Wikipedia:Peer review/Super Mario Bros./archive2

Super Mario Bros.

Well, ALink brought this to PR a couple months ago, but it got overlooked because it was part of his flood of PR requests. Well, I only plan on bringing the one article. - A Man In Bl♟ck (conspire | past ops) 05:56, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Since this article is still a work in progress, I'll add my own thoughts, so people can respond or save me the effort (by either doing them or shooting them down).

The Popularity header needs more. It needs some sourced info on how the game was the NES's killer app, possibly with some brief history about the collapse of the market pre-NES.
Likewise, there needs to be more about how the game brought Mario to prominence. Possibly some brief pop-culture stuff about Mario's popularity? There's already the Mickey Mouse thing.
Computer and video games that have been considered the greatest ever has several mentions of SMB which should be in this article
- Need to source the bit about the Edge magazine review
Possibly some stuff on predecessors (Pitfall) and imitators (Wonder Boy, Commander Keen) of note.
- Masters of Doom mentions that Commander Keen started as a tech demo of a DOS version of Super Mario Bros., pitched to Nintendo by id.
Double check that all the alternate versions are covered
- Is the PlayChoice-10 version the original SMB, or Vs. SMB?
Fiddle with See Also and External Links, add useful ones and double-check for useless ones
There has to be more to say about the music, but I don't know much more than what is in the article.
- The title theme is a track in Donkey Konga
- A medley of the themes was played in the Orchestral Game Concerts

- A Man In Bl♟ck (conspire | past ops) 05:56, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

"It has inspired countless imitators (such as Sonic the Hedgehog)...". This statement irks me somewhat. Is it really true? Sonic the hedgehog was created by Sega in response to Super Mario but was not an "imitator" in any way, except for the fact that they were both side-scrollers. Sonic was more of a rival than a clone of SMB.

That aside, the popularity section seems a bit too short for such an influential game. Something along the lines of what the Super Mario 64 article has would be better. LordViD 10:24, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I think it's important to mention the soundtrack and how popular that has become. —thames 23:25, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Many books on video game history are now available, and virtually all of them have something to say about this game. They should be consulted (examples: Game Over and The Ultimate History of Video Games). This will help with the article's main problem: lack of context. What was the environment like at Nintendo when the game was created? What were the hurdles to getting the game developed? --BrianSmithson 18:49, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

One other point: The main theme from the game is one of the most recognizable in the world. The kids in the Cameroonian family I lived with knew it, for crying out loud. Koji Kondo mentions this, but without a reference (I added that bit, but before I became a WP:CITE fanatic). It would be a worthwhile sidenote in the article, if you can find a source. --BrianSmithson 18:52, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Consider merging "Current world record" with the "Popularity" section. Also, merging the "Minus World" and "Cheat Code" with "Game Mechanics" and then reorganizing "Game Mechanics". Possible sub-headings for "Game Mechanics" could include: Layout, "objective" "Characters", "Special Features", etc. Otherwise, the article just needs more reasearch to become more comprehensive (especially in the "Popularity" section). I would like to see more references used, especially ones from authoritative sources in the video game industry (both from Ninendo and from journal/magazine critiques). Providing a "Suggested Reading" section of manuals (ie. Nintendo Power) or other readings would be going the extra mile. --maclean25 09:00, 8 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]