First of all let
me say sorry for the lack of posts last week. I know this happens
from time to time, but sadly this can't be avoided. Still this week
there should be a steady stream of content on this blog.
So let's start
with a Toplist that has been on my mind for a long time. After
talking about my Top 5 Zelda Games a while ago it is now time to give
Nintendos Mascot the Spotlight. Mario is probably one of the most
universally well known fictional characters of all time. You'll
hardly find anyone who can't whistle along with his iconic theme
tune. And although his looks were more a product of technical
limitations during the early 80s it has become truly iconic.
Now with Mario
slated to make his triumphant 3D return later this year in Super
Mario Odyssey I thought it would be nice to take a look back at what
he has accomplished in his more than 30 years of jumping on Gumbas.
So here is my selection for the 5 best Mario Games of all time.
Oh and just to
make everything clear, I'm only considering mainline games for this
list. So no Spin-Offs like Mario Party, Paper Mario or Mario Kart and
sadly no Yoshis Island.
5: Super Mario Bros. 3
While the true
Super Mario Bros. 2 (release in the US and Europe as The Lost Levels
in Super Mario Allstars) felt more like a level pack for the original
game, rather than a full blown sequel, Super Mario Bros. 3 blew
everything out of the water.
Truly unique Level
designs, a new graphical style and innovations left and right set the
standard on how Mario Games had to look like in the future. If you
directly put the original Super Mario Bros. against this game it's
not even comparable. An overworld, Items, Toad Houses, a huge
selection of Power-UPs and unique Boss fights. This game wasn't a
step, but a leap forward.
Sadly I wasn't
around when it released, but I can imagine how mind blowing the
experience must have been.
Also Power-UP wise
this game had one of the biggest selection in the history of all
Mario titles. Not only did classics like the Fire Flower or the Power
Star return, but it also introduced new fan favorites. The Leaf and
Tanuki Suit, for the first time, allowed Mario the take flight and
introduced a new dimension of conquering the stages. The Hammer Bros.
Suit allowed Mario to experience the awesome Power of his most hated
enemies. And the Frog Suit and Gumba Shoe introduced new ways of
traversing the dangerous terrain of the levels.
Another strong
point of this game is that Miyamoto and his team had truly managed
level design by this point. You can see their inherent greatness in
the levels of the original Super Mario Bros, but it was still rough
around the edges. With Super Mario Bros. 3, however, they had finally
mastered the art of creating the perfect 2D Jump'n'Run Courses. The
level design in this level is simply great. Varied and never unfair,
it will always challenge you. This fact and the many standards this
game set (World 2 is always a desert World) earn the Number 5 spot on
this list.
4: Super Mario Bros.
What marks a great
game? If it's fun to play more than thirty years after its initial
release. And Super Mario Bros. fulfills that criteria, even without
Nostalgia goggles. The game shows that a simple, but perfected game
concept is truly timeless. The genius of Super Mario Bros. is that it
effortlessly brings together casual friendly gameplay and a high
skill ceiling. Later iterations have improved and build on this
foundation, but it's all there in the very first game of the series.
Even a person, who has never played a game before, will manage World
1-1 after a couple of tries. The game teaches you all tools you need
to survived directly at the start. But to beat all eight worlds you
have to fully understand Mario and his controls and then master them.
I don't think I
have to repeat how ground breaking Super Mario Bros. was when it
first released. This game single handily carried the NES and
revolutionized the Video Game market. It's influence cannot be
overestimated.
And apart from his
historic importance it is a damn good game. It overs a nice variety
in level design and a near perfect difficulty curve. If you take a
look at other games from that time it is mind blowing how much
content Super Mario Bros. offered. Eight Worlds with four levels
each, hidden warp rooms and a full blown story.
And while his
historic importance would be enough to warrant a spot on this list,
it can't be stressed enough that today still the game plays
absolutely fine. The 8 Bit graphics and tunes are timeless and the
level design, while not as fleshed out as in later titles, is still
brilliant. Even today, nearly 32 years after its first release in
Japan, Super Mario Bros. is a lot of fun to play.
3: Super Mario 64
Now on to a game
that hasn't aged quite as well, but is just as groundbreaking as its
ancestor. And while the graphics took quite the hit, the gameplay is
still top notch. Several series struggled transitioning into the 3D
era, but Mario not only made the jump, he set the rules for how such
games have had to look and play. Today the worlds of the game may
seem small, but in 1996 they truly seemed endless. And you could
literally go anywhere.
Of course it
helped that the gameplay was also transitioned into 3D perfectly.
Controlling Mario and navigating him through the obstacles inside
Peachs Castle was a blast. But enough about the impact the game had.
Let's talk about the game itself. It is still the blueprint for the
perfect Mario 3D adventure, and while another game takes a higher
spot on this list, the focus on exploration makes this game something
special. Not without a reason Super Mario Odyssey wants to got back
to that kind of Mario experience.
Being able to find
Stars purely by accident in the vast levels of the game was one of
the greatest feelings I had as a kid. The worlds of Super Mario 64
felt truly alive, instead of being segregated experiences. It was not
like with the Galaxy games where each Star was it's own Test of
skill, but they felt connected. You had the feeling that you could go
anywhere and tackle the challenge with different approaches. To this
day Super Mario 64 still feels like the most open Mario game.
This game didn't
only lay the groundwork for 3D games in general, but also for Open
World adventures. It belongs on any Toplist and is more than worthy
to take the 3rd Spot in my Top 5 Mario Games.
2: Super Mario World
From the game that
revolutionized 3D gaming to the perfect 2D Jump'n'Run. And while
other series also achieved those heights Mario did it first. Once
again he proved that he alone is more than enough to sell a system.
After he starred in the perfect sequel Super Mario Bros. 3 everyone
was wondering where Mario would go next. The answer was Dinousaur
Land. Bowser had once again kidnapped Peach and so Mario headed into
his biggest adventure yet. 96 levels and several worlds awaited him.
For the first time in the series history there was also a full
overworld map. Secret Exits and two hidden worlds (Star Road and
Special World) waited to be discovered. It marked the first
appearance of Yoshi and the Ghost Houses, two staples of the series
to this day.
But the game was
also the perfect 2D Mario experience. The controls in Super Mario
World are simply, well, perfect. Never before had you been able to
control Mario as precise as here.
And while the
Power Ups had been tuned down from the predecessor Super Mario 3, the
newly introduced Cape was a step up from the Tanuki. It's glide
mechanic offered a deeper gameplay than the simple function of the
Tanuki Suit. This game also featured the best Bowser fight, so there
is that.
Super Mario World
is hard to describe. Like many Mario games you have to play to truly
appreciate it. But let me say this. From all the games on this list
so far this game has aged the best. Not only does the presentation
still look top notch, also the controls and gameplay itself still
hold up in direct competition with current Jump'n' Runs. Also this
game features Yoshi, so there's that.
1: Super Mario Galaxy
One of the best
games ever created. Period. Across all genres and platforms.
Super Mario Galaxy
is simply the best Mario Adventure. Yes even though it's a 3D game it
doesn't focus on exploration, but instead feels more like a series of
obstacle courses. But if the obstacles are presented in such a grand
fashion and with such perfect gameplay I'm willing to ignore the
flaws. And to be honest there aren't any flaws. This game provides
you with 3D platforming of the highest caliber.
It's also the
Mario game with the deepest story so far (something they sadly
scrubbed from the direct sequel). Rosalina and the Lumas provide an
intriguing and emotional background for your journey. I have often
talked about my lover for Rosalinas character in earlier posts, so I
won't repeat that here, but to put it simply. She is by far the most
fleshed out and best written Mario Character.
The Game itself
also doesn't need to hide. It's Mario so you know the gameplay is
going to be Top Notch. The courses of the game, while often pretty
linear, are some of the greatest thins you can experience on the Wii.
They are grand in design and presentation. The orchestral music also
elevates the experience to another level.
And while the
levels aren't as open ended as in Mario 64 and you always can only
gather one specific star, once you play the game all this criticism
is forgotten immediately. Instead you simply have a great time. And
honestly this is the biggest compliment I can give this, and in fact
any, game.
Super Mario Galaxy
is a lot of fun.
So what are your
favorite Mario Jump'n'Runs? Maybe you prefer the GameBoy Titles over
some of my pics? Or do you love the actual releases? Whatever the
answer is let me know it in the comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
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