Mario Series

Article Archive

Early Works

  • Donkey Kong
    • Mario's heroic run begins here, in the classic arcade game as the circus worker goes off in pursuit of the giant ape all to rescue the hero's girlfriend, Paulie.
  • Donkey Kong Jr.
    • The tables are turned in this decent, if not exceptional, sequel featuring Donkey Kong's son on his own adventure to save his papa.
  • Mario Bros.
    • While Kong ventures off down his own path, Mario is joined by his brother Luigi for a sewer adventure of strange and weird proportions.
  • Wrecking Crew
    • Odd-job loving Mario becomes a construction worker for this decent little puzzle-platformer that showed where the company's ambitions were headed from the plumber.

Classic Console Era

  • Super Mario Bros.
    • Mario's world breaks wide open as he shifts from one-screen adventures to his full platforming potential in this formative first game in this "super" series.
  • The Lost Levels
    • Originally released only in Japan, this first pass at a sequel was more of a hard-mode kaizo hack of the original game without a lot of big improvements over the original title.
  • Super Mario Bros. 2
    • While the Japanese sequel stuck to the core of the original game, the U.S. got a very different game, a refresh of a Japan-only title, Doki Doki Panic, that played very differently from a "traditional" Mario game.
  • Super Mario Bros. 3
    • Mario takes one more pass at the NES platforming series with a gamed that blends the best elements of the games that came before for a title thaat feels like a true masterwork for the console.
  • Super Mario Land
    • Translating the original game's mechanics down to the tiny Game Boy screen, this game brough Mario into yet another set of hands with remarkable results.
  • Super Mario World
    • Mario enters the realm of 16-bit consoles with, arguably, his biggest adventures yet as he ones again takes on Bowser and the Koopa kids, this time on Dinosaur Island
  • Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
    • Mario returns to the Game Boy for a "World"-sized adventure on Nintendo's tiny handheld.

Oddities

  • Dr. Mario
    • Mario gets his doctorate, and takes on a pack of alien viruses, in this absolutely essential puzzle game.
  • Mario is Missing!
    • The first of a set of educational games, this adventure sends Luigi on a geographical adventure to save his missing brother.
  • Mario's Time Machime
    • The second educational game, this one pits Mario on an adventure through time to stop the evil Bowser (and, of course, learn about history).
  • Hotel Mario
    • Developed for the Philips CDi, this platfomring puzzle game is actually one of the better licensened Mario titles, but that's hardly saying much.

3D Series

  • Mario Clash
    • Mario's first venture into 3D comes as a sequel to the old arcade Mario Bros., but feels just as limited as that classic title.
  • Super Mario 64
    • In one game Nintendo managed to define 3D platform gaming in a way no other company could pull off in the era, and to this day this gamee is an absolute winner.
  • Super Mario Sunshine
    • Mario returns in a second 3D adventure, but this one hobles him with an uncessary water gun that greatly dillutes the fun.
  • Super Mario Galaxy
    • Mario takes to the starts in another formulaic adventure that very nearly lives up to expectations.

RPG Titles

Continuing Adventures with Donkey Kong

  • Donkey Kong '94
    • Nintendo returns Jumpman, and the big ape, to their roots for a vastly expanded remake that quickly becomes a full-on sequel in the first few minutes, making for quite a masterpiece in the process.

Spin-offs

  • Wrecking Crew '98
    • Nintendo brought back the little-known and hardly loved Mario arcade-style spin-off for a SNES puzzle game that, well, actually isn't all that bad.

Films:

  • The Super Mario Bros. Movie
    • This animated effort from Illumination is a messy, but financially success, attempt at bringing the Mario Bros. to the big screen.

See Also:

Podcasts: