BiathlonThe name biathlon is commonly confused with duathlon, the term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. Biathlon, however, refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Another popular variant is summer biathlon, which combines cross-country running with riflery. Kazakhstan stamp dedicated to biathlonBiathlon events are broadcast most regularly where the sport enjoys its greatest popularity, namely Germany (ARD, ZDF), Norway (NRK), Finland (YLE), Sweden (SVT), Russia (RTR), Belarus (TVR), Slovenia (RTV), and Estonia (ETV); it is also broadcast on European-wide Eurosport. The broadcast distribution being one indicator, the constellation of a sport's main sponsors usually gives a similar indication of popularity: for biathlon, these are the Germany-based companies E.ON Ruhrgas (energy), Krombacher (beer), and Viessmann (boilers and other heating systems). HistoryThe sport has its origins in an exercise for Norwegian soldiers. The first known competition took place in 1767 when border patrol companies competed against each other. Gradually the sport became more common throughout Scandinavia as an alternative training for the military. Called military patrol, the combination of skiing and shooting was demonstrated at the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, 1928, 1936 and 1948, but did not gain Olympic recognition then, as the small number of competing countries disagreed on the rules (see also Governing body, below). The first World Championship in the sport was held in 1958 in Austria, and in 1960 the sport was finally included in the Olympic Games. At Albertville in 1992, women were first allowed in Olympic biathlon. Governing bodyIn 1948, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne et Biathlon (UIPMB) was founded, to standardise the rules for biathlon and pentathlon. In 1993, the biathlon branch of the UIPMB created the International Biathlon Union (IBU), which officially separated from the UIPMB in 1998. Presidents of the UIPMB/IBU:
ChampionsThe following articles list major international biathlon events and medalists. Contrary to the Olympics and World Championships (BWCH), the World Cup (BWC) is an entire winter season of (mostly) weekly races, where the medalists are those with the highest sums of World Cup points at the end of the season.
Rules and equipmentThe complete rules of biathlon is given in the official IBU rule book (see External links, below). However, the concise description given below, along with the section on competition format, should be enough for a spectator to understand what is going on at a biathlon stadium whether actually being there or at home watching a televised biathlon event. Basic conceptsIn short, a biathlon competition consists of a race in which contestants ski around a cross-country track, and where the total distance is broken up by either two or four shooting rounds, half in prone position, the other half standing. Depending on the shooting performance, extra distance or time is added to the contestant's total running distance/time. As in most races, the contestant with the shortest total time wins. For each shooting round, the biathlete must hit five targets; each missed target must be "atoned for" in one of three ways, depending on the competition format:
To keep track of the contestants' progress and relative standing throughout a race, split times (intermediate times) are taken at several points along the skiing track and upon finishing each shooting round. The large display screens commonly set up at biathlon arenas, as well as the information graphics shown as part of the TV picture, will typically list the split time of the fastest contestant at each intermediate point and the time differences to the first five to ten runners-up. Skiing detailsAll cross-country skiing techniques are permitted in biathlon, which means that the free technique is usually the preferred one, being the fastest. No other equipment than skis and ski poles may be used for moving along the track. Minimal ski length is 4 cm less than the height of the skier. Shooting detailsThe biathlete carries the 3.5 kg small bore rifle including ammunition in magazines on her/his back during the race. The rifles use .22 LR ammunition and are bolt action. The target range shooting distance is 50 m. There are five circular targets to be hit in each shooting round. Prone shooting target diameter is 45 mm, standing is 115 mm. On all modern biathlon ranges, the targets are self-indicating, in that they flip from black to white when hit, giving the biathlete as well as the spectators instant visual feedback for each shot fired. Competition formatSprintThe sprint is 10 km for men and 7.5 km for women. The biathlete shoots twice, once prone and once standing, for a total of 10 shots. For each miss, a penalty loop of 150 m must be skied before the race can be continued. Competitors' starts are staggered, normally by 30 seconds, but sometimes by only 20 seconds. PursuitIn a Pursuit, biathletes' starts are separated by their time difference from a previous race, most commonly a Sprint. The contestant crossing the finish line first is the winner. The distance is 12.5 km for men and 10 km for women, there are four shooting bouts (two prone, two standing), and each miss means a penalty loop of 150 m. To prevent awkward and/or dangerous crowding in the skiing track, and undercapacity at the shooting range, World Cup Pursuits are held with only the 60 top ranking biathletes after the preceding race. Mass startIn the Mass start, all biathletes start at the same time and the first across the finish line wins. In this 15 km (12.5 km for women) competition, there are four bouts of shooting; two standing, two prone. As in Sprint races, competitors must ski one 150 m penalty loop for each miss. Here again, to avoid unwanted congestion, World Cup Mass starts are held with only the 30 top ranking athletes on the start line. This is a smaller number than the 60 in the Pursuit since here all of them start at the same time. IndividualThe 20 km Individual race (15 km for women) is the oldest biathlon event. The biathlete shoots four times, in the order of prone, standing, prone, standing, totalling 20 targets. For each missed target a fixed penalty time, usually one minute, is added to the skiing time of the biathlete. As in the Sprint competition, the biathletes start in intervals. RelayTeams consist of four biathletes, who each ski 7.5 km (men) or 6 km (women), with two shooting rounds; one prone, one standing. For every round of five targets there are eight bullets available, though the last three can only be loaded one at a time from trays at the shooting range. If after eight bullets there are still misses, one 150 m penalty loop must be taken for each miss. The first-leg participants start all at the same time, and as in cross-country skiing relays, every athlete of a team must touch the team's next-leg participant to perform a valid exchange. Team (obsolete)A team consists of four biathletes, but unlike the case of the Relay competition, all team members start at the same time. Two athletes must shoot in the prone shooting round, the other two in the standing round. In case of a miss, the two non-shooting biathletes must ski a penalty loop of 150 m. The skiers must enter the shooting area together, and must also finish within 15 seconds of each other, otherwise a time penalty of 1 minute is added to the total time. Since 2004, this race format has been obsolete at the World Cup level. Biathlon venuesWorld Cup events and World Championships in biathlon have traditionally been held at the following relatively few locations. (Due to the complicated shooting range equipment, which absolutely has to work in order to hold successful races, biathlon is a highly demanding sport for organisers.) *The Veltins-Arena, located in Gelsenkirchen and renamed from Arena AufSchalke in July 2005, is the stadium of German football club FC Schalke 04. Since 2002 the stadium has hosted a special end-of-year mixed team event, now called the "Veltins Biathlon World Team Challenge". VariantsTwo common variations on biathlon are summer biathlon, where skiing is replaced by a cross-country run, and archery biathlon (or ski archery), where the rifle is replaced by a longbow. There have also been summer competitions in roller-ski biathlon, mountain bike biathlon and orienteering biathlon. This page about Biathlon includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Biathlon News stories about Biathlon External links for Biathlon Videos for Biathlon Wikis about Biathlon Discussion Groups about Biathlon Blogs about Biathlon Images of Biathlon |
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There have also been summer competitions in roller-ski biathlon, mountain bike biathlon and orienteering biathlon. These are both only a few seconds slower than the fastest known tool-assisted speedrun, which currently measures at just under 5 minutes. Two common variations on biathlon are summer biathlon, where skiing is replaced by a cross-country run, and archery biathlon (or ski archery), where the rifle is replaced by a longbow. These claims have been confirmed by Twin Galaxies, and a video is available at the Speed Demos Archive [13]. Since 2002 the stadium has hosted a special end-of-year mixed team event, now called the "Veltins Biathlon World Team Challenge". The current world record time for this game has been set by Trevor Seguin, Andrew Gardikis, and Carlos Krueger with times of 5 minutes and 9 seconds. *The Veltins-Arena, located in Gelsenkirchen and renamed from Arena AufSchalke in July 2005, is the stadium of German football club FC Schalke 04. If a player advanced to a higher world, but then received a Game Over, the player could hold A when pressing Start to select the "1 Player Game" option at the main menu, which would allow for them to return to whatever world they left off at instead of starting the game on the very first level. (Due to the complicated shooting range equipment, which absolutely has to work in order to hold successful races, biathlon is a highly demanding sport for organisers.). is often recognized as one of the very first "cheat codes", or "easter eggs", in videogames. World Cup events and World Championships in biathlon have traditionally been held at the following relatively few locations. A very simple and well-known secret code in Super Mario Bros. Since 2004, this race format has been obsolete at the World Cup level. Deluxe. The skiers must enter the shooting area together, and must also finish within 15 seconds of each other, otherwise a time penalty of 1 minute is added to the total time. This glitch has been fixed in the Super Mario All-Stars remake as well as in Super Mario Bros. In case of a miss, the two non-shooting biathletes must ski a penalty loop of 150 m. World 36 in the Japanese Famicom Disk System version of the game is considerably different and has three levels, after which the player is returned to the title screen as though he or she completed the game. Two athletes must shoot in the prone shooting round, the other two in the standing round. Technically speaking, the Minus World is world 36. A team consists of four biathletes, but unlike the case of the Relay competition, all team members start at the same time. The name was created by a glitch, and since it is not a normal level, the name is literally (nothing)-1, creating the effect of -1. The first-leg participants start all at the same time, and as in cross-country skiing relays, every athlete of a team must touch the team's next-leg participant to perform a valid exchange. The reason for this is because the pipe at the end of the level leads to the very beginning, instead of dry land, and therefore, the level loops, or repeats itself. If after eight bullets there are still misses, one 150 m penalty loop must be taken for each miss. Once Minus World is reached, it is impossible to escape, and Mario is destined to die by running out of time (assuming he survives the standard water-level obstacles as well). For every round of five targets there are eight bullets available, though the last three can only be loaded one at a time from trays at the shooting range. (Incidently, the second pipe leads to World 5 if reached in time.). Teams consist of four biathletes, who each ski 7.5 km (men) or 6 km (women), with two shooting rounds; one prone, one standing. There, the first pipe leads to the Minus World, but only if the game doesn't scroll to show all the pipes; in which case, the pipes revert to their default locations. As in the Sprint competition, the biathletes start in intervals. This trick allows Mario to move through the wall to where the level's warp zone is located. For each missed target a fixed penalty time, usually one minute, is added to the skiing time of the biathlete. It is only accessible by performing a certain jumping trick in Level 1-2 at the pipe that leads to the end of the level. The biathlete shoots four times, in the order of prone, standing, prone, standing, totalling 20 targets. It does exist, although it can be difficult to reach. The 20 km Individual race (15 km for women) is the oldest biathlon event. Most likely the result of a glitch rather than intentionally created, this level is sometimes claimed to be a myth. This is a smaller number than the 60 in the Pursuit since here all of them start at the same time. Minus World is an infinite water level (with a layout similar to that of Levels 2-2 and 7-2). Here again, to avoid unwanted congestion, World Cup Mass starts are held with only the 30 top ranking athletes on the start line. However, the card's rarity has made using an Action Replay or other device much easier to obtain this item, causing a large jump in the popularity of such devices. As in Sprint races, competitors must ski one 150 m penalty loop for each miss. Players could connect the e-reader to a Game Boy Advance, connect this to a Gamecube with a Game Boy Advance to Nintendo Gamecube Cable, go to the E-reader machine at the post office, and swipe the card, allowing the player to recieve the coveted NES game item in the mail. In this 15 km (12.5 km for women) competition, there are four bouts of shooting; two standing, two prone. Animal Crossing-e card and the e-reader device. In the Mass start, all biathletes start at the same time and the first across the finish line wins. Currently the only known way to unlock the game is either by use of a game modification ("cheating") device, such as an Action Replay, or by the use of a special Super Mario Bros. To prevent awkward and/or dangerous crowding in the skiing track, and undercapacity at the shooting range, World Cup Pursuits are held with only the 60 top ranking biathletes after the preceding race. Nintendo released an official way of unlocking it in 2004. The distance is 12.5 km for men and 10 km for women, there are four shooting bouts (two prone, two standing), and each miss means a penalty loop of 150 m. is one of the NES games featured in the Gamecube game Animal Crossing. The contestant crossing the finish line first is the winner. Super Mario Bros. In a Pursuit, biathletes' starts are separated by their time difference from a previous race, most commonly a Sprint. In 2005, Nintendo released this game again for the GBA as part of its 20th Anniversary with a special edition, selling approximately 876,000 units.[12]. Competitors' starts are staggered, normally by 30 seconds, but sometimes by only 20 seconds. Differences between this and the original are that the screen images appear a bit squashed, due to the smaller GBA screen, and the high score is saved to the cartridge. For each miss, a penalty loop of 150 m must be skied before the race can be continued. Super Mario Bros. was one of the best-selling of these rereleases; according to the NPD Group (which tracks game sales in North America), this rereleased version of Super Mario Bros. was the best-selling Game Boy Advance game in June 2004, and sixth-best-selling game overall.[11]. The biathlete shoots twice, once prone and once standing, for a total of 10 shots. Unlike previous re-releases, these versions contain no graphical updates; indeed, they are running in emulation. The sprint is 10 km for men and 7.5 km for women. as part of the Classic NES Series. On all modern biathlon ranges, the targets are self-indicating, in that they flip from black to white when hit, giving the biathlete as well as the spectators instant visual feedback for each shot fired. In early 2004, Nintendo rereleased the game on the Game Boy Advance in Japan as part of their Famicom Minis collection and in the U.S. Prone shooting target diameter is 45 mm, standing is 115 mm. However, the game did not feature any upgraded visuals. There are five circular targets to be hit in each shooting round. It also was compatible with the Game Boy Printer. The target range shooting distance is 50 m. 2 (which was released on Super Mario All-Stars as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels) as an unlockable. The rifles use .22 LR ammunition and are bolt action. It featured simultaneous multiplayer, a Challenge mode and also included the Japanese Super Mario Bros. The biathlete carries the 3.5 kg small bore rifle including ammunition in magazines on her/his back during the race. Deluxe. Minimal ski length is 4 cm less than the height of the skier. In 1999, Super Mario Bros. was released on the Game Boy Color, under the title Super Mario Bros. No other equipment than skis and ski poles may be used for moving along the track. A later version of this compilation, sold only as a bundle with the SNES, also includes Super Mario World. All cross-country skiing techniques are permitted in biathlon, which means that the free technique is usually the preferred one, being the fastest. 2 (known as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels in North America and Europe). The large display screens commonly set up at biathlon arenas, as well as the information graphics shown as part of the TV picture, will typically list the split time of the fastest contestant at each intermediate point and the time differences to the first five to ten runners-up. 2 (known as Super Mario USA in Japan), and the Japanese Super Mario Bros. To keep track of the contestants' progress and relative standing throughout a race, split times (intermediate times) are taken at several points along the skiing track and upon finishing each shooting round. 3, the North American/European Super Mario Bros. For each shooting round, the biathlete must hit five targets; each missed target must be "atoned for" in one of three ways, depending on the competition format:. This compilation also includes later Super Mario games, including Super Mario Bros. As in most races, the contestant with the shortest total time wins. Several glitches from the original NES release were also fixed. Depending on the shooting performance, extra distance or time is added to the contestant's total running distance/time. The version of Super Mario Bros. included in the compilation had improved graphics, redrawn to match the SNES's greater graphical capabilities and a save game feature. In short, a biathlon competition consists of a race in which contestants ski around a cross-country track, and where the total distance is broken up by either two or four shooting rounds, half in prone position, the other half standing. In 1993, Nintendo released an enhanced SNES compilation, titled Super Mario All-Stars, of all of the Super Mario games released for the NES and Famicom. However, the concise description given below, along with the section on competition format, should be enough for a spectator to understand what is going on at a biathlon stadium whether actually being there or at home watching a televised biathlon event. This three-game multicart was only included in the "NES Power Set," a bundle including everything in the "Action Set" above, but with the Power Pad and the triple-game cartridge in place of the double-game cartridge. The complete rules of biathlon is given in the official IBU rule book (see External links, below). Later, in December of that year, Nintendo also released a three-game multicart, including Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, and World Class Track Meet. Contrary to the Olympics and World Championships (BWCH), the World Cup (BWC) is an entire winter season of (mostly) weekly races, where the medalists are those with the highest sums of World Cup points at the end of the season. This version, first released in North America in November 1988, was only available packed in with the "NES Action Set," a bundle including the NES, two controllers, the Zapper lightgun, and the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt double cartridge. The following articles list major international biathlon events and medalists. While Super Mario Bros. is the best-selling video game of all time, one of the most common versions of the game is actually an alternate version, a multicart including both Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. Presidents of the UIPMB/IBU:. 2). In 1993, the biathlon branch of the UIPMB created the International Biathlon Union (IBU), which officially separated from the UIPMB in 1998. Super Mario Bros. In 1948, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne et Biathlon (UIPMB) was founded, to standardise the rules for biathlon and pentathlon. Super Mario Bros. The enemies and the mushroom retainers at the end of Bowser's forts are replaced with Japanese music idols, famous recording artists, and DJs, as well as other people related to 'All Night Nippon.' It was published by Fuji TV, the same company that published Doki Doki Panic (which was later remade into Super Mario USA, a.k.a. At Albertville in 1992, women were first allowed in Olympic biathlon. 2 (Japanese version), and Vs. The first World Championship in the sport was held in 1958 in Austria, and in 1960 the sport was finally included in the Olympic Games. The game borrows levels from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. Called military patrol, the combination of skiing and shooting was demonstrated at the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, 1928, 1936 and 1948, but did not gain Olympic recognition then, as the small number of competing countries disagreed on the rules (see also Governing body, below). The game, which was only released in Japan, was a special promotional version that was given away by the Japanese radio station 'All Night Nippon' in raffles in 1986. Gradually the sport became more common throughout Scandinavia as an alternative training for the military. It was released for the Famicom Disk System. The first known competition took place in 1767 when border patrol companies competed against each other. with graphics based upon a radio show, called 'All Night Nippon', that was very popular in Japan in 1986. The sport has its origins in an exercise for Norwegian soldiers. All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. is a version of Super Mario Bros. . As with many older arcade games, it isn't clear exactly when this game was released; while the arcade boards themselves are stamped "1985,"[8] the Killer List of Video Games and the MAME game listing list the game as having been released in 1986.[9][10]. The broadcast distribution being one indicator, the constellation of a sport's main sponsors usually gives a similar indication of popularity: for biathlon, these are the Germany-based companies E.ON Ruhrgas (energy), Krombacher (beer), and Viessmann (boilers and other heating systems). Super Mario Bros. much more difficult than the original Super Mario Bros.. Biathlon events are broadcast most regularly where the sport enjoys its greatest popularity, namely Germany (ARD, ZDF), Norway (NRK), Finland (YLE), Sweden (SVT), Russia (RTR), Belarus (TVR), Slovenia (RTV), and Estonia (ETV); it is also broadcast on European-wide Eurosport. 2.) These changes have a net effect of making Vs. Another popular variant is summer biathlon, which combines cross-country running with riflery. (Many of these later, changed stages later appeared in the Japanese Super Mario Bros. Biathlon, however, refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The stages are different, however; the first stages are subtly different, with small differences like the omission of 1-up mushrooms or other hidden items, but later stages are changed entirely. The name biathlon is commonly confused with duathlon, the term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. Dualsystem), is based loosely on Super Mario Bros., and has identical gameplay. by having to use an "extra cartridge" (placed at the shooting range) to finish off the target; only three such "extras" are available for each round, and a penalty loop must be made for each of the targets still remaining after expending the "extras". Unisystem (and its variant, the Nintendo Vs. by having one minute added to one's total skiing time, or. This game, one of several games made for Nintendo's NES-based arcade cabinet, the Nintendo Vs. by making a skiing round in a 150 m penalty loop, typically taking 20–30 seconds for top-level biathletes to complete (running time depending on weather/snow conditions),. Super Mario Bros., is nearly a separate game in its own right. Biathlon World Cup champions. The first of these alternate versions, Vs. Biathlon World Championships. As one of Nintendo's most popular games, Super Mario Bros. has been rereleased and remade numerous times, ranging from an arcade version released at approximately the same time as the original NES release, to its inclusion as an unlockable game in in the GameCube game Animal Crossing. Olympic medalists in biathlon. While many bands have sampled the Super Mario Bros. soundtrack or otherwise recorded songs inspired by the game and its soundtrack, a Super Mario Bros.-inspired single by Japanese band The Tongari Kids, titled "B-Dash", reached as high as sixth place on the Japanese music charts.[7]. From 1992: Anders Besseberg (Norway). The soundtrack, composed by long-time Nintendo composer Koji Kondo, is often sampled. 1988–1992: Igor Novikov (USSR/Russia). There are three direct sequels to this game on the NES platform:. 1960–1988: Sven Thofelt, (Sweden). The game's popularity eventually led to dozens of sequels and spinoffs. 1949–1960: Gustaf Dyrssen (Sweden). Mario himself became more recognizable among American children than Mickey Mouse[6]. 1948–1949: Tom Wiborn (Sweden). The success of Super Mario Bros. led Nintendo to choose Mario to be its mascot and eventually resulted in several TV series and a movie. In February 2006, Electronic Gaming Monthly named Super Mario Bros. number one on its list of the 200 Greatest Games of Their Time. (Indeed, Commander Keen began life as a PC port of Super Mario Bros.) It has also been critically acclaimed in retrospect; IGN named it #1 on their top 100 video games list twice (both in 2003 [4] and 2005 [5]), and it is one of only two games (along with Elite) to receive a 10/10 score in their "retro reviews" retrospective series. Super Mario Bros. is often cited as the inspiration for many game designers; an example is the inspiration for the designers at id Software when they developed Commander Keen. 3 is often cited as the best selling non-packaged game of all time. Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. was most often packaged with the console (usually in a dual cartridge with the shooting game Duck Hunt), just as Tetris was packaged with the Game Boy. It has been estimated that this game, next to Tetris, is the bestselling game of all time.[3] Although the game was popular enough on its own, mass distribution is attributable to the popularity of the NES itself. The game sold approximately 40 million copies worldwide, which still stands as a Guinness World Record. In addition, some of the elevator-style lifts are about 60% their original size. After beating the game, the player is given the option to start the game again in "'Hard' Mode," where all Goombas are replaced by Buzzy Beetles (Koopa Troopa-like enemies who cannot be killed by fireballs), and all enemies walk faster. The third and sixth worlds take place at night, and all other worlds take place during the day. Bowser may be defeated in one of two ways; either by touching the axe at the edge of the bridge (thereby dropping Bowser into the lava), or, as Fiery Mario, throwing fireballs at him to defeat him directly. In the later worlds, Bowser throws hammers as well as occasional fire breaths. At the end of each castle level, Mario fights "Bowser" (who, until the final level, is actually a lesser enemy disguised as Bowser) across a bridge over a pool of lava. Though each world is substantially different, there are basic similarities: typically the first sub-world is a generic above-ground (overworld) level, the second is in an underground dungeon or underwater (or in the overworld with a unique challenge), the third is a series of platforms suspended high in the sky, and the fourth is a fortress or castle. The game consists of eight worlds with four levels in each. There are no checkpoints in castles (#-4) or in world 8 (8-#). The point where Mario continues depends on how far he ran through the level before dying; either from the very beginning, or at an invisible "checkpoint" halfway through the level. However, if he takes a hit as regular Mario, falls down a pit (regardless of status), or if the time clock runs out, he loses a life, and starts again. If he takes a hit from an enemy as Super Mario or Fiery Mario, he simply reverts back to regular Mario and the game continues. Mario can be hurt if he touches an enemy. Aiding him in his quest are several power-ups, including the Super Mushroom, which turns Mario into Super Mario, doubling his size; the Fire Flower, which turns Super Mario into Fiery Mario, allowing him to throw fireballs; Starman, which gives him temporary invincibility; and the 1-up Mushroom. Jumping on enough enemies in succession, or kicking a shell into enough enemies in succession (combos), results in double points earned with each enemy killed, eventually earning Mario a 1-up, an extra life and another chance to pass the level. Mario can then kick these shells into other enemies, which will conveniently dispatch them; but conversely, kicked shells can bounce back off of walls or other vertical obstructions and hit him. Mario's primary attack is simply jumping on top of his enemies, which kills the mushroom traitors, known as Kuribou/Goombas, and sends the turtle soldiers known as Nokonoko/Koopa Troopas into their shells. The ultimate object is to race through the Mushroom Kingdom, evade or eliminate King Koopa/King Bowser's forces, and save the Princess Peach/Princess Toadstool. The player takes the role of Mario, or in the case of a second player, Mario's brother Luigi. And the background should be a clear, blue sky."[2]. Shigeru Miyamoto described his initial idea for Super Mario Bros. as "a character that bounces around. . Mario, who became Nintendo's mascot, was at one time more recognizable among American children than Mickey Mouse. The game gave Mario (known as Jumpman in the classic arcade game Donkey Kong), a starring role. It has inspired countless imitators (eventually founding an entire genre) and was one of Shigeru Miyamoto's most influential early successes. Super Mario Bros. is considered by The Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling video game of all time[1], and was largely responsible for the initial success of the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System. Universally considered a classic of the medium, Super Mario Bros. was one of the first side-scrolling platform games of its kind, introducing players to huge, bright, expansive worlds that changed the way video games were created. Super Mario Bros. is a video game produced by Nintendo in 1985. "Japanese Sales Charts, Week Ending October 2", Gamasutra, October 7, 2005, retrieved November 22, 2005. ^ - Jenkins, David. "ChartSpot: June 2004", Gamespot, August 2, 2004, retrieved November 26, 2005. ^ - Thorsen, Tor. ^ - Screenshots V, Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator website, retrieved November 22, 2005. Super Mario Bros., Killer List of Video Games, retrieved November 22, 2005. ^ - Vs. Super Mario Bros., Everything2, December 29, 2001, retrieved November 21, 2005. Vs. ^ - passport. "Mario music bounces up the charts," Gamespot, June 7, 2005, retrieved November 26, 2005. ^ - Nllzumi, Hirohiko. Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children, Random House, 1991. ^ - Sheff, David. ^ - IGN's Top 100 Games, IGN.com, retrieved November 26, 2005. ^ - IGN's Top 100 Games, IGN.com, May 9, 2003, retrieved November 26, 2005. ^ - Best-Selling Video Games, Guinness World Records, 1999, retrieved November 21, 2005. "Meet Mario's Papa", BusinessWeek online, November 7, 2005, retrieved November 26, 2005. ^ - O'Connell, Patricia. 3. With the exception of the "firesticks" seen in the castles, every enemy in the game went on to reappear in Super Mario Bros. 3 (14), Super Mario 64 (6), Super Mario World (88) and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (83). It beat many other Mario titles, including Super Mario Bros. Topped the list of "The Greatest 200 Games of Our Time" feature in Electronic Gaming Monthly's February 2006 issue, as part of a 200-issue celebration. The so-called "growing Mario" sound was used in a Colecovision game Wallbreaker. 3. Super Mario Bros. instead of The Lost Levels and later released in Japan as Super Mario USA. 2 — an adaptation of Doki Doki Panic, a Japanese game unrelated to Mario, released in the U.S. Super Mario Bros. This game would later be released worldwide as The Lost Levels on the Super NES cartridge Super Mario All-Stars. 2. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels — originally released for the Famicom in Japan as Super Mario Bros. |