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It's only natural that many treated the launch day for Super Mario Maker as a 30th Anniversary celebration for the franchise. It's worth remembering, though, that 13th September 1985 is the day that Super Mario Bros. was released on the Famicom in Japan, as a result beginning its journey to changing the games industry.

From a Western perspective it was the release of the game alongside the NES in North America later that year that set in motion a chain of events that would eventually see the 8-bit console rule that lucrative marketplace, establishing the Super Mario brand in popular culture. That first entry may be relatively primitive compared to successors, particularly the 8-bit Super Mario Bros. 3, with the inability to scroll the screen left and a mix of planned and unplanned glitches. Yet it shouldn't be underestimated how much it was a revelation for home console gaming at that time. Gamers were more accustomed to the bleeps and blips of Atari, and so the NES and its launch title in NA felt distinctly 'next-gen'.

The 2D platforming template established in Super Mario Bros. endures to this day, too, not just in terms of the Mario franchise but in establishing ideas and principles evolved and adopted by many other franchises. The mascot also remains the cornerstone of the Nintendo brand, too, immediately recognisable around the world.

So, if you have some gaming time on this lovely Sunday we'd suggest a little Mario time. Whether that's in Super Mario Maker, the original Super Mario Bros. or one of the many main games and spin-offs in between, it's time to celebrate the face of Nintendo.

What will you play to celebrate this anniversary today?

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