Why aren't we sick of Mario?
by Candace Savino 
{ Oct 30th 2007 at 9:00PM }
Let's face it, Mario is a video game geriatric. The Italian plumber has been around for 26 years, ever since he had a role as "Jumpman" in the Donkey Kong arcade game. He may not be as hip as Big Daddy or Master Chief, but that doesn't mean we love him any less. If anything, it only makes us love him more.As the debut of Super Mario Galaxy inches closer and closer, we can only be certain of one thing: it's going to do well. In fact, we'd go so far as to estimate it will sell a ridiculous amount (you heard it here first!). But, the question is, why? Why are red-blooded Nintendo fans so in love with Mario games?
Fortunately, the folks over at GameDaily have taken it upon themselves to answer this question, with a list of "Ten Reasons Mario Games Never Get Old." Our favorite reason on the list? His outfits!
"Whether hopping around in a frog suit or donning a bee suit like an extra from Blind Melon's 'No Rain' video, Mario's got quite a wardrobe. The helpful abilities that come with them are definitely handy for beating enemies." After checking out the list, be sure to tell us your own reasons for loving the iconic Nintendo franchise after all these years.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
RatMasterD21 @ Oct 31st 2007 1:42AM
I can remember the first game I've ever played...i wasn't much older then a year and my father who was 19 at the time had just bought himself a NES....once he opend it up and turned it on I sat and played the best game i will ever play for what seems like seconds but it was hours and hours....Super Mario Bro.s stole my soul that day. I now 20 years later i still cant help but play it everychance (and in ever way shape and form) i get!
NvM @ Oct 30th 2007 10:06PM
YOU ARE MR. GAY.
Backslash @ Oct 30th 2007 10:25PM
I dunno, I'm kinda bored of the little guy. :
troy @ Oct 30th 2007 10:28PM
He rules. He rocks. He is not boring.
flameofdoom666 @ Oct 30th 2007 11:29PM
I want Mario's baby's.
Sonic_13 @ Oct 30th 2007 11:58PM
Playing a Mario game always brings a smile to my face. It doesn't matter if it is a platformer or a sports spinoff. I love playing his games.
Another thought is that perhaps it is because they are almost always of high quality. People got tired of Sonic because the quality of his games starting plummeting. When there is always compelling gameplay to return to, it is hard to get tired of a certain franchise. That is why Nintendo does so well.
Metayoshi @ Oct 31st 2007 12:10AM
His games are fun... It's that simple.
They lure you in, and once you start, there's no stopping.
I also have to say this... Mario games are some of the only few that you can be a bystander and watch and STILL enjoy.
Shogan @ Oct 31st 2007 12:45AM
I actually didn't know he was called 'Jumpman'. Jumpman was an awesome early platform game for the C64, you even collected 'coins'.
padgon @ Oct 31st 2007 1:52AM
That’s like being tired of Mickey Mouse. We grow up playing Mario games, c’mon.
Hollywood Ron @ Oct 31st 2007 2:50AM
Mario is like the guy you might see once a month, but every time you see him he's the life of the party. Mario games haven't been pumped out every few months, so when one does come out, it's usually fun and the Big N has done a great job of keeping him fresh.
Pawsie @ Oct 31st 2007 7:29AM
people may not be bored with mario.. because mario focuses on gameplay more than anything else... How do you get sick of a game that simply meant to be played.. and nothing else?
sketchampm @ Oct 31st 2007 8:21AM
He's not an annoying character and his games focus on GAMEPLAY and not namesakes and licenses.
I might be kinda sick of Mario Party games but I will never tire of Mario himself.
Plus, I have never played an authentic Mario game that I didn't like.
Bros.
Super 1, 2, 3
World
Land 1, 2
Yoshi's Island
New
Sunshine
64
All GREAT games.
Lord Bodak @ Oct 31st 2007 8:30AM
Mario is still popular because he's not everywhere. Think about Hollywood where, if something succeeds, they ram it down everyone's throat until they get tired of it. Mario games only come out occasionally, they're always well produced, and so we don't feel like we're being force fed more Mario.
Neal Eaton @ Oct 31st 2007 10:03AM
I have not grown tired of Mario becasue of a couple of things:
The more you learn about the Mushroom Kingdom and it's inhabitants and the way they interact with each other, the funnier they become.
On that same thought...the power ups level out any real advantages a better player has than a new player (espcially in a game like Mario Kart...damn those Blue shells!) This keeps the gameplay very frantic up to the last few seconds.
Mario's games (for the most part) are really FUN. They have tight controls and a swet learning curve to ease you along and teach you how to play.
How can you not love the 'everyman' as a hero?
J @ Oct 31st 2007 11:50AM
I'm pretty sure its the mushrooms...
Drew @ Oct 31st 2007 2:15PM
"Why aren't we sick of Mario?"
I am. And have been since Donkey Kong Jr.
Nintendo's stable of cheezy characters is what almost kept me from buying a Wii, but I'm a sucker for unique control schemes, so I'm all-in.
But I will not be purchasing Super Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Happy Fun Pogo Stick Rally, Yoshi's Whipped Cream, Luigi's Loogie, or Mr. Mushroom Man's Trippy Fall Down the Rabbit Hole.
Personally (and I do realize I'm in a minority), I'd love to see them all abolished entirely.
Mr Khan @ Oct 31st 2007 4:47PM
Personally, i've always been a sucker for colorful, good, video games. Mario not only pushes the platforming genre, but simultaneously hails back to a simpler era of gaming, where gaming was all about playing
The main Mario games create a paradox of awesomeness. Most of the side games (with the notable exclusion of Mario Party) are excellent studies in wackiness, but not in a tasteless way. Like other's said, the items and colorful opponents make Mario Kart what it is
Plus, Mario's lack of personality (beyond the most basic responses) keeps him from getting on the nerves of most people, as opposed to, say, Sonic, Fox, Snake, Cloud, or anyone else with varying depths of characterization
Guest @ Oct 31st 2007 5:15PM
Wow, one negative response? Well I dont buy it. If you say you dont like mario, then you dont like video games.
Every game in existance has been influenced in one way or another by mario games. By the way I love how those who commented positively on this topic had hard facts and logical responses, but those who hate mario are just blatent remarks with no substance. Goes to show.
Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Oct 31st 2007 7:02PM
I AM sick of Mario. Too much noise - but no single decent games.
Even more so I'm sick of fans who always respond me that I "should have played [insert-here- any-mario- containing-game-name- released-50-or-more- years-ago]!"
Probably if I have played Mario/Metroid/etc games in their first incarnations - when they were hot - I might have liked them. But now, the games look like "sentimental junk" lacking on all aspects - except for character depth. (Or should I say the characters show their age?) But character depth doesn't make a game.