Snowstalker Ranks the Top 10 Mario Games

Snowstalker

Snowstalker

Snowstalker
I'll be doing these, one per day. The only criteria is that Mario must be a playable character, if only for a short time (one entry is sort of borderline breaking this rule)

#10: Donkey Kong (1981, Arcade)

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Other than Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 64, this is easily the most influential Mario title. First is the obvious; it introduced Mario and Donkey Kong, two of the most important Nintendo characters, as well as that one chick no one cares about. Short, simple, but extremely tough, it took the arcade world by storm, and would be ported to basically every Nintendo console (and others, like the 2600), though usually minus 50M for whatever reason. So why at the bottom of the top? It...didn't really age well. Only 3 or 4 levels, poor controls, and little diversity, it certainly wouldn't have become very popular if it were a random NES title in 1988 or whatever.
 
I'm interested in seeing how this list comes out.
 
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwrel&NR=1&v=gvdf5n-zI14[/youtube]

Not Mario-y enough.
 
smash bros doesnt deserve to imo and neither does donkey kong but Ill let his opinion take over and see where it goes from there cause this seems like a cool list

as much as I love me some smash, it doesnt compare to the pure genius that other mario games have had in terms of plot and gameplay
 
FYI, here's the honorable mentions:

#15: New Super Mario Bros.
#14: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
#13: Paper Mario
#12: Super Mario Galaxy 2
#11: Super Mario Sunshine
 
If Donkey Kong is on the list, then its remake on the Game Boy should be there too. Because it's better than the original. :porple:
 
#9. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (1992, Game Boy)

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Surprised? This is definitely the dark horse of the list, and one I'll surely have to explain. I never was too much of a fan of Super Mario Land; it had all the problems of the original SMB (which is on this list, of course) with none of the lasting influence. Super Mario Land 2 seems like an odd choice to have here; it's short and you play it on a tiny screen. But it has something which is all too rare in many Mario titles today; a unique imagination. Sick of the grass-desert-water-ice-mountain-sky-jungle-lava repetition? Why not a low-gravity moon level, or a world that's a giant mechanical statue of Mario or a single giant tree? And would you ever think of the entrance to a world being that you get eaten by a giant sea turtle? Though not too amazing on the surface, it's just too strange to not be remembered fondly.
 
Ah yes, Six Golden Coins was pretty fun in my opinion. Pleasantly surprised it's on the list.
 
Six Golden Coins is awesome.

SiFi said:
If Donkey Kong is on the list, then its remake on the Game Boy should be there too. Because it's better than the original. :porple:
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IMO, the Game Boy one should be on the list in place of it (and much higher, of course ;)).
 
I loved Six Golden Coins as a kid, I'd love it if a modern Mario game had a more creative world design like Super Mario Land 2.
 
Aoi Asahina said:
I loved Six Golden Coins as a kid, I'd love it if a modern Mario game had a more creative world design like Super Mario Land 2.
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For once in my life, I have to agree with Crash. Six Golden Coins is one of my favorite Mario games.
 
Might as well do...

#8. Mario Kart 7 (2011, 3DS)

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It's rare that I think of a new game so fondly before it has time to age, but I genuinely feel that this is the best Mario Kart game; thus, it represents that franchise on this list. But even if it has a small roster and fewer modes than Mario Kart DS, it seems to have patched up every other problem of mine with the Mario Karts. Mario Kart Wii's terrible AI and item balance? Toned down, and it's no longer a death warrant to be in 1st place. Online mode? Better than ever (12 racers is just terrible IMO). Most of all, it makes the change which should have been in Super Mario Kart; customizable karts (though I'd like to be able to paint them...). With all that, I don't think it's too early to call it the best Kart so far.

But seriously, why Queen Bee?
 
well i wasnt saying 6 golden coins was a bad game, it was one of my first mario games as a kid
 
#7. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004, GameCube)

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A fan favorite but not as much of a critical success as Super Mario RPG, TTYD represents something I always love in a game; that the staff really put effort into this. On the surface it's already a solid game; an improved battle system from Paper Mario, a more interesting plot with new villains and unique partners, a great soundtrack, and a simple yet great-looking art style. But look deeper, and it's even better. Was there any real need to put in Luigi's side quest, the parlor games, or the Trouble Center? Nope. But it helped create a deeper game with more replayability than almost any other Mario title. Though sometimes tedious (friggin' Punies), it's a fun game that never gets old.
 
Ah, TTYD. my favorite Mario game by far.

I'm also now tempted to make my own top something list for some reason but I probably won't.
 
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