Me & Mario Until 2am

Implications: I consider myself to be a pretty hardcore gamer who loves First Person Shooters.  But nothing will ever stop me from playing a Mario or Zelda game, and there are no other icons of gaming like them.

Analysis: This article hits the nail squarely on its head.  Mario is a legend, and not just because Super Mario Galaxy could be the biggest selling video game this holiday season.  It's because everyone knows Mario intimately through playing any of the Mario Brothers or Super Mario games.  You can't tell me there's a bigger icon in gaming - unless you're also talking about Zelda, the other Nintendo hero who also happens to save a Princess.  Let's look at some of the other top game chronicles to determine Mario's supremacy:
- World of Warcraft:  with individual character creation, there's no one to latch on to
- Sonic the Hedgehog:  didn't have the staying power of Mario, even if he did have his own cartoon series
- Final Fantasy:  Soon to enter its 13th installment, every main character has been unique to the single installment
- Halo:  Master Chief is certainly recognizable, but with only 3 episodes, he has a ways to go before hitting Mario's Legendary status.
- Link:  The runner-up to Mario.  He's the reason every big gamer loved the original NES and the first real RPG, Legend of Zelda.  Problem is that people love Zelda, not Link...
- Pac Man:  If there wasn't a Ms., Jr. and some pretty bad 3-D versions, he might have beaten Mario.  Just not enough staying power, but hey - who didn't buy the Pac Man Fever single?

Now, these are just the games & characters that come to mind, have had staying power as franchises and laid the groundwork for video gaming as we know it today.  I'm sure I missed some, and would love to hear everyone's thoughts on their favorite game and if the protagonist is larger than Mario.

That said, Super Mario Galaxy had me up until 2am earlier this week.  I just couldn't put it down and had to beat that one more system that kept me playing for an extra 90 minutes.   With a couple hours sleep, I was cursing Mario the next morning.  But hey, that's the price you pay being a gamer - and trying to save the Galaxy with Mario...