Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. Turns 25

Super Mario Bros. Turns 25

Last week the Sony PlayStation turned 15, and now Nintendo's iconic Super Mario Bros. franchise turns 25.

Microsoft on Tuesday released its much-anticipated "Halo: Reach" video game, but 25 years ago, it was all about Mario. The original game sold 40.24 million copies worldwide, popularized the side-scrolling format, and kicked off elements of the Mushroom Kingdom still in use today, Nintendo said.

"Stimulated by advancements in technologies, we have always enjoyed developing the Super Mario Bros. series," Nintendo designer and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto said in a statement. "The Super Mario Bros. series has always taken advantage of the latest technologies and is the fruit of the creativity of a number of my hard-working friends working as a team."

To celebrate, Nintendo has set up a special anniversary Web site, which includes a video that features game-play footage from "Super Mario Bros." all the way through "Super Mario Bros. Galaxy 2." It also includes the Super Mario music and sound effects that are sure to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

PCMag will publish a more in-depth Super Mario Bros. retrospective on Wednesday, so check back tomorrow for a trip down memory lane.

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Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

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I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

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Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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