggests the Wii version doesn't lose any of the prettiness, and you get widescreen too.

warning: it takes an ungodly long time to really get going, but once it does it's wonderful :)
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 10:25 AM on September 14, 2010