User reviews

it's extremely DIFFICULT. I have been playing this game since it was like 2 years old, and I still haven't been able to beat it! That proves how wimpy modern N64 platform games have become, since I am able to easily defeat its 1996 counterpart.

But the graphics for this game and its sometimes-cartridge-partner, Duck Hunt, seem quite advanced for 1985 and 1984 (respectively). At least compared to games like Excitebike (1984) and The Legend of Zelda (1986). The music is nice (although the dungeon and the castle music gets repetitive) and sound effects are cool. Once you've beaten this game, there's no need to play it anymore, but if you haven't, like me, you'll be wanting to keep playing until you beat it, and frustrated if you fail.

But this game is the same age as me, and I still play it at my friends house if they're hogging the Super Smash Bros. (I haven't beaten it yet.)

I was playing on the Nintendo Switch Online NES thingy, using the warp zones, and also Tutorials.

It was victory.

This game was my first video game. It was fun, needless to say, and it also improved my eye-hand coordination (tell your parents this, kids. They'll let you play all day!). But, video games have moved on into the realm of 3-d, and the classic side-scroller has been laid to rest. There's something I've noticed, though. In a lot of these "lush, 3-d environment" games, it seems that fun and challenge have been sacrificed to the great god of graphics. I suggest that the game makers of today do some researching of the past.

After receiving my first Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991, I instantly became hooked on one game in particular: Super Mario Brothers. It's relatively new style of play (side-scrolling) in combination with an original story and the perfect difficulty arc (anyone can beat the beginning levels, but it takes a true pro to complete the game) made it the game that I played over and over again. Whether it was screaming in frustration due to the Hammer Brothers, hearing in disbelief that the Princess "was in another castle", or the sheer joy of beating that next castle, I played the game over and over again. Of course, being such a young child, I was never quite talented enough to complete the complicated jump moves or decipher the complex mazes (towards the end) well enough to actually beat the game. Yet, I still had a heck of a time trying!

Flash forward (LOST-style) 10-12 years later: Having been introduced to the NES at such a young age, I continued by brand loyalty to Nintendo by playing the Super Nintendo, Nintendo '64, Gamecube, and Wii. I had a lot of good times with those machines, but one day I got the urge to fire up the old NES again, for old times sake. Within moments (well, not exactly moments, as it took some blowing on the connectors and jiggling the game up and down) I was instantly transformed back into that excited six year old kid who couldn't wait to come home from school and play Mario. This time around, with a little practice, I was able to conquer even the final Bowser.

While playing the game at that older age, though, I was amazed at the purity of it. It was original (which can't be said about most SNES games), it was straight-forward (not like Donkey Kong '64, for example), it's difficulty arc progresses in a logical fashion (not like GCN, where in many games you have to be a master gamer to step right in), and the game's internal bugs are cute and looked forward too, not annoying and troublesome as is sometimes the case on the Wii.

Thus, taking all those things into consideration, Super Mario Brothers for the NES is, at least in my opinion, perhaps the closest thing to a "perfect video game" as has ever been created. Not only did it practically save the entire gaming industry, but it also gave hours of entertainment to people across the world. To me, only The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (for the '64) can challenge Mario Bros. in terms of overall game quality.

So, if you are a nostalgic video gamer (like myself) who is a bit frazzled by the current obsessions and skill levels, I would highly recommend dusting of the old NES box and popping in Super Mario Brothers (it often comes on the same cartridge as Duck Hunt). After a few moments of dickering, a few tries to re-master the old skill-sets, you will NOT be disappointed.

I'm sure most people my age remember one or more situations like this: some guy your parents knew was celebrating his birthday and you went with your parents to the party. A lot of the other people also brought their kids and after a while you were all gathered in one room. You didn't really know each other that well, so what were you going to do? Well, the kid who's room it was had a Nintendo (or later Super Nintendo) or one of those pirated machines that played Nintendo games. The answer was: you played Super Mario! Everybody agreed that it was a fun game and everybody knew how to play it. It's simply the game of my generation.

But what made this particular game so important and well liked? First of all, at the time it arrived it was revolutionary – the first side-scrolling platform game ever and it was the game that made both video games and Nintendo popular. The story was good even if it was simple: You are Mario the plumber in the Mushroom Kingdom and you are on a mission to save the princess that have been kidnapped by Bowser. At the time this game was released they usually didn't bother to come up with interesting stories for games, so it's not like today when a lot of games have complicated story lines. It wasn't hard to figure out how to play, jump and land on an enemy's head and you will kill him, but it still wasn't that easy to beat. (Of course it's easier know that I'm soon to be 21 and have played it as many times as I have.) Last but not least, the music suited the game perfectly.

Something that to me is a sign that this is a good game is that it's still fun to play now when I'm almost 21, even though it was a game that was meant for kids (like all games that were released at that time) and the graphics are very out-dated. This is a game that a lot of people still play, it's been re-released both to Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance. Of course a lot of people download it and play it on emulators – even though Nintendo doesn't like that.

For someone of my generation playing this game today is like re-living only the happy times of your childhood. When I played it as a kid I wasn't someone sitting in front of the TV playing a video game – I was Mario and I was on a very important mission to save the princess!

10/10

This game deserves a ten for it's ground-breaking game play. Nintendo surprised the world by giving the stage to its biggest future stars. This is an unforgettable classic that will hopefully be preserved for future generations of game players.

What can be said about this game that hasn't already been said? It's a classic that not only spawned a genre but catapulted it into the mainstream via living rooms around THE WORLD!

I don't need to tell people to play this game, but I will say this to all the parents out there: Make your kids play this game! It's the equivalent of taking them to a museum -- they need to see how these things were back in the days before everything was RPG-lite with a battle royal mode and a gaggle of microtransactions and lootboxes.

MOST INFLUENTIAL GAME EVER MADE WICH NOT ONLY BECAME REVOLUTIONARY IN TERMS OF MAKING GAMES, IT SAVED THE INDUSTRY!

This game changed video games forever. It standardizes who Mario is today, and it saved the video game industry. Not only that, but it's a good game. I only rated this 8/10 because you can't go back, and you turn into Small Mario when you get hit as Fire Mario. Still a great game.

This is THE classic, the penultimate video game. The quintessence of nostalgia for us 80's romantics, and the introduction to unparalleled gameplay for those unfamiliar, having been brainwashed by modern hype. This immortal masterpiece embodies the word fun, and is the most simple and sublime experience that can be achieved through a television screen and a system. Enjoy. Now.

Man, this is the ultimate classic video game. Everyone in the world has played it, and I've never heard of anyone even mildly disliking it. It's not as hard as I remembered it being (which is strange, because I usually remember them being easier than they really are) but it's still very challenging. Modern video games would benefit greatly from re-acquainting themselves with the old-school video game rule: There's No Guarantee You Will Win.

Several game mechanics are clunky by today's standards, but the game is still as addicting as ever. The goal of the game is simple, rescue Peach from Bowser.

Super Mario Bros. is still one of the best games ever. The game has a strange concept and the graphics aren't nearly as good as anything today, but it's a classic. It's a challenging game, with famous Mario and his brother Luigi, that will never be forgotten.

Mario has really changed a lot over the years, and that wouldn't have happened if this game didn't exist. This game started the legendary, iconic franchise! Mario really improved so much, especially when the new Super Mario Bros. Movie came out this year in 2023 (that's the year when this review was written.) This game will never stop being a legend! The Super Mario Bros. Wouldn't be the Super Mario Bros. Without this game. The Nintendo company wouldn't be as popular without their Super Mario Bros. Franchise. I'm really thrilled for Super Mario Bros. Wonder to come out, I hope that game will show how much the Super Mario Bros. Franchise has improved!

Super Mario Bros. Is truly a masterpiece-one of the most iconic games of all time.

From speedruns and glitches to its backstory, lore, and hidden easter eggs, this game has it all.

It marked the beginning of a legendary series, and the NES version is perfect. I've personally completed it three times.

With its memorable music, interesting character designs, challenging yet enjoyable gameplay, great map designs, and simple but unique (for 1985) controls, Super Mario Bros. Is packed with nostalgia and timeless appeal.

Gameplay: 8/10 - Simple and fun. While SMB2 and SMB3 have more complex mechanics, Super Mario Bros. Is perhaps more accessible for most players. Features like pipes, warps, and power-ups make the experience even more enjoyable.

Music and Sound Effects: 9/10 - Catchy and iconic.

Character Design: 8/10 - Characters like Bowser, Lakitu, Hammer Bros., and Goombas are well-designed, with my favorite being Super Mario with the Fire Flower.

Story: 7/10 - Even with minimal dialogue, the story is clear and decent.

Overall, this is truly one of the best games ever made.

This is another one of my favorite video games of all time, this game is a timeless classic that has not just revolutionized platform action genre of video games but changed our perspective in how video games were made and played forever.

Believe it or not this is the very first video game I played, I was about 5 or 6 years old; every time we went to the video arcade, I played this game every chance I could get. I just absolute fell in love with this because it was nothing I've ever seen before and had just about everything I could ever want in a game.

And once I got the NES console of my own, I played the heck out of the game, it really made the experience all the more awesome because I had the video game at my home and can play it any time I wanted and as much as I wanted; let alone getting that console and game with it truly changed my life forever as it really set my on the road to being a gamer as well as game collecting. Even today as an adult I still play this game, which shows how timeless it truly is.

There is so much to love about this game. The graphical presentation was great for it's time and still looks good today. I feel this game is one of the prime examples in using graphic presentation the right way and for the right reasons. I really love the amount of detail from the presentation, from how well designed the characters are down to the background which presented an entire world. But also made it feel like you were playing a cartoon show, which makes sense as 80's cartoon shows were one of the big things of that decade.

Music is just excellent and timeless as you can probably get them as your ringtone or even hear numerous remixes. From that theme song which always makes me think about Mario every time I hear it, the underground, under water, and the final castles which always had music that really made you feel a sense of dread and danger and for good reason.

But of course, what really sold this is he gameplay is just excellent, there were plenty of platform action games before like the arcade games, "Donkey Kong". But the thing about that game and others where they were contained action as they all took place in one arena.

This game was much different as it was more than just going from point A to B in one area but a whole piece of land and more and more after it, which made this game feel like you really were on an adventure. Each of the levels and stages are always different which all contain a different challenge, you truly never really what to expect.

And to me that was just part of the joy of the game to have different experiences and play through them. Like the underwater level, which was really cool, I always love underwater where your always trying to avoid those squids or bird like fish. Then there are the castle levels which are the trickiest, I'll admit as a kid made me nervous because by their nature their death traps designed to kill you.

The game's difficulty isn't too hard but it's not that easy, I really like the difficulty in this game where it's actually balanced where at first it's not so hard but as you progress the game gets a little more challenging and tricky, which really tests your actions, reactions, and wits. It's true there are no continues but that's because by it's nature the game is actually not too long, you can zip by each of the levels once you get them all down, the ability to acquire extra lives, or if you know the secrets you can win the game really fast.

I really love how each of the levels also contain secrets from those question blocks even hidden ones which always contain points or even power up. Like the mushroom that can make you grow bigger, which is just a device to give you another life in the game. The star which gives you temporary invincibility. But my absolute favorite is the Fire Flower, which is awesome as your almost unstoppable, you can wield and throw fireballs at about any opponent including the end boss on each of the worlds.

There is a very good variety of enemies which always change the more you progress and get more dangerous. Like the Gombas whom are evil walking mushrooms. Thought two I've always was the most concerned about was this turtle that was flying on a cloud and kept dropping red turtles that were armed with nasty spikes, those things made me nervous because they were really hard to kill, except if you have a fire flower or even if possible a turtle shell. And of course, Koopa himself which was Bowser's name at the time (I still don't understand the need to change the name), him always shooting out fireballs. The only ways to beat him are with the fire flower or to somehow find a way past him to get to the axe to chop the bridge down which gets tricky further on.

And of course, Mario himself whom is pretty much whom Mickey Mouse is to the Disney Company. He was one of the very first video game protagonists ever and he's still endeared even today. This video game protagonist was truly special because this is not a protagonist with muscle, but one that was from the blue-collar end of things as he's wearing that plumping uniform. This made him relatable because he was the average joe that was chosen to save both the princess and the fantasy realm, it really shows how anyone can be a hero.

This vintage classic just like Mario himself is timeless fun.

Rating: 4 stars

This was the first and maybe most well known game for the classic NES system as it was fun and a challenge to go thru different worlds and levels and create extra men and have more bodies for battle in the mushroom kingdom as the goal was to save and rescue the kidnapped princess from the evil Bowser. I loved the game as I mastered it several times it was fun as you went thru worlds of water(you had to learn to swim) and facing flying creatures and moving toads and would go thru evil castles of fire all while playing as the little plumber Mario. Really need I say more a memorable video game classic that helped start the industry.

SUPER MARIO BROTHERS, in my opinion, is one of the best Nintendo games I have ever played. Even though I've never owned a Nintendo system or games, I've played this game many times before. To be honest, I enjoy it very much. In addition, even though I've never made it to the last level, I still enjoy the game very much. When and if you can get a Nintendo Wii, this game should definitely be on your list of downloads. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that the people at Nintendo know how to keep video game fanatics entertained. Now, in conclusion, if you're a video game fanatic, this is definitely one you'll want to play and own.

Bar none, Super Mario Brothers is the most purely enjoyable game of all time. Why? simply because you can play it for years on end and never get tired of it. Sure, it may not have the most in depth storyline or gaming options, but that just makes the game better. There's nothing to worry about except for beating bad guys and racing against the clock. Even the gameplay is perfect. Never once have I ever hit a glitch that ruined the gameplay.

This game is truly a classic from all of our childhoods that made gaming fun. Screw GTA, Halo, Guitar Hero, and Pokemon... nothing will ever beat Super Mario Brothers... old school.

If you haven't played Super Mario Bros. then you've probably been living in a cave for the last twenty five years. Most every gamer instantly knows what Super Mario Bros. is. The music in this game is genius because it just doesn't get old. The Super Mario Bros. Over-world theme is probably the most recognizable video game theme of all time. The game play is fun and very simplistic. To sum things up, it's hard to describe how awesome Super Mario Bros. is. It is yet another game that has stood the test of time. Super Mario Bros. is one of the greatest games ever made period and one of the best platformers out there.

Super Mario Bros. Centers around an Italian guy (Who is worse than Mussolini, by the way) who begins his noble journey of saving a princess from a mutant turtle named "Bowser". Along the way, he encounters evil mushrooms and dinosaurs, whom he must kill. I don't get why it's so successful. Either way, the "Damsel in distress" plot is used again and again in this long, boring collection of binary codes and music thrown together by one man in a warehouse in Kyoto. To all you people who call Animal crossing boring (I've never actually played a animal crossing game), then you've never played Mario, which I fell asleep attempting to play.