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This will be the first installment of an ongoing series of blogs of mine.

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Over the life span of this relatively new industry, many a video game have come and gone. Many, probably most, have faded into the obscurity of time. Others provided experiences so great and compelling that they remain imprinted in our minds even now. Some failed to capture enough attention to truly be admired. Still others were such game changers that their additions to or even the creation of their respective genres are still felt and appreciated.
That is what this blog series will be about: those influential, memorable, and amazing (technically subjective) games that have become legends and or developed cult followings (Mother 3 says "Hi."

To start this party wagon off, I think it's fitting to begin with the game that alone brought the industry back from the brink of collapse. You know it, you love:

Love that classic title screen

Where has the time gone? 1985. -long whistle- This game has seen some mileage. Yet, despite its age, it is still acknowledged as a gaming great. Gamers today who have never heard of it (IMPOSSIBLE I say) or haven't played it wouldn't "get it" if the simply saw an image of it. But when they turned on that game, buddy, they would get hooked. The music (that oh so classic tune), the preciseness of the controls, the great level design. These things speak volumes to the player, more-so than I think a gore-fest of a game ever could. With no more than than 10 words of dialogue in the game, your objective is clear, rescue Princess Toadstool (Peach circa 1993).
You basically are attempting to get to the end of each level and jump on to the flag at the end, or in the case of the castle levels, defeat Bowser. There are many enemies and hazards along the way, a well as power-ups to aid you. Lacking the complexity of most modern games, Super Mario Bros. thrives on the simplicity of its hop-n'-bop gameplay. Most enemies can be taken out by jumping on them, while others require fireballs to be shot at them via the Fire Flower power-up.
Besides standard land-based levels, the game has levels set underwater as well. These levels have their own set of mechanics, music, and enemies, with a higher difficulty to boot.

Ah! FLYING FISH!

Legacy

The game is pretty much responsible for creating the modern era of video games. Without it, who knows if the industry would have gotten over it's two year slump post crash. It featured several oddities such as the infamous Minus World glitch and rewards for exploration like the Warp Zones. It had music that is still recognizable to just about anyone in at least somewhat developed countries. It began the career of the second most recognizable video game character and is the second best seling game of all time. This is Super Mario Bros., a true gaming classic and masterpiece. Kudos to Shigeru Miyamoto and Koji Kondo especially for their efforts.

Cheater

I'll make a poll where you can vote on which game you think I should cover next soon.


Since my poll has yet to be accepted, here are the games up for consideration in my next blog:


Here is the poll. Get voting.