PARIS/TOKYO ¨C Surrounded by thousands of objects bearing the likeness of Nintendo¡¯s mustachioed plumber, 40-year-old Kikai reflects that his ¡°life would be totally different without Mario,¡± who also marks four decades this week.
The colorful Super Mario Bros., released for Nintendo¡¯s home consoles in Japan on Sept. 13, 1985, was a landmark of early video gaming.
Players controlled the eponymous character as he ran and hopped his way from left to right through a colorful world of platforms, pipes and scowling enemies ¡ª all set to the jaunty 8-bit music that has stuck in minds for decades.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.