Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1985)
Super Mario Bros. is arguably the most important launch title ever. Released at a time when a huge amount of doubt clouded the video game industry after the crash of 1983, consumers were still wary of purchasing home consoles like the NES. After a slow release to the North American market, audiences were soon won over by the now iconic Italian plumber, shown by the fact that over 40 million copies were sold.
The side scrolling was smoother than anything else at the time, and its secret areas down giant green pipes wowed and mystified gamers at the time. Also, anyone who doesn’t recognise world 1-1 has probably been living under a rock for 32 years. Still popular with casual gamers and speedrunners, there’s no doubt of Super Mario Bros.’ greatness as a game, let alone a launch title; it set the benchmark for every other 2D platformer to follow.
