Kojima: 'Super Mario Equivalent To Big Bang'

Metal Gear creator reminisces over the game that started it all.

Mario is now twenty five years old. The plucky plumber who was once known as 'Jumpman' has managed to pass a milestone most gaming heroes can't dream of.

To celebrate, the latest issue of Nintendo Power has a selection of interviews with game developers talking about Mario's quarter-century influence on gaming. The most excitable of all of them, however, comes from Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear franchise (via Kotaku:)

"Shigeru Miyamoto not only altered the future of gaming, but actually change the concept of 'value' for all forms of entertainment. And, in the process, changed my future-leading me to become the game designer I am today. I feel the game truly deserves to be hailed as one of mankind's greatest inventions. The game's design, sense of fun, interactivity, and cerebral philosophy have made it the forefather of every game that has come since and of every game yet to come. Super Mario Bros. is the equivalent to the big bang of our gaming universe. If it were not for this blindingly spectacular creation, digital entertainment as we know it today would not exist."