There's a reason why Mario has graced the cover of Retro Gamer multiple times. He's become one of gaming's cornerstones, a character that's every bit as synonymous with videogames as Pac-Man, Lara Croft or those pesky little aliens from Space Invaders. There's a good chance that even your dear old nan will recognise Mario – that's how much of an important cultural icon he's become.
Originally making his debut in single-screen platformers like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros, in 1985 he starred in his first side-scrolling adventure, Super Mario Bros, and the moustachioed hero hasn't looked back since. For many gamers and developers, the Super Mario Bros series is considered a template for how to create the perfect platformer. Many have attempted to emulate Mario's success over the years and very few have succeeded – fewer still have actually bested him. Aside from the recent success of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, only Sonic could be considered as Mario's biggest competitor today and even with all his popularity, he's rarely had the critical acclaim in his 3D adventures like Mario has had. Even an average Mario game can feel special when placed against the competition, and it's telling that of all the platform heroes of the Eighties and Nineties, only Sonic has endured for as long as Nintendo's lovable plumber.
