Ranking the Super Mario Bros. Series

What is the best Super Mario game?

Following the release of Super Mario Maker 2, it’s time to rank the Super Mario Bros. series!

Not too long ago we gave you our ranking of the Legend of Zelda series and now we have decided to see how each entry in the Super Mario series stacks up when pitted against each other. After a lengthy voting process and a complicated point-tallying system, we here at Goomba Stomp have finally come up with a ranking of our favorite Super Mario games. These are not in the order of best to worst but instead, they are the ones we love from least to most! Without further explanation, here is the list of our favorite Super Mario Games!

For our list, we have these criteria:

The game must officially be a part of the Super Mario series and we are not including any remakes, remasters or package deals such as Super Mario All-Stars that include several games in the franchise.

22. Super Mario Run

While it’s probably fairly obvious that Super Mario Run is destined to wind up last on nearly every Mario list from now until eternity, this momentum-based mobile title is actually quite fun while it lasts — which can be surprisingly long, depending on how much you like its one-touch gameplay. Though pulling off the plumber’s simple jumps may not be quite as thrilling here as in the more expressive console versions, that familiar feeling of precision and timing is still present, even if distilled a bit throughout the twenty-four Tour levels. Some clever design leads to plenty of satisfying moments, especially when chasing the various colored coins, which can unlock three ultra-hard bonus levels.

Those deviously placed challenges are definitely the highlight of Super Mario Run, but there are still plenty of other diversions that offer meaningful rewards. Toad Rally sees players racing against a ‘ghost’ version of another player’s stage run, and requires not only deft knowledge of the quickest route, but also a stylish performance that includes moves rolls, wall jumps, and consecutive enemy stomps. The extra characters unlocked by gaining toad allies add new gameplay quirks that are fun to play around with, and may help with some of those tougher coins. And hey, it’s a mobile title, so why not include a kingdom builder of sorts? Spend those gold coins on a new Toad hut or golden Bowser Statue, play even-more-mini games, and generally just smile at the Mario goodness.

Is Super Mario Run a classic? No, but those who have some time on their hands might find themselves sinking more into this bite-sized title than they ever thought they would. (Patrick Murphy)

21. Super Mario Land

A launch title for the original DMG Game Boy, Super Mario Land is best described as a quirky, short, and forgotten title that moves Mario in directions that are never revisited in the series. Developed without input from franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the sidescroller takes many risks that both pay off and fail spectacularly, introducing new enemies, Princess Daisy, some Gradius-style shooter levels, an evil alien as the main boss, and much more.

Taking place in Sarasaland, Mario must rescue the new princess from the clutches of the evil spaceman Tatanga. Through land, water, and the sky, Mario moves between obscure Easter island levels, a submarine mission, a moderately uncomfortable Chinese stereotype level, and an airplane fight, eventually facing off against a UFO to save the princess and blast off into outer space.

Love it or hate it, this strange game deserves a place in franchise and console history, branching out in new directions to change the way that players look at the Nintendo mascot. With familiar gameplay and oddball elements, Super Mario Land at times feels like the best bootleg Mario title on the market, borrowing from other gaming trends of the time for a unique experience that honestly makes one wonder how the company viewed where the plucky plumber was headed. An incredibly short game, the title can be completed in a 30 or 40-minute sitting, but that does not mean that it isn’t worth picking up. Aided by outstanding level design and one of the best soundtracks of any Game Boy title, the game begs for repeated playthroughs while always offering a nostalgic 8bit experience. (Ty Davidson)

20. Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels (1986)

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (known as Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan) gets a bad wrap outside its original market. The game was a true sequel to the original Super Mario Bros., and naturally unable to live up to the impact of its predecessor. When the game was shown to Nintendo of America’s Howard Philips, he declared it too hard for release in North America, later saying that “Not having fun is bad when you’re a company selling fun.”

Philips was probably right to hold off on the release of The Lost Levels, but he is incorrect about the game not being fun. It’s a delight to play and master, truthfully not much more difficult than the original Mega Man games. While Super Mario Bros. 3 rightfully gets credit for evolving the Mario franchise, The Lost Levels was the first Mario game to require exploration. Finding hidden boxes makes the seemingly impossible jumps doable, and after beating the main game, several bonus worlds unlock. The difference between Mario and Luigi’s jumping and weight began here as well.

It’s unfair that countless deaths and poison mushrooms take the headlines when talking about Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. It’s a fantastic platformer that anyone who enjoys the challenge of Odyssey‘s “The Darker Side of the Moon” is sure to love. Truthfully, if I had to play one Mario game for the rest of my life, Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, I’d choose Lost Levels. (Tyler Kelbaugh)

19. Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)

There are several design changes that make Super Mario Bros. 2 so different from its predecessor, starting with the pick-up-and-throw gameplay. The second difference is the elimination of the timer; this means players are no longer racing to the end, and therefore have plenty of time to fully explore each and every level. In addition, players can travel backward in a level if needed. However, the biggest change and improvement in this sequel is that Super Mario 2 opens up vertical gameplay. Whether it’s jumping onto platform after platform or climbing vines and ladders, Super Mario Bros. 2 encourages players to move vertically just as often as they scroll to the side. Usually, when making sequels, game designers don’t like to make too many big changes, but with Super Mario 2 the gameplay was completely different, and the setting and enemies were totally unfamiliar. In fact, the game doesn’t even take place in the Mushroom Kingdom, and there are neither Goombas nor Hammer Brothers anywhere in sight. Shy Guys and Bob-ombs are the most notable common enemies, and Birdo is the recurring foe this time around. Super Mario Bros. 2 was also the first Mario game to allow players to choose from multiple characters (Mario, his brother Luigi, the mushroom sidekick Toad, or Princess Peach), each with their own unique abilities.

There’s a good reason why Super Mario Bros. 2 is so different from all the other games in the series: originally, it was not intended to be a Mario game at all. What became Super Mario Bros. 2 started out as a prototype for a vertically scrolling, two-player cooperative action game called Yume K?j?: Doki Doki Panic, a Family Computer Disk System game meant to tie-in with Fuji Television’s media technology expo, called Yume K?j?. The real sequel to Super Mario Bros. (The Lost Levels) is actually quite similar to the first game, only more difficult to beat. All that aside, Super Mario Bros. 2 is a solid side-scrolling platformer that experimented in many new and daring ways — and thankfully for Nintendo, those risks paid off in spades. Super Mario Bros. 2 sold ten million copies and was the third highest-selling game ever released on the Nintendo Entertainment System at that time. Nintendo Power listed Super Mario Bros. 2 as the eighth-best NES video game, mentioning that regardless of not being originally released as a Mario game, it was able to stand on its own merits and is a unique take on the series’ trademark format. (Ricky D)

18. Super Mario Land 2: The Six Golden Coins (1992)

Does the introduction of Mario’s crude, demented nemesis need any more reason to be on this list? Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins gave Nintendo fans their first sour taste of the crookedly-mustached Wario, something for which we shall always be thankful, but it also succeeds magnificently at standing out among the franchise’s platforming greatness. Though a straight-up sequel, this Game Boy classic takes more inspiration from Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World, with the more familiar cartoonish visuals, the ability to move both left and right, an overworld, and multiple paths to and through each level. The look and feel is so stark from its predecessor that it’s hard to relate the two, but a semblance of plot involves Wario having usurped Mario’s throne (?) while Sarasaland was being saved, brainwashing the loyal subjects of the Mushroom Kingdom’s hero in the process.

This bit of wackiness is only the start. For whatever reason, it seems like Nintendo’s development teams felt freed up by the Game Boy, reserving some of their strangest ideas for the portable versions of their popular series. Like with Link’s Awakening, the people working on Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins must have been a little loopy, somehow cool with devising a powerup that sees Mario grow a pair of rabbit ears that flap like wings, allowing for slower descents. There’s also an entire zone that takes place inside pumpkin, as well as another with a boss level that occurs inside a sleeping whale, which is in turn located inside a giant turtle. It doesn’t get less bizarre. These sorts of left-field oddities, along with an abundance of nice touches showcasing incredible attention to detail, make the world extremely entertaining, all the way to that fight against Mario’s greasy, greedy foe. In a franchise known for its outlandish creativity, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins holds its own — more than just an ugly face. (Patrick Murphy)

17. New Super Mario Bros. Wii

In a shocking turn of events, a princess is kidnapped by a bunch of adolescent reptiles, spurring her blue-collar boo to run from left to right a bunch of times in order to knock the reptiles’ father/uncle into lava. As the tenth installment in the long-running Super Mario Bros. series, New Super Mario Bros. Wii isn’t very new at all. Indeed, it’s easy to look back at it now as “just another Mario game,” and part of the subpar “New” subseries at that. But at the time, New Super Mario Bros. Wii was the plumber’s grand return to home consoles — the first of its kind in nearly twenty years.

Though it might lack the genius of its legendary predecessors, the game was, by and large, a success. It was generally well-received by critics and went on to sell over 30 million units to become the fourth highest-selling Wii game. Even if longtime fans might have felt the game catered too heavily toward the Wii’s casual audience in its difficulty and blasé art style, it was more classic Mario platforming, with the intuitive controls and mechanics that make its gameplay so accessible, deep, and universally beloved.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii also introduced four-player simultaneous cooperative play and a Super Guide video showing how to beat a level, both of which have become series staples and make the game approachable for a wider audience. It also premiered the penguin and propeller power-ups, and brought back the fan-favorite Koopalings. Though it might not stand out from its New Super Mario Bros. series brethren, it remains a strong outing, and among the best 2D platformers on Nintendo’s highest-selling home console. (Kyle Rentschler)

16. New Super Mario Bros. U

Released as a launch title for the Wii U in late 2012, New Super Mario Bros. U seemed destined to disappoint gamers eagerly awaiting a third entry in the Super Mario Galaxy series. As the fourth New Super Mario Bros. game in six years, and with the least amount of new content, New Super Mario Bros. U has faced an uphill battle to gain the recognition that it rightfully deserves. Shunned by the public and decried by gamers as Nintendo simply cashing in on existing assets, New Super Mario Bros. U is well worth the time and energy it takes to recognize its greatness.

While it may lack originality, New Super Mario Bros. U more than makes up for it by executing what is perhaps Mario’s most tightly constructed 2D platforming adventure yet. Balancing expertly the scales of difficulty and accessibility, the game manages to appeal to newcomers and veterans alike, and the Star Coin challenges are some of the finest in the New Super Mario Bros. series. That, coupled with a truly beautiful HD and sixty fps presentation, cement this as not only the best traditional New Super Mario Bros. game, but also one of the Wii U’s best outings. (Izsak Barnette)

15. New Super Mario Bros. DS

Nobody does a throwback quite like Nintendo and New Super Mario Bros. is no exception. This game is packed with all of the lovely Mario-isms that properly filled any happy childhood, but with a little more graphical panache. It also adds two great new power-ups to the fold in the Mega Mushroom (which appropriately enough makes Mario into a massive, screen-shaking, Goomba-crushing colossus), and the Mini Mushroom (which has the opposite effect of shrinking Mario into a pint-sized plumber). New Super Mario Bros. also gets bonus points for having one of the coolest Bowser encounters ever during the finale. All of the addictive platforming action that made the NES and SNES iterations so memorable returns in a game that reminds you that sometimes the best way to move forward is by going back. (Mike Worby)

13. Mario Maker 2

Super Mario Maker 2 is one the most robust titles in the Mario franchise, putting the Miyamoto magic in the hands of gamers to allow for endless hours of imagination, creativity, and fun. It’s a special title that somehow distills the joy of the Mario franchise into a bite-size package, allowing players to experience and enjoy 2d Mario action as though it was the very first time. Although many feared the title would be a simple soft reboot of its Wii U predecessor, the title greatly advanced on literally every feature included in the original Mario Maker, adding plenty of new design features, a fully fleshed out story mode, and outrageous multiplayer action.

Similar to its past release, Super Mario Maker 2 is designed with a simple but ambitious goal in mind: to give Mario power to the players and let them unleash their inner video game guru. To achieve the end, the title utilizes an incredibly intuitive grid layout where players can drag and drop landscape features, enemies, and more to build the level of their dreams. Once completed, these levels are uploaded to the Mario Maker 2 server to challenge gamers around the world. These levels are accessed through an incredibly intuitive course world with greatly improved filtering features, allowing players to find their perfect world in seconds based on a variety of criteria.

While the original Mario Maker was a fun experience, it’s the advancements that really make Super Mario Maker 2 something special. The new story mode is treated as a course design class, showing players how to incorporate game elements to build wacky and enjoyable worlds. These levels feel like a bit like they belong in NES Remix, boldly breaking some of the golden rules of Mario by being too weird and goofy for mainstream titles. In a franchise first, the title also adds coop and versus modes. When these modes are functioning well, they really shine; however, these additions are usually a beautiful and chaotic mess and make for a wild and laggy experience. Despite its faults, versus and coop are still wildly addictive and will bring many players back for more.

In the Nintendo library, Super Mario Maker 2 is so special because of just the sheer amount of worthwhile content that it offers, as there are legitimately too many great levels to play. For fans of the Mario 2d formula, Super Mario Maker 2 is a must-play title that offers thousands of hours of replayability, making it one of the best values in the Nintendo library. For fans that want to place themselves in Miyamoto’s shoes or want just want some classic side-scrolling action, Super Mario Maker 2 is the place to be.

12. Super Mario Maker

As the name might suggest, Super Mario Maker allows players to make their own Super Mario Bros. levels — specifically, levels that fit within the aesthetics of four games in the series: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U. Creating levels can be a daunting task, but what helps Super Mario Maker stand apart from other games like LittleBigPlanet is how easy it really is. Super Mario Maker keeps things simple by removing complicated elements like logic programming, and features an incredibly accessible level construction kit that anyone can easily enjoy.

The well-designed interface makes learning easy, and once you are finished, you can share your creations online with a passionate community of fans from around the world. And that is what makes Super Mario Maker so great — the play hub, where you can simply enjoy Mario Maker levels made by other people. With such an active and passionate community, Super Mario Maker provided Wii U owners with countless hours of gaming. Whether creating, exploring, watching others play and create, or just playing other people’s levels, Mario Maker provided us with an exceptional experience, all while offering insight into three decades of platforming brilliance. (Ricky D)

11. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island has a bit of a strange twin in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Both followed widely acclaimed and genre-defining games, and somehow both chose to do somewhat similar yet insanely different things with their respective sequels. In the case of Yoshi’s Island, it was casting Yoshi as the hero, rather than Mario, and relegating the latter to a screeching infantile annoyance instead of the protagonist. Baby Mario’s recurring cry is probably the number one reason not to enjoy this game, but luckily there is a host of new ideas that more than make up for it. For one thing, Yoshi plays dramatically differently from Mario, and the fact that he is constantly hampered by having to keep everyone’s favorite plumber safe gives the game a puzzle-lite element that no one saw coming. The gorgeous animation and trademark level design only further raise SMW2‘s status as an instant cult classic, and another great example of how going a different direction for a sequel, rather than retreading the original, can work wonders in the long run. (Mike Worby)

10. Super Mario 3D Land

Super Mario 3D Land represents the first 3DS title to make full use of the system’s array of capabilities. With an expertly balanced difficulty progression, dazzling level design, and masterful Power-Ups, this is the ideal 3DS experience. As an experience, Super Mario 3DLandgets deeper the longer you play, as you sink into its particular groove and learn to appreciate it as a unique title — one that is separate from yet beautifully derivative of the entire Mario franchise. As a whole, 3D Land is brilliant and addictive, and does for 3D-enhanced platforming what the original Super Mario Bros. did for 2D platforming. (Katrina Lind)

9. Super Mario Sunshine

The year was 2001, and Nintendo had just released its lovable purple lunchbox, the Nintendo GameCube. While the innovative Luigi’s Mansion had just come out, the console lacked what it truly needed: a 3D Super Mario game. Super Mario Sunshine provided just that, sending Mario on a vacation that he would not soon forget. Sunshine is a tough, but rewarding game (my 8-year-old self-found it positively infuriating) that still holds up well today, despite being the weakest of the 3D Super Mario games. Mario’s jetpack/water gun, named F.L.U.D.D., is an incredibly interesting addition, augmenting Mario’s move set in a way unheard of until Super Mario Odyssey, and paving the way for a great experience. While the story is horrendous (even for a Mario platformer) and a 30fps framerate cap looks really strange in a Mario title, Super Mario Sunshine is still a good game that has, for the most part, stood the test of time.  (Izak Barnette)

8. Super Mario 3D World

Super Mario 3D World had a lot to live up to at its launch. The previous three 3D Mario titles on N64, GameCube, and Wii had all cleverly innovated on (or in Super Mario 64’s case, even invented) the traditional 3D platformer. As a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Super Mario 3D Land on the Nintendo 3DS, Super Mario 3D World wasn’t the 3D Mario game that gamers expected, but it proved subtly brilliant, providing the Wii U with one of its finest titles in the process.

From the adorable Super Bell, which transforms Mario and Co. into lovable catsuit-wearing adventurers, to the story-book plot involving Bowser kidnapping the Sprixies, every aspect of Super Mario 3D World feels cozy. Expertly designed landscapes beautifully rendered in high definition complement the charm evident from the game’s inception. Such beautiful design, combined with a spectacular jazz-inspired score and excellent controls, cement what is one of the best 3D Mario games to date. (Izsak Barnette)

7. Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is arguably the most important Super Mario game since Super Mario 64 launched on the N64. I personally may not like it more than the incredible 3D World released on the Wii U, but Odyssey is guaranteed to help Nintendo sell even more Switch consoles while simultaneously reinventing the series for a whole new generation.

What makes Odyssey special is that it isn’t so much a sandbox game as it is a toy box. When it came to creating Odyssey, instead of making a vast open world, the creators decided to make the levels in Odyssey smaller but packed them with as many characters, puzzles, hidden secrets, call-backs and various obstacles for you to discover. The whole game is basically structured like a giant playground and the more time you spend messing around, the more likely you’ll be rewarded for it. Not since Super Mario 64 has a Mario platformer placed such a heavy emphasis on exploration, and boy is it ever fun running around these breathtakingly gorgeous, intricately designed levels that are oozing with style. Odyssey encourages players to explore every nook and cranny, and it helps that Mario now has Cappy to use as a standard throw attack. That possession power embodied by Mario’s new sidekick is what makes Odyssey stand out from every other entry in the series. It’s a brilliant idea that allows for dozens of additional playable characters, all with different powers, abilities, and ways of getting around. Mario has always worn many hats but in this game, he’s anything and everything he wants to be.

For every new idea Odyssey throws at you, this is also a game filled with nostalgia and it’s worth noting just how many amazing references there are, both big and small, to the series’ past. You’ll encounter familiar characters, challenges, music cues and more from past games, and there are even moments when Mario transforms back into his 8-bit self! These 2D segments where Mario enters a warp pipe and is transported to a world that precisely recreates the 8-bit Super Mario Bros’ mechanics and visual style may be the game’s biggest surprise and sometimes, it offers the hardest challenges. And for those of you who have finished the game, I’m sure you’ll agree that the New Donk City music festival, which recreates the stages from the original Donkey Kong, might be the biggest gaming highlight of that year.

The finale is a brilliantly executed sequence as well, letting Mario hop inside Bowser’s mind and body and rampage through a dying moon. That particular turn of events feels poetic and an ingenious way to celebrate one of the longest-running franchises in gaming. It’s also a testament to the sheer creativity underlying Odyssey that, even after watching the credits roll, there’s so much left to discover. They say it’s all about the journey and not about the ending, but with Odyssey, the journey continues on. (Ricky D)

6. Super Mario Galaxy 2

Few sequels can quite capture the brilliance of their predecessors. Many thought that Nintendo had caught lightning in a bottle when they released the original Super Mario Galaxy in 2007, but 2010’s Super Mario Galaxy 2 set a new bar of excellence for the plumber’s adventures. By incorporating classic elements such as Yoshi, and by creatively imagining new elements such as the Cloud Flower, Nintendo breathed life into the Galaxy series while also maintaining the quality present in the original.

In many ways, Super Mario Galaxy 2 surpasses the original Galaxy. The levels are more creative, the power-ups are more interesting, and the introduction of Yoshi adds creative flair to the level design. The music is equally stunning, matched only by the original Galaxy in its brilliance. Mahito Yokota, Ryo Nagamatsu, and Koji Kondo’s soundtrack embodies the wonder and thrill of space while excellently incorporating classic Super Mariothemes.

While some may call it nothing more than DLC for the original, Super Mario Galaxy 2 improves on the first game dramatically while also adding enough inventive, fresh content to make this game the definitive Galaxy experience. (Izsak Barnette)

5. Super Mario Bros. (1985)

It’s hard to imagine a video game industry today without Super Mario Bros. Here’s the title that single-handedly revitalized the gaming industry and solidified Nintendo as the King of the video game market. While the vast majority of early video games at the time were largely designed by the programmers coding them, Super Mario Bros. was instead made by Shigeru Miyamoto, an artist first and foremost, who graduated with a degree in industrial design. As with Donkey Kong, character mattered most. Players would control Mario, accompanying him on his journey through the Mushroom Kingdom on his quest to rescue Princess Peach from the vicious Bowser, King of the Koopas. It quickly became synonymous with the Nintendo Entertainment System and helped the NES become the top-selling console of its time. The video game crash of 1983 was officially over, and the famous brick-busting duo became household names.

Super Mario Bros. is one of the most iconic video games ever conceived due to the sprawling level design, clever enemy placement, hidden secrets, optional sub-routes, superb physics, legendary soundtrack, and gorgeous sprite-work. Without it, the video game industry wouldn’t be the same. (Ricky D)

4. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)

Super Mario Bros. 3 was critically acclaimed, and with reason — there is not a fault to be found anywhere in the game. For the time, it was beyond anything you could ever dream. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a masterpiece, a perfect video game with eight worlds and 70-plus ingenious levels of side-scrolling awesomeness. One world is packed with giant renditions of every character, others feature underwater adventures, and some take you through spooky castles and dungeons. As you move ahead, you’ll discover that each level contains optional paths leading to shortcuts and extra lives hidden away. The best things are the power-ups and various suits you can use inside the levels. Mario can now slide down hills, knocking down enemies who get in his way, and the powerups from the original game also make an appearance.

Also new to the series are mini-games and an overhead map screen to track progress and collectible warp whistles (much like the one Link used in Zelda II) that teleport you to later worlds in the game. In addition, there is the music box that puts enemies on the map to sleep, as well as the anchor to stop the Koopaling’s airship from flying off around the map so that you don’t have to chase it. Juergen’s Cloud allows you to skip a level, and Kuribo’s shoe, easily one of the most beloved power-ups in Mario history, can be found in only one level! The familiar Mario sound effects are present and accounted for, along with a batch of new musical compositions concocted by Koji Kondo, and dozens of new enemies like Boom Booms, Boos, and Chain Chomps make their very first appearance in the Nintendo universe. Super Mario Bros 3 is often considered to be the best video game of the 8-bit generation. In my opinion, it is, and it is also the best game in the Super Mario series. It’s a timeless masterpiece, full of innovation and surprises, one that will forever stand the test of time. (Ricky D)

3. Super Mario World (1991)

If you were one of those kids in the early ’90s who was lucky enough to wake up to a Super Nintendo under your Christmas tree, then you know all about Super Mario World. This was the game that was flashing all over your TV commercials in between episodes of Darkwing Duck and The Ren & Stimpy Show. Bright colors! Loud noises! Holy crap, is that plumber riding a dinosaur!?!

Yes, unsurprisingly, Super Mario World was a pretty big deal back in 1991. What is surprising, however, is just how big of a deal this game still is today. Over 25 years later, you can still pop in your SMW cartridge and have a blast. That’s the kind of staying power that cannot be overstated. You can really just break it down to some utterly impeccable game design. The way Mario moves and the timing of the jumps in Super Mario World creates a perfect balance of a rising challenge that meets the player’s growing repertoire of skills again and again as the game progresses. The introduction of elements like ghost houses (with multiple exits), a map that grew and expanded all the time, and of course everyone’s favorite over-eating dinosaur, made Super Mario World truly feel different than everything which had come before it.

Looking back, even all of these years later, it’s no stretch to say that this is maybe the best game in the entire series. Not only that, but you’ll get no argument if you bring Super Mario World up in a conversation about the best games of all time. (Mike Worby

2. Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy is not only the best title on the Nintendo Wii, but it is also the single greatest example of what the entertainment medium of gaming has to offer. It is the definition of a masterpiece: unprecedented level design, an endless stream of imaginative and creative ideas, and (most importantly) a rock-solid gameplay system that stands head and shoulders above every other 3D title, period. Galaxy is the culmination of everything Nintendo EAD Tokyo has learned from years of game development. The awe-inspiring orchestral soundtrack and second-to-none visuals create an experience that simply does not age. All of this is backed by a staggering amount of content in the form of collectible stars that are represented as completely unique challenges. Nintendo has once again succeeded in highlighting the best of what games have to offer. There is no over-reliance on narrative, no over-complicated gimmick that tries too hard to be unique; it is the quintessential gameplay experience, perfected. (Zack Rezak)

1. Super Mario 64

Nintendo set itself a nearly impossible task when creating Super Mario 64. It was one of the earlier three-dimensional platform games, with degrees of freedom through all three axes in space, and features relatively large areas that are composed primarily of true 3D polygons, as opposed to only two-dimensional sprites. The game established a new archetype for the 3D genre, and showed us what the future of video games would soon look like. From the moment players turned on Super Mario 64, the differences were apparent. Mario sounded different, he looked different, and he moved differently. And ever since, the game has left a lasting impression.

There is no doubt that Super Mario 64 was nothing short of revolutionary. The title is acclaimed by many critics and fans as one of the greatest and most revolutionary video games of all time. The flaws, although few, are overshadowed by the awe-inspiring level design, sophisticated 3D graphics, brain-busting puzzles, and sheer imagination. Super Mario 64 is tough to beat, and one of the few games in the series that rewards curious, brave, determined, and stubborn gamers. The sheer scale of the achievement is something to admire. Not only does Super Mario 64 stand the test of time, but the game is a masterpiece in the truest sense of the word. (Ricky D)