Mario Bros.

The original Mario Bros. is pretty much THE most simplest, and boring, platformer you're ever likely to come across. Back then, Mario was no more than the tiny little sprite from Donkey Kong (called Jumpman) who vaguely looked like a plumber with red dungarees and a moustache. This time around he's given his own game and a new name and partnered with his brother Luigi (in green dungarees) to erm...not do that much really.

All you do in this game is jump between 3 or 4 different platforms knocking over typical creatures of the Mario franchise. Yup, that's it! That's everything this game is about. I don't know about you but I'd be pretty upset if I paid for this in the arcade, even if it was 1983.

I got this as an extra with Super Mario Advance 4 so at least I never went out of my way to pay for it. And neither should you.

Graphics D Sound D Gameplay F Lasting Appeal F

After DONKEY KONG JR. had been released, Nintendo had Shigeru Miyamoto to thank again for another brilliant game. Shigeru was thinking about making another game, but this time it would feature Mario as the main character. Before then Mario's name was Jumpman, but Shigeru decided to change it because of a guy who had heavily helped Nintendo (his name was Mario). So it was 1983, and Shigeru was designing his new game but decided that this could be a 2-player game, and Mario's partner would be his brother Luigi, who made his first appearance in this game. Mario was also a plumber now instead of his old job as a carpenter. Mario and Luigi's job was to rid the sewers of the strange creatures that have infested it. This game is loads of fun, it gets more challenging after every phase, and it is a never-ending game, which can give the challenge of seeing how far you can get. MARIO BROS. was released on arcades in 1983 and on the Atari 2600 in 1983. The arcade version is MUCH better, as the Atari's version has horrible graphics, sound, and control. It was also out on the NES by 1986 to let gamers enjoy classic days once again. However, the problem with this game is repetition, you can get bored with the same level over and over and over again. Playing it with a friend can make it less boring, and I think overall this game is pretty good; I rate it 7 out of 10.

This game must be very confusing to the younger generation, weaned on the PSX and its ilk. They've almost never been to an arcade to play anything but fighting games, and long lost battles for high are but a memory, save for some Sega games (eg, Crazy Taxi). So, the point of the game is a high score, not a boss or an end level. It's most enjoyable with two players going at it, knocking each other into enemies and the such. Give it a try, it's old school at its best.

"Mario Bros." from 1983 is a classic that laid the foundation for many platformers. I liked the game for its simple but fascinating gameplay, which made me come back to it again and again. One of the main advantages is the mass of interesting and diverse levels, where each new arena offered unique challenges. From jumping over platforms to destroying turtles, crabs, some butterflies and even incomprehensible brown creatures with menacing eyes - each stage of the game required an increasingly precise reaction and attention to detail.

The graphics are at their best: bright, memorable characters and smooth animations. Mario and Luigi, both heroes of the game, have well-developed movements, and the visual effects of colliding enemies and objects added dynamics. Although the levels may seem simple at first glance, they are filled with various obstacles and enemies, which made the passage of each level interesting and sometimes unpredictable.

The mechanics of jumping deserve special attention. Adjusting to the height and length of the jump was sometimes difficult, but the mechanics of the game, in my opinion, only benefits from this. At more complex levels, skills play a key role.

The music, although minimalistic, created the right atmosphere - the sounds of jumps, attacks and the appearance of enemies fit well into the gameplay, not distracting, but on the contrary, increasing engagement. "Mario Bros." is a perfect example of how a simple game can become an eternal classic thanks to skillful execution and gameplay solutions.

8 out of 10.

The only reason why this game gets so much attention is simply because it's a Mario game. We are all well aware of how bad the graphics of 1980's games used to be. So it will not be right to compare this game by the ones made now. However, for a correct comparison, we should judge it by its features from that time.

To begin with, let's talk about the colour palette. It has a black background in which the other coloured characters appear. This is meant to simulate the darkness present inside a sewer. The Koopas and other enemies come in from both the sides of the pipe. They have done an excellent job with the ambience. But it could have been better if they occasionally showed a few drops of water spilling out of the pipes to show that the pipes were actually running, otherwise it doesn't make sense for so many enemies to just walk in out of nowhere. Also if the enemies are able to go in through the bottom pipes and come out of the top, what stops the other way round from happening? There is no explanation to it.

Then let's talk about the sound. Every time a crab comes out of the pipes, it makes a sound that's more suited to a beach view. Such a sound doesn't suit a gutter. There are just a handful sound effects, the most (read only) memorable being the one played when a level begins. The sounds used in the game suit more to an open world game of that era, such as River City Ransom or ET (if it was good).

Then the levels. Oh my God, this is the one place where this game fails big time. It's the same level repeated over and over again. Don't come up with an excuse of "limited memory at that time" because Pacman also had different levels even though it came one year before. In Mario games itself, Donkey Kong had different level designs every as the game progressed. The level designer of this game had taken a very lazy effort.

This is by far my most hated Mario game. Even if I was in the 80s I would prefer playing some other game like Super Mario Bros, which came just 2 years after this. Nostalgia doesn't bother me in the least because I played this game just to have tried all popular Mario titles.