The Original Super Mario Bros. for the NES.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

I figured I'd get some discussion of SMB for the NES going since it's been a while since I've seen a mention of the game anywhere on here. Personally, it's my least favorite of the 3 NES core Mario titles but yet I love the game to death and have recently played through it for fun. I remember playing this game in the arcade as a kid a few times, which is funny because at the time I didn't know that Super Mario Bros was released as an arcade game, but I had fun with it both there and especially on my NES. So many easter eggs, so many secrets. Recently I wrote a blog review of it at http://theretrovideogameaddict.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-retro-video-game-addict-reviews_10.html, so check that out if you wish to.

Anyone want to share some memories of this game or maybe some information about it that we don't already know? Let's get some discussion going for the game that took a dying industry upon it's shoulders and carried it to prosperity!

[ShinobiMan]

One of the first video games I ever played at the age of three. Like all the greats, it still holds up remarkably well. Incredibly designed, changed the way we play games. Practically invented the platformer genre.

I never have been able to jump over the flag and get to World 0. One of those long fabled secrets that I never did myself!

[Zing]

I fantasized of owning this game for the years 1987-1988. I played it every time I went to the arcade. I rode my bike to a distant convenience store to play it. I was only able to get to world 6-3 in the arcade version. I literally prayed for an NES under my Christmas tree in 1987. No luck. It wasn't until Christmas of the following year that I finally got the NES.

Just as with my Coleco Vision and the Donkey Kong pack-in in 1982, I played Super Mario Bros. at every opportunity for several months. Despite it clearly being easier than the arcade version*, and using the continue trick, it took me a while to complete. I remember having many game overs on world 8-4.

It is still one of my all-time favourite games. It was the first game I went for when requiring a NES several years ago. It is the epitome of "plug and play", as I will often boot up the game and play through a few levels at seemingly random moments. I could play it at any moment and enjoy. If I were stuck playing only one game for the rest of my life, this would be it.


* The arcade version was similar to the difficultly increase after you complete the NES version and the game loops. Many turtles are replaced with beetles, floating platforms are more narrow, and other slight changes. I always wished there existed a code allowing the NES to jump directly to the harder difficulty instead of having to play through the whole game first.

[Alpha2099]

SMB 1 is still a great platformer to this day. I think it's held up against the test of time and it's still fun to play after so many years. I think platformers in general have that quality, that no matter how much time passes, these games are still cherished.

With relation to the NES SMB games, I think SMB 3 is my favorite and perhaps the best in the series. That one is also the highest-selling game in the NES library too.

[Little Miss Gloom]

I'll be honest, I actually get very bored of the first Super Mario Bros. fairly quickly. But that isn't to say it doesn't hold up.

When I was a leader of a church youth group, one of the events we held was a gaming night, and I brought my NES with a bunch of games. It was amazing to me how many kids wanted to play Super Mario Bros. instead of the more modern games that were available.

[ShinobiMan]

I'll be honest, I actually get very bored of the first Super Mario Bros. fairly quickly. But that isn't to say it doesn't hold up.

When I was a leader of a church youth group, one of the events we held was a gaming night, and I brought my NES with a bunch of games. It was amazing to me how many kids wanted to play Super Mario Bros. instead of the more modern games that were available.

How cool! Something ill have to try with the kids at my church somewhere down the line, should the opportunity arise!

[Atarileaf]

As someone who was older when I got my first NES (19 I believe) I found SMB frustrating and played Duck Hunt which I found a much more satisfying game. Truth be told none of my family or friends cared for SMB, never played it, we played the arcade or sports titles like Blades of Steel, Contra, or Lifeforce. Big Konami fans I guess.

[sloan]

I remember playing this game in the arcade as a kid a few times, which is funny because at the time I didn't know that Super Mario Bros was released as an arcade game, but I had fun with it both there and especially on my NES.

Only arcade version of SMB I remember playing was on the Playchoice 10 machine. That was a special arcade cab that had 10 Nintendo games. I remember also playing Duck Hunt and Punch Out on Playchoice 10 for the first time.

While I played SMB until my fingers nearly bled, I have to admit that SMB2 is my favorite of the triad.

[Nintegrity]

I remember the first time I played SMB on the NES. The game was really frustrating for me being a kid at the time and I don't recall even getting past the first world. I even remember shedding some tears because I couldn't beat a certain level. The game has always been cherished by me because its one of the first games I recall playing on the nes. I think I will have to boot up this classic tonight!

[Rickstilwell1]

I really like the game and am a pro at it. So much that I can even beat the Japanese FDS Mario 2 without getting a Game Over now. I like Super Mario 2 FDS better because every level is unique and they don't reuse level layouts like they do in the first one 5 different times. The only 2 levels that they did reuse were in the hidden second quest you get for beating the game 8 times, and those are worlds C-3 and C-4 which are clones of world 7-3 and 7-4. The five times levels were reused in the first game were not even taking into account the second quest which is identical. This is why the game gets old faster - because of all the repeats. Super Mario Bros. is just so easy but that's part of what makes it enjoyable.

[bigbacon]

i honestly remember not spending a lot of time on SMB. It just wasn't that fun back then and really isn't now.

Nostalgia is what makes it stand out as it is usually the first game people played back then when it came to the NES. I got my NES and we also bought Metroid and Kid Icarus at the same time and I spent WAY more time on those than SMB, they just both had so much more to offer.

[treismac]

I liked Super Mario Bros. well enough as a kid, but I didn't give it as much love as Contra, which I also received at the same Christmas. It wasn't until I got into the NES a few years backs that I really started to appreciate and play the hell out of Super Mario Bros., exploring its secrets, glitches, hardware mods (Dream Mary (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?157721-Mysterious-origins-of-Dream-Mary-%28aka-Fancy-Mario%29)), and different colorful hacks (this (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?167429-SUPER-MARIO-BROS-Special-X1-for-NES-resembles-the-original-visually-much-closer) being my favorite). It is my favorite Mario game as I feel it just plays perfectly, and it is easily one of my all time favorite games.

[BlastProcessing402]

Only arcade version of SMB I remember playing was on the Playchoice 10 machine. That was a special arcade cab that had 10 Nintendo games.

There's that one, which I think was identical to the NES one, and then there was Vs. Super Mario Bros, which was the harder one other people were talking about. I remember playing that one at a Pizza Hut, of all places.

http://www.mariowiki.com/Nintendo_PlayChoice-10

http://www.mariowiki.com/Vs._Super_Mario_Bros.

[Jack_Burton_BYOAC]

Well, it's my all-time #1. It's my hope that some day Miyamoto-san will oversee the production of a new NES Mario game.

[Rob2600]

I figured I'd get some discussion of SMB for the NES going since it's been a while since I've seen a mention of the game anywhere on here. ... Recently I wrote a blog review of it at http://theretrovideogameaddict.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-retro-video-game-addict-reviews_10.html

I read your Contra review: http://theretrovideogameaddict.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-retro-video-game-addict-reviews.html

"The visuals are nothing too outstanding mind you, but you can clearly see where you need to jump and there is no major weakness in this category as everything looks fine. It's funny how developers were able to get so much more out of the NES toward the end of it's life-cycle with games that have visuals that put Contra to shame ... Graphics/Visuals - 7.5"

Contra has some of the finest graphics on the NES. Which NES games have graphics that put Conta's to shame??

[treismac]

It's my hope that some day Miyamoto-san will oversee the production of a new NES Mario game.

How magnificent that would be!! :D