Speed into Super Mario Run with these fantastic Nintendo-themed records
By Kristen Stephenson
Published
Few companies have been as influential to gaming culture as Nintendo.
Starting with the launch of the Color TV Game in 1977, the Japanese brand has been creating video games that delight players of all ages for almost forty years.
An almost constant during that time, and arguably the main reason the brand has become so iconic, is the one and only red-hatted plumber, Mario.
Mario and many other favourite Nintendo personalities this week appear for the first time in an iOS game with the release on Thursday of Super Mario Run for iPhone and iPad.
Featuring similar gameplay to the classic 2D platform titles starring the plump plumber, in this new adventure Mario however runs, meaning you only need to tap the screen to make him jump.
To prep for the launch of one of the most anticipated mobile games since Pokemon Go, we’ve put together our favourite Mario record titles to get fans everywhere excited for the newest edition.
Best-selling Mario videogame
Ever wondered which game did best? Well, the legendary Super Mario Bros. has sold 40.24 million copies, with a large portion of its success attributed to the game being bundled with the NES (Famicom in Japan) at the console’s release in 1985.
Because of the terrific sales, this also makes it the Best-selling platform videogame. This game is special for more than one reason, namely because it is also the first Mario title to be set in the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s the game that debuted the rest of the iconic characters of the Mario games with appearances from Bowser, Princess Toadstool (known later as Princess Peach) and Toad. What a long way Mario has come since then!
Largest collection of Super Mario Memorabilia
The largest collection of Super Mario memorabilia contains 5,441 individual, unique items and belongs to Mitsugu Kikai (Japan). It was counted in Tokyo, Japan on 15 July. His collection includes posters, stationary, cuddly toys of Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Princess Peach and Toad.
Fastest completion of Super Mario Bros
The 1985 NES classic Super Mario Bros. is arguably the most passionately speed-run game in history. Its top players now achieve times of such near-perfection that the differences in runs between them are determined by individual frames, which are invisible to the human eye unless played back in slow-mo.
In a topsy-turvy year in which the fastest times for the game flitted between the US players "darbian" and "Kosmicd12", the former finally recorded a new best time of 4 minutes 56.878 seconds on 5 October 2016. Back in January 2016, darbian had said that the fastest a human can possibly complete this run (minus tools assistance) is 4 minutes 57 seconds exactly – a time he has now beaten.
First person to complete Super Mario World blindfolded
"PangaeaPanga" is one record holder that has a ton of skill. He completed Super Mario World in a matter of 23 minutes 14 seconds while blindfolded – a feat which was aired live on Twitch. Real name Alex Tan, the 20-year-old American describes himself as a Super Mario World hacker and a speed-runner. He began learning blindfolded strategies in June 2015 and started executing those skills just one month later. "This run features three deaths, getting lost briefly in Starworld, baby Yoshi eating the goal tape, and entertaining spectators to keep the hype up for when I was too concentrated on the run," he wrote on his YouTube page. The record was achieved on an emulator version of the game and he used keyboard controls. We are incredibly impressed by his gaming achievement.
Most critically acclaimed Mario video game
It’s no surprise that the most critically acclaimed Mario game is out of this world. Literally taking place in space, Super Mario Galaxy scored 97.64% on GameRankings, as of 18 May 2015.
The game was released in 2007 exclusively for Wii, and allows players to go through a series of galaxies and planets to collect stars and save Princess Peach from Bowser once again. Its 2010 follow-up, Super Mario Galaxy 2, is the second most critically acclaimed Mario game, with a score of 97.35%.
Largest Mario Mural
Russia is home to the largest artistic tribute to the famous Mario character, for the record Largest Mario mural. Created by group ArtFacade, it was painted onto the side of a Moscow building, measured a tall distance of 165 feet (50.292 m) tall. The striking art piece was a joint commission by Nintendo Russia and the mayor of Moscow in late 2014, and was done as an attempt to raise both public spirits and celebrate the plumber's 30th anniversary in September 2015.
First perfect completion of Super Mario Galaxy
Without losing a single life, Sweden’s Wii Player Snowymountain completed the entire game of Super Mario Galaxy. An absolutely stunning achievement, he earned 121 stars as both Mario and his unlockable brother Luigi in 2012.
Rarest Super Mario Game
In 1991, Nintendo toured US campuses with Nintendo Campus Challenge. After this national tournament, all the cartridges were destroyed save one, which was retained by a Nintendo employee and sold to US collector Rob Walters at a 2006 New York garage sale. In 2009, the game was resold on eBay for $20,100 (£12,350).
