Even though he first appeared in Donkey Kong, way back in 1981, he was known only as Jumpman. It wasn’t until 1985 that the world’s most famous Italian plumber gained a brother and became super, giving the world Super Mario Bros.

This set in motion a series of videogames that would break records and thrill players all over the world. Here’s our selection of Mario’s Greatest Hits!

Super Mario Bros 3, 1988
This was the game that changed everything. While his rivals were still plodding from left to right, jumping over bad guys in a one-way stroll to the end of the game, Mario was nipping from level to level on a giant map, and discovering all kinds of secrets and short cuts along the way. The modern platform game was born here!

Super Mario Kart, 1992
Not content with being the world’s most popular platform-jumping hero, Mario decided to take on the racing game as well. The result was this stone cold classic, a fun and nimble go-kart racer that is still brilliant to play almost twenty years later!

Super Mario RPG, 1996
What a greedy plumber! Mario next set his sights on the role-playing adventure genre, and got the makers of Final Fantasy to stuff him into a giant fantasy epic which combined distinctive Mario touches with the huge gameworld and turn-based combat of a Japanese RPG.

Super Mario 64, 1996
Mario goes 3D for the first time, and wows the world. While the early PlayStation games were still fumbling around with clunky polygon worlds, Mario popped into three dimensions with style and grace, running and flying around a beautiful world.

Super Mario Galaxy, 2008
The latest, and perhaps greatest, addition to the Mario family. Galaxy uses the Wii’s controls to send you on a dizzy intergalactic adventure, roaming over and under 3D planets and earning all those pesky stars!