Am I the only person who thinks that Mario ISN'T that great a videogame character?

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate him either. And I loved his games when I was a kid. I mean who wouldn't? But I think that he's just "meh". I just really don't get what's so amazing about him...Why do so many people like him so much and worship him so much? And why do they prefer him over all the other videogame heroes? I think a warrior guy in shining armor who carries a bigass sword or a guy in uniform who carries a bigass gun is way cooler in my opinion. And I think it's much more fun to slash up monsters with a sword or shoot them up with a gun or actually be able to punch and kick than it is to run around stomping on turtles and living mushrooms.

I just think that heroes like Sora, Riku, Cloud, Link, Ike and Marth etc. are better and games like Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Zelda and Fire Emblem etc. are better in my opinion. I apologize if I offended anyone.

 

Well for one, Mario is Nintendo's mascot. As to how he's the most famous character in video game history? People have just liked and bought Mario games since the '80s. You just got to understand Mario is pretty much a relic in video game history, the same can probably be said for Sonic. And honestly while you (and even I at times) may not think he's the greatest character or hero out there, almost all of the Mario games are a lot of fun and quite addictive.

 

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Although Mario has no big back story,or complex plot,I do love him.
Just because he is adorable <3~

But really,he is,as has been said,a relic,and the Mario games are very enjoyable to play,and rather addictive. That being said,Mario himself is not all that amazing at all,mostly because I think Yoshi is the hunk of the series.
I mean. What. I am not attracted to green dino thingys. Phhft.

 

I believe it to be a classic game but I'm not very fond of the numerous games that he has. Nintendo makes lots of money off of him. But I really loved play Super Mario Bros 3. I like the fun challenges and the different worlds even if it's just a one way game. It's mostly my childhood in which I loved Mario. Now, he's just meh really.

 

It's OK, I think the same way too. I've never really liked any of the Mario games (with the exception of Super Mario RPG). I can understand why he is so popular. I just really never liked Mario - he's such a plain and simple character, I prefer deeper and more enriching characters. Ones I can connect to.

I pin the blame on me never liking the platforming genre much and the jokes Russell Howard made about him. Really put me off. I still play RPG though. It's a good game, and the soundtrack is bliss~

 

No, I don't think so.
I used to like the games when I was younger but as time goes on I drifted away when I get into other video games. I got a free copy of Mario Bros. Wii with my Black Wii 3 months ago and I've only played about a half hour then never touched it since, it's still brand new too. I don't think he is a good nor bad character. Mario isn't for me anymore, my sister's kids seem to have fun with the games (even though they play them non-stop for countless hours without the Wii freezing).
To be perfectly honest, even as a child at the time I didn't think much about Mario like I do with many video game charters o_o

 

Because, when it comes to being the ultimate figure of good-guy heroes, simplicity matters. Mario is an Italian plumber who jumps and throws fireballs. Thats all you really need to know about him: no gigantic swords, no gravity-defying spiky hair, no torturous back-story, etc. And because he's so simple, so many people can learn to like him, without dozens of hours of learning about him. He's just a working class man trying to get his girl back. Do I think he's the best character ever? No; such titles go to the likes of James Sunderland, Gordon Freeman, and others.

 

The only reason my avy and sig are all shroomy is that Super Mario Bros is the first video game I ever played. I don' t care if the hero is fugly, not badass in the slightest, plain lame, or doesn' t have any decent story as long as the gameplay is rock-solid. I don' t really play Mario games anymore though, I grew tired of them.

I' ve gotta admit, even though graphics are not that important to me Mario does raise a red flag in that area : Yoshi' s Island was incredibly pretty for a Snes game, with a really thought-out and neat visual style, then came Super Mario 64 and its bland, generic design. That was understandable, the N64 didn' t exactly have killer 3D capacities, but what' s harder to understand is why Sunchine and Galaxy look just as generic. It' s like they aren' t even trying anymore.

 

as a character Mario isn't that interesting seeing as he rarely speaks and doesn't really have a backstory. as a series though, i would definitely say it's still going strong.

 

Some characters have more to them than personality or image. People tend to forget that a large part of what separates games from other media is their interactivity, and the best developers have it first in their mind to deliver an enjoyable experience for the player. In the simpler days, it wasn't as feasible to craft a compelling narrative--or, at least, not in the same ways. The Super Mario series took off because it was a fun and addicting platformer, and it paved the way for whole genres to emerge in its wake using a few simple formulas.

Mario represents that in its entirety. He's synonymous with the brand, and he grows and transforms with the games in which he appears; from his more instrumental roles as the dude who jumps over pits, to the more involved appearances in Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, and so on. Compare him to a sports icon, or more flatteringly to V from V for Vendetta, whose personality does shine through a tad, but who relies most of all on the idea he represents. For generations of people, Mario isn't just a plumber with a studly mustache; he's the very embodiment of fun and entertainment.

 

Yeah that's another thing, Mario really isn't as interesting as other videogame heroes are either in my opinion. I think a hero with a backstory about his family getting murdered or a swordsman who was born and raised to protect peace or whatever is way cooler in my opinion. Or as Hayabusa said: gigantic swords, gravity-defying spiky hair, torturous back-story, etc. That's always been more my kind of thing.

 

Well, I don't think it's fair to compare Mario with the video game heroes of today or even the mid-90's, because until that time you didn't really see games with incredibly complex stories or characters very often. This was especially true for games of Mario's type, as opposed to RPGs and whatnot -- the focus was (and still often can be) on gameplay, not story. So I would say Mario's lack of 'greatness' in terms of sheer character depth and personality are due to technological restrictions at the time, not an absence of creativity on Nintendo's part. Mario became so loved and popular because his games were fun; he didn't need to be a deep hero. These days, since the norm tends to demand the opposite, he may look a bit lackluster -- but keep his origins in mind. If you ask me, Mario is considered great simply because he is iconic, not because anyone is living under the misconception that he has the depth of today's standard gaming heroes.

 

I've liked Mario games, but I've never really liked Mario himself.
I think it's something to do with him being a videogame relic, like said above, and also some people probably have him and his games as a part of their childhood (like me).

 

Mario is just a guy trying get a princess from a giant, spiked-turtle shell turtle back. What's not to like. Granted, he's not the best character out there, but he's one of the most famous, if not the most famous. Everyone recognizes Mario, everyone knows who to think about when they see a red shirt and blue overalls.

He's simple, and sometimes, that wins out among everything.​