When I was growing up, I knew of only two things that entertained me: 1) toys and 2) TV. I thought, man, these are all a kid needs to spend some quality entertainment time. But, on one humid summer afternoon, everything changed.
You see, I never had a gaming system before my parents bought one for my brother and I that day. I was mostly in love with cartoons and toys, sort of like a teenager being obsessed with iPhone and txt messages. But, when I got my first ever Super Nintendo (SNES), my entertainment of choice was forever changed. But, it wasn’t just the SNES that did it; it was the game that came with it, Super Mario World. That’s right, World, not Bros. Why the difference? Because I had played Super Mario Bros. at my friends before, but it never got my attention that much. It was, in a way, too simple for my young sophisticated taste. You had Mario, who jumped, occasionally threw down some fireballs, and moved from left to right. There just wasn’t enough for me to keep playing. It is very addicting just like poker online site. You will never run out of things to do in super Mario world. It is certainly one of the best games that could entertain you. You see, the world of supermario is not yet over. It is still kicking and very much existing.
However, with Super Mario World, it was completely different, yet familiar at the same time. You still had the same character, but OMG it was so much better. From the instant you turned on the system, the 16-bit graphic (which was a monumental upgrade from the original NES’ 8-bit graphics) just made you want to glue your eyes to the TV. There were no more pixelated blocks or dull colors. It was smooth and bright. It was, for its time, a visual masterpiece.
And it didn’t stop there. Mario now had various moves that weren’t there before. He could spin, fly, pick up turtle shells, and ride Yoshi. Yea that’s right, Mario was no longer adventuring alone in his world. He had a kick-ass buddy that could save him in need, and give Mario additional moves. But the thing that gave me the most interest was the not-so-linear game play. Maybe it was my boredom with the linear play of Super Mario Bros., but World gave Mario and I the ability to explore the game’s world through various world levels to play. Needless to say, I felt in love with the game and could not let go, even with my parents screaming at me to turn it off from time to time.
Of course, in time, I grew to enjoy other, more sophist aced games, like CounterStrike and World of Warcraft. However, there are times, when I still look back at that gray system in my attic, and can’t help but be amazed by how gorgeous Super Mario World was, and still is.