12 Ridiculous Video Game Ideas That Should Never Have Worked

5. Mario

A short, fat Italian plumber's quest to rescue the beautiful Princess Peach from the tyrannical, grotesque creature Bowser. That is the premise for pretty much the entire Mario series, and it's nothing short of amazing how well the character has endured over 3 decades despite not really doing all that much to change things up. Sure, the graphics get nicer and the level designs are changed, but the core idea has been fairly similar since the start, yet perhaps it is that very familiarity that has made the game a hit with both hardcore gamers and casuals also, particularly during the brilliant success of Nintendo's Wii. Mario is always ranked next to Sonic the Hedgehog in terms of platforming mascots, and though it's easy to see the appeal of a hedgehog who can zoom around maps at lightning-speed, the appeal of a pudgy plumber is a little harder to make out. It's difficult to imagine executives having massive confidence in Mario right back in his origin days, when he was called Jumpman, but alas, he defied the odds and perhaps in being a more down-to-Earth protagonist, won the hearts of gamers the world over.