Uploaded March 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Our Super Mario trilogy concludes with the strategy of power-ups.

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Super Mario’s various powerups do much more than simply make Mario stronger. In fact, they all have very specific advantages and disadvantages, even when you’re tiny! Your level of powerup will affect almost every aspect of how you approach the game, and we think that this is why Super Mario Bros. has stood the test of time as one of the all-time great examples of video game design. Let us know what other examples you can think of in the comments below, and we will reply to some in the next episode of Game/Show!

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ASSET LINKS:

0:56 A Game Design Legend Revisits His Theory of Fun
http://www.wired.com/2013/11/theory-o...

1:03 Mushroom2.PNG
http://fantendo.wikia.com/wiki/File:M...

1:11 Family Guy - Super Mario Rescues the Princess
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsbTi...

1:14 Chibi Toad mugshot
http://kiiroyasuna.deviantart.com/art...

1:17 Pixel-mario.gif
http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/File:P...

4:04 Riding a Bike and Texting....DON'T TRY THIS!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaJO...

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MUSIC:

""Oh Damn!"" by CJVSO
soundcloud.com/downpitched/cjvso-oh-damn

""Digital Sonar"" by Brink

""Mindphuck"" by Known To Be Lethal
soundcloud.com/known-to-be-lethal/mindphuck-known-to-be-lethal

""After Hours""

""3170 Lakes"" by Chooga
youtube.com/watch?v=E8hnsQc9ST0

""Beautiful Days"" by Extan
soundcloud.com/extandnb/beautiful-days

""Spectrum Subdiffusion Mix"" by Foniqz
soundcloud.com/subdiffusion/foniqz-spectrum-subdiffusion

""Good Way Song"" by Electronic Rescue

""Alice y Bob"" by Javier Rubio and Parsec
archive.org/details/escala19_vvaa_escala_no_uniforme

""Sleet"" by Kubbi
soundcloud.com/kubbi/kubbi-sleet

""Toaster"" by Kubbi
soundcloud.com/kubbi/toaster

""Patriotic Songs of America"" by New York Military Band and the American Quartet
freemusicarchive.org/music/New_York_Military_Band_and_the_American_Quartet/Edison_Amberol_457/cusb-cyl3890d

""Lets Go Back To The Rock"" by Outsider
jamendo.com/track/123138/lets-go-back-to-the-rock?language=en

""Run"" by Outsider
jamendo.com/track/125860/run?language=en

""Fame"" by Statue of Diveo
jamendo.com/artist/352814/statueofdiveo

""Freedom Weekends"" by Statue of Diveo
jamendo.com/track/919940/freedom-weekends

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Hosted by Jamin Warren (@jaminwar)

See more on games and culture on his site: killscreendaily.com

Made by Kornhaber Brown (http://www.kornhaberbrown.com)