# 10 Mario Tennis
I know, I know. Tenins, really? But if you've gotten past your preconcieved bias of this boring sport and actually played this one, you should be able to at least understand why it belongs on this list, and it turns out, this one is a hell of a lot more fun than it sounds.
One of the early entries of Mario’s foray into sports, Mario Tennis is a far cry from the goomba stomping, Mushroom kingdom wandering platforming adventure we associate the series with, yet it shares similar qualities of fast paced, adrenaline pumping action. It’s just that instead of knocking troopas, now you are knocking a tennis ball. Instead of attempting to defeating a giant lizard named Bowser and his dysfunctional gang of wizards and walking bombs, you topple your friends, family, or some surprisingly sharp A.I.
In staying true to the traditional character of Mario games, Mario Tennis is riddled with cartoony, arcadey power-ups, such as banana peels that can be deceivingly dangerous to your game, magic stars that put Mario on speed, or fireballs that collide with your opponent before the tennis ball gets the chance to. Despite its cartoony exterior, the game is surprisingly complex, and not just in terms of the power-ups that add a crazy twist to the seemingly boring game of tennis.
You are given a selection of several different courts, which all create variances in bounce and speed of the ball, as well as many characters with different attributes. You unlock more of both as you progress in the single player mode – which by itself earns brownie points for me, as unlockables are an important ingredient in creating a good game. There are different game modes as well, adding to the replay value, which is already off the charts from the countless hours of multiplayer fun you have as you trash talk your buddies.
Mario Tennis has succeeded in proving me wrong in two cases; that tennis is boring in its nature, and that Mario could NEVER work as a tennis game. Well played, Nintendo.
#9 Super Mario Galaxy 2
Nintendo went all out when they made this one. It’s like the took a look at the PS3 and said, “oh yeah?? Check this stuff out… We have Mario, IN SPACE, flying around onto tons of different planets, with their own unique gravity… EXTREME!” These graphics are certainly top of the line in terms of Wii games, and indeed, many modern games in general. The game really engulfs you into a surreal and enriching atmosphere – quite literally – with a unique flavor for each planet.
While the game follows the structure of “go to this world a bunch of times and go get this star!” that the 3D platforming Mario games have employed, Super Mario Galaxy 2 has improved on this formula by maximizing the various worlds while minimizing the amount of stars per world. Even within the planets themselves, you are generally given very different experiences in gaining each star within it. For instance, first you might run through a stage once traditional platform style. The second time through that stage you are must ride a crazy fast Yoshi fueled on a hot pepper as you run across walls. Then the third time, you go through a speed run while collecting every coin.
Galaxy 2 is like a virtual amusement park with all sorts of types of exhilarating rides that will have you hooked. While it is a bit more slow paced, and takes a little more patience than the pick-up-and-play, intense 2D sidescrollers that kicked off Mario’s career, it is massively fun in its own right. It will leave you in a state of trance as you venture through the galaxy.
Oh and in case your wondering, this game is far superior to Galaxy 1. If you happen to be picking up a Wii and need your fill of 3D Mario goodness, I would just skip right over to this one. They are very similar games, yet this one is better in almost every way, including bigger and more inspired worlds, the end of that cumbersome overworld in favor of an easy to navigate 2D Map, cooler powerups, and of course, freakin YOSHI!
#8 Mario Kart 64
This centerpiece to the N64′s library consists of perhaps my most played multiplayer mode in a videogame to date, and for good reason. The replay value is simply endless. A decade and-a-half after its release, I still bust out this gem, enjoying countless hours of wacky fun with friends and family. The Mario Kart series in general is a favorite of mine. It is a franchise within a franchise that has taken on a life of its own. Like the original Mario platformers, these games have brought entertainment to men and women, boys and girls of all ages. Hell, I’m sure even your family pet would enjoy it if he had opposable thumbs and a brain capable of such a task. It is one of the few cartoony games we were not ashamed to play with our friends in college, as we took a swig of our beer after each lap.
Aside from the phenomenal replay value and broad appeal with its simple, yet engrossing gameplay, Mario Kart 64 offers a variety of deep and enormously fun levels, complete with crazy twists and turns, obstacles of every kind, and the occasional cheap shortcut or two that would piss off your opponent should you manage to tackle it and they cannot. The game has similarly enticing and enriching music that I enjoyed so much, I actually bought a soundtrack of the game. The clerk couldn’t even believe it, asking me if I realized that I was buying a Mario Kart soundtrack and not the game.
The game gives you the chance to, (and indeed, REVOLVES around) sabotaging your racing buddies with an assortment of strategic items ranging from mildly annoying to completely devastating. You will bounce around from first to last – A LOT. Some people criticize this element of randomness that seems to rely more on chance than skill at times. I, however, embrace the intensity and entertaining chaos of scrambling to cross the finish line before the heat-seeking spike shell makes an unwanted collision with me. Besides, if you’re skilled enough, and willed enough, you will find away to come out on top, regardless of the external factors surrounding you and bogging you down. Such is life.
Mario Kart 64 initially wowed us with its pretty 3D (for its time) and epic stages, but it kept our attention with its addictive arcade-style gameplay and countless replayability, keeping us racing in our tiny karts and dodging banana peels to this day.
#7 Super Mario 64
You are looking at Nintendo’s first flagship dabble into the 3D world, and holy hell were we excited. I mean damn, a Mario platformer in 3D?? Our minds were blown at the implications of this. We were going to have a brand new Mario game, which was almost certain to be of quality, and with top of the line 3D graphics on top of it.
To our relief, our high expectations were met, as we played endlessly through what was for many of us, our first N64 game, and likewise, our first interactive experience in a 3D world. The game fittingly involved Mario leaping through awe-inspiring paintings throughout Peach’s massive castle, as we too felt like we had transported into another world of wonder and excitement.
Like the planets in Galaxy, each painting brought a vastly different experience. While we had to spend several visits in the same world as a result of all the star and coin collecting, we generally didn’t care, because of how gigantic and visually appealing each world looked. Sure, we had traveled the dessert, swam into the endless oceans, and trekked through Bowser’s perilous lava worlds before, but going through them in 3D somehow felt new and wondrous. And oh how satisfying it was to spin Bowser by his tail using the thumbstick and fling him to his doom.
Mario 64 brought Mario gameplay up a notch, in terms of its sheer scale. For the first time, you felt like you were on this epic adventure, rather than dodging enemies and “getting to the finish.” Back in the 90s, everybody was pushing “the next thing” in gaming in attempt to continue to wow gamers. Nintendo was pushing 3D, almost to the point of stubbornness (remember “get N or get out”?) But we loved it.
#6 New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In 2009, Nintendo had experienced a renaissance of massive proportions, with a little console known as the Wii. The mass audience, and even some Nintendo fans, that had grown indifferent of their lackluster N64/Gamecube approach of complex and cinematic games, had returned. Wii Sports was the catalyst that brought them back. It showed once again that one thing resided over all else in gaming; pure FUN. New Super Mario Brothers Wii continued this trend of raw gameplay and undiluted fun that was accessible to all. More significantly, it returned Mario to his true roots.
Not since the mid 90s was a Mario console game released that emphasized the formula that had catapulted Mario to such a phenomenon in the first place; fast, action packed, arcade style fun that had a simple yet satisfying objective of “get to the end and don’t get killed.” Mario was finally back in his true nature, and this time he brought Luigi, and a couple of weird looking toads, which allowed for 4 player, simultaneous Mario action. This brought the already intense gameplay to an absolute frenzy. While the game can be tricky in the single player, the four player mode is a challenge in its own right, as your buddies tend to get in your way, while paradoxically being on your side. This makes for a chaotic battle to the finish and a lot of trash talking and ganging up; a unique experience that few games successfully provide with such detail.
Along with the insanely fun multiplayer, the revival of the 2D Mario franchise brings with it new powerups and plenty of new stages, including a visually interesting jungle world which is, unfortunately, one of the few worlds not recycled from previous Mario games in some form. In terms of powerups, the penguin suit is an absolute blast, as you can skid across ice on your belly, while freezing enemies with your new ice flower, which you can in turn use to stand on and use as platforms. Awesome…
New Super Mario Brothers proved with its stellar sales that people were still hungry for old school Mario. For me personally, it represents what I love most about gaming, and in this age of cinematic games, it shines through as a trinket of what gaming’s golden age represents. Hopefully more of these can be made, perhaps with a brand new overworld and environments. While it was certainly a beautiful feeling to finally revisit the Mushroom Kingdom in all its 2D glory like the good ol’ days, you can’t help but wonder what other sort of mind bending “kingdoms” are out there for Mario to get himself lost in.
Damn, this turned out longer than I intended. I guess my love of Mario games prevents me from keeping my ramblings about them brief.. I suppose I'll simply split this into two blog posts to make it a bit less overwhelming! Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon!
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