With video gaming's favourite son Mario turning 30 this year (on this very day in fact - 13/09/1985) I thought I would give a run-down of my top 5 games of the series - that includes both main and and side games of the Mario Franchise. Looking at Wikipedia it says that there are in fact over 100 games featuring Mario or Mario characters so it's quite obvious that I didn't play them all. But regardless, behold my list of the 5 top Mario games I have played in all it's moustached-man glory! Enjoy!
5. Super Mario Bros
Ah yes, the one that started it all. You can't really have a list like this unless you include the original. Playing this on the NES (and later the GBC as Super Mario Bros Deluxe) was really what first got me into gaming. Looking back just seeing how simple it was: you press right, jump to hit blocks, jump on enemies to defeat them, avoid pits and finish the level. So simple but so fun and rewarding. From the iconic music to the memorable levels, this really was one for the ages. Graphically of course it is nothing short of the pits nowadays but I have never been one to put pretty looking games over game play anyway. Perhaps the daddy of all platforming games, this one holds a place dear in my heart. I may not have been around when it first came out but I will definitely look back on this with happy memories in another 30 years from now.
4. New Super Mario Bros Wii
This is the odd one out of the games in my list. As you can tell I really do prefer old school games even though being relatively young myself. This is the only game on the list that actually came out AFTER the millennium. I think the reason for that is because while it looks pretty from the new gaming technology at the time, it was a 2D platformer that played like one of the old games. It brought back the nostalgia of the Mario series that I love as well as adding brand new enemies, environments and power-ups. One of my favourite aspects was the addition of collecting the coins. I know this was in many other earlier Mario games but this was new to me. Being the perfectionist guy I am, I hated getting through the level and realizing that I was missing that second coin (something that happened more often that I would have liked!). It really showed that there is a place for 2D platforming in the gaming sphere still today and thankfully it lead to other successful games in this style such as Donkey Kong Country Returns and Kirby's Epic Yarn.
3. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
I never really got into the Super Mario Land series of games on the Game Boy. I had the first one and I completed it but didn't think it was as good as the NES games. Not just because it was on the GBC but because it seemed so different. So when I got this one I was expecting more of the same and I was wrong and glad for that. This game was a fun little number on the hand-held and I must say I really enjoyed it back then and I still do today. The music was fun for the levels and the fact you could choose where you wanted to go instead of the linear path was a great change from the norm of Mario games. You could be getting swallowed by a giant turtle first, then go up in space for the next world and even getting the last coin by entering a giant mecha Mario and defeating the three little pigs - yes, that's right - THE three little pigs! The game's final area was the castle which was quite difficult and at the end of the stage you faced off against someone called Wario, who unbeknownst at the time, would be one of the series' most popular protagonists. A top game overall and would have made number one on this list if it wasn't for the following two games. Speaking of Wario though...
2. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Yet another Game Boy title on this list! I could have made this post about 10 years ago and it would not have changed. Moving on! Can you class this game as a Mario Game? I say yes because not only does it both have Mario in the name title and feature a cameo of the man himself at the end, it plays like a Mario game with several differences. Wario is stronger than Mario, shown by the fact that he can just nudge enemies aside as long as they have nothing sharp pointing directly at him. He can't jump and kill enemies like Mario, but he can pick them up and hurl them at other enemies for a double kill! This game was awesome. The music was varied and extremely fitting for all the environments & levels, which were also great and plentiful, The addition of having to go out of your way to collect keys that lead to secrets so you can 100% the game for the best ending was a nice touch. The word 'backtrack' strikes fear into many a gamer's heart but this didn't feature massive treks with backtracking and it made it feel more rewarding than like a chore. Several levels were a bit of pain, such as the one with the chasing lava, which was made more difficult with the enemies in your path and trying to get that damn key too! While this game was a lot harder back in the day when I was a young spud, nowadays it could be completed with a good one of gaming session. This however doesn't take anything away from it's playing value at all. It made it to number 2 on my list but I am sure that it would be numero uno for many Mario (and Wario!) fans out there.
1. Super Mario Bros 3
In my honest opinion (and I am sure a lot of other Mario lovers too), this is the greatest Mario game of all time and even though it is 25 years old itself, it still stands the test of time. I recall playing this one on the NES (and later the GBA version) and it always brings back great memories. Back in the old days, you didn't have the world web to tell you tips and tricks on games, so when you managed to fly up in the castle in World 1 get that flute you were like 'I AM A MARIO MASTER!' even though like EVERYONE had already got that. Hell it wasn't until I had the Game Boy Advance version that I found out about that White Square you can duck and go behind the level. Amazing! The courses were fun and challenging at the same time, but not to the point where you got frustrated. I mean some of those World 8 levels took the biscuit on difficulty and those World 5 Sky levels really got my goat, but when you finished the game you were more happy and proud rather than thinking 'thank god that this is over.' Definitely the best Mario game of all time and one of the greatest games ever made. In my opinion of course.
What is your favourite Mario game and how does my list compare to yours?
The British Gamer. Signing Off.
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