Happy Mar10 Day!

[Beta Metroid]

It's Mar10 Day, everyone! In recognition, I'm sharing my current top 10 Mario games, and I encourage you to share any of your own positive feelings about the jumping plumber man!

1) Yoshi's Island
2) SMB3
3) SMG2
4) SMG
5) Paper Mario: The 1000 Year Door
6) SMW
7) Mario Kart 8
8) Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
9) New Super Mario Bros. Wii
10) Donkey Kong '94

Wario Land 4 would crack this list, but for my own personal, very logical reasons, I have determined that it is not a Mario game, unlike every entry in my top 10.

 

[MetManMas]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1501937446484791298

 

[Lokii]

they said mario was sexier than sonic and that's why he gets top billing at the olympics

 

[Octopus Prime]

 

[Johnny Unusual]

I'm so glad to share this day with my friends.

 

[Beowulf]

The best Mario games? Man, it's so hard to choose. Of the classic sidescrollers, I'd probably make the top choices:
1) Super Mario World
2) Super Mario Land 2: Six Gold Coins
3) Super Mario Brothers 3

The best Mario & Luigi is Bowser's Inside Story. The best Mario Kart is the original. The best Paper Mario is Paper Jam. The best Mario Party...honestly, I can't tell them apart. The best 3D Mario is 3D Land because you can actually see it in 3D. The best puzzle game is Dr. Mario. And the best Mario comics were the Nintendo Comics System ones from Valiant.

 

[RT-55J]

dang that Mario opera is good

i'm a big fan of the wonderful Supermarioland by the Ambassadors of Funk:

 

[ozacrot]

1. Super Mario World
2. Yoshi's Island
3. Super Mario 3
4. Super Mario Odyssey
5. Super Mario Galaxy
6. Super Mario RPG
7. Super Mario 64
8. Super Mario Bros.
9. Donkey Kong '94
10: Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land

 

[Issun]

1. Super Mario World
2. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2
4. Super Mario Bros. 3
5. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
7. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
8. Super Mario Bros.
9. Super Mario Galaxy
10. Super Mario 64

 

[RT-55J]

Rather than put in the effort to make a brand new ranking, I will simply quote the most unhinged post I've made on the internet:

It’s time for some game theory.

At first I attempted to make a simple, rudimentary ranking, but I eventually determined that the process was too linear and one-dimensional to provide much insight. Thus, I opted to make a scatterplot of the Mario games (and selected Mario-likes) instead, rating them on the dimensions of aesthetic quality (original releases only) and mechanical game design nuts and bolts and stuffs.

Behold!

Note 1: The games’ positions are indicated by the centers of their textboxes. Also, the ratings were finagled so as to avoid overlapping boxes (though this wasn’t too big of a deal).

Note 2: The SMRPG included here is the version that is purely an isometric platformer, with no RPGing at all. It exists only in the hearts and minds of the Mario faithful (it isn’t very good).

Note 3: SMS is missing because I don’t have clear enough memories to properly appraise it. The other games are missing because I haven’t played them.

Actual commentary:

While the design quality is spread across the board, there is a significant gap in the aesthetic dimension between SML2 and it’s closest competitor. If I had opted to include some Sonic games, they would have handily filled up that space.

Also, using this chart, we can clearly ascertain that my the ideal Mario game would be The Lost Levels with the aesthetics/theming of Six Golden Coins. If somebody added simultaneous co-op and the princesses to that mix, I’m not sure I would need another 2D Mario game.

Now, by working my way from the top-right corner of the chart (and fudging things a little), I can much more easily come up with the canonical Top 10 Mario Games List than I would have been able to otherwise.

1. Super Mario Bros 3
2. Super Mario Bros 2 (The Lost Levels)
3. Super Mario Odyssey
4. Super Mario Bros. (1)
5. Super Mario 3D World
6. Super Turrican
7. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
8. Kid Chameleon
9. Super Mario Galaxy 2
10. Super Mario Land 2

Q.E.D.

Notes:
- Yes, I am not that enamored with the aesthetics of the Mario series.
- Nowadays I'd be inclined to swap SM64 and SMG2's positions on the scatterplot. Otherwise, I feel comfortable with these placements.
- The Mareo Makers are ineligible for this list. Sorry about that.
- I haven't played Bowser's Fury yet, so I wouldn't know where to put it.
- Kid Chameleon is a Mareo by way of an American middle-schooler's imagination circa 1993. My opinions on it can vary wildly, but I will always defend it from its haters.
- Super Turrican is a Mareo because you can hop and bop on enemies and you can get power-ups from invisible blocks in the air.

In conclusion: