Mario Turns 25! A Look Back At The Classic Video Game From NES To Wii (VIDEO)

It's hard to believe, but a certain running, jumping, mustachioed plumber named Mario turned 25-years-old today. From his early days jumping on bricks and collecting coins in the classic Nintendo game, to his fully dimensional, motion-activated game for the Wii, Mario has been entertaining us for over two decades now. Kudos to him for rocking the same mustache and overalls for 25 years.

Check out this video celebrating the anniversary with a look back every Mario game created. It's amazing how far he's come, just in terms of graphics alone.

WATCH:

Comments

[aceshigh]

01:43 PM on 09/14/2010

Super Mario 2 was awful from what I remember.

Super Mario 3, though, remains one of the greatest video games every created. Screw all these fancy graphics...it's all about playability and fun, and SM3 had that in spades.

[JasonMcl]

02:02 PM on 09/14/2010

What is funny was even after all the 3d graphics and what not, the most successful modern Mario was the 4 player 2d version.

[aceshigh]

02:20 PM on 09/14/2010

I believe it.

I still have my old NES hooked up to my TV, and crank it up every once in a while. I love technology and great graphics, but sometimes, it all comes down to simple playability.

[Cody Wetzel]

10:23 PM on 09/14/2010

I am not a fan of games like Super Mario 64 and Galaxy but love the New Super Mario Bros game. I am excited for the new Sonic the Hedgehog 4. There are a few series returning to 2D.

[I-am-correct]

01:37 PM on 09/14/2010

Donkey Kong is the only Mario game I like. And that was almost THIRTY years ago folks.

[likesthehotcop]

01:02 PM on 09/14/2010

where's super paper mario on there? that's a good game...

[TXconfidnz]

11:34 AM on 09/14/2010

Mario Brothers All Stars!!!

[Copeword]

10:43 AM on 09/14/2010

I liked Super Mario 64 best. It was nice being able to, you know, run into a goomba and not instantly die.

[AristophanesJones]

09:25 AM on 09/14/2010

Ah, the cherished memories of youth. Except for Super Mario Bros 2, with all its radish-plucking, F that noise.

[JasonMcl]

03:19 PM on 09/14/2010

The reason that game was so odd was because it was actually another Japanese title called "Yume Kojo Doki Doki Panic". (I wish I was making that up).

The real Mario 2 is actually the "Lost Levels" Mario you see on the SNES AllStars Rom.

[OmegaHunter]

05:20 PM on 09/14/2010

And Doki Doki Panic was developed by Nintendo and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, same as Donkey Kong, Mario and Zelda.

And Super Mario Bros 2 being different than the first doesn't make it a bad game, in fact, it's quite good. And looking back on childhood I'm really glad that we got the game we did and not the "real" sequel.

We would've probably never seen Yume Kojo Doki Doki Panic released stateside and the "real" Mario 2 was exactly like the first with poison mushrooms and a higher difficulty. I'll take the variety any day.

[James Roach]

08:30 AM on 09/14/2010

What, no love for the first appearances of Mario?

Donkey Kong (1981) - credited as "Jumpman"
Donkey Kong Junior. (1982)
Mario Brothers (1983) - first appearance of his brother Lugi.

The article should have been titled "Super Mario Bros. Turns 25". Mario is 29.

[Pucker]

09:07 AM on 09/14/2010

Exactly. The Mario Brothers game introduced many staples of the later games - coins, jumping to break bricks or under enemies, stomping enemies, etc.....not to mention the name itself.

The major thing introduced in the Super Mario game was side scrolling, a mechanic that was dropped when the game went 3D.

[TheGreyDuck]

08:23 AM on 09/14/2010

I think Mario is the thing I'm best at, sadly.

[jasonedward]

04:50 AM on 09/14/2010

Oh, the memories! I used to have every move in SM2 memorized back in the day.

[Ares1]

03:46 AM on 09/14/2010

I loved playing Mario, my favorite was Super Mario Bros.3!

[Samantha Monteleone]

03:06 AM on 09/14/2010

I certainly miss the good old days of the SuperNintendo.

[Amadahy]

09:01 AM on 09/14/2010

Here, here! LOL

[Samantha Monteleone]

10:53 AM on 09/14/2010

Hey, we used to be addicted to it. =p

[ochowalo8]

12:02 AM on 09/14/2010

I will forever hate my brothers for making me cry and whine so much just to get to play the super mario bros back in the 90s console! ughhhhh LOL!

[dalifemme77]

09:25 PM on 09/13/2010

Been playing the New Mario Brothers Wii game and it's awesome! LOVE the games :)

[hypnotoad72]

09:22 PM on 09/13/2010

There are more interesting 25 year-olds to think about:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/23/commodore-amiga-celebrates-its-25th-birthday-andy-warhol-still/

[hypnotoad72]

09:25 PM on 09/13/2010

Even cooler article here, but having owned a NES in my life, I won't deny it was cool - the Amiga's just far cooler... :)

http://technologizer.com/2010/07/23/amiga/

[JasonMcl]

10:46 AM on 09/14/2010

Pretty awesome!

[TXconfidnz]

11:34 AM on 09/14/2010

I had the Commodore 128... it was pretty cool, too...

[leanjhuls2]

08:39 PM on 09/13/2010

Mario 64!!!