Let's Talk About: Super Mario Bros. (sort of)

That's what you call Old School.

You see that? That's my Nintendo. I've had it for as long as I can remember. It's also the same Super Mario Bros. game I've had too. One of my earliest memories was me on my mother's lap while she was playing and she had lost all her lives and she let me try. I got stuck trying to get a Fire Flower and so i gave up and she tried to get it for me. For some reason we could not get the flower. So after trying for like 3 minutes on this damn power up, my mother tells me to wait until my dad comes by and he'll get it. Apparently he was the master of Super Mario Bros. while I was 4 years old. While I had just started playing for the first time ever. I remember vaguely watching my dad getting the Fire Flower. It was right then and there where I felt that I wanted to play and beat him. It didn't really take me long before I made it farther in the game than he. Hell I discovered the warp zones long before he did. I also seem to remember him watching me one day and I made it to like world 6 or so. I died of course and he, well, let's just say his expertise ends after the 2nd world. Anyway you may be asking yourself why I am boring you with this story. Well it serves as a testament as to what got into gaming and to a slightly lesser degree, media. It also serves as an excellent example of what I'm about to talk about here.

The NES was around in the 80's and with it Super Mario Bros. Something that I've noticed some 20 plus years after it's existence is that Nintendo games have a unique ability to bring people together. Now my parents are not gamers. Hell even the games they liked they were awful at. But they loved playing Mario with me. Specifically my father (my mother is currently more of a Professor Layton fan but still enjoys the occasional Mario game). Anyway my point being that Mario has always been something that brought people together. Now the difference between back then and now is the difficulty. When I go back and play this game or any Mario game before (and including) Super Mario Sunshine, I tend to die a bit. I feel challenged. I also feel pretty damn hype once I beat a particular level. This is something that has sadly gone away in recent outings of Mario. the games have just been to damn easy. It looks like Nintendo is making their games for inexperienced kids and forgetting about the audience that has nostalgic memories of a mario game that was the perfect blend of tricky dicky and easy. I miss my old Mario games. Nintendo please make your Mario game challenging again. I'll be happy with a Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulty select at the beginning of your game. I wanna be challenged dammit!

Anyway all that aside, I really do find it amazing how simple a Mario game is. Princess Peach gets kidnapped and Mario has to save her. It rarely ever gets more complicated than this. But that just adds to how approachable the Mario series is. The games are fun, imaginative, and they totally immerse you in this bright and colorful world so well. I mean everytime I play I always feel like I have a small window looking into a truly beautiful world. Then I start to think about how boring our world is and then I wanna start jumping around. That's what makes Mario games a beautiful thing. I urge everyone to play at least one game.  Anyway I wanna end this post with this. Whenever I play a Mario game, ANY Mario game. My thoughts always drift to that memory I described earlier. I think it was probably one of the first things me and my father ever shared in life. A love and fondness for good ol' Mario games. Well Dad wherever you are, I want you to know that this one is for you. I love you and I miss you.

Phil