• Top 5 Super Mario Brothers Games

  

  Written by Zeromage 44 Comments
  Last Updated:: November 30, 2008

  As with most old school gamers, the Super Mario Brothers games have been a staple part of our diet here at Old-Wizard.com since the days of our short pants. We grew up with Super Mario 1 on the NES, and twenty five some odd years later we’re playing Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. That’s why this was one of the hardest lists we’ve ever had to make. Deciding between the top 3 was almost impossible. It took hours of arguing, and lots of beers, but we finally came up with a list we could all agree with. Hope you enjoy!

  5. Super Mario 2

  The amount of unnecessary controversy surrounding Super Mario Brothers 2 is unprecedented. If you hear someone complaining about a Super Mario Brothers game it’s probably Mario 2 because its not like Mario 1 or 3, which are supposed to be the “authentic” Marios. Looking back, and playing through Super Mario All Stars though, Mario 2 comes as a treat, with its completely different game playing style and colourful imagery. You could choose between Mario, Luigi, princess, and Toad, giving you more options than Mario 1 and 3 (although Toad proves to be worthless). Each had their own special abilities. With the Princess, you could float across major parts of levels, which was a fun new addition to the Mario saga. There was also a variety of level-styles which was also welcome, as in some levels you were digging through a pyramid, and others, going into underground labyrinths to find keys to use elsewhere in the level. Some people have a problem that the game is a blatant rip of “Doki Doki Panic” for the Super Famicon (Japanese NES), but this in no way effects the playability and general enjoyment of the game. Gamers always need something to complain about, but for those who don’t care about the rip off and just play the game, they are in for a welcome surprise. The creators of this game had good taste in what to ape.

  4. Super Mario Galaxy

  I don’t mind saying that Mario Galaxy is the best video game to be released since the SNES stopped making games. The graphics are breath-taking, showing a depth and imagination not seen in most modern video games. The soundtrack is simple and eloquent as Mario surfs the different galaxies in search of the Princess. But the best part of the game is how fun and different it is. Up until I played SMG, it seemed to me like modern day video game designers have forgotten how to make fun games. Even though it seems like you might have already done this or that in another game, SMG adds a completely different twist to it that makes it so more exciting and fun then anything you have ever played before. Super Mario Galaxy will completely revolutionize the way you think about platform games. And at this point the bar has been pushed so high by SMG that it’s light years beyond any other platformer that I have played or probably ever will play for years to come.

  3. Super Mario World

  Super Mario World is often over-looked as one of the best Mario games of all time. Usually people will tell you that Super Mario 1 or Super Mario 3 are the best Mario games ever. But go back and put in your “Super Mario All Stars and Super Mario World” cartridge into your SNES and you’ll probably find yourself playing this game more than any other. Why? Because its fun. In comparison to today’s games which focus on better graphics and more gore, this game focused on fun. And in this respect this game succeeded beyond measure. Tell me that you didn’t have fun bouncing around on the dolphins on top of the Vanilla Dome. Or riding around the winged platforms in the Forest of Illusion. Or eating monty moles with Yoshi. No, Super Mario World wasn’t a hard game (with the exception of Tubular in the Special World). But it was definitely a fun game. And in the end that’s really all that matters.

  2. Super Mario Brothers 1

  Super Mario Brothers 1 was the game that put video games on the map. Granted other video games existed before Super Mario brothers, but none stirred the hearts and control pads of the masses quite like this one. After all, who could resist Mario and Luigi? They were more than just a couple of brothers in the plumbing business, they were bad ass renegades who didn’t think twice about stomping mushroom traitors or kicking turtle soldier shell butt clear across mushroom kingdom if it meant saving Princess Toadstool. Speaking of the princess, she was smokin’ even though they hadn’t pixelated cleavage yet. This is a game that had it all, bizarre villains, midgets, hot princesses, and wanton fireball destruction. All in all, the original Super Mario Brothers was a fun game, but it also taught us some important life lessons: much like you can’t go back on a screen, you can’t go back in life. Once you make a choice you are stuck with it. Eat your vegetables and you’ll grow big and strong, always chase stars, no matter where they lead you, if you eat a flower you just end up spitting fire, and with a little manual labour you’ll find gold coins in the most unlikely places. Yes, this game was a true classic that created a whole generation of super gamers and maybe some renegade plumbers too.

  1. Super Mario Brothers 3

  Ask most people what their favorite Super Mario Brothers game is and more than likely they’ll tell you that its Super Mario Brothers 3, and with good reason. This game is packed with tons of power ups, from the almost useless frog suit, to my own personal favorite, the Tanooki Suit. The game is also packed with so many different types of levels, varying from desert worlds to ice worlds, that you’d think you were in the Star Wars galaxy traveling from Tatoonie to Hoth. But this variety of power ups and levels isn’t the only reason this game is loved by millions. Its the little things. Like a level where you get to ride around in a giant shoe and actually stomp on spinys (tell me you haven’t wanted to do that since you first saw them in SMB1). Or a the massive number of secrets in the game like the treasure ships and white mushroom huts. This game was truly epic from beginning to end, making it not only the best Mario game of all time, but perhaps the best VIDEO GAME of all time.

44 Comments

1. #1 Lenny says:
   December 4th, 2009 at 5:48 pm

   Why do the bottom two Marios look different? Were those Super Nintendo update NES Mario games? They look awesome! Someone please give answers!
2. #2 Angel says:
   December 4th, 2009 at 6:00 pm

   “Why do the bottom two Marios look different? Were those Super Nintendo update NES Mario games? They look awesome! Someone please give answers!”

   It’s from Super Mario AllStars

   “Super Mario All-Stars is an enhanced remake of the first four Mario games: the 1985 NES game Super Mario Bros., its Japanese sequel, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, its American sequel, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. Released in 1993 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it sports graphic enhancements, glitch fixes, and the ability to save one’s game, allowing the player to restart from a save point instead of from the beginning, should a player lose all of their lives. An alternate version, also containing Super Mario World, was bundled with the Super Nintendo in December 1994″
3. #3 Steve-0 says:
   December 4th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

   HOW DID MARIO 64 NOT MAKE THIS LIST!!?? Oh well, its hard, i’ll grant you that. and i do definately agree on the top 3, in that order…BUT! once again, how did mario 64 not make the list? It completely defined 3d platforming! personally, my list would go 5. Super mario Galaxy, then Mario 64, then world, 1, 2. I mean, i loved Galaxy n all, and i did think it was a pretty refreshing change and i did steal my cuz’s wii just 2 play it, but i still believe that mario 64 was more entertaining at the time, and did have more improvisations and a better overall re-shaped mario formula… thats just me though. PS, as an avid PS3 fan, I absolutely cannot leave without disagreeing with your comment on Galaxy being the best new gen game. I found it very fun and new, and loved it, it was probably the most fun i’d had with a game recently in single player, but… Metal Gear Solid 4 takes it. The climax to the Metal Gear saga was without a doubt the greatest experience i have ever had in gaming history… The story, the graphics, the gameplay, the ending… I’ve never before had this feeling of completeness… I knew at that moment, when the (final) end credits finished rolling up my screen, and that last convo ended with the MGS4 logo on the screen, that i could now die happy, with the certainty that my life had had its most fulfilling moment… I guess thats an exaggeration, but it was amazing. Hail Hideo Kojima-san – YOU ARE GOD
4. #4 TheMountain says:
   December 4th, 2009 at 6:07 pm

   I’m the only one who finds Mario 64 to be overrated?
5. #5 tim says:
   December 4th, 2009 at 6:46 pm

   I definitely agree that 64 should be ranked higher than Galaxy. It’s because of the impact it made at the time. SMG is just another great 3D platformer. SM64 changed gaming forever, and when that came out I had never seen anything like it in my life. SM64’s legacy will always be so far beyond Galaxy’s, but SMG is still a great game.
6. #6 James says:
   December 4th, 2009 at 6:53 pm

   I stopped reading when it said “Toad proves to be worthless” in SMB2. When I first played the game, I was 9, and I beat the game using Toad almost exclusively.

   This article proves to be worthless.
7. #7 tim says:
   December 4th, 2009 at 7:03 pm

   Man, this site is a joke. Most game designers forgot how to make ‘fun’ games, huh? I think Nintendo just forgot how to make games now. Where’s Mario 64 also?
8. #8 Runo says:
   December 4th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

   LMFAO:

   “All in all, the original Super Mario Brothers was a fun game, but it also taught us some important life lessons: much like you can’t go back on a screen, you can’t go back in life. Once you make a choice you are stuck with it. Eat your vegetables and you’ll grow big and strong, always chase stars, no matter where they lead you, if you eat a flower you just end up spitting fire, and with a little manual labour you’ll find gold coins in the most unlikely places.”
9. #9 Runo says:
   December 4th, 2009 at 7:15 pm

   This was a great article guys! Would have liked to see Mario 64 on the list, but still good nonetheless.
10. #10 Deadpool says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 7:16 pm

    Mine:

    5. Mario64
    4. Mario DS
    3. SMB1
    2. SM World
    1. SMB3
11. #11 Wild Bill says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 7:17 pm

    THANK YOU SO MUCH for getting back to talking about retro-gaming. Great article! (PLEASE Stay away from Music and new games)
12. #12 xino says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 7:54 pm

    this website sucks complete ass till the sh* cums out!
    It’s just a fanboy article over and over, when you are ready to grow up, you come up with stuff other than Nintendo or fanboy stuff:/

    But I do agree though, Mario Brothers 3 is a great game.
13. #13 Jake says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    I would have put SM: World in the top… and i would have excluded SM 2 from the list. And i totally agree with that Toad is useless! I played it the other day on my psp (emulator ftw) and i died on a boss and i decided to try with another character so i chose Toad and what happens? He cant actually jump up the first platform. and i couldnt go back… I was stuck! I had to restart the game and start at the beginning of the world! Thats another sucky thing about 2. When you get gameover you start at the beginning of the world and not the level…wierd.
14. #14 George says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 9:03 pm

    Their are many schools of thought on Mario 64. Some see it as one of the 10 best games ever, some see it as good but overrated, and others think it is mediocrity on silicon. I personally love the game, and have played it countless times, but now I’m beginning to see why some have gripes. No Luigi, it’s not in 2D, and it’s not as hard as the other games.

    It’s very different, but it still did something few did. It took a 2D character, and made his first 3D game great. Something many have failed miserably at. (I’m looking at you Sonic.) And for that reason, I love Mario 64, just as I love Nintendo’s 3D transition.
15. #15 Chase357 says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 9:41 pm

    “from the almost useless frog suit”

    Are you kidding me? You could clear a tough level by using the frog suit’s increased jumping ability!

    Where is Super Mario 64? Let’s be honest, the 1st game is an important part of the industry (and history for that matter) but with a game like Super Mario 64, SMB1 shouldn’t make this list.
16. #16 Pikminlink says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    Mario 64 and Yoshi’s Island, both are far much better that supermario bros USA (doki doki panic), well keep going Old Wizard.
17. #17 Amorin Uzuki says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 11:24 pm

    I also believe that Mario 64 has to be in any list of Mario’s games. It is the most influential together with the first one.

    My list would be.

    5 Super Mario Galaxy
    4 Super Mario Bros. 3
    3 Super Mario Bros.
    2 Super Mario World
    1 Super Mario 64
18. #18 Joe says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 12:38 am

    Meh, I would take Super Mario RPG over mario 2
19. #19 McDuck says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 1:35 am

    5. Super Mario Galaxy
    4. Super Mario 64
    3. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
    2. Super Mario Bros. 3
    1. Super Mario World
20. #20 Maggie says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 2:42 am

    This is a very, very excellent list. as a Mario fan myself, I love just about every game on here! but if I were to choose a top 5, well, it would be like suicide to me.
    well this is my top 5:
    5.Super Mario bros. 3
    4.Mario 64
    3.Super Mario RPG
    2.Super Mario World
    1.Super Mario Galaxy

    however, I think every single person who posted comments on here would feel much better if old wizard made a TOP 10 MARIO GAMES LIST instead, so these are my other favorites:
    10.New Super Mario Bros
    9.Super Paper Mario
    8.Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
    7.Mario Kart Wii
    6.Super Mario Bros

    I know i’m unusual, making Galaxy my #1 Mario game, or possibly my favorite game ever, but i cant help it. It’s just too plain excellent. The graphics are some of the best coming from Nintendo, and the beautiful and epic lush of orchestral music is a first in a mario game. at times before the game, others like Mario World got me caught in Nintendo’s traps, making me feel amazed inside. but at the point after Mario 64 and before Galaxy, i wasnt trusting Nintendo anymore. But i fell in love again, and even more than before, with videogames when i played Galaxy.The lists on OW were bad when i first found this site, but theyre getting better all the time ^_^
21. #21 Wedge says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 3:42 am

    As much as I hate it…I’m gonna be that guy…
    Doki Doki Panic was a game created for the Japanese equivalent of the NES, the Famicom (notice the M at the end, and the absence of the word “super”)
22. #22 Zeromage says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 3:58 am

    Wedge:
    You’ll notice that that was mentioned in the article.
23. #23 JM says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 7:35 am

    No Super Mario 64?

    My first N64 Game and i still play it now.

    Yes SMG is a lot better(but easier) than Sm 64 but without SM64 we´d never had Banjo Kazooie,Banjo Tooie and Mario Sunshine/Galaxy..

    But Mario DS is a remake of Sm 64 and a bad one at that…
24. #24 Jerry says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    Maggie:

    Couldn’t agree more about OW. I hated this site at first, but lately the lists have been getting better and better. This one was exceptional. Nice work OW!
25. #25 Frank says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

    Excellent list. This is why I love oldwizard.
26. #26 Sarah says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    JM:
    Mario DS is a remake of Mario 64? Explain this.
27. #27 Jared says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    Mario 2 sucks.
28. #28 Ben says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    No Mario64 = Fail.
29. #29 ocZBowser says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 2:22 pm

    IMO sm64 is way too overrated, I hate that, even smb2 was more fun to play

    “I stopped reading when it said “Toad proves to be worthless” in SMB2. When I first played the game, I was 9, and I beat the game using Toad almost exclusively.

    This article proves to be worthless.
    ”
    I agree

    my list:

    6. Super mario 2
    5. Super mario Sunshine
    4. Super mario Galaxy
    3. Super mario 1
    2. Super mario 3
    1. Super mario world
30. #30 Gary says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 2:25 pm

    EPIC FAIL.
31. #31 Hugh says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 3:48 pm

    What a crappy list.
32. #32 Big A2 says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 8:36 am

    “I’m the only one who finds Mario 64 to be overrated?”

    No. http://old-wizard.com/?p=1085&page=2

    But anyway, here’s mine:

    New Super Mario Bros.
    Super Mario Bros.
    Super Mario Galaxy
    Super Mario World
    SUper Mario Bros. 3
33. #33 TheMountain says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 11:38 pm

    Gary- Anything else substantive to say?
34. #34 Brian V. says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    The fact that Super Mario 64 is not here makes this whole list irrelevant. That game not only changed the entire industry, but made pretty much every action/platformer you’ve heard of have a reason to exist. And considering SMB2 isn’t even technically an actual Mario game, i’d say this is a fail list all around.

    Fail fail fail fail….fail fail fail fail! You fail! You fail! You fail!!!
35. #35 Yoshi! says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 7:39 pm

    i <3 Mario & Yoshi!
36. #36 bob says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 2:32 am

    i agree w/big a2 100 percent
37. #37 mario games says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 10:31 am

    i agree w/big a2 1000 percent!
38. #38 andy says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    can i down load any super mario game to the Wii
    and how? Or is there somewhere i can take my Wii to have them download????
39. #39 avi says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 11:37 am

    heres mine 5.mario land 2 4.mario galaxy 3.mario world 2.mario rpg 1.mario 1.
40. #40 LEGONESFISH says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    The Mountain, i completely agree. I think a lot of N64 games are a bit overrated like mario 64 and Ocarina of Time. Don’t get me wrong though, they were good games, problem is that they aren’t great games like the predecessors.