10 Most Epic Moments In Super Mario History

The early 1990s saw video games take a huge leap forward in the way graphics were processed, thanks to Nintendo's 'Mode 7' style of scrolling. F-Zero was the first game on the SNES to show off this new mode, and its ability to process 3D environments was considered revolutionary for the time. Nintendo knew that this was a nailed-on winning formula and decided to take the risk and put their most popular mascot in a more casual, mainstream racing game.

Released in 1992, Super Mario Kart marks a serious landmark in the history of gaming. Never before had a collection of characters from a franchise been brought together in this way, and the choice of a racing gaming was ingenious in finding a niche that was easy to pick up and a great choice for gaming with friends.

The settings of Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road have become iconic and made their way into every Mario Kart since, but the whole kart-racing subgenre began to take off from this one moment. This was also a crucial point in Mario's expansion into other genres other than traditional platforming, helping to ease in the transitions to other sports-themed spin offs such as Mario Tennis or Super Strikers.