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Super Mario Bros.: Respect your History, Even if you Don't Play It
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One Game Feature by Daniel Dujnic, 11/9/07
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It's not really necessary to go back and play SMB1 to write a decent Grumpinion for it. Any self-respecting gamer long ago put in their time with the game, and probably doesn't particularly want to go back and muck about with the stiff controls again.
Well I don't at least, I'd rather play SMB2 or 3 (which is a debate for another time). SMB1, while laying the groundwork for later titles, will almost always get put at the bottom of the list when ranking NES Mario platform games (American or Japanese). The improvements brought by later titles were just so vast.
That said, playing it for the first time so many years ago was enthralling. Mushrooms and Fire Flowers were my first powerups as a gamer (unless you count the spear in Adventure as a powerup), and to me it defined a natural progression. Destroying bricks was satisfying in itself, and I would go out of my way sometimes to see how many I could break in 1-2. Plucking off enemies with fireballs not only made the game easier but had rewarding sound effects. And Starmen, lord, nothing is as exciting as that music. Before we all knew where these powerups were located, mystery blocks actually were a mystery, and finding powerups brought a kind of joy that was still pretty new in 1985.
So this has basically just turned into me reminiscing about the game, which is really all there is. It's the kind of game that's reserved for the new generation, history lessons, and those with deep wells of nostalgia that never go dry. I'll play it with my kids someday.
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'Respect your History, Even if you Don't Play It'
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#&rendershop#
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