Finish Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

Jumpman climbs girders to save Pauline; Mario's first appearance, 1981.

The raccoon suit, the world map and the airships; the best NES game.

Yoshi, the cape and 96 exits on the SNES; the launch title that still plays perfectly.

120 stars, the castle and the first analogue 3D playground.

Yoshi carries baby Mario through a crayon world; the SNES platformer at its most inventive.

Pull vegetables and throw them; the reskinned Doki Doki Panic that became a Mario game.

The 1989 Game Boy launch platformer: twelve levels, two shoot-em-up stages and a princess who is not Peach.

Four players, the blue shell and Rainbow Road; the kart racer of every dorm.