The title was initially launched by Nintendo on September 13, 1985 and allowed players to take on the role of Luigi in an epic adventure to save Princess Peach from certain danger. The original release sold over forty million units. 

 

Since then, Mario has made his way on to a number of consoles, most recently Nintendo’s Wii. Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Wii have widely been hailed as two of the greatest games to be released on the platform and indeed two of the greatest gaming titles of the past decade. 

 

In the dog eat dog world of gaming, where it takes a near miracle to establish a fresh IP title or resurrect an old franchise, it is somewhat amazing that Mario has lasted this long. Few other franchises bar the likes of Halo, Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo and Need for Speed can boast impressive lifetimes - needless to say, none of these match up to the longevity of the Mario franchise. 

 

Happy birthday Mario, from the team at TechSmart, we wish you many more.