On September 11, two days before the anniversary of the release of "Super Mario Bros.," Nintendo will release "Super Mario Maker," the latest in a long line of video games starring Mario and his brother Luigi. Just like "Little Big Planet," available on Sony consoles, this game will give players the chance to create their own levels to play and to share them with gamers around the world.
A tribute to Nintendo's mascot
Beyond just creating their own levels, with the help of the Gamepad touchscreen, gamers will also travel back through time to previous Mario worlds. Four previous games have been selected to serve as a creative base: the very first "Super Mario Bros.," "Super Mario Bros. 3" (1988), "Super Mario World" (1990) and "New Super Mario Bros. U" (2012).
"Super Mario Maker" will be a tribute to Mario, one of the most widely recognised video game characters ever and one who has contributed significantly to Nintendo's, and video games in general, success around the world. First released for NES on September 13, 1985, "Super Mario Bros." had a mustachioed plumber as its hero. Having already played his part in the "Donkey Kong" games, in his own game, Mario is tasked with racing through the Mushroom Kingdom, surviving the main antagonist Bowser's forces, and saving Princess Toadstool.
Mario, Nintendo's golden goose
The game's success should be a no-brainer considering the fact that until 2008 it was the most popular video game in history with over 40 million copies sold around the world. In fact, at a time when the gaming industry was hitting a wall, along came Mario to breathe life back into the business and make Nintendo the industry leader.
In 30 years, the company hasn't missed an opportunity to release multiple sequels and spinoffs of its Mario franchise, constantly upgrading the games with the release of each new gaming system. This tidal wave of games translates to over 195 million titles sold since its creation, confirming the "Mario" franchise as the most popular video game in history.
So there is nothing surprising in Nintendo wanting to commemorate the 30th anniversary with a new game. For the occasion, a new dedicated website has been put online, http://supermario.nintendo.com/. It gives the nostalgic or curious among us a trip back in time with Mario's greatest adventures.
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