According to the recent Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition, Mario is best-rated video game character of all time.
The report compiled a list of 50, which more than 13,000 fans voted for on Guinness’ website.
Mario held the top spot, first appearing in Donkey Kong in 1981, before getting his own series on the Nintendo Enterainment System in 1985. In all, Nintendo’s characters held 11 of the top 50 spots. Sony and Capcom had six and five, respectively.
Following Mario on the list were Link from the Legend of Zelda, Master Chief from Halo: Combat Evolved and Solid Snake from Metal Gear. Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII rounded out the top five.
Of course, video games have come a long way since Mario first appeared. With advanced systems, better graphics, internet accessibility and the ability to hook up to HDMI projectors, gamers compete completely different now than they did in 1981.
To date, Mario has appeared in more than 200 video games, which collectively have sold more than 210 million units. Not bad for a plumber from New York.
