Nintendo have pushed hard to bring the two-dimensional platformer back into gaming prominence this generation. The immense success of their DS revival of the 2D Mario series with New Super Mario Bros and profitable emulations of Mario games from older systems on the virtual console brought about New Super Mario Bros Wii and for this Christmas, Donkey Kong Country Returns and a Wii-creation (geddit?) of Super Mario All-Stars for the series' 25th anniversary. Nintendo's success in this field was almost certainly behind SEGA's decision to pull their much-abused mascot Sonic back into his native two-dimensions, while the much-acclaimed likes of Braid and Super Meat Boy show evident inspiration – albeit with a parodic slant – from Nintendo's headline series.
Nintendo's decision to use the original version of Super Mario All-Stars for their Mario anniversary Wii game is an interesting choice as it noticeably lacks Super Mario World, one of the character's most acclaimed adventures. This is most likely down to Nintendo having the original All-Stars rom to hand and wanting to get something out quickly. Even if only down to laziness, that decision may accidentally prove to be a wise one. Sales-wise, Mario is a beloved enough character to carry a collection even lacking such an important entry in his legacy. Yet All-Stars' appeal for new gamers will be to experience the evolution of a genre which is coming back into vogue. By ending their collection with Super Mario Bros 3, Nintendo are putting an abrupt halt on gamers' ability to experience the genre's growth to its fullest extent. Don't get me wrong, Mario 3 is a wonderful, wonderful game – in fact, it has a very strong claim to being my favourite of all the Mario platformers. But where Nintendo's literal repackaging of their history ends at that point, arguably so has the memory of those they have charged with bringing the genre up to date.
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