Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES - 1989)

Often described as the definitive pinnacle of Super Mario 2D platforming, Super Mario Bros. 3 is another one of those games that needs no review. One of the highest-grossing non-bundled video games of all time, with 17 million copies sold, Super Mario Bros. 3 will forever be a monument and a testament to the rise of home video games.

"The Mona Lisa of Gaming."

~Paul Rand, Computers and Video Games Magazine

I gushed over the first Super Mario Bros. for the NES. I saved nickels and dimes so I could buy Super Mario Bros. 2 at the age of 7. Super Mario Bros. 3, however, was something more. Bigger, harder, more magical, more imaginative, and more immersive, Super Mario Bros. 3 isn't what got me into gaming - it's what confirmed that I would grow up into gaming.

My parents didn't get me Nintendo Power or other gaming magazines. I didn't watch The Wizard until college. The hype leading up to Super Mario Bros. 3 was completely lost on me until I saw this commercial from 1990.