What’s the best Super Mario game ever? His 10 greatest adventures and where you can play them today
One of the most famous characters in gaming, Nintendo’s mustachioed mascot has been in hundreds of titles over the last 35 years. But which of his ‘core’ games are the best and what if you want to play them right now? Read on...
A mustachioed Italian plumber with a penchant for jumping on the heads of his enemies is, unbelievably, one of the most popular video game characters in the world. Hell, he’s one of the most popular characters in the world period. Of course, I’m talking about your friend and mine: Super Mario.
It has been more than 35 years since Mario first appeared in 1981 arcade classic Donkey Kong and, since then, he has been in a lot of games (the Mario Wiki estimates over 200). These range from classics like Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo to more esoteric fare such as Hotel Mario and Mario’s Time Machine. And now he’s even on Apple’s iPhone and iPad.
Perhaps you have young kids at home who are quickly falling in love with the new Super Mario Odyssey? Or maybe you are?
From Game & Watch to Wii U: a history of Nintendo in 14 objects
There’s obviously a ton of Mario history to dig through – and that’s where this list comes in. We’ve put together the 10 best Mario games ever made and where to find them (excluding spin-offs series such as Mario Tennis, Mario Kart, Mario Party and Paper Mario). Let’s begin.
10. Super Mario Bros. 2
It may seem like an unlikely place to start, given that it’s not a “real” Mario game, but Super Mario Bros. 2 is fantastic. Notoriously, it is a rebranded, slightly altered version of a game that already existed at the time: Doki Doki Panic. Whatever – Super Mario Bros. 2 is an excellent Mario game.
It was the first to allow you to play as Mario, Luigi, Toad or the Princess. Each of them has their own special attributes. Princess can float mid-jump for a moment or two. Luigi has a slightly higher jump than anyone else. More importantly, it’s a surrealist adventure full of crazy landscapes, crazier enemies and a bird that shoots eggs out of its mouth. It may not be the first Mario game you should start with, but it’s one that you absolutely should not miss.
Where can I play it? It’s available on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Virtual Console. It’s also one of the 30 games on the NES Classic Edition console.