Who was Nintendo’s first big star, Donkey Kong or Mario? It’s a chicken-or-the-egg question with no real answer, considering how they came up together. Their first game, 1981’s Donkey Kong, saw them as rivals in a light-hearted style. Drawing from Popeye and Bluto, as well as Merian C. Cooper’s 1933 movie King Kong, Shigeru Miyamoto developed a light-hearted game based on platforms, ladders, rolling barrels, and a little guy with a mustache just trying to save his girlfriend. It’s easy to forget that Miyamoto flipped that script in an underappreciated sequel. It’s one that every gamer needs to experience via their Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
