Best Super Mario Games

Super Mario games have been around for quite some time; in fact, Mario first appeared (as Jumpman) in the Donkey King arcade game in 1981! As of 2010, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games, starring in many of them; he's been in at least 3 games every year since '85. He's a busy man: his high mark so far is a whopping 19 games in 2005!

In chronological order, here are what I would consider the best Super Mario games thus far.

Super Mario Bros 3
Super Mario Bros was the start of the series, and Super Mario 2 (which wasn't originally intended to be a Mario game, but Nintendo thought the version they released in Japan would be too hard for an American audience) was just weird, but Super Mario 3 was where the plumber really came into his own. At this point, Mario had started getting the various suits he'd become known for, and this ranks as one of the best side-scrollers of the era.

Super Mario Kart / Super Mario Kart Wii
Mario moves into racing in this classic Super Nintendo game. The Wii version, a number of years later, offers more of the same (but with the addition of motorcycles and the Wii wheel). Why just race when you can race while throwing turtle shells at your opponents?

Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door
This isn't Mario's first RPG, just his best. A deep storyline, turn-based combat, and a number of colorful characters combine in a game that gives tons of play; I first picked it up the week before finals and spent a good 50 hours playing it. This game makes me glad that Gamecube disks work on the Wii!

New Super Mario Bros Wii
This game brings us back to where we started; while the graphics are naturally much-improved and Mario has picked up a few new abilities, on the whole the gameplay feels just like Super Mario 3. This is a good thing. Additionally, the game offers the ability for up to four players to run around the screen at once, a first for the main Mario series (although of course it's been seen in other games like Smash Bros). This game offers more challenging levels, but also a "cheat' feature for younger players who may get frustrated at times to allow them to bypass stages they're having trouble with. 

Got a Wii? If there's anything on this list you haven't played, buy or download it (the first few games on this list are available as virtual console games) and get started!