Super Mario Bros. - Revolutionary design or not?

[StriderKyo]

There's a lot with the first Mario that felt revolutionary at the time. It gave you this vast world to run around in that felt really different from everything else.

But the real thing is the controls - I have a hard time coming up with anything that was as tight. Everything was bang on: the resistance as you changed direction, control over the height of your jump, momentum after letting go of the dpad, rebounding off objects like the blocks & turtle shells, bouncing off enemies etc. There was nothing as complex in that regard before it, and very little for a long time afterwards as well.

Also, the sound design was top notch - the audio response from every action was perfect, archetypal (in gaming terms) even.

And while it didn't invent the platformer or even the scrolling platformer, it established a unique template that became its own de facto subgenre afterwards. The fact that so many games at the time tried to copy the formula and never quite got it - Alex Kidd, Psycho Fox, Great Gianna Sisters, dozens of licensed platformers from Capcom & others - is a testament to what a milestone it was.

[YellerDog]

Being the first of its kind to do everything right is pretty revolutionary IMO.

/THREAD

[NeoZeedeater]

And while it didn't invent the platformer or even the scrolling platformer, it established a unique template that became its own de facto subgenre afterwards. The fact that so many games at the time tried to copy the formula and never quite got it - Alex Kidd, Psycho Fox, Great Gianna Sisters, dozens of licensed platformers from Capcom & others - is a testament to what a milestone it was.

I agree with that except maybe on Alex Kidd. It’s true that AK was probably made to try and copy the success of the cartoon platformer thing like SMB but speaking gameplay-wise, Miracle World didn’t really copy SMB’s formula. Sega tried to forge their own path with the genre, incorporating various vehicles to an extent never done before, item shops, janken matches (this was a stupid idea), etc.. Plus the combat was based on punching instead of jumping on heads. I agree it wasn’t as good or significant as SMB but I do think AKiMW was one of the more innovative games in the genre.

[Doc Holliday]

Plus, you know, the game promoted psychedelic drug use. That's pretty revolutionary.

[Frogacuda]

Plus, you know, the game promoted psychedelic drug use. That's pretty revolutionary.

I dunno, didn't Space Harrier beat it by a couple months?

[YellerDog]

Pac-Man, IMO.

[Doc Holliday]

Sure you ate pills in pac-man, but they didn't change you perception like the mushrooms did in Mario Bros. -- make you look bigger (yet only jump the same height), change colors and throw 'fireballs', glow and become 'invincible'.

...ok actually the double dose pills in Pac-Man made you invincible too, but there must be some physical explanation for that. Mario was total hallucinations.

[YellerDog]

Pac-Man sees ghosts, ALL THE TIME.

[Doc Holliday]

Yeah but the ghosts actually killed Pac-Man.

The poisonous mushrooms and ‘animals’ Mario ran into would just knock him out of his trip. Unless he was sober, then of course they would kill him. And that may just be a trip too, because his 'special' 1UP mushroom, would bring him 'back to life'.

[Zerohero]

As far as the soundtrack goes, the music can be used depending on the song in everyday situations.

I'm taking a test - castle theme
I pass the test - level completion theme
Getting laid - Star theme

etc