Super Mario

How Nintendo Conquered America

By: Jeff Ryan

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The story of Nintendo’s rise and the beloved icon who made it possible

Nintendo has continually set the standard for video game innovation in America, starting in 1981 with a plucky hero who jumped over barrels to save a girl from an ape.

The saga of Mario, the portly plumber who became the most successful franchise in the history of gaming, has plot twists worthy of a video game. Jeff Ryan shares the story of how this quintessentially Japanese company found success in the American market. Lawsuits, Hollywood, die-hard fans, and face-offs with Sony and Microsoft are all part of the drama. Find out about: Mario’s eccentric yet brilliant creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, who was tapped for the job because he was considered expendable; Minoru Arakawa, the son-in-law of Nintendo’s imperious president, who bumbled his way to success; and the unexpected approach that allowed Nintendo to reinvent itself as the gaming system for the nongamer, especially now with the Wii.

Even those who can’t tell a Koopa from a Goomba will find this a fascinating story of striving, comeuppance, and redemption.

©2011 Jeff Ryan (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“One of America’s favorite pastimes is covered in exhaustive, enthusiastic detail.” (Publishers Weekly)

The backstory... the origins... the reasons...

Having been an avid nintendo player as a child (what 80s kid wasn't) I was immediately interested in the content and story behind the scenes of such a huge infleuence. I was not dissapointed! Moreover, I often found myself completely familliar with the various tunes, characters, backgrounds, and itterations discussed without any need to refresh my memory!

Perhaps commonly for those who witness the decades long progress of a genre of culture, I often dispair at the complete lack of understanding among modern gamers of the long histories and development behind our favorite titles, and their changing scope and complexity over various platforms... This book, gladly, not only misses essentially Nothing I could recall, but often includes various stories that happened offstage to make the changes and moves I so often witnessed from the outside in wonder.

With the stories of things like the origins of the names, the design of the characters, the various omages to significant actors, and all of the buisiness dramas that underly the years of change, I found this book to be both informative, and nostalgic.

Beginning with the long years before the rise of video games of any sort, and moving step by step through the gambit of the rise of home consoles and modern gaming, this book seems to leave no yellow question mark stone unshattered!

I mostly enjoyed the discussion of the various new techniques and breakthroughs that enabled each successive game advance, with an emphasis on what sorts of additions were made to each of the oldest game systems to squeeze out the next best thing!
I also enjoyed hearing and remembering all of the 'new releases' and 'greatest game systems' of the past, we so fought over and despirately 'needed'... which seems funny to compare to the systems which came after... so far outshined...

A well delivered and descriptive history, the only real issue I had with the book is the author's tendancy to string all of it together in such a way that made it Hard to Find a Stopping Place to end, and then restart the story later on. Because of this, I read the story through essentially over the course of a single day... which may itsself be taken as an endorsement, but would seem the less difficult method, and most natural way, when actually reading it.

Ultimately, a great trip back to my childhood and a very revealing history of gaming to date...
As we enter the period of super realistic, highly interactive, and hugely expansive games which the new systems allow, I find myself missing the pure genius and simplicity of the great games of old... valuing more from the use of less to achieve so much, than the comparatively vast and unrestricted possibilties of modern gaming...
It's a trip! And a Tale worth telling...

If you've ever been a fan of Nintendo..

This is an excellent book. As a fan from a young age, it was definitely worth listening to the story of how my favorite game company became what it is today. Great performance by the narrator as well!

A Worthy Choice for a Curious Gamer or Fan

What was one of the most memorable moments of Super Mario?

The description of the court battle between Universal and Nintendo over the supposed trademark infringement of Universal's King Kong, by Nintendo's breakout hit Donkey Kong.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Surprised by Porter's deliver. Never heard him before, but he comes right off the page and brings the text to life.

Enthralling non-fiction and stupendous narration!

A must read for any pop culture geek! Although I'm a Mario fan, I didn't expect this book to be as fascinating as it was. Ryan presents an excellent contextualization of video games in Japanese and US culture. The writing is witty and the narrator's timing was simply superb. Such a fun read!

love Nintendo

this was a great book to listen to over and over again. great for video game history enthusiasts

Good Job

Great performance and story. Oh, he does call Philips "Panasonic" several times in chapter 15 haha.

For true Nintendo Fans!

While listening to this you will learn the history of Nintendo from Before Mario, to his creation in the 80s, the impact he had on the video game industry as well as learn what was going on behind the scenes on the business and development side of Nintendo.

Pros
-well informative and can be inferred the author did plenty of research
-listeners will learn parts of Nintendo that they have little to no knowledge on (the virtual boy disaster, collision with Sony that lead to the creation of the PlayStation & other failures/successes throughout their existance)
-time will just go fly by hearing this audiobook if you're a passionate Nintendo fan!

Cons
-narrator sounded slightly dull at times, NOT the entire time of the book as they do change their voice and tone at certain times to illustrate frustration, shock or even anger at what's going on
-visual descriptions can only go so far without physically seeing the product they describe
-this book should be updated, not a huge flaw but this discusses Nintendo's history up the the life of the Wii, this won't cover anything on the Wii U, the Nintendo Switch, 2DS and anything beyond 2012ish

Definitely a recommendation for, history buffs, gamers and all Nintendo Fans!

WINTENDO

Great book. Great narrative. as a Nintendo fan that grew up primarily in the Nintendo 64 era it was interesting to see the beginning and the projected future. this book is now 10 years old and the author while some of his claims are absurd has some good points about the future

Nostalgia strikes like a super smash brother

What did you love best about Super Mario?
The writing was top notch, but it was the performance from Ray Porter that really elevated this book for me. I've listened to it multiple times now as if it's a favorite movie.

What did you like best about this story?
The story was told with nuance, wit, and balance. It never felt like a piece of Nintendo propaganda, and it never felt like a chance for an outsider to tear the big N to pieces. Combined with the fact that it makes genuinely insightful observations into all kinds of elements of pop and video game culture, I was riveted while I listened and reflective after I pushed pause.

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?
He has such a dynamic, engaging voice, and he reads with all the flourish and confidence of a seasoned actor. This wasn't just someone reading words off of a page. This brought the words to emotive life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I did! I laughed out loud several times - and I don't doubt that it came from a combination of the excellent writing and the superb performance from Ray Porter.

Eetsa me, your childhood

I loved this book. It was equal parts entertaining, funny, informative, and nostalgic. Highly recommended for others who grew up on video games.

As always, narrator Ray Porter is at the top of his game. I've heard so much by him and I'm waiting for the day where he calls it in and disappoints me -- to date, this has never happened.