Super Mario Bros.

Nintendo's mascot has a long history of success, and although Super Mario Bros. is not his first outing, it may be the most famous. Although some of the design choices in this game are relics of an era past, it holds up incredibly well compared to many of it's peers.

Certain aspects of this NES classic ensured that it would hold up for decades, and they are still helping it now. The different mechanics in the game were introduced thoughtfully, allowing players a chance to learn and grow organically during their time in the Mushroom Kingdom. The physics offered an atypical degree of realism to elements like running, jumping, and swimming that often wasn't present in platformers up to that point. Even the music was expertly crafted to match the gameplay and remains easily recognizable.

I anticipate that just about everyone who plays games has played this at least once, but if not, it's an almost necessary lesson in quality game design.

The game is available for 3DS here (as of 8/10/20): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-mario-bros-3ds/
The game is available for WiiU here (as of 8/10/20): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-mario-bros-wii-u/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 8/10/20): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/nintendo-entertainment-system-nintendo-switch-online-switch/

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