#4: Mario: Super Mario Bros. (done in Fire colors because it's my favorite coloration... also it's makes it more Christmas-y in a way and this Christmas themed countdown is awfully lacking in actual Christmas spirit!)
Obvious entry is obvious. You can't have a countdown celebrating heroes and NOT include the original superstar, Mario... well I guess you COULD, but you would be wrong! Part of me almost hates to give him a ranking under 1st or 2nd, but with Luigi winning first place last month it would be a little too derivative (though the idea of giving Mario 2nd place to Luigi was hilarious appealing to me) The next three spots are heroes much more dear to my heart and admittedly, while I love the series, there are a lot of characters from Mario Bros. that I like over Mario himself, nothing against him, I just find the likes of Wario & Waluigi way more entertaining!
So, what can I say about Mario? Is there really anything I can add that I or anyone else hasn't said about the overall clad hero? Super Mario Bros. is what got me into gaming, so while Zelda has taken front stage for me in terms of favorite platform (gee, that didn't give away who was coming up next at all, did it!) I owe my getting into games entirely to Mario. While the games may get slightly stale from time to time, or be too easy, I still stick with them through and through. No matter how you look at it, they're fun. They're proof, to me, that a game doesn't always have to be breaking the mold, or by controller snappingly difficult to be considered good. Sometimes the tried and true is the best way to go and I think in a lot of ways that just sums up Mario to a tee. Yes, he's always doing something new and innovative, but you can always trust him to return to his roots for something satisfyingly enjoyable.
