The Man Under the Cap Mario. What is it about him that makes him such a driving force in the game industry? Why are most of his games so popular even twenty years after their release? Behold, the ten reasons why you and millions of Nintendo-philes keep coming back for more. Mario Mario is a charming lead character, an everyday man pitted against unlikely foes as he vows to win the freedom of an innocent princess. Be forewarned, however -- while he appears to be "just another plumber", he's anything but once he gets his hands on a precious power-up. His Outfits Whether hopping around in a frog suit or donning a bee suit like an extra from Blind Melon's "No Rain" video, Mario's got quite a wardrobe. The helpful abilities that come with them are definitely handy for beating enemies. From 2D to 3D Mario games rock in 2-D, but everything shifted with the spectacular Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 console. Exploratory levels, vividly detailed graphics and new abilities became instant favorites with fans and newbies alike. The Ultimate Bad Guy Armed with a spiked turtle shell, flame breath and a generally bad attitude, Bowser just makes Mario's life difficult, kidnapping the princess every chance he gets. His most memorable battle is still Super Mario 64, fighting it out with Mario on a swiveling platform. Pick Up and Play Style Anyone can get into a Mario game. Even if you've never touched a controller, you'll find his games easy to pick up and play. They have an innocent charm that makes them almost instantly accessible, and this will probably carry over to Mario's upcoming adventure, Super Mario Galaxy. Mario's Posse Along with the sweet and innocent Princess Peach, Mario also gets a little help from his friends. Toad, a likable kid with a mushroom for a hat and an annoying voice ("Oh woah woah woah!"), provides tips now and then to get Mario through his journey. The best addition came with Super Mario World, with the mountable Yoshi bringing his joyful attitude and humongous appetite. He was an even bigger help in Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2, saving Baby Mario from evil. The Gift of Flight Mario started hovering with the aid of a raccoon tail in Super Mario Bros. 3 and soon took to bluer skies with Super Mario 64, snagging coins and gaining speed off wind bursts. Super Mario Galaxy should expand this even further, as he shoots himself across the planets. Scope of Gameplay Each Mario game, even the lesser-liked Super Mario Sunshine, has a gimmick that makes it unique. Whether it involves riding on teeter-tottering boards to gain leverage to a new area, donning a Terminator 2-ish metal suit to run around underwater or simply riding a levitating platform to reach a previously unreachable area, there are always new gameplay modifications with each game that are addictive, pure and fun. Hidden Tricks and Treats Starting with the original NES Super Mario Bros. game, the series has established itself as a place to discover neat little tricks and hidden rooms. Remember bouncing off the turtle shell for several one-ups? What about using the Warp Whistles in Super Mario Bros. 3? In addition, you probably found Yoshi in Super Mario 64 by now, right? This stuff never gets old. Replayability All of these games, no matter how worn-out they appear, are still entertaining, even if only for just a few minutes. We still dust off the original Mario Bros, and even recently downloaded Lost Levels off the Wii's Virtual Console. And come November, we'll discover all sorts of cool stuff in Mario's newest adventure, Super Mario Galaxy.

The Man Under the Cap
Mario. What is it about him that makes him such a driving force in the game industry? Why are most of his games so popular even twenty years after their release? Behold, the ten reasons why you and millions of Nintendo-philes keep coming back for more.



Mario
Mario is a charming lead character, an everyday man pitted against unlikely foes as he vows to win the freedom of an innocent princess. Be forewarned, however -- while he appears to be "just another plumber", he's anything but once he gets his hands on a precious power-up.



His Outfits
Whether hopping around in a frog suit or donning a bee suit like an extra from Blind Melon's "No Rain" video, Mario's got quite a wardrobe. The helpful abilities that come with them are definitely handy for beating enemies.



From 2D to 3D
Mario games rock in 2-D, but everything shifted with the spectacular Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 console. Exploratory levels, vividly detailed graphics and new abilities became instant favorites with fans and newbies alike.



The Ultimate Bad Guy
Armed with a spiked turtle shell, flame breath and a generally bad attitude, Bowser just makes Mario's life difficult, kidnapping the princess every chance he gets. His most memorable battle is still Super Mario 64, fighting it out with Mario on a swiveling platform.



Pick Up and Play Style
Anyone can get into a Mario game. Even if you've never touched a controller, you'll find his games easy to pick up and play. They have an innocent charm that makes them almost instantly accessible, and this will probably carry over to Mario's upcoming adventure, Super Mario Galaxy.



Mario's Posse
Along with the sweet and innocent Princess Peach, Mario also gets a little help from his friends. Toad, a likable kid with a mushroom for a hat and an annoying voice ("Oh woah woah woah!"), provides tips now and then to get Mario through his journey. The best addition came with Super Mario World, with the mountable Yoshi bringing his joyful attitude and humongous appetite. He was an even bigger help in Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2, saving Baby Mario from evil.



The Gift of Flight
Mario started hovering with the aid of a raccoon tail in Super Mario Bros. 3 and soon took to bluer skies with Super Mario 64, snagging coins and gaining speed off wind bursts. Super Mario Galaxy should expand this even further, as he shoots himself across the planets.



Scope of Gameplay
Each Mario game, even the lesser-liked Super Mario Sunshine, has a gimmick that makes it unique. Whether it involves riding on teeter-tottering boards to gain leverage to a new area, donning a Terminator 2-ish metal suit to run around underwater or simply riding a levitating platform to reach a previously unreachable area, there are always new gameplay modifications with each game that are addictive, pure and fun.



Hidden Tricks and Treats
Starting with the original NES Super Mario Bros. game, the series has established itself as a place to discover neat little tricks and hidden rooms. Remember bouncing off the turtle shell for several one-ups? What about using the Warp Whistles in Super Mario Bros. 3? In addition, you probably found Yoshi in Super Mario 64 by now, right? This stuff never gets old.



Replayability
All of these games, no matter how worn-out they appear, are still entertaining, even if only for just a few minutes. We still dust off the original Mario Bros, and even recently downloaded Lost Levels off the Wii's Virtual Console. And come November, we'll discover all sorts of cool stuff in Mario's newest adventure, Super Mario Galaxy.