Nintendo Why?: B to A; A to B

[Hope(N Forever)]

Way back in 1985, Nintendo finally released in the United States the Nintendo Entertainment System, with its flag title being Super Mario Bro.s, the sequel to the successful arcade game - Mario Bro.s - which was released a few years before.

As we all know, the object of the game is to travel through monster-infested worlds of a kingdom called the Mushroom Kingdom, and try to defeat in the end a giant turtle called Bowser, and rescue the princess of this kingdom called Princess Toadstool.

In order to advance in this game, we need to perform an action called 'Jump', and we need to press the 'B Button' on the Nintendo Entertainment System's [official] D-pad controller in order to actually perform it. Any other action necessary, in this case, shooting out Fire Balls after gaining a Fire Flower, we need to press the 'A Button'.



Nintendo then releases more of Super Mario's adventures as games, and although we could perform more actions in later games, the basics stayed the same, with the same buttons: 'B' is for jumping and other motion performances, while 'A' worked with extra performances.



However, it was not until 1996-1997 when the Nintendo 64 has finally been released with its flag title being Super Mario 64 that I received a somewhat MAJOR surprise! I need to press the 'B Button' to perform a non-motional action, while I had to press the 'A Button' to jump and perform other motional performances!?



What the heck has happened here!?



As other Super Mario games have been released after that, I realised that it was the very same story with all of them!!



At first, I thought, It must be a Nintendo 64 thing?

But then came the GameBoy Advance, and later came the GameCube.



What the heck!? Mario still jumps when pressing the 'A Button'!?



I've checked Nintendo's other game series, and none of them received this button change like the Super Mario series had!!



I know the button change had happened long ago, and we all got used to the idea, technically speaking.

But still to this day I wonder why had Nintendo broke the tradition of jumping with the 'B Button', and swapped it with the 'A Button'...



So let's discuss:

Why did Nintendo change the jumping 'B' to 'A' and vice-versa in our Super Mario games!?



*************

By the way, although you can jump with the 'B Button' in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, that does not count. Come on! You are controlling two different characters at the same time, there should be another button to use after 'A'!!

I am a pure Super Mario lover!!

...and in no point in the future will he ever be abandonded by me!

I will even drawn the best Super Mario comics ever to exist!!

[MEGAߥTE]

Umm what are you talking about?  A has always been jump and B the other action button...  A has always been to the right of B.  The only exception is the SNES/NDS configuration, where X&Y took on the B role and A&B took on the A role (but it's still the left side vs right side), but often this was configurable.

[Suffix]

 Well, I guess that sums it up. Was this comment worthless, or what?

 - Ian "Suffix"

[Red Paratroopa]

It still bothers me that Hope says Mario Bro.s" instead of "Mario Bros."

"I''m a stupid fatty who swings his arms from side to side and pushes a button to receive bacon. As time slows and reality bends, the universe is permeated with the odor of Shawne Vinson. Does that make me a nut?"- DotheLizardkoopaTEMChupVinsonluigi

[Chupperson Weird]

Me too.

The fast pace riding on a horse bets a slow boat anyday.

[Lizard Dude]

Hope(N Forever): Atomic Planet employee?

“I’m a stupid fatty and I love to play with my Easy Bake oven.”

[Luigison]

I don't think the N64, GBA, or GCN support the original button lay out of the classic NES and SNES games at all.

Having to use a shoulder button to spin jump in SMW was wacked.  Then you could scroll with the left shoulder button.

I have all the NES games in Animal Crossing, but don't play them much because of the button configuration.  The more SNES style HORI controller helps, but it's not perfect.

In 2D Mario games I prefer the NES thumb roll or SNES thumb roll/bend when performing a running jump.

I bought the Mega Man collection for the Cube, but don't play it much because of the button configuration.

Why don't more games allow customization of the buttons?

The DS has the SNES diamond button configuratoin!!! Wow!  Why didn't they do that sooner.  SMW would have been perfect for the DS, but I don't expect them to make many more remakes.  Although I would like an Allstars card for the DS, the NES Super Mario Bros. will hopefully live up the the expectations I have based on the NES and SNES 2D Mario games.

[Markio]

Today I went to the mall with my mom and there was one of those portabl carts they have around WestField shopping centers, and the cart was titled "Virtual World".  They had controllers much like N64 controllers, along with other controller things like a tennis racket and shotgun.  The lady explained that the controllers had at least a hundred games(I forgot how many, but they had more than a hundred t least), including Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, Galaga, Tetris, Pac Man, etc.  Has anyone heard of these?  I also saw some of the boxes said "Power Play" on them.

Most good judgement comes from experience.  Most experience comes from bad judgement.

[Luigison]

Those are illegal systems from China.  They are the reason Nintendo now has the iQue in China.

[Chupperson Weird]

Yeah. Someone sells them in a mall here under the name "Atari World." I'm pretty sure they're illegal. Or something. Bootleg.

The fast pace riding on a horse bets a slow boat anyday.

[Luigison]

Points at C.W.'s sig.  Haaa Hah Ha!  Wait.  That's not...  You're not making fun are you?

I just noticed that I had said, "bets" instead of beats.  Oh my, that is funny.

Edited by - Luigison on 10/19/2004 8:38:24 PM

[MEGAߥTE]

>I don't think the N64, GBA, or GCN support the original button lay out of the classic NES and SNES games at all.


How do the N64, GBA, and GCN not support the original button layout of NES games?  There are only two buttons!  And they're basically in the same place!  SNES is correct, but not NES...

Edited by - MEGAߥTE on 10/19/2004 8:39:30 PM

[Luigison]

@ MEGAߥTE

The NES may have had only two buttons, but their size, position, and shape is different from the buttons on the N64, GBA, and GCN.  After playing Mario games on the NES and SNES for nearly two decades and picking up a GBA for the first time last year, I was deeply disappointed with its buttons.  Notice the size of the NES buttons (vs. the GBA) and their concave shape.

The NES controller was perfect for holding down on the B button to run and simply rolling your thumb (without releasing B) to tap the A button and jump.  On the SNES this roll technique was slightly more difficult so I held down the run button with the tip on my thumb and tap the jump button with the middle of the same thumb without moving its general position.

I like the A, B, X, and Y button arrangement on the SNES best, but like the feel of the GCN controller.  The use of an analog stick my have made run the button obsolete, but I still prefer it in 2D games

[Luigison]

Edited by - Luigison on 10/19/2004 9:22:53 PM

[MEGAߥTE]

I submit that your thumb is deformed.

Seriously, I agree that I liked the feel of the NES/SNES buttons, but you said layout.  The buttons are so close and small that it matters very little what angle they are at, you can easily hold them both down through rolling or whatever.  I always play games with B held down.

I also wish they released the prototype GC controller design instead of what we got... moving the Z button down as another jellybean might have been good too.

Edited by - MEGAߥTE on 10/19/2004 9:32:44 PM