Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Yes, we all know that technically he made his first appearance as Jumpman in Donkey Kong games in the early 1980s. However, he didn't actually take on the moniker of Mario until his own debut game in 1985, Super Mario Bros. So for this 35 year anniversary, I'm going to rank the top 35 games that have featured Mario. There is no qualifier to this other than Mario has appeared in it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tears of the Cows 1,214 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 When are you going to rank them ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Teh_Diplomat 2,054 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 #1 Sticker Star Count. /Thread. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 Honorable Mentions: NBA Street Vol. 3 I still hold this to be the greatest basketball game ever. In lieu of an online mode that the PS2/Xbox versions provided, GCN owners were treated to Mario and friends being playable ballers in their version of the game. Hitting sick tricks and pulling off the triple alley-oop were just so satisfying. This is one franchise that I'd love to see revived at some point in the future regardless of platform. Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix This was the first time Konami brought it's insanely popular DDR game to a Nintendo console after having released numerous versions on PS1/PS2. The game provided lots of fun and unique mixes of Mario songs. WarioWare Inc. Mega Microgames/ WarioWare Twisted This one is really stretching meeting qualifications as it's mainly a Wario game but I feel the need to give this series credit. The game is incredibly fun and addicting with fast, paced play and what feels like an infinite number of unlockables. The original two for Game Boy Advance are the best in the series. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Casual 732 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Man NBA street was so good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
madmaltese★ 2,590 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Cool idea man! Looking forward to it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 #35 Paper Mario Sticker Star While never reaching the heights of it's previous games and a somewhat questionable choice to switch the battle system to using stickers, it still remains a well-written and fun game with some great visuals. #34 Mario Party 2 The first game in the series was a nice start but some of the mini-games literally destroyed your controllers. It wasn't until the sequel that the series would truly start to shine. Themed boards featuring space, pirates, and ghosts were all fun and varied. The mini-games were so fun. One of the best multiplayer games around that is still fun to play today. I hope this is included when Nintendo released an N64 mini console. #33 Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story This is the third game in the Mario and Luigi series of RPGs from developer Alphadream. The writing is still as good as the previous two but at this time the gameplay was starting to feel a little samey as the previous titles. The cool addition to this is having one character inside of Bowser and solving tricks and puzzle that way. #32 Luigi's Mansion Mario's brother in his first outing and a launch game for GameCube. I remember playing this Christmas 2001 and being so amazed. The mansion was fun to explore and sucking up the ghosts was neat. #31 Mario Golf: World Tour Mario has been in many golf games dating all the way back NES Open in 1991. However, the most recent outing still remains the best. So many modes and perfect golf swing mechanics make this one a standout. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Casual 732 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 (edited) Luigi's Mansion is so good. I still need to get the 3rd. I've never had a chance to play the Mario+Luigi games, hopefully there's some sort of GB/DS VC on the Switch at some point. Edited April 17, 2020 by Casual Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 (edited) #30 Mario vs. Donkey Kong The spiritual successor to 1994's Donkey Kong on Game Boy. This game expands upon the already excellent gameplay of the original. #29 Mario Kart DS First ever Mario Kart to feature online play and Waluigi's Pinball is still one of the most creative and awesome tracks to this date in the franchise. #28 New Super Mario Bros. This was Nintendo's first new 2d Mario platformer since Super Mario World at the time of its release. Game featured a great challenge and unique worlds. #27 Super Mario Strikers Charged One of the best Mario Sports games released and one of the best multiplayer games on Wii. #26 Super Smash Bros. Brawl Coming off of Melee the hype for this game was unreal. The additions of Sonic and Snake were just insane. The actual fighting in the game was sluggish compared to Melee. However, the single player story-mode Subspace Emissary is the main highlight here. Edited April 17, 2020 by Ike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Mother Fucker 26 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 The character became Mario in the 1983 "Mario Bros" game Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 #25 Super Paper Mario This game offered more platforming and changed the gameplay mechanic from the turn-based system of its two predecessors. It never did quite manage to match the previous two titles it still remains a very funny and great game. #24 Mario Party 3 The best the franchise ever has been. It expanded upon the already sequel in so many great ways like adding partners and allowing 3 items. The blue lamp that allowed you move the star location was just a brutal addition and led to some fights. #23 Mario Kart Double Dash The one-off addition of adding two riders to a kart was a fun gimmick for this version. I had plenty of fun playing co-op with my younger brother on this one. Baby Park made its debut here and is one of my favorite tracks in the series. #22 Super Mario Land Mario's first portable outing was a fun one. The world 1 theme song is a classic Mario tune and the final stage with the shooting airplane was great. #21 Super Mario Sunshine A wonderfully colorful world and an underrated game, in my opinion. The secret levels where Mario gets the FLUDD taken away are some of the best pure platforming levels that Nintendo has done. I'm really hoping this game gets the rumored Switch remake. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. House 3,371 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 The first Warioware Inc game for the GBA was so godly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 #20 Mario Power Tennis This is the height of Mario sports games. The power shots, the mini-games. Everything about this is wonderful. #19 Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga The first game in the long running series is quite frankly one of the funniest games ever. #18 Super Mario 3D Land The crown level still remains one of the most challenging and greatest levels ever in the series. #17 Mario Kart 64 One of my most played N64 games. This is battle mode at its finest in the series. The soundtrack and courses are also amazing. #16 Super Mario Bros. 2 Quite a departure from Super Mario Bros. but with 4 playable characters each with their own abilities and some inventive gameplay choices. This is one really great game. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kokujin 558 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 MK64, SM64 Super Mario RPG (oh hearts baby) Oddysey/Galaxy/New 10s. my top 5. I never remembered or liked the old school ones. Screw Smash lol. Cool of you to make a list Ike. And I agree, the levels n Sunshine where you're chasing evil maro through all that platforming is pretty wicked stuff now that I think about it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 #15 Luigi's Mansion 3 The most recent game on this list and it definitely could just be recency bias, however, I loved this game. It was lengthy without overstaying its welcome. Each new floor was just fun to explore with their unique mechanics and boss fights. The puzzles were clever. It's also probably the best Mario and friends have ever looked. The game is downright gorgeous and sometimes looks like what a Mario Saturday morning cartoon show would look like. #14 Mario and Luigi Partners in Time The best story Nintendo has put out. Also, the funniest. Hearing Luigi's cry never failed to illicit a laugh. #13 Paper Mario What a crazy adventure this game was. This was a great written and produced game with really awesome settings and characters. #12 Super Smash Bros. I'll never forget the Christmas I got this game. The marketing campaign was brilliant and the final result was amazing. #11 Super Mario Odyssey The capture mechanic in this one added a great new fresh experience to the platforming experience. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 #10 Super Mario 3D World Champion's Road might be my favorite all time Mario level. #9 Super Mario Land 2: The Six Golden Coins Not particularly challenging but the world design in this one is probably the most creative they ever produced. I constantly played this on my Game Boy. #8 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe The most recent iteration of Mario Kart is also its best. Gorgeous visuals, tight controls, great original tracks and many favorites return. I honestly don't know how they can improve for Mario Kart 9. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. House 3,371 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 My top 5. Super Mario World Mario 64 NSMB3 SSBM Mario Kart 64 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 #7 Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door A better game than the original in almost every way. Clever script, great gameplay, memorable characters, and one hell of a final boss. The new Paper Mario game should adopt this style. #6 Super Mario RPG A dream collaboration between Square and Nintendo still remains the best Mario has been in an RPG. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 5. Super Smash Bros. Melee The game you bought a GameCube to play. Probably still the game I put the most hours into ever. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ike★ 2,919 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 4. Super Mario Bros. The original and my first real memory of ever playing a game. It's incredible the product they were able to release 35 years ago. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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