DONKEY
KONG
Game History
Platform Games
A PLATFORM GAME, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps. The most common unifying element to these games is a jump button; other jump mechanics include swinging from extendable arms, or bouncing from springboards or trampolines. Games where jumping is automated completely, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, fall outside of the genre.
Platform games originated in the early 1980s, and 3D successors were popularized in the mid-1990s. The term itself describes games where jumping on platforms is an integral part of the gameplay, and came into use some time after the genre had been established. However, it is not a pure genre, and is very frequently coupled with elements of other genres, such as the shooter elements, adventure elements or RPG elements. As long as the platform mechanic remains a prominent part of the gameplay, it may still correctly be termed a platformer. Because of this, there are many diverse sub-genres of platformers.
The genre has been the result of a great deal of cross-pollination of ideas between platforms and across national borders. While commonly associated with console gaming, there are many important platform games released to arcades, as well as for handheld systems and home computers. Europe, North America, and Japan have played major parts in the genre's evolution. Platformers are thematically diverse, ranging from cartoony "mascot" games to science fiction and fantasy epics.
Platformers were, at one point, the most popular genre of video game. At the peak of their popularity, it is estimated that between one fourth and one third of console games were platformers. No genre before or since has been able to achieve a similar market share. As of 2006, the genre is far less dominant, representing a 2% market share, but still commercially viable, with a number of games selling in the millions of units.
DONKEY
KONG
An arcade game that was released by Nintendo in 1981. The game is an early example of the platform genre as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging obstacles. The storyline is thin but well-developed for its time. In it, Mario (originally called Jumpman) must rescue a damsel in distress, Pauline, from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape went on to become two of Nintendo's more popular characters.
The game was the latest in a series of efforts by Nintendo to break into the North American market. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's president at the time, assigned the project to a first-time game designer named Shigeru Miyamoto. Drawing from a wide range of inspirations, including Popeye and King Kong, Miyamoto developed the scenario and designed the game alongside Nintendo's chief engineer, Gunpei Yokoi. The two men broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including cut scenes to advance the game's plot, and integrating multiple stages into the gameplay.
Despite initial misgivings on the part of Nintendo's American staff, Donkey Kong proved a tremendous success in both North America and Japan. Nintendo licensed the game to Coleco, who developed home console versions for numerous platforms. Other companies simply cloned Nintendo's hit and avoided royalties altogether. Miyamoto's characters appeared on cereal boxes, television cartoons, and dozens of other places. A court suit brought on by Universal City Studios, alleging that Donkey Kong violated their trademark of King Kong, ultimately failed. The success of Donkey Kong and Nintendo's win in the courtroom helped position the company to dominate the video game market in the 1980s and early 1990s.
SUPER
MARIO BROS.
Sometimes referred to as Mario,
Super Mario or SMB, this is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo
in late 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Super Mario Bros. featured
gameplay that changed the way video games were created. It is the first console
original in this genre to feature smooth-scrolling levels, which made it a
landmark in home video-gaming.
Super Mario Bros. sports a "hero must save damsel in distress" storyline. The
hero Mario, an Italian plumber, must save Princess Toadstool of the Mushroom
Kingdom from the evil King Koopa. Mario is aided in his quest by his brother
Luigi in two-player mode. In order to save Princess Toadstool, the Mario Bros.
must conquer the eight worlds that comprise the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario (or
Luigi) must make his way to the castle in each world and defeat one of the
King's evil minions, thereby taking control of that world. In order to reach the
castle, however, Mario or Luigi must battle through three "sub-worlds" by either
destroying or avoiding King Koopa's henchmen. If Mario or Luigi successfully
fights his way through the castle and defeats the evil minion, a Mushroom
Retainer (later called Toad), is freed. Inside the eighth castle, the Mario
Bros. will find Princess Toadstool.
Super Mario Bros. is the best selling video game of all time, and was largely
responsible for the initial success of the Nintendo Entertainment System, as
well as ending the two year slump of video game sales in the United States after
the video game crash of 1983. It has inspired countless imitators, two direct
sequels, and many spinoffs, as well as an entire video game series, and was one
of Shigeru Miyamoto's most influential early successes. The game starred the
Italian plumber Mario and his brother Luigi. Mario went on to become Nintendo's
most well known mascot. The theme music, by Koji Kondo, is recognized worldwide,
even by those who have not played the game, and has been considered a
representation for video game music in general.
The game was succeeded by a direct sequel in Japan (later retitled Super Mario
Bros.: The Lost Levels outside Japan), and by a slight revision of Yume Kōjō:
Doki Doki Panic that introduces Mario characters, elsewhere in the world. In
both cases, the games are titled Super Mario Bros. 2, causing both games to be
re-released in different countries under different titles. There also have been
many "alternate" versions of the game, such as All Night Nippon Super Mario
Bros., which featured personalties from a famous Japanese radio show, as well as
an arcade game. The success of Super Mario Bros. has caused it to be ported to
almost every one of Nintendo's major gaming consoles.
Play an Online Version of Super Mario World!
