He's been harassing apes, crushing innocent turtles and doing shrooms for over thirty years now, and all the while the most he's gotten from his girlfriend is a couple kisses and a whole ton of cake. I am of course referring to Mario, Nintendo's mustachioed plumber mascot.
Over the years there have been more Mario games than can be counted. Many of them have been industry-defining masterpieces while others have been Mario Teaches Typing.
It's a daunting task to try to rank the top ten Mario games but I am going to attempt it anyway. To be clear, I am ranking the top ten platforming entries into the series, meaning the party, kart, sports and RPG games will not be considered (even though Super Mario RPG is one of the greatest games ever made).
5. Super Mario Bros.
The game that saved an entire industry. I don't even think that statement is hyperbole. Super Mario Bros. was such a huge revelation for home console gaming. No other game had managed to pull off side scrolling action with quite the same finesse as Shigeru Miyamoto's masterpiece. From the instantly memorable music on stage 1-1 to the iconic sound effects of gathering coins and drawing via a super mushroom to the near-perfect gameplay, it is little wonder that this game has gone down in history as one of the greatest ever made.
4. Super Mario Galaxy
By the time Nintendo was preparing their revolutionary (at least at the time) Wii console, many in the gaming world were wondering if the Mario formula was growing a bit stale. After all, the series was 20 years old and the plumber was still koopa-stomping his way to Bowser's lair in order to rescue Princess Toadstool with very little change to the formula.
Enter Super Mario Galaxy a game that gave the series a much-needed boost in original gameplay.
By presenting Mario with some interesting gravity-bending physics, a whole new universe of platforming possibilities opened up.
The gameplay was so impressive it served as the inspiration for one of Christopher Nolan's most iconic movie scenes.*
The environments set space also looked gorgeous and whimsical. Mario in space sounded crazy when it was first announced, but the end result was a game with awe-inspiring vistas.
Power ups, which were missing in Super Mario Sunshine, also made their triumphant return, bringing a bit of classic Mario elements to balance out all the new mechanics of Galaxy.
*Bull$%&@
3. Super Mario 64
I can still remember the first time I played a Nintendo 64, despite the fact that I was only seven when I did.
It was in a Blockbuster Video store.
This was back when Blockbuster was the Mecca for awesomeness.
I remember they had a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64 in a demo booth. After waiting patiently while other kids gave the game a shot, I took the controller in my hand and, after fidgeting around, trying to figure out how to actually hold the controller, I stepped into a new world.
The first thing I did was jump into a giant picture of bob-ombs which transported me to, what was at the time, a mind-blowingly huge world. Movement with the analog stick felt so good; I couldn't believe how easy it was to control Mario in 3D. The first time I made Mario do a triple front-flip I felt like leaping up for joy myself.
My five minutes with the game were over far too soon. But I vowed from that moment forward I would wear down my mom's resistance and I would get a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64. Of course it would take two years to finally convince her to let Santa bring me an N64, but the wait was well worth it.
Describing the magic I felt when I first played this game is the best way I can describe why it deserves to be number three on my list. It was just the perfect transition for Mario, which is saying something since 3D platforming really was unexplored waters for Nintendo
2. Super Mario Bros. 3
Word's cannot express how hard it was to decide whether or not this game should be the best or second best on this list.
This game was the first true sequel to Super Mario Bros since the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 was basically a level-pack for the original game and the American Super Mario Bros. 2 was a drastic change to the formula that made the original the classic it was.
Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced us to so much that has since become commonplace in Mario games: thwomps, bob-mobs, boos, a less linear level-progression, and multiple new power-ups. More importantly, the game happens to be one of if not the most fun, most replayable games to be released on the NES.
1. Super Mario World
Could the 90s Kid really crown any other Mario game as champion of them all?
Super Mario World feels like a Disney cartoon short from the 30s and 40s. This is likely due to the bright, crisp colors available to the developers via the improved capabilities of the SNES.
In addition to the improved graphics, the game also boasted some impressive sound design. From the music that plays during the first stage to the iconic sound of the feather power-up, the game is as much a treat for the ears as it is for the eyes.
Of course a game can look and sound beautiful, but its still a turd pile if the gameplay is substandard. Fortunately Super Mario World took every thing great about Mario and made it even better. The level design was taken up a notch from the already near-perfect design found in Super Mario Bros. 3, with multiple levels containing secret exits. The gameplay also strikes a perfect balance between challenging and accessibility, achieving something that Nintendo does so incredibly when they are at their best: games that are as much fun for a 30-year-old as they are for a five-year-old.
You should maybe follow me on Facebook and Twitter. All the cool kids are doing it. And if history has taught us anything, it's that the cool kids always make the best decisions.
Wanna tell me how much you love/hate/love-hate me? Send an e-mail way at theninetieskid25@gmail.com
Over the years there have been more Mario games than can be counted. Many of them have been industry-defining masterpieces while others have been Mario Teaches Typing.
It's a daunting task to try to rank the top ten Mario games but I am going to attempt it anyway. To be clear, I am ranking the top ten platforming entries into the series, meaning the party, kart, sports and RPG games will not be considered (even though Super Mario RPG is one of the greatest games ever made).
5. Super Mario Bros.
The game that saved an entire industry. I don't even think that statement is hyperbole. Super Mario Bros. was such a huge revelation for home console gaming. No other game had managed to pull off side scrolling action with quite the same finesse as Shigeru Miyamoto's masterpiece. From the instantly memorable music on stage 1-1 to the iconic sound effects of gathering coins and drawing via a super mushroom to the near-perfect gameplay, it is little wonder that this game has gone down in history as one of the greatest ever made.
4. Super Mario Galaxy
By the time Nintendo was preparing their revolutionary (at least at the time) Wii console, many in the gaming world were wondering if the Mario formula was growing a bit stale. After all, the series was 20 years old and the plumber was still koopa-stomping his way to Bowser's lair in order to rescue Princess Toadstool with very little change to the formula.
Enter Super Mario Galaxy a game that gave the series a much-needed boost in original gameplay.
By presenting Mario with some interesting gravity-bending physics, a whole new universe of platforming possibilities opened up.
The gameplay was so impressive it served as the inspiration for one of Christopher Nolan's most iconic movie scenes.*
The environments set space also looked gorgeous and whimsical. Mario in space sounded crazy when it was first announced, but the end result was a game with awe-inspiring vistas.
Power ups, which were missing in Super Mario Sunshine, also made their triumphant return, bringing a bit of classic Mario elements to balance out all the new mechanics of Galaxy.
*Bull$%&@
3. Super Mario 64
I can still remember the first time I played a Nintendo 64, despite the fact that I was only seven when I did.
It was in a Blockbuster Video store.
This was back when Blockbuster was the Mecca for awesomeness.
I remember they had a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64 in a demo booth. After waiting patiently while other kids gave the game a shot, I took the controller in my hand and, after fidgeting around, trying to figure out how to actually hold the controller, I stepped into a new world.
The first thing I did was jump into a giant picture of bob-ombs which transported me to, what was at the time, a mind-blowingly huge world. Movement with the analog stick felt so good; I couldn't believe how easy it was to control Mario in 3D. The first time I made Mario do a triple front-flip I felt like leaping up for joy myself.
My five minutes with the game were over far too soon. But I vowed from that moment forward I would wear down my mom's resistance and I would get a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64. Of course it would take two years to finally convince her to let Santa bring me an N64, but the wait was well worth it.
Describing the magic I felt when I first played this game is the best way I can describe why it deserves to be number three on my list. It was just the perfect transition for Mario, which is saying something since 3D platforming really was unexplored waters for Nintendo
2. Super Mario Bros. 3
Word's cannot express how hard it was to decide whether or not this game should be the best or second best on this list.
This game was the first true sequel to Super Mario Bros since the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 was basically a level-pack for the original game and the American Super Mario Bros. 2 was a drastic change to the formula that made the original the classic it was.
Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced us to so much that has since become commonplace in Mario games: thwomps, bob-mobs, boos, a less linear level-progression, and multiple new power-ups. More importantly, the game happens to be one of if not the most fun, most replayable games to be released on the NES.
1. Super Mario World
Could the 90s Kid really crown any other Mario game as champion of them all?
Super Mario World feels like a Disney cartoon short from the 30s and 40s. This is likely due to the bright, crisp colors available to the developers via the improved capabilities of the SNES.
In addition to the improved graphics, the game also boasted some impressive sound design. From the music that plays during the first stage to the iconic sound of the feather power-up, the game is as much a treat for the ears as it is for the eyes.
Of course a game can look and sound beautiful, but its still a turd pile if the gameplay is substandard. Fortunately Super Mario World took every thing great about Mario and made it even better. The level design was taken up a notch from the already near-perfect design found in Super Mario Bros. 3, with multiple levels containing secret exits. The gameplay also strikes a perfect balance between challenging and accessibility, achieving something that Nintendo does so incredibly when they are at their best: games that are as much fun for a 30-year-old as they are for a five-year-old.
You should maybe follow me on Facebook and Twitter. All the cool kids are doing it. And if history has taught us anything, it's that the cool kids always make the best decisions.
Wanna tell me how much you love/hate/love-hate me? Send an e-mail way at theninetieskid25@gmail.com