#5: Mario Kart Wii
I couldn't bring myself to pick just one Mario Kart game for my list of greatness, so I wimped out and added another! Hey, my list, my rules! :P
But anyway, I felt it necessary, because Mario Kart 64 and its Wii counterpart are both great games in their own way. While 64 transported Nintendo fans onto 3D tracks and brought greater depth to the Super Nintendo classic, this game took the classic series to unimaginable heights.
Between its collection of several new tracks and characters, its robust online system (which STILL sadly remains the standard of online Wii games), and its motion controls, this game defines fun. Using the Wiimote as your steering wheel, Mario Kart Wii brings the arcade experience right to your home with its simulated driving (using the term loosely of course). All these factors make this game not only the greatest Mario Kart in the series, but arguably the best Wii game altogether. It brought a massive appeal seldom repeated by the vast majority of games, proven by its gargantuan sales numbers. The game simply offers endless streams of fun, whether playing alone, online, or with friends/family. If you have a Wii, owning this game is damn near ESSENTIAL.
#4: Super Mario Brothers
Ah the 80′s, good times.. Who am I kidding, I remember nothing about them, since I was merely a toddler through the latter of of the decade, but thankfully gems like this were there for me to take part in, so I could know what I was missing, and over two decades later, the shock waves of its impact are still felt. This is game the single-handedly changed, well, the “game.” It was the among the first of its kind; a sidescrolling platformer that had a finite beginning and end. It boiled gaming fundamentals to their essence, and immediately thrrew you into a fantasy world in which to get lost in and eventually emerge victorious. The victory you strive for is hard fought, however, as you battle your way through hostile worlds of all kinds, and move from castle to castle, in which you expect to find a princess that is never there.
Innovation and pure, uninhibited fun are the primary ingredients that truly make this masterpiece shine. With this new and interesting world known as the Mushroom Kingdom, our young imaginations ran wild. Besides the gameplay mechanics themselves, Super Mario Brothers is riddled with unique concepts like the mushroom and star power-ups, and *ahem* “warp zones!”
The warp zones in the game were really an important element in the success of Mario. Traveling instantly from world to world was a unique concept in the 80s, but beyond this, it was simply a fun little easter egg to uncover. You felt as if you had truly accomplished something, and that you were exploiting the game in a sense, without necessarily cheating it. Furthermore, this element of Super Mario helped extend its appeal, as it made it easier for the youngsters and non-gaming masters to travel effortlessly through a game that was otherwise brutal. Make no mistake, this game is tough, even with its crisp and precise controls. You’ll find yourself frequently scrambling to avoid underwater squid, or dodge a non-stop barrage of bullet bills. Hell, I STILL get my ass handed to me on those later worlds, and I am in my 20s.
Super Mario kept what was exciting and appealing about gaming, with its twitch gameplay and variety of tough enemies, and added fascinating new concepts with its sidescrolling, jumping, power-ups, and warp zones that has since been copied to death. This game remains a prime example of how imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. While Super Mario began the gaming revolution, a couple of future Mario games in particular would build and improve upon the formula.
#3: Super Mario RPG
I initially debated as to whether or not I should count this. After all at its core, it is an RPG made by Square. But while it adheres to a strict RPG style, it still manages to capture many of the elements and the magic found in traditional Mario games, and it does a damn good job of it. I suppose if I can count a tennis game as a Mario game, why the hell not this masterpiece?
When we heard that Squaresoft was working with Nintendo on a game, we knew that we were in for something glorious, but our high expectations were surprisingly passed. Square has always had a knack for creating deep and highly developed universes that entice us gamers, but take an already fantastic environment like the Mushroom Kingdom and push it even further to the limits, and you’ve got a monstrosity of awesome. Memorable characters such as Mallow and Geno brought new life to a seasoned franchise, and a wide assortment of different items, weapons, (lazy shell, anyone?), and power-ups made this game as strategic as it was fun.
The game is equally pleasing in its aesthetics and its catchy, atmospheric music (which I will at some point, post in the music section of my page for your listening pleasure). It was like the game equivalent of Star Wars in that respect, as the serenading tunes engulfed us even deeper into an already entertaining universe. Super Mario RPG is simply loaded with content, making for a time consuming game that somehow keeps our attention the entire way through. It achieves this freshness throughout by its varied mini games (how fun was it to roll down the Midas river on a barrel collecting coins?) and diverse worlds. It is paradoxically enriched with complex and deep game mechanics as well as simple and inviting gameplay. I known several people who will not touch an RPG with a 20 foot pole that absolutely love this game.
Just as Super Mario Brothers brought me and several others into gaming, Mario RPG brought us into the unexplored territory of RPGs.
#2: Super Mario World
Now we have reached the best of the best. The top 2 Mario games succeeded in taking a great formula and expanding upon it, making for even greater games than their predecessor. Super Mario World had done what I wish more Mario games had, they threw out the Mushroom Kingdom completely and gave us a brand new universe to explore with renewed excitement. This time, we got to journey through Dinosaur World, which brought with it a creative variety of worlds, from Vanilla Dome, to the Forest of Illusion (how sweet a name is that?), to the odd Chocolate Island. And lest we forget the enchanting Star and Special Worlds, which fleshed out the warp zone ideas and made the jumping from world to world much more fun.
Super Mario World also introduced the character Yoshi, redefining the concept of a power-up in Mario games. Yoshi put the mushroom to shame, as he could gobble up his enemies, turning them into eggs, spit fire, and stomp baddies with his boots ‘o steel. Even if you got hit with Yoshi, he would merely scurry away slowly, allowing you another opportunity to use him.
Another major highlight of the game is the overworld, which is incredibly detailed and filled with all sorts of divergent paths and secrets, making for several different means of travel to reach the ultimate goal. The game is simply bursting with content. Even after you beat it once, you are brought into a weird new dimension of Dinosaur World where the enemies have changed, allowing a second play-through that is more challenging.
As always, the game was pure accessibility and platforming fun. The controls from Super Mario Brothers were somehow improved even more, allowing for maximum control and ease of movement across levels. Mario World remains the cornerstone of the Super NES library, creating a Mario-on-steroids that trumped its NES predecessor and almost every way. It gave Mario, and us gamers, a much appreciated break from the Mushroom Kingdom and brought us back to ancient times, where Koopa Football Players and fire-spitting dinosaurs ruled.
#1: Super Mario Brothers Three
As they say, the third time’s the charm. In this case, the third time was a charm among charms… (Well, I think it makes sense). Many people believe Super Mario Brothers Three to be not only the best Mario game, but indeed, the best GAME of all time. All it takes is one play through to see why. Though believe me, it will not take you merely one play through to remain satisfied.
While it was a tough call between this game and Super Mario World in terms of the greatest Mario game, I ultimately chose this because of a few key reasons; its amazingly imaginative overworld, its greater difficulty that brought a massive feeling of accomplishment, the diverse and fun power-ups, and the awesomeness of the Koopa Kids. The boss battles each consisted of a different Koopa Kid with their own unique power that you must develop a strategy on the spot in order to survive, and we loved them all. This game is the Mario universe completely juiced up, and expanded upon to far greater heights. It felt like the first TRUE sequel to Super Mario Brothers, something that Mario World doesn’t quite achieve, as it sort of does its own thing.
While Mario Brothers 3 expanded upon and perfected many elements of the older Mario games, it still managed to be a pioneer in some aspects as well, with its detailed maps, save feature, and ability to win and store items. The worlds in the game were as fun to play through as they were creative. From Giant World to Cloud world, you simply felt like you were experiencing something brand new.
Perhaps the primary factor that truly defines this game is the power-ups. Let’s face it, how many games can you turn into a frog that allows for better swimming, a raccoon that flies, a statue that protects Mario, AND hop around in a giant boot? I rest my case.. Of course, the diverse worlds, solid controls, catchy music, and crisp graphics are all there, but it is the goofy power-ups that bring an extra edge to this game. Super Mario Brothers 3 remains the standard of video game quality that few to this day have surpassed, proving that you do not need graphics and aesthetics to make a great game, you simply need great gameplay and the ability to capture gamers’ imaginations. Super Mario Brothers 3 has certainly achieved that.
So there you have it, the cream of the crop; the best Mario games Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo have created. These games have brought shock-waves through the games industry, leaving with it a legacy. The franchise was an integral piece of our childhoods, that has thankfully remained with us to this day, keeping largely the same quality it always held. Hopefully in the near future, there will be some new ones that may infest this list. Stay tuned for more top 10 lists in games, as well as other fun topics I conceive of. Game on!
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