The 'first' Nintendo switch
By Christopher West
It was the summer of 1988. I was 7 years old and on the precipice of owning my first magazine. Some of you might be saying, “What’s a magazine”? To that I would say pre-internet, they were your lifeline to all things film, music and games. You coveted them, your friends would try to take them, and the smokey joe kids would just steal them from the store.
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The magazine that blew my mind was the first issue of Nintendo Power. Not only was it a magazine just about Nintendo, but it trumpeted the oncoming of Super Mario Bros. 2. I was hysterical and hyper-ventilating. There’s a magazine just about Nintendo games! There’s a new Mario Bros. Game! Is Mario made out of clay, holding a carrot, and being chased by a giant toad? This was our first glimpse of Super Mario Bros. 2, but there was already a long history we weren’t aware of.
Nintendo's Famicom Disk System
Unbeknownst to most Americans, Japan had the NES two years before we did and it was called the Famicom. This was short for family computer. It was white and red with gold controllers that were attached to the system. It looked like a piece of a large Transformers toy. It even had a floppy disk drive attachment that morphed it into the Famicom Disk System that was required to play the true and original Mario Bros. 2.
The original Mario Bros. 2 was released only in Japan in 1986. It was pretty much the same game as the original with newly designed levels. There were 2 big differences though. Luigi controlled differently than Mario and it was extremely difficult. So much so that Nintendo of America decided we were too dumb and horrible at games to handle it. It would sour America on Mario. So what happened between 1986 and 1988?
The original Super Mario Bros. 2
Nintendo was working on a vertical scrolling prototype game in 1986, but they weren’t happy with it. Kensuke Tanabe took over as director and brought in Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto to help him design the game. Fuji television had recently partnered with Nintendo to make a game starring their mascots for their 87’ Fuji Television expo. With the company still not thinking much of the prototype they told Miyamoto to take out his Mario like characters and insert Fuji’s Arabian themed mascots. It seemed easy enough. Fuji gets their game and Nintendo isn’t giving away something that was of value to them. They had no idea that 90% of our beloved Mario Bros. 2 was now an advertisement for the fall lineup of a television network. It was called Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic (Dream Factory: Heartbeat Panic) and it was a massive floppy disk hit in Japan.
Doki Doki Panic
After several years, Nintendo had no sequel to Mario Bros. for us dumb Americans and they needed one quick. America was crazy for Nintendo and their weird overall wearing plumber. The suits realized they already had the follow up to Super Mario Bros. It was Doki Doki Panic and it was designed by the creator of Mario and even better it was already made.
They re-skinned the 4 Arabian characters as Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach and kept all of their controls and signature moves. Other than that not much was changed but adding some mushrooms, turtle shells, coins, and a crab boss named Clawful. The little story that was there was just cut out. They didn’t want us dumb Americans reading.
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I guess I was just a dumb American kid because I ate it up with a spoon. Mario traded in fireballs for radishes, carrots, and weird stools. Of course he did. He’s in the desert on flying carpets fighting mice, snakes, crabs, and egg shooting dinosaurs. Sure why not as long as it’s fun. So how did Nintendo explain this drastic shift in Mario? Nintendo pulled a Bob Newhart. At the end of the game we see it was a fever dream of Mario’s. Actually they weren’t that clever that was already in the original game.
A lot of people will tell you this game isn’t cannon. It doesn’t count. It’s not the true Mario Bros sequel. It’s just a rushed out reskin of another game. The fact that very little of the game has found its way into other Mario games shows Japans thoughts on the subject. The game was actually released 3 years later in Japan as of course Super Mario USA. If it wasn’t for the USA, Mario would still be known by his original names Jumpman and Mr.Video. So what do they know about cannon?
If Mario can be a doctor, referee, construction worker, tennis player, and a golfer he can sure as hell have a mushroom induced fever dream.
This was still early in Mario’s legacy but it was nice to see him outside of brick worlds and Donkey Kong towers. None of Mario 2 made sense but it sure was pretty. Princess Peach was no longer the damsel in distress and a literal trophy wife. It was innovating how unique each character was and not just a carbon copy of each other.
It was good to see Mario get into gardening and maybe going on a diet. Scrolling through that first issue of Nintendo Power and the amazing game guide for Mario 2 it had set a pretty high standard for all other magazines. It was one that would never be matched.
