MAR10 Day: My 10 favorite Mario games

This is running a little later than anticipated. When I originally had this idea, it was March 19th. Admittedly, that was still a little late for Mario Day but at least it was close. Then life happened, vacation happened and it got away from me. But later is better than never, and Mario games are timeless, so we’ll forge ahead.

I do need to get a few things out of the way before we get to the list. First, this is a list of my favorite Mario games, not necessarily the “best” Mario games. It’s all subjective anyway, especially at the top, but just feel like that’s an important caveat. Second, I’m being pretty liberal in my definition of a Mario game, but I’m also playing it by vibes. That means I might include a game from the Mario Party series but consider Super Smash Bros. to be its own thing. Basically, it’s my list so I put things on it that vibe with me. And with that we will get to it.

10. Dr. Mario

I honestly don’t care for Dr. Mario all that much. I’ve never been the biggest fan of this style of puzzle game; where you are manipulating pieces as they fall into a “well” like Tetris. But, this game has the deepest emotional connection for me of anything on this list, apart from the game at number one. My great grandmother, who I lived with from the age of three, loved this game. There were several times where I had to wait on her before I was allowed to use the Super Nintendo because she was in the middle of a game. And she was good. I mean really good. I never made it to level 20, and she would get to level 40 and beyond. That meant I could be waiting a long time for her to finish a game. She passed away several years ago, but the memory of her sitting mere inches from the screen as she played is one I will never forget.

9. Mario Party

I was the first kid in my neighborhood to get a Nintendo 64. That meant that my house became the de facto hang out spot. The N64 had so many great multiplayer games, but only one could make you go from pure joy to unbridled rage over the span of a few minutes. When you're sitting in first place and then Toad tells you that the person in last place is predicted to win, you know the game is about to do everything in its power to ruin your day. Stealing stars, swapping coins, nothing is off the table. Add to that the physical pain from using your palm to spin the control stick as fast as you can during the minigames and you have a memorable multiplayer experience. I still don’t know if I’d call it a “good” game, but it sure is a lot of fun.

8. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

This is the best Mario RPG hands down. The writing is excellent, the gameplay remains engaging throughout, and it continues to surprise at every opportunity. You’ve got a train mystery to solve, a wrestling league to dominate, an evil doppelganger, aliens bent on world domination and so much more. And after 20 years of being trapped on the GameCube, being able to finally play it easily is fantastic. I already wrote about this game in my 2024 Game of the Year list and everything I said there still applies. Just a fantastic game from start to finish.

7. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

After years of New Super Mario Bros. games it really felt like Nintendo had run out of ideas for 2D Mario games. The series wasn’t bad, but it was safe. Nintendo seemed to save its experimentation for the 3D games and various spinoffs, instead churning out solid, if unremarkable 2D platformers. Then along came Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Every level had its own unique twist, and often that twist wasn’t repeated again throughout the game. After years of playing it safe, the pendulum swung the other way, and no idea was too outrageous to make it in. It feels great to play and some of the harder levels can be devious in the skills they expect from you. It’s a game that you should play with as little info as possible, to really experience some of the wild things it does. It’s a game that is full of, and please excuse me for this one but, wonder.

6. Super Mario Odyssey

Paired with the excellent Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey rounded out one of the greatest first years for any console. Odyssey drops Mario into huge worlds teeming with things to do and secrets to find. Each Kingdom is full of everything from platforming challenges to puzzles to minigames. The capture mechanic, which is definitely Kirby inspired, expands the gameplay possibilities in inventive ways. It could be turning the game into a third-person tank shooter one moment and then taking over as a rampaging T-Rex the next. It’s Mario as a toy box, where you are encouraged to just play.

5. Donkey Kong ‘94

Donkey Kong ‘94 is an expanded remake of the classic arcade game, which means it stars Mario and counts for this list. It’s a puzzle platformer from back before the genre even had a name. After completing the original four levels from the arcade game, it sends you into another 100 levels, but instead of straight platforming, they involve getting a key to a door. How you do that varies, with each world introducing new twists and obstacles. This game is also where the more acrobatic Mario we’d see in later games was born. Handstands, backflips, sideways jumps, and more are all here for the first time, each giving you new ways to solve challenges, or skip them entirely. Now that it’s available through Nintendo Switch Online it’s something worth checking out.

4. Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy came out at the perfect time in my life. I was in college so I had plenty of free time to get deep into the game. I had also gotten past the idea that I needed to only play “adult” or “serious” games, mostly first-person shooters, and could still enjoy Mario. That meant that I obsessively played this game. I tracked down every star, found every secret, and generally completed 100 percent of the game. It helped that it was an excellent game, with the gravity defying gameplay feeling like a real step forward not just for Mario but for game design in general. It was the perfect game that came at the perfect time in my life and one that I still think about today.

3. Super Mario Maker 2

Another game that came at the right time in my life, I dabbled in the original Super Mario Maker but never got too deep in, as a creator or player. Mario Maker 2 came out at a low point in my life, deep in a battle with my depression and anxiety. Around that time, I started to watch more and more of the game on Twitch, and the community around the game really helped pull me out and start to feel like me again. I got deep into the game, learning its intricacies and becoming a much better player. I started making levels, putting myself out there by submitting them to community contests or having streamers play them live on air. In several hundred hours of playtime, I’ve become a better Mario player than I ever thought possible and made some real friends. I have drifted away from the game over the last year and a half, but I’ll always remember how much this meant to me at one of the worst times in my life.

2. Super Mario World

Remember your favorite game ever? Well, what if we made a bigger, better version of it. That was how I felt about Super Mario World. It’s one of the greatest games ever made, and it was a free pack-in title for the Super Nintendo, which is crazy to think about now. I remember the first time I went to a friend’s house and realized that there were secret exits because he went to a different level than I did. I remember playing with my sister and always making sure that I got to be Mario. I remember my mind being blown after finding out you could skip half the game by using the Star Road. Ask me tomorrow and I might even say it’s the best game on this list. It’s just that phenomenal.

1. Super Mario Bros. 3

Depending on the day I might say either this or Super Mario World is the “best” Mario game ever made. But, this game is the most impactful. This game was my aha moment. I had played games before, even Mario games, but this was the first experience I truly remember. One where I was left feeling like I’d found something magical. I could talk about the level design and how each world felt unique. I could talk about how cool it was to take off and fly for the first time. I could praise the game for everything from music to graphics. However, I think the only thing that matters is this: Super Mario Bros. 3 is the reason I love video games to this day.