My top 10 Mario games
Two months ago, I ranked my top 10 Zelda games in advance of the release of Tears of the Kingdom. With the recent announcements of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario RPG remake coming later this fall, I thought it a good time to rank my top 10 Mario games as a follow-up!
The Mario series is my favorite in gaming by a wide margin. This series set many firsts for me, including the first game I ever remember playing (Super Mario Bros.), the first game I ever beat (Super Mario Bros. 3), the first game I ever 100%ed (Super Mario World), the first RPG I ever played (Super Mario RPG), and the first 3D game I ever played (Super Mario 64).
Beyond nostalgic value, though, and beyond being “first”, there’s a kinetic energy and a replayable allure to almost every game in this series that continually draws me in and brings me back. It’s video game magic.
Mario has been everything to me for close to 40 years, so this is going to be a tough ranking. We’re splitting mustache hairs here. I’ve changed my mind so many times in the run-up to this list that I’m eager to just publish it so I can be done and can argue with myself in the future.
Before we start, quick rule check, what qualifies for my list? Any platformer or adventure game where you mainly play as Mario. This means that all of the Mario RPG games are in, but Mario branded games where you play as someone else like Yoshi’s Island (Super Mario World 2) and Wario Land (Super Mario Land 3) are out. And no go-karting, party, sports, or fighting games either, since Mario isn’t the clear “main character” in those titles. Don’t like the rules? Too bad, this is my list.
So with all that said, let’s-a-go!!
10. Super Mario 3D World (2013, Wii U)
What an odd cocktail this game is. It takes the 4-player chaos that was introduced by New Super Mario Bros. Wii, adds in the reimagined 3D level-based design that was introduced by Super Mario 3D Land, brings back character-specific nuances like Luigi’s high jump and Peach’s floaty jump from Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA), and tops it all off with a suit that turns Mario into a housecat. Profit?
Playing alone, I thought this game was fine. Cute. Fun. A decent entry in the series, but not list-worthy.
Playing with my son in 2-player mode, it took on a new lens of forced cooperation, each of us pulling off saves when the other had failed and each of us yelling at each other to be better teammates. It started making its mark.
Playing with my son, my friend Jay, and his son together in 4-player mode? Now you’re taking the 2-player mode and turning it up to 11. Complete and constant chaos. While you can’t always (ever?) track what’s going on, it doesn’t matter. You are constantly laughing and having a good time, and that experience puts this game in my top 10.
9. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (2004, GameCube)
Why does Nintendo hate this game? No, seriously, why does Nintendo hate this game?
Is it because they felt Mario had gotten too deep into RPG loot and progression mechanics and they needed to pull him back from the brink, as they would in every sequel this series ever saw?
Is it because the interludes between chapters allow you to play as Peach and Bowser, and they felt that distracted from our main man Mario?
Is it because the chapters varied so much, ranging from Mario having to climb the ranks in an MMA-like tournament to Mario solving a mystery on a train to Mario’s body being stolen by a ghost, and the tonal shifts could come off as jarring?
These all are things I love about the game, but they’re also not very “Mario”. This may be the most off-brand game on the list, and while I love it for it, I suspect that’s why this title will never see the light of day again.
What a classic, though. And Goombella is the best party member across all of the Mario RPGs, don’t @ me.
8. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990, NES)
Okay, we are at number 8 and I’m already nervous. Quite literally, every game from here on out is a game that could have been #1 on this list, and probably has been at some point in my life my favorite Mario game. These are tough calls.
I have so many memories of this game.
Seeing it before it came out in the theater in the movie The Wizard.
Getting it for my 8th birthday and playing it with my sister that whole night.
Using the Game Genie to beat it at my friend Brandon’s house in 4th grade.
Taking on a 100% run with my friend Roger in college.
Finally, laughing at the absurd settings like Giant Land, the ridiculous one-off gimmicks like Kuribo’s Shoe, the hilarious power-ups like the Hammer Bros. suit, and the subversive ending where Peach punks you.
This game is an all-time classic and it’s only a testament to the power of Mario that it’s this low on the list.
7. Super Mario 64 (1996, N64)
This game blew my mind. This game blew everyone’s mind. This game changed everything.
I can still remember the first time I popped the Nintendo Power VHS about the upcoming Nintendo 64 into the VCR and saw this game in action for the first time. They knew they had a game changer and they knew how to sell it.
I remember going to my friend Tim’s house right when the game came out and taking turns finding stars, freaking out at the sheer notion that we are playing a 3D Mario.
Decades later, I replayed this game during breaks at work with my friend Rebecca and remember thinking the whole time, “damn, this game really holds up”.
I can start to pick nits about the camera, the forced red coin collection, and the fundamental design issue that kicks you out of a level every time you collect a star, but I don’t want to. I’m still in awe of this game and what it accomplished, how it made me feel, and how it still makes me feel today.
6. Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Wii)
Is this the most creative Mario has ever been? Quite possible.
Is this the most epic Mario has every been? Also quite possible.
With most other Mario games, I can picture a single image in my head when you mention its name, an image that best reflects the essence of the game. But I can’t with Super Mario Galaxy.
Do I try to picture the Comet Observatory hub world that “wakes up”, with the music getting more and more complex and rich, as you progress in the game?
What about Good Egg Galaxy, one of the most stunning first levels in Mario history?
How about the varied power-ups, such as Bee Mario, Boo Mario, or Spring Mario?
Should I picture Gusty Garden Galaxy, with its uplifting music that perfectly translates to the level mechanic of the winds that literally carry Mario?
Or perhaps the epic boss fights, whether they be against Bowser Jr., Bowser Sr., or the army of minions that show up?
This game is all over the place in a good way and while it means I can’t distill it down to a perfect singular image, I also don’t have to. It’s the most extra Mario ever made.
5. Super Mario Bros. (1985, NES)
This was the first game I remember playing, the reason I begged my parents for a Nintendo Entertainment System, and the reason I still play games overall and Mario games specifically to this day.
That said, I never beat it as a child. I could make it to world 8 pretty easily once I learned about the warp zones, but 8-2 was my white whale. On the odd chance that I cleared 8-2, I’d be finished off by the Hammer Bros. in 8-3. Game over.
It wasn’t until the 2000s when I finally took this one down in college, and what a sweet day that was. I didn’t rest on my laurels, though. I immediately followed that up by clearing the game without warp zones to prove to myself that I could do it.
To this day, I’ve retained the muscle memory to beat this game and I beat it at least once every year to stay sharp. I get this game on every system it comes out on and will never tire of it. I even got super into the 35th anniversary battle royale release Super Mario Bros. 35 three years ago, ranking that as my third-favorite game of 2020.
This game stands the test of time like no other game I’ve ever played, and it’s a worthy owner of the #5 spot on this list.
4. Super Mario Odyssey (2017, Switch)
Sometimes the world is in a rough place and only the right game can make me feel better about it.
During a global pandemic in 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons gave me and millions of others a safe place to get away from it all, a way to connect with others, and the opportunity to build a second life when the world seemed scary.
Three years earlier, the world seemed scary for a completely different reason, as hatred and bigotry rose around the world and particularly so in the U.S. around and following the 2016 election. It was awful.
I think I would have liked Super Mario Odyssey in any era, but it seemed uniquely suited to hit the spot for me given the backdrop. And two moments really transcend all else and boost this game into my top four.
First up, the endgame, when you have to cooperate with Bowser in order to escape a collapsing level. You work together with your worst enemy. There’s common ground and common objectives. You break through the hate. And you succeed. Who knew! What a message, after years of mudslinging and nastiness in the real world that sadly rewarded the very worst people and most disgraceful and self-interested behavior our country has ever known.
Second, Jump Up Super Star and the New Donk City Festival. I’m proud to admit that this sequence overwhelmed me emotionally and I cried the happiest tears I can remember as Mario celebrated decades of history to the best song in series history. This song’s uplifting message, confident vocals, and upbeat big band energy collectively mean so much to me, and this track served as the pick-me-up I sorely needed after a year of feeling hopeless and devastated.
This game helped me get off the mat and to some degree believe in humanity again, and I don’t care how ridiculous that sounds. I’ll never forget it. Thank you, Super Mario Odyssey.
3. Super Mario World (1991, SNES)
Okay, so how are you going to top “believing in humanity again”?
Super Mario World can’t compete on profundity, but it’s the best Mario has ever played, full stop.
The cohesion between the world map and the levels create a sense of place the series has never had before and rarely has had since. The secret exits in 24 of the levels create a sense of mystery and adventure that hasn’t been topped. And new-to-the-series mechanics like flying with the cape and riding Yoshi make it all feel fresh.
This was the first game I ever 100%ed, as I cleared all 96 exits with my friend Brad as a child. I’ve gone ahead and 100%ed it again and again on future re-releases.
This game is timeless. Every time I beat Bowser and the credits roll, I cherish the experience and memories this game has provided me. And I can’t wait to play it all again.
2. Super Mario RPG (1996, SNES)
Not only was this the first RPG that I ever played, but it’s also the first video game I can remember that had its own website in the early days of the internet. It was such an irresistible concept, the first role-playing game starring Mario and company, and I took it all in.
Little did I know just how incredible this game would be.
I never owned this game as a child, so I rented it over and over again from Blockbuster. Yep, good old Blockbuster, where you got a different cart of the game every time and you could see how far the people who rented the game before you progressed.
It was on someone else’s save file that I first discovered that you rescue Peach well before the halfway point of the game, and not only do you keep going, but you team up with freaking Bowser!
In 1996, this was the most mind-blowing revelation ever. And it was everything I hoped it would be. Bowser was petulant, he was moody, he was self-motivated, he was at times reflective, and he was always entertaining. He was the true star of this game.
I can’t wait for November. Whether this game’s upcoming remake is primarily a new coat of paint or a completely fresh take on this classic, it’s going to be amazing.
1. Super Mario Maker 2 (2019, Switch)
This is the ultimate Mario experience, the game I literally dreamed of my whole life, and the sandbox in the Mario series that I’ve spent more time in than any other.
I was already hooked in 2015 by Super Mario Maker, as I designed a handful of levels and played hundreds of others designed by the community in my 2015 Game of the Year.
Four years later, I named the sequel my 2010s Game of the Decade. Even though I hadn’t become as addicted to the sequel as I was to the original, Super Mario Maker 2 expanded and improved the original formula and created the pinnacle of community-driven creativity.
Now four years after its release, the game has taken on new meaning for me. Today I’m not just playing random levels I discover online, but rather I’m playing levels that my son has designed specifically for me.
There’s no feeling like jumping into a hellish level that he’s created and then trying to clear it while he watches. First, he’s cackling and taunting me at every death. Then, he’s cheering and high-fiving me when I finally beat it.
Super Mario Maker 2 has brought us together in a way that no other game ever has. It’s true magic.