Conclusions

 

My hypothesis was correct.  Mario is one of the most iconic and popular characters and game franchises in the history of gaming.  Mario, who is now 25 years old,  first stomped his way onto the gaming scene in Super Mario Bros. way back on September 13th of 1985. He is older than most people reading this blog!

25 years later, the plumber is known worldwide, is more recognizable to kids than Mickey Mouse (according to a Q Score survey from the 90s. I’m sure it still holds true today), he has racked up sales of over 40.24 million copies of his debut title (Super Mario Bros. for NES) ALONE, which was only just recently passed by Wii Sports, he has sold over 240 million copies of videogames if you add up every game featuring Mario, and he has appeared in over 200 titles since his creation!

Now that is one EPIC plumber!

Mario has taken jobs ranging from Carpenter (as the original “Jumpman” in Donkey Kong for arcades before his name was officially changed to “Mario” after Nintendo landlord Mario Segale), to racer, to RPG adventurer to athlete in soccer, basketball, golf, Olympics and tennis, he’s even been a doctor! But while that is cool and all, very few characters in the entire gaming industry can be credited with spawning entire new genres. From perfecting the side-scroller in Super Mario Bros. to pushing the boundaries of 3D platforming with Super Mario 64; no character except Mario could’ve made the “Cart Racer” into a genre like he did with the original Super Mario Kart. The “cart-racer” is now a fun staple of videogaming. Whenever you think the cart racer has seen it’s last mascot-driven race, a game like ModNation Racers comes out and makes the Cart Racer relevant again. So the genre isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

And it’s all thanks to Mario.

The Best Game Ever?

There have been countless debates among the internet gaming community for quite some time.  Everyone has their opinions, of course, but the question always remains the same:

What is the best video game you've ever played?

People connect to electronic media for a number of different reasons.  Everyone remembers the first time they played Super Mario, or the first time they put a quarter into an arcade machine.  The experiences may vary, but I'm of the opinion that even if you could care less about the modern video game industry, you still have at least one title that resonates within...whether you're a diehard nerd or have only held a controller a few times in your life.

If you need some inspiration, here are a few top lists from around the web:

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-100-best-games-of-all-time/a-20110330182119708031

http://top100.ign.com/2008/

http://www.old-wizard.com/top-100-video-games-of-all-time

E3 2011

The 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo has come and gone.  The world was shown glimpses into the future of electronic media, with thousands in attendance to take in the spectacle.  Although only jounalists and industry insiders are allowed onto the expo floor, thanks to a partnership with G4tv millions of people were also allowed to get into the E3 mood.

Now that the dust has settled, lets take a look at what I found to be the most interesting developments that came out of E3:

The Playstation Vita (formerly known as the Next Gen Portable) was announced, and met with rave reviews.  Sporting two analog sticks, front and back touch sensors, dual cameras and (approximately) equal processing power of a Playstation 3, this little juggernaut might be a serious handheld contender to Nintendo's 3DS.  Hey, they both cost the same ($250).

Nintendo announced the successor to the wildly popular Wii, tentatively titled Wii U.  Stressing the aspect of connectivity, the Wii U will supposedly be the most powerful system on the market when it drops.  Its unique controller sports a combination of traditional controls with a HD touch screen capable of providing each player with their own screens in addition to traditonal TV output.

Although E3 was populated with a plethora of software demos, my opinion is that Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Revelations was the demo that stole the show.  The intro cinematic left the crowd's collective jaws on the floor, and the gameplay segment that followed was nothing short of spectacular.  Revelations may be a serious contender for game of the year status when it drops later this year.