I hate to say it, because I think Shigeru Miyamoto has less talent left than Blue Oyster Cult, but yes. SMB was the first game of its kind. It was a fucking revolution. It wasn't a single screen of shooting baddies, nor was it just a few screes of "adventure." It was a bonafied legitimate side scrolling adventure that introduced gamers to a whole new world which they had never seen before. It helped, significantly, to revitalize the industry and to change game design forever. With that said, fuck Mario games, and Miyamoto can choke on a herpes infested cock.
Edit:
That said, what really caused the crash isn't so simple as what "internet history" makes it out to be. Interviews with members of Imagic, for example, clearly show that retailer glut was a leading factor. Retailers were ordering far more product than they could move, and not knowing this third parties were filling orders with glee. Once retailers realized they couldn't move games, they reduced orders, and not just for games, but for consoles as well. Also, there were too many consoles. Atari had two, and both were competing with ColecoVision, and Intellivision. That's four major console, unheard of in any point before or since. That's not to mention that Vectrex, Zircon, Emerson, and others, were trying to be in the game. There were probably too many consoles. However, if retailers didn't drastically over estimate, then Warner would've never dumped Atari, and the marked would've continued steadily. The 7800 would've been released years sooner, and Atari Would've launched the NES. The world of gaming today would be totally different.