Best of the Mario Series (by Robbie P.)
November 25, 2010, by Robbie P. - Super Mario Bros. was created by gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto 25 years ago and today the series is still going strong. It was initially released in Japan on September 13, 1985, and later made its western debut in 1986. It started the platformer craze of the late eighties, early nineties era and has 15 entries in the main series, not counting the numerous spinoff titles. Mario has become a gaming icon and celebrity and will always be considered the most recognizable character amongst many strong contenders. However, with 25 years of historic video games in the series, which Mario games are considered the best?
5. Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. is the first game some of us played for the Nintendo Entertainment System. While most games at the time were limited to a static screen, Super Mario Bros. was different. Players were able to scroll to the right, avoiding obstacles and enemies by either jumping on them or over them until reaching a flagpole at the end of the level. Super Mario Bros. also introduced power-ups and the boss battle. Mario was able to grow larger when touching the now famous mushroom power-up , throw fireballs after touching the fire flower, or gain an extra life by finding the 1-up mushroom. Using these power-ups allowed players to complete levels with ease. After completing three levels players were introduced to a castle level. Castles were filled with dangerous traps such as lava pits, fire balls and fire wheels. The biggest obstacle players had to overcome was the boss at the end of each Castle. Throughout the game, Mario would go on to defeat seven more incarnations of Bowser before finally rescuing the princess.
4. Super Mario World
Super Mario World marks the plumber's first adventure on the 16-bit SNES console. It is also famous for being the first appearance of everybody's favorite green dinosaur, Yoshi. Adding Yoshi as a game play mechanic made players approach levels differently. Not only could Yoshi eat enemies, but he could gain temporary powers from ingesting certain colored Koopa shells. Yoshi could breathe fire with red shells, fly with blue, and stomp the ground with flashing yellow shells. In addition to this, star road would give players access to many a different color Yoshi. These colored Yoshi would give the player permanent abilities no matter the color shell, such as being able to fly. In addition to Yoshi, players could discover the aforementioned hidden star road, and store an item to be used in real time as opposed to the menu in Super Mario Bros. 3.
3. Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64 is the series first adventure as a 3D platformer. As opposed to traveling to the end of the level, players were encouraged to fully explore newly realized 3D worlds. Princess Peach's castle acts as a hub, allowing Mario access to the castles many rooms. In these rooms Mario can jump through paintings that depict the level you will be playing. Once inside the paining, a list of objectives for Mario to complete will appear. This is where the game really differs from past titles because now Mario has to fulfill the requirements for these objectives. After completing an objective, Mario is rewarded a power star which can be used to unlock the game's other levels, and eventually the path to a final showdown with Bowser. In addition to 3D graphics Super Mario 64 also introduced camera control and an analog stick. Both items proved to be very important when controlling Mario and are staples of 3D gaming.
2. Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 was one of the most anticipated games of the Mario franchise. It received a special unveiling in The Wizard, and a unique commercial that united the world for the sake of Nintendo's newest masterpiece. In addition to a unique marketing campaign, Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced some new game play mechanics that would be seen again in later titles. Players could now choose which level they wanted to play with newly introduced overworld maps. These maps would also have branching paths, which meant that players had the option to skip some levels. Power-ups also played a very important role in this game. There were some old power- ups such as the mushroom and fire flower, but also some new ones such as the leaf, frog suit, tanooki suit, etc. These power-ups changed the way players could approach each level even more so than the series predecessors, and could even be called upon before entering a level. Players could use this to their advantage by preparing appropriately for the level at hand. Another addition that made this game one of the best was the newer enemies. Enemies such as Boos, Thwomps, Monty Mole, and the Koopa kids would become series staples for many other Mario games.
1. Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy took Mario out of his comfort zone and launched him into orbit. Players are still traversing 3D worlds completing objectives, but this time it is all while in space. Being that the game's setting is in space this gives room for a huge burst of creativity. Mario travels atop sweets, active volcanoes, rings of ice, and some gravity defying areas. Whilst the levels (or galaxies if you prefer) are amazing, Super Mario Galaxy also introduces orchestrated music to the series. A whole bunch of new orchestrated songs make this game amazing, but there are also those nostalgic themes making a comeback that play with our heart strings. In addition to both the music and the new setting, Super Mario Galaxy also introduces new power-ups. This is something consistent in the series and is done to make each game feel fresh. Galaxy introduces the bee suit, boo suit, spring suit, and ice flower. Each power-up having a unique use in their respective galaxy, such as using the Ice Flower to skate over ponds of water, or using Bee Mario to climb atop a giant queen bee. As you can see the limitations are endless with Super Mario Galaxy, and fans and critics both agree that this game is fantastic.
