Mario

Mario (full name Mario Mario, Japanese : マリオ), also known as Super Mario, is a video game character created by Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo , supposedly named after the Italian landlord, Mario Segali , at Nintendo of America.He is one of Nintendo's best-known characters and considered by many to be the biggest video game character in history, appearingin literally hundreds of games.

Overview

Mario is the official mascot of the Nintendo Corporation, and is almost synonymouswith the Nintendo brand . Because of this, Mario only appears in Nintendo games onNintendo systems. There are a few small exceptions in which he has appeared on PC educational titles in the United States, butthese are rare deviations.

Mario first appeared in the video game DonkeyKong as a nameless protagonist, but later players called him Jumpman. The game was surprisingly successful, and whenthe Nintendo Entertainment System wasreleased, Mario was given the starring role in the revolutionary Super Mario Brothers game. Shortly thereafter Mario took on role of mascot of Nintendo and has sincebeen extensively merchandized. In 1996, with the release of the Nintendo 64 , Super Mario 64 marked Mario's 3-D debut and made him the very first 2-Destablished video game character to appear in a full 3-D game.

Mario has appeared on television (in several cartoons ), in comic books , and in a feature film where he was played by Bob Hoskins .

Mario's supporting characters include Luigi , Princess Peach Toadstool , Toad , Yoshi , and King Bowser Koopa among others.

Little is known about Mario's history. Mario games specifically lack overly-complicated plots or too much characterdevelopment as to not limit Mario's future roles. According to some American manuals and gameplay, Mario and his brother are Italian-Americans born and raised in Brooklyn , NewYork City . He is said to be a plumber (though he has held several other blue-collar jobs in his lifetime) and wears a red shirt, cap, and blue overalls.

Mario's distinctive look is due to technology restrictions in the mid-80's: with a limited number of pixels and colours, theprogrammers could not animate Mario's movement without making his arms "disappear" if his shirt was a solid colour, they did nothave the space to give him a mouth, and they could not animate hair, so Mario got overalls, a moustache, and a cap to bypassthese problems. Mario's creator Shigeru Miyamoto has also statedwhen interviewed that Mario wears a cap because he finds it difficult to draw hair.

His surname, also Mario, first became known in the 1993 feature film Super Mario Bros. . This wasto explain how both Mario and his brother Luigi could both be known as the "Mario brothers" (though Nintendo has never confirmedthis). This is also backed up by the title of the game Dr. Mario.

The original Super Mario Brothers series pioneered many concepts in modern video games, such as warp zones, power-ups,end-of-level bosses, and multiple endings. Even to this day, many adventure games operate in the same so-called "hop and bop"style gameplay that was first developed for SMB.

Miyamoto created these from ideas he had seen in other media. One of his mostrecognizable contributions to his Mario universe is the Super Mushroom ,which would enlarge Mario until he came into contact with an enemy. This idea was derived from the "Eat me" and "Drink me"potions in the Lewis Caroll story, Alice in Wonderland . Healso incorporated the idea of the "Beam me up, Scotty" phrase from Star Trek withwarp pipes, usually green pipes that sometimes warped Mario to another area.

Games

Over the years Mario and his brother, Luigi, have appeared in several popular video games, both their own and others. Here isa brief chronological list of games Mario has appeared in, or games with other Mario characters:

1980s

Year 1981

• Donkey Kong , (Arcade) - The first game tofeature Mario, although at this point he is named Jumpman.

Year 1982

• Donkey Kong , (Game & Watch) - The very first game with Mario, who wasa carpenter trying to rescue his girlfriend from an evil ape.
• Donkey Kong Junior ,( Arcade, Game & Watch) - Mario isthe opponent in this one, and it is up to Donkey Kong Jr. to rescue his father.
• Donkey Kong 2 (Game &Watch)

Year 1983

• Mario'sCement Factory (Game & Watch)
• Mario's BombsAway (Game & Watch)
• Mario Brothers (Arcade) - Introduced Luigi, it featured 2-playersimultaneous play.

Year 1985

• Super Mario Brothers (Famicom/NES) - First scrolling platformer . 32 KB of program; 8 KB of graphics.
• Tennis (Famicom/NES) -Mario was the referee.
• Wrecking Crew (Famicom/NES) - Mario is the protagonist, but gameplayis unrelated to other Mario games. Many NES games featured Mario as a character, even though the game may not have fit the themeof the series.

Year 1986

• Super Mario Brothers2: The Lost Levels , Famicom ) - Released initially in Japan on the Famicom Disk System, this used a slightly modified version of the original SMB engine with much harderlevels. The "Lost Levels" title was created when this game was brought to the U.S. in Super Mario All Stars , without the "2". Originally, thisgame was going to be Super Mario Bros. 2, but Nintendo did not believe that it would sell well, as the game was voted "too hard"by 94% of a survey of 250 Americans.
• Super Mario Brothers Special - A flick-screen version of Super Mario Brothers with all newlevels, which was released for the NEC PC88 series.
• Vs. SuperMario Brothers (Arcade) - A mixture of the original SMB and The Lost Levels that ran on the arcade VS Unisystem. Powerups andsolution to mazes (e.g. 4-4) have been moved, and more enemies have been added thanks to new flicker-reduction programming, alongwith other bugfixes.
• All Night Nippon SuperMario Brothers (Famicom) - Japan only.

Year 1987

• Pinball (Famicom/NES) -Mario appears in the Bonus Stage, where he maneuvers a platform to keep the ball from getting away, and then catch the Princesswhen she falls from above.
• Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! , Famicom/NES) -Mario is the referee .

Year 1988

• Super Mario Brothers 2 : Mario Madness / Super MarioUSA (NES) - Released at first in markets outside of Japan, this is a modified version of a Japanese game called Doki Doki Panic with some of the graphics replaced by Mario-themed graphics.This game tends to be overlooked by some Mario fans as being the runt; some of the characters unique to this game have now becomestaples of the Mario world, including Bob-ombs , Snifits , and Shyguys .
• Return of MarioBros. - sequel to Mario Bros.; Japan only
• Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally (Famicom Disk Drive)

Year 1989

• Alleyway (Game Boy)
• Tetris (Famicom/NES) - Mario appeared in some cut-scenes in the Famicom/ NES and Game Boy versions.
• Tennis (Game Boy)
• Super Mario Land (Game Boy) - Game Boy game with tiny graphics;gameplay quite similar to SMB1.

1990s

Year 1990

• Qix (Game Boy) - Mario appeared in cut-scenes.
• Dr. Mario (NES & Game Boy) - Puzzle game with mechanics similar to Tetris and Columns .
• F-1 Race (Game Boy)
• Golf (Game Boy)
• Super Mario Bros 3 (Famicom/NES) - Mario gains several newabilities, including the first appearance of his ability to fly. Also of note is that this is the best selling video game of alltime.

Year 1991

• Mario the Juggler (Game & Watch)
• Super Mario World (Super Famicom/SNES) - Mario's first Super NES game and Yoshi's first game
• Mario Teaches Typing - Computer only.
• NES OpenTournament Golf (NES)
• Mario & Yoshi (Game Boy)
• Super Mario Bros & Friends: When I Grow Up - Computer only.
• Sim City (SNES)

Year 1992

• Super Mario USA - Japanese release of Super Mario Bros. 2: MarioMadness. ( Super Famicom ) - Japan only.
• Lazer Blazer (SuperFamicom/SNES)
• Yoshi's Cookie (Game Boy)
• Super Mario Kart (Super Famicom/SNES) - Go-kart racing.
• Mario Paint (SNES)
• Super Mario Land 2: 6 GoldenCoins (Game Boy) - Wario, one of Mario's rivals, is introduced.
• Hotel Mario (CD-i)- game byPhilips

Year 1993

• Mario Is Missing ! (SNES and NES) - Luigi must restore artifactsto landmarks of famous cities around the world and defeat Bowser to save Mario. North America only
• Mario's Time Machine (SNES and NES) - Mario mustrestore historical artifacts to their proper time and place (and in the NES version, save Yoshi). North America only
• Mario and Wario (SuperFamicom) - Japan only
• Super Mario All Stars (Super Famicom/SNES) (in Japan,Super Mario Collection) - collection of original SMB, SMB: The Lost Levels (SMB2 in Japan), SMB2 (SMB2 USA in Japan), and SMB3,with enhanced graphics and sound.
• Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters (SNES) North America only
• Mario's Early Years! Fun with Numbers (SNES) North America only
• Mario's Early Years! Preschool Fun (SNES) North America only
• Yoshi's Safari (Super Famicom/SNES)

Year 1994

• Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 -stars Mario's alter-ego, Wario ; Marioappeared only in the ending.
• Donkey Kong (Game Boy) - First Super Game Boy game with about 100 newlevels.

Year 1995

• Mario's Tennis ( Virtual Boy ) - pack-in for Virtual Boy
• Mario Clash ( Virtual Boy )
• Mario's Picross (GameBoy)
• Mario's Super Picross (Super Famicom) - Japanonly.
• Undake 30 SameGame (Super Famicom)- Japan only.
• Mario Excite Bike -(Super Famicom Satellaview) Japan only.
• Super Mario World 2:Yoshi's Island (Super Famicom/SNES) - The player plays this game as Yoshi rather than Mario (as in most of the series), andcarries Baby Mario around on his back.

Year 1996

• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super Famicom/SNES) -The first RPG to feature Mario. It used prerendered graphics toappear to be 3D.
• Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) - First Mario platform game for the Nintendo 64 . Also Mario's first appearance in true 3D. In addition tocharacters it featured 3D items for the first time, such as the Metal Box .
• Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)
• Kirby's SuperStar (Famicom/SNES)
• Mario's Picross 2 (Game Boy)- Japan only.

Year 1997

• Game &Watch Gallery (Game Boy)
• Game& Watch Gallery 2 (Game Boy)
• Mario TeachesTyping 2

Year 1998

• Wrecking Crew '98 ( Super Famicom ) - Japan only.
• Tetris &Dr.Mario (SNES)
• Mario Party (Nintendo 64) - First party-style game with the Mariocharacters.

Year 1999

• Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo 64) - Mario (AKA Jumpman) appears in theoriginal Donkey Kong standup arcade console in the area called Frantic Factory.
• Super MarioBrothers DX (Game Boy Color) - Game Boy Color port of original SMB;contains extra goals, Game Boy Printer pictures, and a hiddenSMB2:LL.
• Game& Watch Gallery 3 (Game Boy Color)
• Mario Golf (Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64)
• Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color) - not related to VBgame
• Super Smash Brothers (Nintendo 64)
• Mario Party 2 (Nintendo 64)

2000s

Year 2000

• Paper Mario (2000, Nintendo 64) - Mario's 2nd RPG, this time in true 3D,but with 2D characters.
• Mario Party 3 (2000, Nintendo 64) - noted for confusion between MarioParty 3's box art and that of the original Mario Party; the original had a die showing a number 3 below the word "PARTY" on thebox. Also noted for same initials as MPEG audio layer 3 , as the press release pointsout.

Year 2001

• Mario Kart Super Circuit (Game Boy Advance) -Kart gaming
• Super Mario Advance (Game Boy Advance) - pixel-perfectport of SMB2:MM from SMA*S, plus an upgrade of the original Mario Brothers.
• Super Mario Advance2: Super Mario World (Game Boy Advance) - Slight update of SMW for the Game Boy Advance.
• Luigi's Mansion (GameCube) - Mario is the man you must save inthis " ghostbusteresque " title.
• Super Smash Brothers Melee - largely afacelift of SSB with a new Final Fight -style side-scrolling brawler
• Dr. Mario 64

Year 2002

• Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube) - First Mario platformgame for Nintendo's GameCube
• Mario Party 4 (GameCube)
• Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island (Game Boy Advance)- Slight update of SMW2:YI for the Game Boy Advance, with voice added in for Yoshi and extra levels.
• Game & Watch Gallery Advance (Game Boy Advance)

Year 2003

• Super MarioAdvance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 (Game Boy Advance) - Update of SMB3, with new levels and items to unlock with the use of theCard eReader.
• Mario Party 5 (GameCube)
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GameCube) Newfeatures include 2-drivers system, and the support of 16 players playing at the same time, using GameCube 's LAN feature.
• Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (Game Boy Advance) - Mario's third RPG.
• Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GameCube)

Year 2004

• Mario vs.Donkey Kong (Game Boy Advance)
• Mario Golf: Advance Tour (Game Boy Advance)
• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GameCube) (To be released)
• Mario Pinball (Game BoyAdvance) (To be released)
• Mario PartyAdavnce (Game Boy Advance) (To Be Released)
• Super Mario 64x4 ( Nintendo DS ) (To be released)
• New Super MarioBros. (Nintendo DS) (To be released)
• Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS)(To be released)

Spin-off franchises

Here is a list of different Mario series franchises:

• Mario Kart
• Mario Party
• Super Smash Bros.
• Paper Mario

In Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee ,Mario is a balanced character (as he is in many games featuring other playable choices). He is said to "reflect the actual skillsof the player", according to the Super Smash Bros. Melee "Smash" character trophy description. His trademark move is the fireball . His fireballs are affected by gravity (unlike Luigi's fireballs). Also, Mario'sfireballs are red in color, whereas Luigi's are green.

There are ten trophies of him in the game: three Mario ones, three Dr. Mario ones, one as he appeared in Paper Mario , one Racoon Mario, one Metal Mario,and one Baby Mario.

In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! , his weaponis the fireball. In Super Mario Kart , the computer controlled Mariohas unlimited invincibility. In Super Mario Brothers 2 ,Mario is an average jumper and second only to Toad in carrying capacity.

See also

• List of Nintendo characters
• Nintendo era

External Links

• http://smclone.arturh.com/ SuperMario Clone FX Homepage (Windows)

Super Mario is also a nickname for Mario Monti , as wellas for Mario Lemieux and also Mario Basler .