"Mindlessly addictive"

Sometime after Donkey Kong, Nintendo saw it fit to give Mario some more games. He made a number of appearances on some of the older Game and Watch games over time. He even found his way into a few NES and Famicom Disk System games like the Super Mario Bros. series and even a few of Nintendo's sports titles. However, before all that, where did Mario go? As you can guess, he still made some appearances in the arcade, although he really wasn't as widely recognized in his first few games as he has today. Of the appearances that he made in the arcade, one of them (much like Donkey Kong) strove to innovate platformers even further. This wasn't the first time, and it certainly wasn't the last time, a Mario title actually changed the way we look at platformers or even gaming again. Mario Bros., a sort of prequel to Super Mario Bros., hit the arcades sometime in the 80's. With beautiful graphics, welcoming audios, and then innovative gameplay, it certainly left its mark on gaming... Though it still isn't as large of a mark as the ones left by Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and Super Mario Bros. 3.

Down in the Sewers...
The storyline, much like Donkey Kong, is fairly simplistic. Mario and his brother Luigi are a couple of plumbers who are commissioned with the task fo cleaning the sewers. This requires kicking the crap out of the hideous inhabitants of the sewers. However, unlike most Mario games, there's no broad to rescue or a kingdom to restore. Just clean the sewers out and get the praise and adulation of the people and you'll probably be guaranteed some good sequels in the future.

Sadly, I tried playing this game as if it were Super Mario Bros. (as I had played that one before this) and tried to actually jump on the enemies (stop laughing! I was only about 7 at the time!). The game is actually quite different. While you may notice some enemies that appear in Super Mario Bros. (such as the Koopa Troopa), you don't jump on them to kill them, but rather jump under them. That is, when an enemy comes to a portion of a floor, you must jump and bump that portion of a floor to flip them over, then you must kick them straight to their death as they fly off the screen. Some enemies take a couple hits to knock over, some only take one.

In fact, this is the flow for each level. You are given tons of different enemies on the screen that just seem to stampede out of the pipes (okay, maybe stampede was the wrong word, but suddenly wander out anyway). As you work in your quest at obliterating the enemies, other obstacles will also slow you down such as little ice monster thingies (What? I don't know what the hell they're called!) that freeze the platforms and slow you down by causing you to slip on the ice. Fireballs will also mysterious materialize out of nowhere. What fireballs are doing in the sewer is a mystery to me, and probably none of my business. On top of that, you are surrounded by koopa troopas, giant flies, and spinies who just want to make you their lunch. Why does Mario always accept these jobs? Barrels being thrown at him, balls of fire bouncing towards him, homicidal creatures lurking about. He's got quite the fortitude! In every level is a power block (a big black box that says POW). Every time you jump and hit the box, it flips over or agitates every enemy on the screen. If an enemy is already overturned, then the POW will flip them back over.

The gameplay really starts out fairly slow. It'll feel a bit like a run through the old folks home with a paint gun. You almost can't be killed by the targets. After a while, the game really picks up. More enemies are thrown at you and the obstacles just seem to pile up. It becomes more of a game of dodging than straight out killing. Eventually, your killing and timing must be quite calculated if you wish to survive and get that supposedly reinforcing high score that does nothing for you socially or economically, but you can go to school/work/your dealer's house and say, ''I got the high score on Mario Bros. and deserve attention!''

Graphical Stuffs
There are probably a slew of people out there right now reading this and saying, ''How can you say this game has good graphics? They're so old! [insert current systems in the market at the time this is being read here] has much better graphics!'' Well, considering that none of those systems were around back then, it's not like they could've made the graphics any better at the time... Anyway, now that I've digressed from the point I was about to convey to give the usual old school gamer's rant that appears in about 1 out of every 10 reviews of an old school game on GameFAQs...

The graphics are, as my friend Rob would say, ''Schweet!'' For its time, Mario Bros. had a very good use of colors despite the lack of backgrounds. The enemies look brilliantly colored, the ground displays very nice texture, and let's not forget our heroes who are also given great design. Let's also not forget the animation! Sure, it's not smooth and fluid, but it's great for an old school 2D'er! The great variance in game motion is what made this such a turn-on.

Sounds
The sounds are very good for the void they filled. We aren't given much music besides that which is played when you start a level or die. The music that is played is quite heartwarming and welcoming. Okay, Nintendo didn't exactly make a whole soundtrack full of CD worthy songs. Then again, there really wasn't such a demand for such music at the time. The sound effects fill in a void much more than the music. It is here we hear the constant ''squeaky-squeaky-squeaky'' of Mario's boots as he runs along the floors of the sewer, the bumps, the thumps, the kicks, and the quaint sound of being burned to death by a gigantic fireball that came from nowhere! You almost begin to appreciate the sound effects as the game gets faster.

Final Word

Nintendo's simplistic masterpiece seems to reappear throughout time just like Pennywise, only Mario Bros. didn't eat children. It had all that is wanted in an old school arcade machine: good graphics, void-filling sounds, a pace that picks up, a game that promotes the use of skills, fireballs, giant insects, a giant block with the word, ''POW'' written on it. The fact that the game's pace picks up after different levels and forces you to learn how to calculate and react is the strong point. Where's the weakness... I'd say the controls (disregard the 1/10 for storyline, since stories were not a big issue back in those days for games). There have been many times where four letter words have echoed through arcades across Washington because the controls were just a bit over-responsive. It was then that I was labeled a threat to society because of my potty mouth. Ah well, ah well...

For anyone looking for the definitive gaming feeling through time, do not pass by Mario Bros. While not everyone will agree that it is a good game, it does stand alone in history as a great one. Give it a try, even if it is the Gameboy Advance version on Super Mario Advance (not that I'm downing that version; it's the same thing except that it has backgrounds).

FINAL JUDGMENT
Graphics: Ahh... back in the simplistic era 8/10
Sounds: Warm and welcoming music 10/10
Control: Can be a bit tricky, but will work much better with a little practice 6/10
Plot/Storyline: Is there much of a storyline? Does it matter? 1/10
Gameplay: Simply addictive 10/10
All Together: 9/10

Perks
*Very fun!
*Welcoming sounds
*Nice graphics

Downers
*Control issues

Hilarity: I know I've brought it up a lot, but... Fireballs that just materialize out of nowhere, in a sewer no less? And these sewers haven't yet exploded?

Recommendations
Of all arcade games, I do recommend this one. It's well worth your quarter, but be patient! If you start out pretty bad (first time playing), don't be discouraged because it's easy to get the hang of after a while.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/14/01, Updated 12/01/02