>>720162012
For decades, Nintendo engineered Mario to be the launch face of every console:
NES (1985): Super Mario Bros. β bundled, marketed as the game.
SNES (1991): Super Mario World β again bundled in.
N64 (1996): Super Mario 64 β system seller and the big 3D showcase.
Wii (2006): Wii Sports got bundled, but New Super Mario Bros. Wii became the βmainlineβ identity.
Even Wii U (2012): NSMBU was the launch Mario.
So for three whole decades, critics, journalists, and kids alike had Mario as:
The first game they played on a new system.
The proof-of-concept of the hardware.
It's easy and doesn't filter them by being too hard like Metroid, Castlevania, Mega Man or Donkey Kong
The βstart lineβ of their memories.