20th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros. 3

Twenty years ago on this day, a landmark game was released. It was a game so big that a whole movie (The Wizard) was created to hype the thing. Super Mario Bros. 3 was one of the biggest games of my childhood, and I remember the release being a pretty big deal. I remember the commercial with all the people shouting "Mario" in different colored shirts, and it pans out to space to reveal a huge Mario face on the United States. It seemed like a big deal. It was a big deal.

I remember my aunt came over after work with a game she rented from the video rental store that was in the super market (not in a big red box, mind you!). She knew my sister and I were into those "Mario games" and thought it might be a nice surprise. It sure was. It sure was...

Super Mario Bros. 3 came out in America 20 years ago today.

Mind blowing. Seriously, after the crazy Mario 2, this was the true successor of the original Mario. This wasn't a strange veggie throwing affair, Mario was back to grabbing mushrooms, stomping goombas, and raining fire upon turtles. The best addition, which I didn't question much as a child, was that Mario could now turn into a raccoon and fly! It was a huge adventure spanning many colorful worlds and many frightful bosses. It took everything the first Mario did and improved upon it in every possible dimension. This is how you do a sequel to one of the most successful games ever.

I can't tell you how many hours my sister and I would scour the Mushroom Kingdom finding secrets, whistles, and stomping Koopa Kids. I think my sister even memorized the flip memory game so that she could solve the whole thing by flipping one card. She was also the first to beat the game, but I don't hold that against her. I'm pretty sure I got her back in the vs. mode when I stole all her star cards, though. Video games are meant to be fun and Nintendo perfected that fun on that little square box.

Try as I might, I will never be as fun as Mario 3.

If you have any free time today, why not plug in your NES or Wii , grab a beer, and relive a game that has been a symbol of fun on these shores for two decades.