Mario Bros

Top 10 NES Characters

The Nintendo Entertainment System holds a special place in a lot of gamer’s hearts, as it was the first console a lot of gamers owned, as well as introducing us to some of Nintendo’s most popular characters. To celebrate the launch of the NES mini, here is a list of some of the top Nintendo characters that featured in NES games:

  1. Simon Belmont:

Simon Belmont was the first protagonist to appear in the popular Castlevania series. First released in 1986 in Japan and 1988 worldwide by Konami, Simon was sent on the quest of defeating the Vampire Dracula. Whilst the franchise is more known nowadays for appearing on Microsoft and Sony consoles, it was the original Castlevania game on the NES that started it all.cv

  1. The Ninja Turtles:

There have been many Ninja Turtle games over the years, but few have the legendary memories of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game that was released on the NES in 1989. Notoriously hard, it was a rare feat to find someone that had completed the game. You could play as any of the four turtles, and it sold over 4 million copies, becoming one of the NES’s most popular games.tur

  1. The Dog from Duck Hunt:

Never has there been a dog that we loved to hate more than the dog in Duck Hunt. Constantly mocking us whenever we missed a duck, you’d often be left wishing you could shoot the dog too. As one of the release games on the NES, and one that came with the NES Zapper, this game has fond memories for many. The unnamed dog comes as one of the characters available in Super Smash Bros for the 3DS and Wii U as part of the Duck Hunt group.dog

  1. Donkey Kong:

Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo’s first ever characters created by Shigeru Miyamoto. The character was introduced as a character in an arcade game, but has since featured in many console games. The original Donkey Kong game was one of the three launch titles available on the NES, and in 1994, the character was relaunched in an entire new series of games known as the Donkey Kong Country series.dk

  1. Kirby

This pink, round and adorable character is a fan favourite that has been around since 1992, and was one of characters created by the late Satoru Iwata. Kirby debuted on the Game Boy, but the character also featured in one of the NES’s last games produced known as Kirby’s Adventures. Inhaling his characters and absorbing their abilities, Kirby has featured in over 20 different games.kirby

  1. Princess Zelda:

Princess Zelda is one of the main characters in The Legend of Zelda series of games and another Shigeru Miyamoto creation. Often the damsel in distress that is rescued by the series protagonist Link, she has been in most of the Zelda games since the first one on the NES in 1986.zelda

  1. Bowser:

Bowser, or King Koopa as he was originally known, is Mario’s main enemy in the Mario Bros series of games. Leader of the Koopa race, his main aim in life is to kidnap Princess Peach and rule the Mushroom Kingdom. He first appeared on the NES in Super Mario Bros in 1995, and has featured in many Mario games as the main antagonist since. bowser

  1. Samus:

Samus is the main character in the Metroid series of games. An ex-soldier of the Galactic Federation, this well-liked character is one of the earliest female protagonists in the history of video games. Created for the NES game Metroid in 1986, Samus has since been the main character in a further 11 games in the Metroid series.samus

  1. Link:

Link is another Shigeru Miyamoto creation, and the main protagonist in one of the most successful video games series of all time. The Legend of Zelda series has 18 games in total and has sold over 62 million copies. Link appears in various incarnations over the series, and first appeared in the NES game The Legend of Zelda in 1986. Link is also a popular character in the Smash Bros series of games, and has proved to be a common character for people to cosplay at conventions.link

  1. Mario:

When people think Nintendo, the number one character that comes to mind is the Italian plumber Mario. First introduced in the arcade game Donkey Kong as ‘Jump Man’ by Shigeru Miyamoto, he was later renamed Mario. Mario is Nintendo’s mascot and has appeared in over 200 different video games. On the NES alone he appeared in the popular Mario Bro and Super Mario Bros series alongside his brother Luigi, and has since featured in solo games. Mario is part of the best-selling video game franchise of all time, and a character that Nintendo fans have loved since he was created many years ago.

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Mario Over The Years

This year Super Mario Bros. celebrates its 30th anniversary, but Mario as a lonely brother has been around longer than that. Created by legendary games designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the first appearance of Mario was actually as ‘Jumpman’ in Donkey Kong in 1981. In the original game, Mario tries to rescue the damsel in distress known as Pauline from the ape Donkey Kong. Over the years, Mario has appeared in many Donkey Kong games, including those such as the sequel Donkey Kong Junior and the remake on the Game Boy.

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The first Mario Bros. game, which saw the debut of Luigi, was introduced as an arcade game in 1983, as well as Mario Bros. on the Game and Watch in the same year.  The popularity of the Mario Bros. didn’t occur until later, with the Super Mario Bros. game on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985. The sequel Super Mario Bros 2. was released in 1986, and Super Mario Bros 3. in 1988 (1990 worldwide).

The basis of all the Super Mario Bros. games sees Mario traveling across the Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Toadstool from Bowser, as well as his Koopalings in Super Mario Bros 3.  In the original Super Mario Bros. Mario had power ups such as the super mushroom and fire-flower, but Super Mario Bros. 3 included extra power-ups such as the super leaf and the frog suit. Super Mario Bros. 3 is widely considered by many to be one of the greatest video games of all time. The popularity of the game even had an animated television series made based around it.

As well as on home consoles, Mario has appeared in many hand-held console games. Famous Game Boy appearances of Mario included  Super Mario Land in 1989, Dr Mario and also Wario Land. The Game Boy saw Mario in many solo sporting outings, including Mario Golf and Tennis. The rest of the hand-held consoles over the years have continued in the trend to release many new Mario titles, as well as re-making old games.

Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) saw the introduction of the File:YoshiMarioParty9.pngmuch-loved dinosaur Yoshi. Yoshi reprised his role as the Mario Bros. sidekick in the SNES game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. The SNES also had the first Mario Kart game in the series in 1992.

On the Nintendo 64, we saw the first 3D Mario game, Super Mario 64. Other big Mario games that started out on the N64 included the first in the popular Super Smash Bros series, and the initial Paper Mario game. The GameCube saw another 3D Mario game with Super Mario Sunshine, which deviated from the usual Mushroom Kingdom rescue story by seeing Mario travel to Isle Delfino. On Isle Delfino, Mario had to save Princess Peach from the evil Shadow Mario.

With the Wii remote and nunchuk attachment for the Wii, sports games became popular, and Mario was no stranger to them. Mario and Sonic at the Olympics was the first game, followed 2 years later by Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics.  Another original Wii game, Super Mario Galaxy, saw the return of the familiar storyline of Mario rescuing Peach from Bowser; this time however, the game was set in outer space and Mario had to travel across galaxies to save her.

There have been many Mario games on the Wii U, but one in particular that deserves a mention is the creative Super Mario Maker that was recently released. Unlike any other game, Super Mario Maker allows the gamer to create and play their own custom Mario levels, and to share them online. With the chance to create something new, or pay homage to your old favourite Mario level, Mario Maker has quickly become a fan favourite.

Having appeared in over 200 games in his 30 years, Mario has definitely managed to stand the test of time. Considered to be the best-selling video game franchise of all time, Mario is set to have a long-continued history with Nintendo and the Nintendo fans that love him.