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Mario (Japanese: マリオ Mario) is a video game character and the star of the Mario series. He is Nintendo's most successful character; his games have sold over 200 million units worldwide. This, and other key factors, has led him to become the defining video game character and Nintendo's mascot. Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto for the arcade video game Donkey Kong, Mario was initially known as Jumpman, though Nintendo felt that, in order for him to become successful, his name would have to be changed to something more approachable and memorable. His appearance in Donkey Kong alone granted him instant recognition, and his appearance in the Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario Bros. fueled what was to become the most successful video game series of all time.
Mario's games not only ensure an insurmountable level of quality, but they also guarantee to press the various genres his games are a part of forward, whether it be platformers, role-playing games or even racers. Donkey Kong gave way to the platforming genre, a plot and multiple levels, while Super Mario Bros. introduced over 40 million gamers to scrolling stages, various environments, and an incomparable physics engine. Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System gave Mario a steed to ride upon named Yoshi, graphical advancements that used the various powers of the console, and almost 100 level exits. Super Mario 64 is perhaps one of the biggest advancements in the series since the original game. Often called the most innovative title of all time, Super Mario 64 is one of the pioneering three dimensional video games and was the first with a camera that the player could control. Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube combined Mario's famous jumping abilities with the use of a powerful water gun mounted on Mario's back known as the F.L.U.D.D. Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii sent Mario soaring through space and incorporated a fantastic gravitational system. These examples are but a few reasons why Mario is so important to the industry.
Mario isn't devoted exclusively to video games. He's appeared in a variety of television shows and merchandise, comic books and even a feature film. Despite these additional products, the franchise shines best when left to the realm of video games.
Mario's attire consists of his signature red and blue clothes. His overalls are blue, while his undershirt and hat are red. On Mario's hat is a big red 'M'. His hat was originally added to his attire so that the developers wouldn't have to animate flowing hair on the NES, as doing so with such small sprites was not reasonable at the time. His overalls were included in order to show Mario's movements more fluidly, while his famed mustache is there because the developers at the time didn't want to draw something as small as a mouth. Ever since Mario's FUNdamentals, Mario has been voiced by Charles Martinet, who also does the voices of various other Mario characters such as Mario's younger brother Luigi, nemesis Wario, Waluigi, and others.
History and storyEdit
BeginningsEdit
Concept art from Donkey Kong.
Mario was introduced in the arcade classic Donkey Kong. He was at first known simply as Jumpman, though Nintendo changed his name to Mario after Nintendo of America's landlord in 1981, Mario Segali. Initially he was just known as Mario in America, though the name would soon go into effect in Japan. In Donkey Kong, the player would traverse a series of construction site girders in order to save his girlfriend Pauline from Donkey Kong. The game was the first title with a developing plot and cutscenes. It introduced characters background and was the pioneering platforming game and was the first title with a "damsel in distress". The game saved Nintendo from an almost inevitable death that would've resulted had this game been a failure as their previous efforts had been. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the game and its characters, had only just begun.
Naturally, Donkey Kong's success led to a sequel, titled Donkey Kong Jr. In this game, Mario became the villain and Donkey Kong was the ape in distress. Players took control of Donkey Kong's child Donkey Kong Jr. who was on a mission to save his father, which could be accomplished by finding various keys scattered across the level. This game showed that both Mario and Donkey Kong could both be considered protagonists and antagonists, and both can be considered good guys and bad guys. While Donkey Kong's villainous acts in the original game may seem to suggest that he's the true enemy, Miyamoto revealed that it was due to mistreatment by Mario that he acted in such a way. The game was expected successful, though not as much as its predecessor. One thing worth noting is that when all levels are completed, Mario is shown falling from a large height and landing on the steel girders that make up a majority of the levels. The significance of this is that after Mario's fall, he is shown laying on the ground with a halo above his head, the means of depicting death in the first Donkey Kong game. Whether this makes the game non-canon or not is debatable.
In 1983, Mario joined his brother, Luigi, as the newly christened Mario Bros. for arcades. Luigi was nearly identical to Mario initially save for a few alterations in clothes, though they even shared similar tastes in that department as well. In the game, which was multiplayer enabled, the players would take control of Mario and rid the sewers of pesky enemies by going directly under the platform they're stationed on and jumping underneath it, which will cause them to tumble over (depending on the enemy, you may need to perform more acts), afterwards, your goal is to go over to the enemy and kick it away. While the game's biggest introduction was undeniably Luigi, it also featured turtles for the first time, whose involvement in the Mario universe would be more expanded as more games were released. Oddly, Nintendo left Mario out of Donkey Kong 3, which became the least successful game in the series. This perhaps proved to Nintendo that, despite Donkey Kong being in the title, Mario was the true hero of the series. Despite all three of the games Mario's starred in being incredibly successful, his career was about to make a big bang with the onslaught of the Famicom.
Enter the FamicomEdit
Atari, the industry's biggest name, was not only financially stable but was raking in millions of dollars annually with their home consoles, first party titles and strong third party support. They even managed to get licenses to release Nintendo's popular arcade games on their consoles. Then an event occurred that none foresaw. They failed. The infamous video game crash of 1983 had started. Multiple key events brought this on,the most significant one being the rise of home computers, but they all ultimately led to the downfall of not only Atari, but the entire industry as a whole. What possessed Nintendo to release a console after this crash had occurred is anyone's guess, but they did. It was called the Famicom, and a game starring the carpenter turned plumber from Nintendo's past arcade titles would not only become one of the most successful games of all time, but would be credited for saving video games. Nintendo releasing the Famicom in Japan wasn't too much of a shock, as entering the business didn't really ensure a failure in that country. But what shocked everyone is when Nintendo announced it for America under the name of the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES for short. Nintendo would release the NES two years after the Famicom, but in order to get people's attention, they would need the help of an industry saver. Surprisingly, that hero wasn't Mario, but rather a robot named R.O.B., which caused retailers to think that this wasn't a video game, but rather a toy. They were convinced, but upon being released it wasn't R.O.B. that brought in droves of people, but rather a game called Super Mario Bros.
In Super Mario Bros., an evil character named Bowser, the leader of the Koopa, used his black magic to transform all of the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom into inanimate objects. He kidnapped Princess Peach and took her to his most heavily guarded castle. Mario and Luigi heard of the news and set off to save her and everyone else. They eventually managed to save the princess after defeating Bowser and sending him into a pit where he was submerged in lava. The game ended with Princess Peach thanking either Mario or Luigi, telling them that a second quest is available.
The story of Super Mario Bros. isn't what captivated people, though. Rather, it was the engaging gameplay, the expansive levels, and the sense of wonderment at every turn. Players didn't know what to expect, and would constantly find new abilities that Mario could perform, whether it be growing larger by gobbling a Super Mushroom, being able to launch fireballs with a Fire Flower, or becoming invincible with a Starman. The physics were also impressive. Mario would jump farther when running, could get under tight spaces by ducking and running at the same time, and could even be maneuvered when in mid air. In total Super Mario Bros. sold over 40 million copies worldwide, accounting for nearly one fourth of all the Mario games. It should be noted, however, that this was due to the game being packed in with every NES for some time. It should also be noted that as of 2009, Wii Sports has surpassed Super Mario Bros. in sales.
As evident above, the Japanese exclusive sequel resembled the original in many ways.
Super Mario Bros. was certainly not the last Mario game on the NES. The next entry wouldn't actually be released in America or Europe until the release of Super Mario All-Stars years later in 1993. This game, titled in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2, was almost identicle to the original, though was much harder. Its difficulty was the reason why Nintendo never released it to Western audiences, who would instead be offered the Western version of Super Mario Bros. 2, which was in actuality a remake of Doki Doki Panic, a Japanese Famicom video game. The characters and some of the themes were replaced with those from the Mario universe. The game took place in Mario's dream, and in it he imagines that he opens a door to a world called Subcon. He later finds that this kingdom has been brought into battle with a king named Wart. When he wakes up, he tells Princess Peach, Toad, and Luigi of what had just happened while out on a picnic, and finds a cave strikingly similar to the one from his dream. He then enters the cave and finds that the world is real, and Mario and his friends vow to save the world and take down Wart. They do so, and the game ends. This game was later released in Japan as Super Mario USA, referring to the fact that it is the American version of Super Mario Bros. 2. The game in Japan clearly states that it is a remake of Doki Doki Panic.
After the success of both titles, a movie named The Wizard was released by Universal Studios, who had previously sued Nintendo due to copyright infringement based on the similarities between King Kong and Donkey Kong, but ultimately lost. The movie is best described as an hour and a half advertisement of Nintendo and Universal Studios' theme parks. But, it was also the debut of Mario's next hit video game, Super Mario Bros. 3, the last of the series for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The movie wasn't successful critically or financially, though the game it revealed was. In fact, it is among the most successful standalone titles of all time (or rather a game not packaged with a console or an accessory). Many argue the game to be the best that the series has to offer, though fans are split on the decision. The game took the basic concept of the original Super Mario Bros., and expanded upon it in marvelous ways. The game, for the first time in the series, featured a powerup that would give Mario the ability to fly. The power up, which made Mario resemble a raccoon, would let him access areas and would cause the screen to scroll diagonally, which wasn't present in games before it. There were a variety of other powerups as well such as the Hammer Suit, the Tanooki Suit, the Frog Suit, and some from the original Super Mario Bros. In the game, Bowser was back to his old tricks and turned eight kings around the world into animals and sent his seven children to take their place. Mario had to go through each kingdom, thwart the Koopa Kid, and eventually take on Bowser himself when he would send him down yet another pit, this time one that was supposedly bottomless. Inevitably, however, Bowser would be back, though next time it would be in a different era of consoles.
