Who knows? Hindsight is 20/20.

It isn't quite the same, but I take it that, because they did it, the Mario universe has more diversity, so it is a good thing in the big picture.  I would say it is close enough, but more of a detour.  Considering also where Mario has gone, SMB 2 is closer to the core tha a number of other games with Mario in them.

I laughed when I found out is was a "clone", I didn't care though cause it was an epic game.

There is still the Legend of Zelda? Then I am a Nintendo fan. :)

LOZ is a big reason I'm a Nintendo too Zelhawks.

Nintendo would not make consoles if it wasn't for Mario.

But history aside. Yes. Because it was pokemon that got me into Nintendo.

Considering I'm far more a Mario fan than an actual Nintendo fan, probably not.. Especially these days.. Or at least I wouldn't be anywhere near the fan I am. Also, the Mario games of the 80s/early 90s were what got me into other Nintendo stuff. I never even played a Zelda or Metroid game until the early 2000s, and didn't play many of their smaller, more obscure franchises until some time after that. Before that, a large chunk of what I played on the Nintendo end in the 90s were either Mario games, or similar Mario style platformers like DKC.

Yes, I would be. A lot of my favorite games are third party Nintendo and Super Nintendo games that aren't Mario. While the Mario series up to the SNES are good, Mario isn't the only good series Nintendo has. Mario has been crappy for the past decade in my opinion though.

Yes, I can be sure I would. because I dislike jump&Runs I dislike Mario Games (except Kart and Smash Bros., but I don't care about Mario in these games). If I would like Jump&Runs I would probably prefer Sonic.

I'm a Nintendo-fan because of Zelda, Pikmin, Wii Sports, Fire emblem, Metroid Prime, Pokemon, Dillons Rolling Western, Freakyforms, Beat the beat, Disaster, Xenoblade Chronicles, ...

Yes because it would mean they would make more "mature" games and focus more on franchises like zelda, metroid....