Every word that could possibly be written about Super Mario Bros. has surely been recorded dozens if not hundreds of times over. I cannot possibly expand upon what others have said about this game since its release in 1985, nor can I convince you whether or not you should play it. Odds are, if you have a pulse you have an opinion on Mario Bros.

While it may not be the first, it's nevertheless a foundational platformer that has spawned thousands of imitations, some great and others not. And for good reason. Super Mario Bros. just plays really damn good. The controls are about as simple and intuitive as it gets, and the levels teach the player in a manner that is both subtle yet appreciable when you're able to see it for what it is. Outside of some finicky springs, you never really feel like you lack control over Mario's movements, and gauging jumps feels about as naturally as walking.

Super Mario Bros. is not without its faults, however, though most of them I am able to look past. The aforementioned springs no doubt cost first time players a considerable amount of lives and solving the puzzle in 7-4 is about as fun as bashing your head against a brick. The latter at least gets imprinted on your brain, so subsequent playthroughs aren't nearly as miserable. Repetition will do that to you. Bottom, middle, top... top, middle, top... I remember it better than my own date of birth. Horrible.

Look, if you haven't played Super Mario Bros... Well that's very impressive, but, you should. Much of gaming as we know it today is owed to this one title, and if that's not enough for a curious playthrough then I'm not sure what else will convince you. It's arguable that there's better versions of this game, but the original is well worth checking out.