Y'know what makes me angsty? I just beat the original SMB, and the ending is such a letdown. Way worse than Halo 2's.
Well, technology wasn't advanced enough at the point were Game developers could convey high-quality cinematic cut scenes with full voice acting, dramatic soundtrack and a Motion Capture. The ending of SMB was the best they could do. Of course, you probably already knew that, right? Plus, games didn't even
have endings before that. Games like
Space invaders and
Centipede just continued on and on forever until you lost or until you quit.
Also, the Mario series has never been based on in-depth, big budget, Hollywood-style stories, anyhow; just to be enjoyable and fun for everyone.