Mario Brothers (1983) - Why Don't People Like It as Much as "Super Mario Brothers"?

[o.pwuaioc]

Mario Bros. is no Donkey Kong.

This. Mario Bros. is a good game, but it wasn't top tier arcade like Donkey Kong or Popeye. Super Mario Bros. though was innovative and a great game to boot. I like both, but I do like SMB much more.

[Scotterpop]

The original arcade Mario Bros. game practically defined my childhood! Whenever I'd get some spending money I'd head up to the local 7-11, buy a slurpee, a few comics, and spend the leftover change playing that game. Such great memories, which is why I have a real fondness for it. From an adult perspective I can appreciate it as a really well-made and challenging platformer. It takes quite a bit of practice to master its subtle jumping and sliding physics. It's definitely a game of skill and reflexes. A few years later when I got my first NES and Super Mario Bros., I loved that game also, but considered it more of an adventure game. You had an objective: to find and rescue the princess rather than simply clear the board of crabs, turtles and whatever those jumping fly things were. Consequently, I've always considered the name "Super Mario Bros." a bit of a misnomer, as Luigi doesn't actually appear in the game. But both are great games, it's just that SMB has so much more character and variety which is why it's the more famous game, and rightly so.

[JakeM]

A Gamespot writer compared the two games to the first two Street Fighter games, the first game was something, but then the second went so far and beyond it, no one could have seen it coming before they played. I like the first Mario bros game, its fun it you have a friend to play against and want some light fun, but the second has so many secrets to find and different ways to play, its more than classic.

[Collector_Gaming]

No matter what it still has the best commercial ever!



"Mario.... where are you?" hahaha

[otaku]

I don't believe I've ever played it and didn't realize it was a different game

[tom]

I'm with the guy above, Mario Bros is more fun than SMB. SMB is always the same, but MB in 2-player mode working together, excellent, my first game I scored million points with, well 999.999 on VCS.

[sloan]

I read some mention on this thread of Popeye being 'first tier' arcade game? Say what? I always considered Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Ms. Pac Man to be 'first tier' while games like Popeye and Mario Bros. not so much. I played them once in a while, but the DK, Galaga, and Pac Man games so much more.

[Urzu402]

The original Mario Bros gets repetitive real quick, while Super Mario bros is different and revolutionary from the normal games of the time.

[ApolloBoy]

The original console and computer ports were:
Atari 2600
Atari 5200
Atari 800XL and compatibles (400, 800, 600XL, 65XE, 130XE)
Apple II (unfinished and unreleased)
Commodore 64 (finished but not released)

Why doesn't the Famicom version count as an "original" port, it was released at the same time as these other ports. Actually the Atari 8-bit version wouldn't count either since it was actually released in 1989 during the time of the XEGS. There was another version that was based on the 5200 port and planned for a 1984 release, but that never went through.

[Aussie2B]

I'm pretty lukewarm on Popeye myself. I'd take Mario Bros. over that.

Consequently, I've always considered the name "Super Mario Bros." a bit of a misnomer, as Luigi doesn't actually appear in the game.

Luigi is Player 2.

[Gamevet]

The original console and computer ports were:
Atari 2600
Atari 5200
Atari 800XL and compatibles (400, 800, 600XL, 65XE, 130XE)
Apple II (unfinished and unreleased)
Commodore 64 (finished but not released)

It was released by Nintendo for its NES system in June 1986. Its sole (audio) weakness was its title theme, which sounds like a reverse-engineered (or "Jimmy Hart version" or "Ice Ice Baby") version of Petula Clark's 1964 hit "Downtown." I'm fine with that Mozart "A Little Night Music" piece.

~Ben

I've played the C-64 version quite a bit. It must have been leaked, or someone got their facts wrong about that Atarisoft version. I think the C-64 version was the best, until it came out for the NES.

This game may be the reason why Mario and Luigi were called plumbers.

[sloan]

Considering the size of the pipes in Mario Bros, I could understand pipe fitters, but not plumbers so much.

[ColecoFan1981]

Why doesn't the Famicom version count as an "original" port, it was released at the same time as these other ports. Actually the Atari 8-bit version wouldn't count either since it was actually released in 1989 during the time of the XEGS. There was another version that was based on the 5200 port and planned for a 1984 release, but that never went through.

Oh, I added that in the OP. Nintendo first released this game in Japan for its FamiCom console 9/9/83 and then to the American NES in June 1986, six months after SMB (and the NES itself) first went on real sales here.

Here's the first Atari 8-bit computer port (1983) of Mario Brothers:


The 5200 console version (1983):


The XE-GS computer version (1988):


I already realize that both the 5200 version and the first 8-bit computer version of MB are the same except the 5200 console version has, of course, the boot-up screen centric to all 5200 cartridge titles released by Atari.

~Ben

[Gamevet]

Here's the C-64 version of Mario Bros.

[MachineGex]

This game has provided our house with many epic battles. Fantastic two player game that is always exciting and different.

[Jorpho]

I would agree that the game gets a little repetitive in single-player mode, moreso than other similar single-player games.

By the way, was there ever an AtariSoft IBM-PC version? There were numerous AtariSoft ports back in the day, but it is unclear if Mario Bros was ever released or even developed.
(I asked about this six years ago and no one seemed to know for sure.)

No doubt if it ever existed, then as per the standard of IBM-PC games at the time, it was probably primitive and comparatively unplayable. Mario Bros. VGA, which appeared some time later, was entirely unofficial and unlicensed.

[ApolloBoy]

Here's the first Atari 8-bit computer port (1983) of Mario Brothers:

You should also mention that the first A8 port was actually never released, it was planned for a 1984 release but got canned in the midst of the Tramiel takeover. The XEGS version was therefore the only A8 port that saw a release.

[tom]

The C64 version was officially released in 1986 by UK company Ocean

[M.Buster2184]

I have to say, as previously mentioned, I think the reason SMB is more popular is due to the whole game. Bigger world to explore, plot(however basic it may be). Also by the mid/late 80s when games kept getting more involved, I think arcade style games were left in the dust. Though I will say I personally love the original Mario Bros. Of all the games at my local barcade, this is the one game I have to play everytime. Not terribly good, but good enough to get a high score (100,000+) every play.

[wiggyx]

An interesting theory, but it doesn't hold up as there are single screen games that are very popular. Games like Bubble Bobble and Bomberman come to mind.

There will always be exceptions. But generally speaking, single screen games had become passé.