Video Roundup: Super Mario Bros Music

Super Mario Bros is one of the definitive titles for retro gamers.  Since the game was included with the Nintendo Entertainment System it was a game that nearly every single person who has ever played the system has played.  Over 40 million copies were sold, which makes it the second to Wii Sports for the best selling video game of all time.

Super Mario Bros is fondly remembered for being one of the first truly good platforming titles.  It's clean controls, and addictive game play was unlike anything that came before it.  However one of the lasting memories of the game is its music.

Video game composer Koji Kondo

The music for Super Mario Brothers was composed by Japanese composer Koji Kondo.  While Kondo had done music for arcade games like Punch Out!!, the Super Mario Bros soundtrack was his first big hit.  While Kondo is responsible for the music for most of the Super Mario and Legend of Zelda games, the original Mario theme is still his most popular.  Even Nobuo Uematsu, the composer of much of the Final Fantasy series praised the music so much, he was quoted saying that the Super Mario Bros theme should be the Japanese national anthem.

For you trivia buffs the theme does have an official name, "Ground Theme."  And the theme still lives on today.  The Super Mario Bros theme has been tackled by scores of unique musicians.  Many examples are found right here on the internet, and one quick trip through YouTube will find some gems.

The first video is an impromptu performance by Jean Baudin on his 11 string bass guitar.  It is an impressive performance, on a very unique instrument.

The second video is by Japanese beatboxer HIKAKIN.  It is yet another extremely unique take on the theme song.  And if anyone can inform me how exactly he does this please let me know.

The final video in this roundup is a strange one.  While the song is dedicated to Marty B's love for Captain Crunch, it uses the theme from the second Super Mario Bros theme interchanged with many of the famous sound effects from the game.

   

Video Roundup: Glitch edition

Whenever you find yourself truly immersed into a video game it is easy to forget the amount of coding that was involved into the games creation.  It really is the ultimate goal for a developer to create a world for gamers that allows them to forget that they are simply using a piece of software.  For a few moments a person can transform themselves into warriors, adventurers, pro athletes, fighter pilots, plumbers trying to save princesses, and countless other things.

Occasionally there are things that happen in these adventures that immediately remind us that we are using software.  These things are called glitches.  With all of the code that is needed to create these games, there are bound to be some mistakes along the line.  Some have funny consequences, other can completely ruin the gaming experience.  Here are some examples. 

One of the first games to really showcase an array of glitches was Super Mario Brothers for the NES.  The most commonly known of the glitches shown in the REARN49 video below is a specific jump you can execute in world 1-2.  If executed properly you jumped through the brick wall and into the warp zone.  At that point you had to use the warp zone.  But instead of warping to worlds 1,2,or 3 you went to world -1, a never ending water level that you could never beat.

Since baseball season has just started here is a horrible example of glitches from more recent times.  MLB 2K9 is the source, and EDDIEGGG27 vents a bit of frustration in this complilation.  (Not work friendly audio in this video)

Street Fighter 2 houses several interesting glitches.  But this one is noteworthy due to something horrible happening to E. Honda's gentleman's region.  This one is not for the faint at heart, watch with caution.