The Mario franchise has been around for decades spawning countless games in the process. Mario is one of the most beloved mascots in video games and stands as a symbol for longstanding success within the industry. Along with its supporting cast, the Mario games have etched themselves into the minds of gamers everywhere. It’s reached gamers from all generations and whether you’re 30 or 15 – there’s a good chance that you played a Mario game as a kid. Even now, everyone has their favourite installment in the series. Whether you got your first taste on the GameC⭕ube or the NES, it doesn’t matter🥃.
While most Mario games are either great or just passable, others must be judged much more harshly. Even in a franchise as celebrated as Mario, you’re bound to find some weak links. Be it the gameplay or the premise, something about these games didn’t sit well. While they didn’t do anything to hurt the Mario brand, they certainly didn’t add anything to the mix. While these types of things are hotly contested and debatable, some games are just inherently bad. As you’ll soon see, just because it’s a Mario game doesn’t mean it’ll be a good game. Here are the 8 best and 7 worst Mario games out there.
15 Best: New Super Mario Bros. U
The Wii U might be dead in the water at this point, but the console did give us some pretty good games. One of those games was New Super Mario Bros. U. The game is your standard Mario 2D platformer, but comes with beautiful graphics this time around. Other than that, the game allows you to play with up to five players, continuing Nintendo’s tradition of making great multiplayer games. The game also added in a new flying squirrel power up, allowing players to glide ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚacross certain areas. It’s not the most innovative thing out there, but it was definitely an enjoyable addition to the game and made for some fun challenges. This might not be the greatest Mario game you’ll ever play, but it’s definitely 🌳up there.
14 Worst: Yoshi's Story
Our lovable friend Yoshi isn’t so lovable in our next game. The Mario games have always presented some sort of challenge to players, but Yoshi’s Story is incredibly simplistic. The game succeeded the successful Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, so you know fans were expecting better. The game makes players take strategy rather than speed into account when going through levels. It’s presented as a puzzle of sorts as players have to map out the best route to Yoshi’s favourite fruits. That would’ve actually been a s🃏olid game if it provided any sort of a challenge. Instead it was ridiculously easy, b♋egging the question of why a game that should’ve forced players to think carefully about their choices ended up so mind numbing.
13 Best: Super Mario Bros.
It’s the oldest game on our list, but still holds as one of the most important titles in the Mario franchise. The first in the Super Mario series, Super Mario Bros. is what made the Mario franchise such a ground breaking phenomenon. It’s still a favourite of many gamers and all in all still stands as a solid game. However, the game is over thirty years-old. No matter how good it is, the signs of age are there. There’s some heavy repetition in there, especially toward🍬s the end. It also didn’t bring as much to the table as some of the games it inspired. But still, it inspired plenty of games and set the ground work for what would be one of the biggest﷽ transmedia franchises ever.
12 Worst: Mario Bros. for the Atari 2600
The first Mario Bros. game isn’t a bad title, it’s a classic video game that we can look back fondly at as the beginning of something great. But that doesn’t apply to its Atari 2600 port. The Atari 2600 was never a great console to begin with and had its share of flaws. But not even a great game like Mario Bros. could save it. The blocky textures and environments made the thing an eye༒sore and showed just how strange of an idea the port was in the first place. The scratch and overbearꦬing sound effects made it almost impossible to tolerate and just made the whole port seem that much more low quality. Which it was.
11 Best: Super Mario 3D Land
Mario in 3D is still something some of us are getting used to. Some older games just don’t transition well with the new technology ( Sonic anyone?) but Mario games are doing all right for themselves. Not every recent Mario game has been a hit mind you, but Nintendo is still finding ways to make the games fun and interesting while implementing the new look. A great 3D handheld is Super Mario 3D land. This game manages to perfectly find that midd🦩le ground between the style of the 2D games with the gameplay of 3D games. It’s not t𓆏oo challenging but fun enough that it will have you going back to it for a while.
10 Worst: Mario's Early Years! Preschool Fun
Ok, so let’s get into this hot mess. Mario games have been around for so long that they’ve inspired a number of spin-offs. Some good, some bad and others just questionably out of place – especially when thought of as Mario games. Mario's Early Years! Preschool Fun is one of those games. It’s one of many educational games on this list and we’re not having it. This is no Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, that’s for sure. The player travels to different islands, each focusing on their own subject. Players point and click on diff🥂erent objects, following instructions and moving on when successful. The game is just dull and repetitive, even considering its ta🐠rget demographic.
9 Best: Super Mario Galaxy 2
The Galaxy games are fun for just about anyone and everyone as they’re some of Nintendo’s best recent efforts at making new Mario games. What makes this better than the first Galaxy game is that it generally improved on most of its predecessors faults. Levels were more creative and imaginative, really allowing you to get invested in the world. The hub levels were replaced with the classic map selection screen making it quick and easy to get into the game. Yoshi also makes an appearance and plays a pretty meaningful role in the game. It might not be perfect, but games rarely are. Super Mario Galaxy 2 was fun and e🏅ntertaining and still holds up to this day.
8 Worst: Hotel Mario
Oh boy, where to begin with this heap of trash. Well let’s start with the fact that Nintendo had nothing to do with this one. Thankfully for them, as it turned out to be well below their standards – especially for a Mario game. They only distributed the game, they played no part in its production or development, which might explain why it sucks so bad. The main objective of Hotel Mario is to close doors before the timer runs out. That’s it. While most of the Mario games can be surmisedꦡ with a relatively short summary, this bare bones explanation perfectly suites this bare bones game. The terrible voice acting is what seals it for this gameꦦ. Never should Mario and Luigi have extended voice roles, especially if you’re going to make them sound like cheesy mid-50s mobsters.
7 Best: Super Mario Bros. 3
So we’ve already covered the first Super Mario Bros. game. Now let’s take a look at Super Mario Bros. 3, a game that completely propelled the series into greatness. Some games are great because they’re incredibly enjoyable – others improve upon certain mechanics or problems so much that they distinguish themselves as completely unique. Super Mario Bros. 3 is that kind of game. The game introduced new items and suits, adding a new element to the games and creating additional depth to the gameplay. It was the first time we got to use the Tanooki suit allowing players to fly and glide – making for a truly 💟enjoyable and lasting experience that still finds its way in some Mario games today.
6 Worst: Mario is Missing
While terrible and generally unsuccessful as a whole, Mario is Missing did give Luigi his first shot at the leading role. Some might argue that this was a contributing factor in why the game failed so hard. But let’s not be too hard on Luigi. Though a little bland and not nearly as popular as his brother was during this time, a solid game would’ve more than made up for this switch in the cast. Instead we got an ask an answer game that involved collecting pieces of landmarks by answering questions about them. You got it, another educational dud. Fun, right? Well apparently not as most fans and critics panned the game and passed it off as one of the rare duds in the Mario franchise.