The answer is one that won’t surprise most people. Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who will always go down in history books as the creator of Mario, says his favorite game to feature the action hero plumber is Super Mario World.
Miyamoto gave that answer to USA Today in an interview, saying it “included of course all the action you saw in Super Mario Bros. but it also had the map features, so it also had that element of players having to think about where they were going and what they were going to do next.”
He also added that the team behind the project was extremely talented. Many of them went on to become producers and directors, he said.
The game, originally released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), is a favorite of many Mario devotees. It provided a unique and addicting gameplay style. Its visual presentation was colorful and brilliant, a huge leap forward from the NES titles that proceeded it.
It was also the game that premiered Yoshi, the adorable little dinosaur that helped Mario on his quests in many games that followed.
2010 celebrates the 25th anniversary of Mario. The little red plumber has come a long way, appearing in dozens of games, starring in multiple TV shows and a movie, and even getting his own short-lived line of flavored sodas.
As for Miyamoto, he is still with Nintendo. The man is a veteran employee of 31 years. He actually was on the team that created the company’s very first video game ever, a coin-op arcade title called Sheriff.
Most recently his contributions have included giving birth to the brainchild that became Wii Fit, and still being a lead voice on all Mario and Zelda projects.
