Scoring Note: I have scored this game on the basis of eight points per field, one for each world in the game. The marks won't look that great because this game has been far outdone, but don't forget that this was arguably the best game of its time.

Characters: 7

No problem here. This game has all the necessities: two heroes (this even allowed for two players!), a villain, a damsel in distress, and of course obstacles. Mario games have never lacked foes for Mario to deal with, and the original is no different. I took away the extra point because I wish some of the jazzed up characters from The Lost Levels, an extension of this game, were in here as well.

Terrain: 6

This game had a bunch of different environments... cloud levels, water levels, caves. Of course, most of the levels were played in the same way, since Mario could only walk and swim, no flying or any of those fancy moves he learns later. Based on this game's time period, I could give a perfect score for this field. However, I am taking points away from this category because many of the later levels are identical to the earlier ones, but with more stuff. So I can't say that there are eight worlds of unique terrain.

Size: 3

This game is pretty small. Even without using a warp zone, this game can be beat in something like an hour. But, considering that this was the first big side-scroller, it is impressive. I can't help but give it a bad mark for size because I keep thinking of Mario 3, which is much bigger.

Music: 5

Of course you expect much better now, and the game didn't have that many different music clips. There wasn't even boss music! Then again, it took awhile for gamers to add boss music to the games. Still, the music served its purpose, and we all know that it paved the way for many spruced up versions later on. At some point I need to count how many different versions of Mario's main theme I have.

Graphics: 1

Hey, waddaya want? This is the best they could do back then! Be thankful for what you get, a great game to play, just... don't look at it. In comparison to the games of its time, I would give it a 5, since they were all just about equally bad. I just had the pleasure of recently playing Donkey Kong for NES. It's the same deal.

Difficulty: 4

It's too hard for me. I'm a bad gamer, and I could never beat this game because I couldn't make all the jumps. Unless he is Fire Mario, Mario's only way to avoid all the pits and all the baddies is to jump skillfully. Invariably I would mess up somewhere. But this difficulty is sort of needed because otherwise you'll be done with the game in an hour.

Replayability: 4

This is one field that I can apply just as I would to a modern game. To be replayable, a game needs to have secrets, or fun stuff that one would want to see again, or it could be huge so you've forgotten the beginning, or it could just be extremely fun. This game has some replay value. Go ahead and try to find every warp pipe. Maybe you can try beating the game in record time, or getting the best score. Or knock yourself out and find every hidden block without getting killed. Still, it doesn't take too long before you've outplayed the game.

And finally...

Fun Factor!: 7

I dunno. Somehow Miyamoto, Mario's creator, must have some magic. I have panned nearly every aspect of this game. Yes, I know that it was a great game and very much worth playing when it first came out, but based on the ratings listed above, why would anyone play it now? Yet, this game remains very famous, perhaps the most so of Mario's games, and people still like to play it. I don't play it but I do like to remember playing it. Somehow, this is a very fun game to play.

Recommendation:

If you have never played this game, and are over the age of 18, I'm not sure what you're doing at my site. If you are under 18, I understand that this game may have predated you, but you must understand the historical signifigance of this game! If you have this game and a working NES, take a walk down memory lane and play a round or two, for old times sake. I'm not going to go as far as to suggest that you buy this game and the system, but... if you have a Game Boy, you might want to try Mario Brothers Deluxe, a spruced up version of this game. At heart the two games are the same, but the new one ups some of the fields, such as graphics and replayability, by a couple points. Try it!

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