New Super Mario Bros. has just come out on stores to high acclaim, minimum criticism (which most of it is absolutely nuts by the way), and high sales. It is sure to hold the Wii owners over before the potentially-epic 2010 gaming year that the Wii is going to deliver. Upon first impressions, I have absolutely loved this game, and the multi-player is a mix of absolute addicting fun and incredible frustration. Where its going to place among the best Mario games in history, I’ll need more time to decide this.
But wait? What are the greatest Mario games in history? That’s a baffling mystery. But have no fear, I am here. Using the sophisticated power and technology of my computer (and a box of crayons) I have compiled a list of the best of Super Mario. They range from his platform classics, to his sports games, to his underrated classics, and even a Mario game without his name on the actual title.
Without further interruption, it’s yet another list!!
#25: Dr. Mario
This underrated puzzler was Super Mario’s response to Tetris. While the game doesn’t have the addiction and depth of Tetris, it still boasts a tougher challenge and also a much groovier soundtrack. There has been a version of Dr. Mario in every single system and is becoming more a staple to Nintendo gaming then Tetris is.
#24: Mario Party
This game was the surprise hit that absolutely nobody saw coming. Adding to the obvious premise that the Nintendo 64 was the ultimate multiplayer experience for the last part of the 90s, Mario Party combined multi-player thrills with baseball-its-ain’t-over-until-its-over gameplay. The game is mapped out like an interactive board game, and long after you’ve found every single game board you still have a high replay value with the extensive amount of mini-games you can collect and other small goodies. This was the perfect game for anyone with plenty of siblings and friends.
#23: Super Mario Land
The very first Mario game on a handheld system was by far the most unique. Without the touch of Miyamoto, Nintendo RD&1 provided 12 levels of bizarre gameplay as Mario is thrown into a brand new universe that gamers had never seen before. None of your typical enemies are present, and Mario can be seen flying a plane and navigating a submarine! Like I said, it was different, but was still a nice bit of fun and a grand way to start Nintendo Game Boy’s historic run towards total handheld dominance.
#22: Donkey Kong 94’
Nintendo Game Boy is full of forgotten gems (as I had described in a previous article nobody read) and this one by far is one of the best forgotten gems out there. While the game starts out in a similar Donkey Kong manner, after the fourth level you are thrown into a massive world with over 90 levels to fight through, encounters with Donkey Kong, and even some mayhem with Donkey Kong Jr. It was long, difficult, and plenty of fun. That’s what she said.
#21: Mario Golf
Golf games rarely work. The only exception is the wonderful Golden Tee Golf series you can find in arcades everywhere. However, Nintendo (the kings of making boring and unpopular things bearable) transformed the sport of golf into a delightful Mario game with enough simplicity for your beginners and plenty of depth for the experts. This little blend of simple depth is a formula repeated in most sports games nowadays, and especially in latter Mario sports games (some of which will make the list further down)
#20: Super Mario Kart
The original that started it all. This game revolutionized gaming with its stellar gameplay and background work, which used Mode 7 technology. There has been dozens of imitators, and none of them can top even the original, which is over 17 years old. Selling 8 million copies on the Super Nintendo, this is one of the best-selling video games in the early years of Nintendo, and remains one of the favorites of the old-school gamers. There is a massive franchise that started because of this polished gem.
#19: Super Mario Bros. 2
So this isn’t the ACTUAL Super Mario Bros. 2 (the real one is excruciatingly difficult) but it’s still an incredibly fun game to play, and would be the first to give Luigi his modern-day appearance and abilities.
#18: Mario Golf: Advanced Tour
Mario Golf’s sequel was a small hit in the Gamecube, but the Game Boy Advance version was far superior for multiple reasons. First off, the game was deeper with its gameplay. Second off, the game carries an RPG-like quest that allows for improvement on your game. Third off, it just has much more replay value than the Gamecube counterpart. Developed by the underrated madmen company Camelot, Mario Golf: Advanced Tour is a game that should be imitated much more often.
#17: Mario Strikers Charged
Remove those annoying cheap shots, and this could have been the best Mario sports game of all-time and one of the better sports games you’ll ever play. Nonetheless, the game carries a gritty attitude, a gritty art style, and contains gritty gameplay that’s just absolutely brutal for a Mario game. You can slam characters to electric fences, trip them, throw bombs at them, etc. Oh by the way, this is soccer. A sport never embraced in America, the Mario Strikers franchise has actually seen decent success in the states, but much moreso around the world. This game is addicting fun, and definitely a step away from the norm in Mario gameplay.
#16: Mario Kart Wii
If you want frustration, then look no further. The only racing game in which you can go from first to last and then back to first in a matter of one lap, Mario Kart Wii allows for the most unskilled of gamers to still look like pros as long as you have enough luck and willpower. While the game boasts pretty much no learning curve, the tracks themselves are very fun to race in, the items add to the mayhem, and the customizable options add the little bit of depth that this Mario Kart desperately needs. What makes this game one of the biggest success stories of all-time is its amazing multi-player mode, which finally allows for the Wii to compete with the competition in terms of online gaming.
#15: Mario Tennis
The best Mario sports game of all-time, and one of the best sports games you’ll ever play. Mario Tennis is incredibly easy and fun to learn, but only the truest of true can master the game and nail every trick shot. There is a large assortment of characters to choose from and an extensive amount of secret ones as well. Adding to the fun is that each character has their specialties, which depending on who you have alters your strategy in the game. This game put Camelot on the map and finally provided Virtua Tennis some competition.
#14: Mario Party 2
Everything that was wrong and was right about Mario Party was improved upon in Mario Party 2. The most underrated Mario game on this entire list, Mario Party 2 is so much fun, a Friday night back then just wouldn’t be complete without a 30+ turn showdown against some friends. The mini-games were better, the maps were better, the cutscenes were better, the amount of secrets was better, and the game itself is easily the best game of its kind. Every other Mario Party absolutely pales in comparison to this one, and why its not in Virtual Console baffles the mind.
#13: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
The handheld sequel to the original smash hit is also an improvement in every possible way. Super Mario has a crisper look, the classic enemies have returned, and yet Super Mario Land 2 still carries the unique and bizarre gameplay that the original was known for. Super Mario in this installment gets to enter a whale, gets to fight in outer space, enters a robotic version of himself, and even becomes extremely small and fights ants. Games like this just aren’t made anymore, whether by Nintendo or any gaming company.
#12: New Super Mario Bros.
It took 14 years before Super Mario returned to the side-scrolling action, but the wait was nearly worth it. In a time in which 3-D is conquering the gaming industry and even the 2-D classics, New Super Mario Bros. reverses the trend by going back to the basics, while maintaining a new look. 70+ levels and multi-player modes galore later, we have a worldwide smash that continues to sell today. The gameplay is old-school but fresh, the music is chipper, the graphics are phenomenal, and the success and impact pretty much guarantees that this will not be the last time we see Mario in 2-D, and it won’t take over 10 years before it happens again.
#11: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Of all the Paper Mario games in the series, this one stands as the best, funniest, and most successful one to date. The plot of Mario rescuing Peach takes a different turn and throws Mario into a massive quest full of whimsical gameplay, clever visuals, and fun usage of the paper effects you see throughout the game. One (of many) of gamecube’s flaws can be traced to the lack of RPGs, and this game nearly filled the void by being so much fun. It’s a shame Super Paper Mario drifted away from the formula.
#10: Super Mario Sunshine
Nintendo is known for drifting away from the formula for some experimental gameplay and risky gambling. Super Mario Sunshine is one of these examples. Instead of expanding upon the flawless gameplay mechanics of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine instead equips you with a muck-cleaning weapon, a tropical overworld, and a new style of platform gaming. The game, despite being so different, runs smoothly, has a lot to do, and reunites you with Yoshi, a Nintendo staple. Where the heck is Luigi though?
#9: Super Mario Bros. DX
I know most gaming magazines and websites will list Super Mario Bros. as one of the best Mario games of all-time. I mean duh, of course. However, while the original Super Mario Bros. did definitely re-introduce the world to gaming and would forever change the industry, I am instead giving it to the Game Boy Color version for one main reason: Super Mario Bros. 2: The Lost Levels is included. This Game Boy Color remake of the original classic is not only a good translation, but also throws in all sorts of goodies including hidden Yoshi coins, fortune cookies, printable stickers, and even an entirely new game. This wasn’t just an incredible game, it was a must-own and truly worth every penny.
#8: Mario Kart DS
This game not only is the deepest of the Mario Kart games, its also the very first extremely successful Nintendo online game. The tracks are incredible, the music is excellent, the amount of unlockables is fantastic, the amount of skill required was the most demanding in the entire franchise, and of course the online mode was something not to be missed. This Mario Kart hit all the right notes, and to this day is considered one of the premiere racing games in history.
#7: Mario Kart 64
Perhaps it’s the nostalgia talking, but even after all I’ve said about Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart 64 is my absolute favorite of the Mario Kart games. Surely the DS version is tougher, longer, and contains more stuff, but Mario Kart 64’s racing tracks remain the best one of them all, and the best collection of courses in the history of racing games. You get the absolutely goofy tracks like Moo Moo Farm and Wario Stadium, but then you have the killer-tough courses like Banshee Boardwalk, Yoshi Valley, and the power slide-friendly Mario’s Raceway. The items were at their best and non-cheapest here, especially with the red and green shells proving much more damage than a wimpy flip. And unlike the cruel blue shells in later installments, the purple shell is actually avoidable. And I didn’t even touch the multi-player mode, which not only is among the best in history, but was the first to prove that 4-player gaming at one time is possible, is fun, and is incredibly addicting.
#6: Super Mario Bros. 3
Prior to the Wii, this was the best-selling video game of all-time, and the most-beloved of the Mario games. However, as time moves on, the nostalgia of the SNES version seems to age better than this instant classic. Nonetheless, Super Mario Bros. 3 is an extremely fun game full of killer items, dozens of secrets, very varied gameplay, and a fun multi-player mode to boot. Super Mario Bros. 3 was the beginning of Nintendo thinking bigger and bigger in terms of where to take the side-scrolling Mario franchise.
#5: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
For anyone that truly knows me, they know I have a deep fondness of this classic title. Mario’s first array into RPG gaming remains one of the best RPG experiences I’ve ever had the pleasure of facing. I’ll never forget the first time I rented this game back in 1996, not quite sure how to handle Mario in such a different environment. The music is amazing, the characters and humor is memorable, there is so much to do, there are so many secrets and hidden goodies, so many Nintendo (and Final Fantasy) references, and overall, its just a gaming treat. Of the 5 remaining games on this list, this is the least played by far, and hopefully with Virtual Console everyone will realize just how special this game is. Where in the heck is Geno and mallow these days?
#4: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
It hurts a lot to place this down at #4, when it is a fantastically flawless game. Heck, the top 4 Mario games each deserve a perfect score. This game is massive, it’s colorful, and its very different from your average Mario game. Instead of controlling Mario, you are controlling Yoshi as you navigate him through over 50 huge levels full of details, puzzles and surprises. The egg-throwing mechanics is something not used enough in video games, and the coin collecting side-quests warranted nice rewards. The boss battles were extremely creative, and the overall tropical theming of the game is just a delight to witness.
#3: Super Mario Galaxy
The old-school gamers are fuming right now because this Wii title has hit so high on the list. But the explanation is simple: Super Mario Galaxy combines old-school gameplay with a totally new-school look. For the first time ever, we are seeing Mario in not just a quest to rescue Peach, but an epic quest in outer space, with creativity and incredible details around every corner. Of all the games on this list, this is the one that should be experienced on an HDTV the most, and of all the games on this list, this one boasts the best soundtrack and some of the coolest levels you’ll ever see. Platform gaming yet again hit a new peak as Miyamoto and company outdid themselves in this production. The only setback (which was a microscopic one) was the difficulty, but granted its everyone first time playing as Super Mario in space (with clever gravitational pulls) and with the Wiimote, its a bit understandable. Imagine making the first Mario game compatible with the Wiimote difficult--it merely wouldn't be duplicating the same amount of acclaim, praise, and success. We can only imagine what Super Mario Galaxy 2 will bring us.
#2: Super Mario World
While Super Mario Bros. 3 expanded Mairo gameplay to new heights, Super Mario World improved upon everything Mario 3 contained, and then added some. The graphics and art style was superior, the soundtrack was superior, the level design was better, the game was somewhat tougher, and the overall game was just much bigger. The introduction of ghost houses, fortresses, sunken ships, and the infamous Star Road would influence Mario games for years to come. This game has so many secrets, it would be argued for years just how many levels were actually in Super Mario World. And then there’s the introduction of Yoshi. Super Mario World isn’t just one of the best Mario games ever, but its easily one of the 10 greatest video games of all-time.
#1: Super Mario 64
The list has come to this, Super Mario 64. The old-school side-scrolling fans are screaming bloody mary and wondering why a 3-D Mario game has entered the top position. I have argued this for years upon years, but Super Mario 64 is still the best game I’ve ever played. Its influence on gaming can be felt to this day, from the platform games to shooters and even Grand Theft Auto. 3-D gaming was proven possible and not a chore at the same time thanks to Super Mario 64. Goldeneye 007, Ocarina of Time, GTA III and above, Metroid Prime, and even Halo probably wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the graphical, technical, and gameplay achievements that were accomplished with this perfect game.
The story is the same, but the means in which you must save her are different. You no longer have a beginning to an end, you have to walk around, find objectives, explore, collect, discover, and take multiple leaps of faith. Super Mario 64 had 15 massive worlds full of exploration, traps, pitfalls, surprises, and things to collect. The worlds range from a place full of lava, to a massive maze, to a very creepy haunted house, to a pirate ship in the sky, to a world in which you can be incredibly small or incredibly big, a sunken ship, and even a world that takes place inside a massive clock. The variety was incredible, from the level design to even the amount of moves you had. This remains the only Super Mario game with more than 30 possible moves and combinations. He can backflip, crawl, moonwalk, triple jump, sidejump, punch, wall kick, body slam, and so much more. Grand Theft Auto IV’s biggest issue was that the main character still performs only a small handful of fighting moves. 1996 Super Mario can take on 2008 Niko.
Super Mario 64’s impact on gaming, Nintendo, and Super Mario himself cannot be avoided, cannot be duplicated, and should be celebrated everytime a new Mario game comes out. This is the best of the best, a must-own, and to this day, the most rewarding experience any video game can possibly offer. Potentially until Super Mario Galaxy 2, that is……
Well, I hope you enjoyed my list of Mario games. If you didn't, oh well. Super Mario has been around for generations, and his appeal is as strong as ever. He is a video game character that will not go away for a very long time. And as long as games like Mario Galaxy and New Super Mario Bros. Wii continue appearing with his face on it, I would not want to see him go away.
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