Super Mario (franchise)
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The Mario Series has lasted a quarter of a century, starting with Donkey Kong in 1981. Ever since Donkey Kong, Mario has become a pop culture icon, a game mascot, and a big series.
Mario has had games spanning six platforms, five handhelds, and the PC, with each "era" or "generation" appearing around every 5 years (1981-1986-1991-and so on).
History
Pre-NES
The Mario series began in 1981 with Donkey Kong. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, Donkey Kong was Nintendo's first big success. Originally, Mario was known as "Jumpman," but it was later changed to the former when Nintendo of America nick-named the character "Mario" after their landlord, Mario Segali.
Mario returned to the series as the villain of Donkey Kong Jr.. However, he was replaced by Stanley the Bugman in Donkey Kong 3.
However, in 1983, Mario got his own game Mario Bros. This was the also the first game to feature Luigi.
Mario and Donkey Kong also appeared in several Game & Watch games.
NES Era
Mario's first outing on the NES was Super Mario Bros. It sold around 40 million copies worldwide, making it the bestselling game of all time. The game introduced many of the hallmarks of the series including Bowser, Princess Peach, Toads, Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, Starmen, Koopas, and Goombas.
In the wake of the success of Super Mario Bros., a sequel, Super Mario Bros. 2 was released in 1987. In Japan, the game was similar to Super Mario Bros. It was later released in America as The Lost Levels on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console and the compilation Super Mario All-Stars. In America, Super Mario Bros. 2 was the same as the Japanese game Doki Doki Panic, but with Mario characters. The American version allowed players to play as Princess Peach and Toad for the first time.
In 1989, Mario made his debut on the Gameboy with Super Mario Land. It sold 18.06 million copies, making it the bestselling game not bundled with a console in history.
Mario returned to the NES in 1990 with Super Mario Bros. 3. The game returned to the formula of Super Mario Bros. It introduced many new powers such as the Raccoon Leaf, Tanooki Suit, and Frog Suit. It also was the first appearance of the Koopalings. It sold 17.8 million copies.
SNES Era
In 1991, Mario debuted on the Super Nintendo with Super Mario World. This game introduced Mario's companion, Yoshi. It sold 20.60 million copies worldwide.
Mario returned to the Gameboy in 1992 with Super Mario Land 2. The game introduced Mario's rival, Wario.
In the same year, Mario set the standard for cart racing games with Super Mario Kart. It was at the time (and some say, still is) the best racing game available.
In 1995, Mario returned to the Super Nintendo as a baby in Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2. Instead of controlling Mario, the player controlled Yoshi.
Mario's last game on the Super Nintendo had him delve into the RPG genre. Super Mario RPG is fondly remembered by fans and is often listed as one of the top games for the Super Nintendo. Interestingly, this is the first game that let players play as Bowser.
Nintendo 64 Era
1996 was a landmark year for the Mario series. It was the year that Super Mario 64 was released. The game made the transition from 2D to 3D very well, and set an example for how 3D platformers should feel. The game sold 11.62 million worldwide, making it the bestselling game for the Nintendo 64.
In 1999, Mario was once again pushed in a new direction. Mario Party was an odd concept: a combination of board game and video game. However, it was very well done and an excellent game to play with friends.
Another new idea developed in 1999 was Mario and sports. That year, Mario Golf was released and well received.
Perhaps the strangest departure that year was a fighting game. While Super Smash Bros. isn't technically a Mario game, it's still noteworthy. The game featured characters from some of Nintendo's most popular franchises. It went on to become the fifth bestselling game for the Nintendo 64.
In the year 2000, Mario tried out another sport. Mario Tennis was as successful as Mario Golf was before it.
In the year 2001, Mario returned to the RPG genre, but with a new twist. Paper Mario featured the hero as a paper cut out.
Nintendo GameCube Era
In 2001, Luigi got his own game, Luigi's Mansion. The game strayed away from platforming and focused on the use of the Poltergust 3000.
2001 also saw Super Smash Bros. Melee, the best-selling game on the Gamecube.
In 2002, Mario returned in Super Mario Sunshine. Like his brother, Mario was wielding a new device, in this case, FLUDD.
Mario had his first RPG on a portable system in 2003. For the Game Boy Advance, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga featured both of the brothers fighting simultaneously.
Mario went back to his roots and went up against his old antagonist Donkey Kong for the first time in a long time in 2004. Mario vs. Donkey Kong's gameplay was similar to Donkey Kong '94's gameplay, but with entirely new levels.
In 2004, the sequel to Paper Mario came out: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door played similarly to its predecessor, but in a new setting with an unrelated story.
2005 stretched Mario's boundaries a bit further by adding rhythm games to the mix. Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix featured remixed games as well as characters from the Mario series.
Mario also tried a couple of new sports in 2005. Mario Superstar Baseball mixed the great American pastime with Mario. Super Mario Strikers, on the other hand, mixed the Mario with the excitement of soccer.
2006 has been the year of the Nintendo DS for Mario. The Mario Bros. series has been continued in a unique way with the New Super Mario Bros. With new abilities and the old platforming action, the game is truly a worthy successor.
Mario tested his skills on the courts with Mario Hoops 3 on 3. Along with his usual friends, he also went up against some opponents from Final Fantasy.
Yoshi's Island was sequeled with Yoshi's Island DS. This time, the game featured the younger versions of several favorite characters.
Princess Peach got her own game in 2006. Super Princess Peach is an easier platformer than the previous Mario platformers, but it has its own unique characteristics.
Wii Era
2007 brought on new sequels to classical Mario games, such as Super Paper Mario (Paper Mario series), Mario Party 8 (Mario Party series) , Mario Strikers Charged (Mario Strikers series), Super Mario Galaxy (sequel to Super Mario Sunshine). Later in 2008, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Super Smash Bros. Series) and Mario Kart Wii (Mario Kart Series) were released. In the near future, Mario Super Sluggers (Mario Baseball series) will also be released.
