The 25 Best Mario Games of All Time
With The Super Mario Bros. Movie debuting in theaters, we're revisiting 40 years of excellent Mario games from Nintendo.
After all these years, Mariois still number one. The biggest name in video games is also one of the most recognizable mascots in the entire world. Though Mario games may be silly, narratively vapid, and even frivolous at times, the core mechanics and sense of adventure in these titles have inarguably pushed the medium further—and just as much as any other leading franchise in the history of gaming.
The first platformer starring Mario—an arcade game—debuted all the way back in July 1983. Now, nearly 40 years later, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is in theaters, promising another celebration of a gaming icon. To celebrate the occasion, your friends at the Esquire Gamer Zone made like Super Smash Bros. and duked it out over a top-25 list of the greatest Mario titles of all time. Of course, there are so many games to consider through the years, but we decided not to limit our selection to “true” Mario titles. Sports games, Party games, mashup titles—all are welcome. Now, we present: the best Mario games of all time, ranked. As a great plumber once said: Here we go!
Super Mario Strikers snuck its way into this list nearly on ambition alone. At this point in the great history of Nintendo, the studio could've pumped out Mario Kart and Mario Golf sequels to appease the sports-loving corner of its fanbase. But no. Someone had the idea to mash football, rugby, and soccer together—creating a brand-new sport, which just so happened to live in Mario's sandbox. Say what you want, but Super Mario Strikers rules.—Brady Langmann
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