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In the ’60s and ’70s it was The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones. In the ’80s it was Lakers vs. Celtics. In the 90s, the topic that generated so many discussions in the schoolyard was Mario vs Sonic. Who would win in a fight? Who would win in a race? Who cooks better tortilla? Whatever, it was argued. There weren’t any characters as well-known to kids in the ’90s as Sonic and Mario, with Sonic’s “Q Score” (a rating that rates something based on his popularity) even surpassing Mickey Mouse’s. With such results, it seemed obvious that this rivalry would not go away quickly.

Contrary to popular belief, Mario made his debut in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. Although he was called “Jumpman”, he looked exactly like the Mario that appeared in the first game with his name in the title “Mario Bros”. This was a basic non-scrolling game that required killing all enemies in a “Phase” and then advancing to the next phase. In this era, it’s hard to see the appeal of this game, but at the time it was quite entertaining.

The Mario game that propelled him to the status of a household name was the first “Super Mario Bros” for the NES, which is now the best-selling video game of all time. This was the first side-scrolling Mario game and set a standard for all 16-bit Mario games to come. While it wasn’t the first side-scrolling platformer, it was the first to get it right and allowed other developers to copy the formula. For this reason, this game is hailed by many as the flavor of the video game industry, as the industry was in big trouble before its release.

Possibly more notable was Mario’s transition into the 3d world. Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 received perfect scores from countless professional review companies. It is still regarded today as the best 3D platformer ever, and many have tried but failed to replicate the success of Super Mario 64.

The creators of Sonic knew from the start that Sega needed a mascot for their Genesis/Mega Drive system that could help market their console to compete with Mario and Super Nintendo. They looked at Mario and perceived him as stuffy and uninteresting and decided to tap into the younger generation who were looking for something “cooler” with more attitude. After many considerations, including “Mighty the Armadillo”, he settled on Sonic the Hedgehog and a team of 15 began work on what would be the first Sonic game, “Sonic the Hedgehog” for the Genesis/Mega Drive.

Popular opinion was that Sonic didn’t really get comfortable until the second game for the 16-bit console. In this, he introduced himself to his little sidekick Tails and upon collecting all the chaos emeralds, Sonic transformed into “Super Sonic” which was a yellow, super fast and super strong version of the character.

However, 3D Sonic games have not been as successful as rival Mario. Sonic 3d Blast for the Genesis/Mega Drive was an average attempt, and it wasn’t until the Dreamcast that we saw a 3D Sonic game really worth playing called “Sonic Adventure.” However, ever since they created that formula that worked perfectly, Sega has made strange choices with games that force you to play as Sonic’s less entertaining sidekicks to access Sonic’s fun levels. Sonic the Hedgehog on 360/PS3 received terrible reviews. Sonic and the Secret Rings for Wii seems to be the only game since Sonic Adventure that really got it right with Sega finally realizing that what made the originals so much fun was Sonic’s breakneck speed.

Sega’s decision not to create more consoles has not seen the creation of the first game in which Mario and Sonic can face each other, called “Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games”. After selling around 1 million copies of this game, it’s clear that this rivalry is still alive and well. No doubt many remembered those schoolyard arguments and thought “Finally! I can prove that x is better than y!”

Whatever your opinion, there is no doubt that you have not seen your last debate on the subject. Just remember that when you’re ready to rip someone’s throat out, it’s just a game.

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