There’s a good reason Nintendo’s mascot Mario has been around for so many years. His games continue to excite and please many fans around the world. From his 2D side-scrolling adventures to his mesmerizing 3D jump into space, Mario games always put a smile on fans’ faces.
With that said, we’re here to celebrate the achievements of Nintendo’s plumber by highlighting the top 10 most unforgettable games featuring this beloved mascot. From Super Mario 64 to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, there are a good variety of Mario legacy titles to recognize.
Of course, feel free to comment on your favorite Mario games below!
Super Mario 64
Who has not played Super Mario 64? This game was a smashing sensation when it was released for the Nintendo 64. Although the game controls have not aged as well as possible, Super Mario 64 offers colorful worlds, level design, and missions for you to complete.
This game has Mario arriving at Princess Peach’s castle to eat some of her delicious cake. Unfortunately, Mario learns that Peach had been kidnapped by her archenemy, Bowser. Therefore, it’s up to you to thwart Bowser’s latest plan and rescue Princess Peach.
As stated above, this game contains a variety of worlds that are home to menacing enemies and fascinating landscapes. The game uses Princess Peach’s castle as a hub world that ties all of these maps together beautifully. The missions in Super Mario 64 offer enough challenges to make you feel good on the inside after completing them. Be sure to check out Super Mario 64 when you get the chance.
super mario sun
Super Mario Sunshine was a terrific follow up to Super Mario 64. This game feels a bit easier to complete than this one, thanks to the addition of FLUDD. However, it offers enough memorable moments, enchanting levels, and boss battles to excite die-hard Nintendo fans.
Also, Super Mario Sunshine leans heavily on the tropical island theme. Its sunny and cheerful atmosphere will fill you with joy. The story follows Mario, Princess Peach, and Toadsworth traveling to an island called Isle Delfino. Their vacation is interrupted by an evil shadow version of Mario.
This shady Mario look-alike causes our heroic plumber a lot of mischief and ends up imprisoning Mario for his actions. Eventually, the game turns into another rescue of Princess Peach from the evil setting, but the road to the endgame never feels rushed or unpolished. If you’re in for a Mario game that will excite you during the summer season, check out Super Mario Sunshine.
Super Mario Galaxy (Series)
Super Mario Galaxy is considered to be one of the best Mario outings. Where Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine left off on Earth, this game has Mario exploring a variety of planets filled with strange and charming wildlife. Despite being another kind of princess peach rescue game, its quality will blow your mind.
From the game’s water textures to how Mario soars through space, it all comes together to create a solid space adventure for our heroic plumber. Super Mario Galaxy was looking for the debut of Rosalina and hers, her children Luma. Without this game, she and her children would not be as popular as they are today.
Also, the controls in this game feel like a step up from Sunshine and 64. Moving Mario around with the nunchuck and waving the Nintendo Wii remote to deal with devastating attacks feels satisfying and rewarding. In that sense, both games include fabulous boss fights and soundtracks. If you have a Nintendo Wii lying around, pick these games.
super mario odyssey
Considering how long fans had to wait for a 3D Mario platformer, Super Mario Odyssey had a lot of shoes to fill. Like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey improves on Mario’s 3D formula and offers something new for fans to play.
This game leaves the hub worlds of 64, Sunshine and Galaxy, and has you travel to different worlds via a hat-shaped ship. This time you team up with a body swapping hat named Cappy who helps you stop Bowser from marrying Princess Peach. This game feels more in line with Banjo-Kazooie.
Instead of traveling to and from a hub area after collecting the game’s MacGuffin, you can continue exploring the worlds of Odyssey to your heart’s content. While some may miss the classic hub worlds established in previous 3D Mario games, Odyssey’s worlds are more expansive and feel less linear.
super mario world
Super Mario World was once the best 2D side-scrolling platformer in the Mario catalogue. This title has our plumber embarking on a journey to stop Bowser and the Koopalings after they kidnapped Princess Peach. This title saw the introduction of Nintendo’s beloved dinosaur Yoshi.
With Yoshi, players could consume attacks and items and spit them towards enemies to deal damage. The in-game visuals were an improvement over Mario’s past adventures. The game OST is phenomenal and amazing to listen to for long periods. Mario also gets some new actions in Super Mario World.
Not only can he run and jump like in previous titles, but he soars through the skies wearing his new cape. The overworld map for this game looks awesome and is easy to navigate. If you’re curious as to why fans claim Super Mario World is the best Mario platform adventure, check it out.
Mario Party (Series)
Mario Party is the game you play if you are looking to ruin friendships. Seriously, Mario Party titles offer fun experiences that the whole family can enjoy. With its stellar game board design, vast selection of items, and mini-game mayhem, Mario Party is an essential game to have under your belt.
Unfortunately, some Mario Party games don’t quite measure up to the creativity and mayhem of the GameCube and Nintendo 64 entries. Plus, it took Nintendo until Nintendo Switch’s Mario Party Superstars to offer a way to play this gem of a game. with your friends.
With its many fun activities and mischievous humor, Mario Party is a wonderful game to play on family outings or with friends.
mario kart (series)
Of course, the Mario Kart series would find its way onto this list. This is a series that Nintendo continues to deliver because it offers endless fun. From the game’s wonderful race track layouts to its chaotic elements, it would be hard not to find Mario Kart fun.
Mario Kart 8: Deluxe is a testament to how popular Mario Kart has become over time. It is currently the best selling Nintendo Switch game and Nintendo is releasing a DLC expansion pack now. The DLC expansion adds numerous tracks from across the Mario Kart series, including the mobile title, Mario Kart Tour.
While fans love the racing mode of the game, Mario Kart offers different yet exciting modes for players to tackle. The game’s Balloon Battle and Shine Thief battle modes are just as iconic as its regular career mode. If you need a satisfying and wacky racing game to play with others, consider playing Mario Kart.
mario super hitters
Mario sports games are an interesting case in terms of spin-offs. Some include mediocre experiences that lack effort, while games like Mario Super Sluggers set a tight precedent for the series to follow. This game features fun gameplay and a huge roster of characters to play as.
From Donkey Kong’s King K. Rool to Super Mario Sunshine’s Pianta, there are plenty of weird but satisfying additions to this game. Mario Super Sluggers presents players with a large number of modes to play, from the standard exhibition mode to its extreme challenge mode.
The batting animations and super moves look glorious. They also blend beautifully with each character’s personality. Although there are other great Mario sports titles like Super Mario Strikers and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Super Sluggers feels better.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is an extraordinary turn-based RPG. This game helped redefine the Super Mario Bros. story by offering fans a captivating adventure filled with witty dialogue and epic battles. With its colorful cast, stellar battle animations, and well-written narrative, it’s arguably one of Mario’s best outings.
In it, players control Paper Mario, who travels to an area called Rogueport and meets Princes Peach. Unfortunately, Princess Peach is kidnapped by an alien group called the X-Nauts. In order to save Princess Peach and the areas revolving around Roguepart, Paper Mario embarks on a quest to find the Crystal Stars and rescue Princess Peach.
The Paper Mario games offer a satisfying new take on Nintendo’s mascot and see him teaming up with characters who would be his enemies in the main titles. Everyone from Goombella, the prankster goomba girl, to the fashionable ghost lady, Madame Flurrie, develop wonderful chemistry with Mario.
They also have valuable character arcs that are explored to their full potential. If you’re looking for a great Mario spin-off that goes above and beyond the call of duty, check this one out.
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time
As with Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time gave fans a refined and well-written Mario-themed story with depth, twists, and suspense. This game serves as the second entry in the Mario and Luigi series and a prequel/sequel to the Game Boy Advance title Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga.
Despite that, Partners in Time offers a plot that bears no relation to its previous entries. As the title suggests, Partners in Time leans more towards time travel, having Mario and Luigi travel between the past and present as they search for Princess Peach. This time, Princess Peach’s kidnappers are an alien species called Shroobs.
Additionally, Mario and Luigi are joined by Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, who serve as the brothers’ puzzle solvers. Plus, Partners in Time feels outrageously dark for a Mario game. This is all due in part to Shroobs exhibiting world-busting agendas and mysterious intentions.
Although the studio behind these games, AlphaDream, is no more, fans love to revisit these cleverly written RPGs they created for Nintendo.
So there we have it, our pick of the best Mario-themed video games over the years!
What do you think of our selections? Do you agree? Are there notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
