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The single game that holds the record for the most world-wide sales ever (not bundled with a video game system) is Super Mario Bros. 3, originally
released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1990, selling 18 million units around the globe. Super Mario
Bros. 3 is the highest selling video game ever and its record has yet to be broken. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina
of Time (1998) sold 6 million units, and Halo (2001) has only recently broken the 2 million mark. On top
of that record, Super Mario Bros. 3 has been remade twice: once for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
in 1993 and a second time for the GameBoy Advance handheld system in 2003. It even had its own television show produced
under the same name. There is no doubt that Super Mario Bros. 3 is the most popular video game starring Nintendo's
very own mascot, Mario.
Shigeru Miyamoto is the master behind the "run & jump" concept introduced by Super Mario Bros. (SMB),
a video game where players took control of a character named Mario, who ran through different levels, increasing
with difficulty as you completed each one. Mario could avoid obstacles by jumping and defeat enemies by jumping on their heads.
This intuitive game design was mixed with "power-ups" which could give Mario a certain advantage over his enemies. They included
a Super Mushroom (which makes Mario bigger), a Fire Flower (which allows Mario to throw fireballs), and a Starman (which makes
Mario invincible for a short time). All of these special items were hidden in "question blocks" so you never knew
what item would come out of them. Shigeru Miyamoto, the master behind this "run & jump" genre, is also the master
behind the literally perfect game design in Super Mario Bros. 3 (SMB 3) - the last Mario game to appear
in the mainstream Super Mario Bros. series on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Super Mario Bros. 3 takes place in the beautiful Mushroom Kingdom - a large kingdom made up of eight lands,
or districts, if you will. Each land has a King whom possesses a magical wand, empowering the King and his land. An evil
demon named King Bowser Koopa has a horrible plan to take over the throne in each of the eight lands of the Mushroom
Kingdom. He succeeds in doing this by sending his seven children out into the Mushroom Kingdom, armed with powerful Doom Ships
- flying warships heavily equiped with weapons. The Koopa Kids steal the wands and turn the Kings into helpless
animals. When Mario recieves word that Princess Peach Toadstool is kidnapped by Bowser himself, he and his brother Luigi begin
their epic adventure; and what is known as Super Mairo Bros. 3!
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| Super Mario Bros. 3 had improved graphics over the past Mario games. |
Super Mario Bros. 3 was a huge leap forward in graphical presentation when compared to the original Super
Mairo Bros. In SMB, Mario and his enemies were blocks of color, not easily distinguished from its
surroundings. This made it difficult to play the game and see all the enemies that were attacking you. Since this game, Miyamoto
and his team of artists have learned that outlining characters with black created more contrast between the background
and forground. For this reason, many things in SMB 3 were completely redesigned in order to obtain a cleaner,
fresher look that made the game stand apart from the previous Super Mario titles.
The "run & jump" mechanics of SMB were slightly improved for SMB 3, allowing the player to control
a lighter Mario character. Moves such as jumping out of water, running at higher speeds, sliding down hills, picking
up stunned enemies, and even flying were now possible because of this improved game mechanic. Miyamoto reintroduced the
well-known power-ups from past Mario titles in this one: the Super Mushroom, the Fire Flower, and the Starman. Miyamoto wanted
this game to be different in more ways than one, so he created even more power-ups that would give Mario new abilities.
The Super Leaf granted Mario the power to fly. If the player could get Mario to run fast enough, the player could
then jump into the air and continue flying upward by tapping the jump button. The Frog Suit aided Mario underwater and
improved his swimming ability. On land, it forced him to hop like a frog - not exactly the best advantage for saving
a princess. The Tanooki Suit is a suit that Mario could wear, enabling him with the ability to fly and turn
into stone for a short while, rendering him safe from harm. Kuribo's Shoe was a power-up only found in one level
of the entire game. It could be stolen from an enemy that uses it to hop high into the sky, and come crashing down
to the ground onto Mario. Once stolen, Mario could use Kuribo's Shoe to jump through the rest of the stage,
with the ability to do the same damage that was once done unto him. The Hammer Suit gave Mario the power to throw
hammers at his enemies, an ability up until then that was given only to one of Mario's most formidable foes:
the Hammer Bros.
On the other hand, many more enemies were created than ever before for a Mario game - keeping a balance between
Mario's super abilities, and Bowser's formidable dark army.
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| SMB 3 had dangerous new enemies! |
Mario's new foes were a challenge for players, but it helped keep the "run and jump" style of Super Mario Bros.
3 fresh. Many enemies first introduced in the original Super Mario title came back to attack Mario for a third
time! Many of the new enemies that were made for this game remain some of the most memorable enemies to ever grace a video
game! Shigeru Miyamoto created one enemy, Chain Chomp in particular, that reflected his fear of a dog attack that
occured when he was much younger. Chain Chomp was nothing more than a black circle with eyes and a mouth filled
with teeth, but this enemy tried with all its might to lunge for Mario, chomping its jaws as fast as it could. The only
thing that kept it from Mario was the chain that connected it to a wooden post, restricting its range
of attack. These new enemies included the Thwomp (a heavy cement block with a face, that came crashing down
to the ground when Mario got too close), Boo-Diddly (a ghost that moved towards Mario when his back was turned toward
them), Big Bertha (a fish with a huge mouth, that could jump out of the water to eat Mario), and of course
Boom-Boom (a bear-like creature that players must fight at the end of a Castle stage). Not all enemies were new. There
were some older enemies that were given new powers, creating disorientation and causing players to think of new ways
to defeat old enemies. For instance, man-eating plants called Piranha Plants were now able to shoot fireballs at Mario.
Huge bullets the size of Mario himself were called Bullet Bills, and in this game they could turn around to attack Mario
if they missed the first time. Despite all this, the new items and enemies were nothing compared to the great new level designs
of Super Mario 3!
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| SMB 3 made history with its engaging new level designs. |
Unlike the first SMB title, SMB 3 gave players more choice in which level they wanted to pursue
next. In some cases, not all levels were necessary to advance to the next world of the Mushroom Kingdom. Miyamoto accomplished
this new idea of "player's choice" in Super Mario 3 by creating maps for each world of the Mushroom Kingdom. Similar
to board games, the player moved across pathways to different "action panels" representing a variety of things the player
could then do. Some action panels allowed the player to play a mini game to win more power-ups (stashed in a new
feature that preserved the power-ups in a box at the bottom of the screen - only accessible while traveling on maps),
some represented enemy battles, and others represented intimidating Fortress Stages where Mario ultimately had to meet
face-to-face with Bowser's most difficult traps. Most of these action panels were the stages that players must complete in
order to advance through the game. Some levels interacted directly with the map. In one case, if you met specific requirements in
a certain level in World 1, a new shortcut would then be accessible.
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| Players now have more choice in which path they pursue. |
Each of the eight maps or worlds had a different theme. The first stage eased players into Super Mario Bros. 3
with a simple Grass theme. Part of the fun that came from playing SMB 3 was seeing what new and exciting
world was waiting for you after you completed the previous one.
Shigeru Miyamoto had always been intrigued by secrets and the unseen. As a child, Miyamoto wondered what the world may
be keeping from him. Quoting his 2001 speech about the Nintendo GameCube can directly reflect this.
"What if everything you see is more than what you see-the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears
empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or accept that there
is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it is really a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many
unexpected things."
-Shingeru Miyamoto
Miyamoto had tapped into our fascination of secrets very early on, when he created Super Mario Bros.
for the NES in 1985. Ever since then, it has been tradition that Miyamoto include many secrets and hidden passages in his
video games. Super Mario Bros. 3 was definitely no exception. Many secrets were hidden in the game, including
a special item that gave you the power to warp past a few worlds. Other secrets included invisble blocks that only appeared when
you accidently bumped into them, secret passages and coins that appeared only until you stomped on a P-Switch, and
even entire hidden levels that could only be accessed if you met certain conditions. Miyamoto is so tactful and sometimes
very subtle in how his secrets are presented. One item, called the Whistle, played a tune that was identical to the same one
played on the Whistle in The Legend of Zelda (1986). The effects of the Whistle were also the same in each
game.
Shigeru Miyamoto may be the tactful master of secrets, but not all credit must go to him. The musical
genuis that brought us the very familiar tunes of the original Super Mario Bros. made his return for the epic score
of Super Mario Bros. 3, bringing to life the sounds of the Mushroom Kingdom. Koji Kondo himself, who had much experience
scoring other games such as The Legend of Zelda (1986) completely outdid himself with Super Mario Bros.
3. The music Kondo wanted to compose for SMB 3 was so complex, that the game required a special chip
to be implanted into the final cartridge that would allow more dynamic sounds and music. Most noticably, the
drum sounds were the most realistic and made biggest the difference to create the atmosphere of SMB 3!
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| SMB 3 introduces Mario to many different land features. |
Many things are hidden in the world of Super Mario Bros. 3. Even today, in the world of three-dimensional
video games, SMB 3 has somehow stayed on the top as the best selling video game of all time. There must be something
behind the simple mechanics of this video game that appeals to audiences of all kinds. For me, its the mere contrast
of the game from beginning to end. When you begin the game, it starts out all cheery, colorful, and bright. But as you
progress further into the game, the levels get really tough, the music becomes more intimidating, and the colors are darker.
The themes and graphics of each world also become grittier.
Hats off to Shigeru Miyamoto, Koji Kondo, and Nintendo - for the best video
game of all time:
Super
Mario Bros. 3
**The First Inductee of the Millenium Games Hall of Fame**
&
*The Best Selling Video Game of All Time*
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