The NES – Nintendo Entertainment System was an innovative system in the 80s with a fairly large fan base. It was the system that many today can say “that’s why I started playing.” It had games that could spark your imagination like no other. Although by today’s standards, the graphics may not be very realistic, it didn’t matter. The name of the game was fun, and that’s what a lot of us got. Who would have thought that a plumber and a giant dinosaur could be a great gaming experience?

Jump – stomp, jump – wedge, jump – stomp, jump – mushroom, that was fun! Fortunately, this was just the beginning of many of the great Mario games that Nintendo came out with. Super Mario Bros 2, which did not have such a large fan base, was a great game in itself. It just had such a different feel to it and a lot of people you talk to just either loved it or weren’t quite sure what happened. I don’t know what you thought about it, but the fact is, every time Mario jumped onto the scene (literally), heads would turn and our parents’ wallets would usually pop open.

Then there was Super Mario Bros 3, the pinnacle of the NES. It couldn’t be much better than that game! It had everything a gamer wanted in a game. Action, adventure, repeatability and many nights and early mornings. Between getting the raccoon tail and finding the whistle so you could move to another level had to be some of the best highlights from that game. That was just revolutionary for a Mario game and made it even better.

For all of us who know what has just been said, “for many more years of gaming fun.” I just hope that we can all pass on these wonderful memories and smiles to our own children … and their children for that matter. Don’t let all the “great” sights and sounds of new systems take you forever away from the system that started it all.

Thanks Nintendo.