Nintendo Replayed: Super Mario Brothers

[originally written for overtimecomedy.com on 5/13/08] 

We come to the end of this feature with the best game of all time. Mario's status as Nintendo's mascot has gone beyond that of any other video game character. The sequels have gone to 16-bit to 64-bit 3-D. The spin-offs have had Mario do everything from play baseball to teach typing. Even with all that has come since, there is absolutely nothing like going back and playing the original. It may not be as complex as the successors, but the elegance and perfection are unmatched. Amazingly, I beat it on my first try. I haven't beaten this game in 10 years, and it feels frickin' good.