To get hyped up for the highly anticipated New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I thought'd be fun to take a look back at Mario's other 2-D adventures and see which one comes up on top. We all know this is going to turn into a Super Mario World vs. Super Mario Bros. 3 debate, but it'll be fun while it lasts
1. Super Mario World (Not only do I consider it to be the best Mario game, but I consider it to be the best platformer of all time. The level design is perfect, the difficulty is perfect, and the graphics haven't aged a day. The game is so packed with secrets that even though I've been playing the game since I was 5, I'm still discovering new things about it! My only complaint is that the world map is entirely to big without nearly enough warp points) 2. New Super Mario Bros. (Some say too easy, I say just right. Yeah, you can beat the game in a half-hour once you know all the shortcuts, but, first of all, you can do that with any Mario game, and second of all, who plays a Mario game just to get to the end? Sick, twisted people, that's who! Finding all the secret levels, cannons, and even Worlds is an absolute joy; and finding all the Star Coins is a wicked challenge. The game gives you far too many 1-ups, but that's the only complaint I have with the game. The lower difficulty meant I never got frustrated with it. And the last few worlds gave me my fair share of Game Over screens) 3. Super Mario Bros. 3 (This is easily the game that I have the most problems with. Getting sent spinning back to the previous level on the map after you die get's incredibly annoying after awhile, the moving Air Ship Fortresses are a pain in the neck, the unbalanced difficulty is frustrating, and the fact that you can't go back and play previous levels doesn't make any sense at all. But when it comes down to it, the game is a lot of fun. Every level in the game is brilliantly designed- even if some feel unfairly difficult- and the powerups are obviously the coolest out of all the Mario games. For all my gripes, there's no denying how great of a platformer this game really is) 4. Super Mario Bros. (Simple, short, but oh-so sweet. The game that started it all is every bit as fun as it was back in the day, and the only reason it's ranked so low is because the other games are just do darn good. The lack of variety in the level design and lack of a save system can be frustrating, but the challenge is what makes it so much fun) 5. Super Mario Bros. 2 (There are no bad games on this list. Super Mario Bros. 2 is a very, very good game. It just isn't as good as the other ones on this list. And it isn't the fact that it's weird and different--in fact that's probably the game's best quality. I sincerely hope we see some vegitable-throwing action in future Mario instalments. The problem with the game is its repetitive nature and lack of a save system. With Super Mario Bros 1 and 3 there are ways to start off at the beginning of the world you died at after you get a game over, but in this game there isn't; and the game's surprising length means you'll likely never see the end without a great deal of patience)
I haven't played The Lost Levels or any of the Super Mario Land games on the gameboy color, so I did what I could.
1. Super Mario World 2. Super Mario Bros. 3 3. Super Mario Bros. 4. New Super Mario Bros. 5. Super Mario Bros. 2 (US) Dead last: Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
Super Mario Land is in there somewhere, I just don't remember where, and I was unsure of whether or not Yoshi's Island counted.
Lieutenant Commander of the Lesbian Love Brigade
There can only be one, like in that foreign movie where there could only be one, and in the end there is only one dude left, because that was the point.
I'm not gonna kill you, Kid_A, you're cool. [protects him from angered fans] Also, I thought Yoshi's Island counted at first too, but then I realized it doesn't.
1. Super Mario Bros 4 (I mean uh, World). Why? cuz gobbling up EVERYTHING with Yoshi never gets boring! 2. Super Mario Bros 3. cuz it is the best the NES has to offer, I actually imported this game and the adapter thingy and was the only kid in like the whole town to have it. I was wicked hard back in the day getting to the end in one run. 3. New Super Mario Bros (aka SMB5) 4. SMB2 5. SMB
Lieutenant Commander of the Lesbian Love Brigade
There can only be one, like in that foreign movie where there could only be one, and in the end there is only one dude left, because that was the point.
If it counts, Yoshi's Island is my number one fave Mario platformer of all time (despite the fact that I haven't once beaten it). Super Mario World is a great, easy game, with 96 exits and is my second favorite. Super Mario Bros. 2 I always thought was better than Super Mario Bros. 1.
1. Super Mario World - One of the best games ever, even if it is a bit too hard sometimes 2. Super Mario Bros. - simply put, a classic. There's simply no reason to hate this game. 3. Yoshi's Island - Fun, without the rest of the series' annoyingly high difficulty 4. New Super Mario Bros. - Same with Yoshi's Island, it's fun without ever really getting frustrating 5. SMB2: The Lost Levels - Difficult beyond belief, but it still has it's charm 6. Super Mario 2(USA) - While I can't get my head around its gameplay, I'll still acknoledge that it's pretty god, I just can't get into it. 7. Super Mario 3 - I hate it and it hates me. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get into it. Every time I play it, I find a new reason to hate it. It really is the only Mario game besides Super Mario 64 that I genuinely hate.
I think difficulty levels may be your problem here, Mickey.
You say Mario World is a bit too hard - almost everyone else would agree it's actually far too easy. Maybe one of the reasons you can't get into Bros 3 is that it's less forgiving? And as for Mario 64... it's a stone cold, nailed on, AAA classic. Again, perhaps you 'hate' it because you are not very good at it, and it's less forgiving that some other games?
Again, you say you 'just can't get into' Mario 2, and again that's one of the less forgiving games.
You seem to be on a 'hard=bad' vibe. Each to his own, but Mario World too hard? It only even approaches hard at the end of the game, and then, what do you want? Bowsers Valley and the Special World to be a walk over?
Anyway, ignoring the handheld games which I haven't spent much time on:
Super Mario World - the perfect 2D platform game. Bros. 3 - The best 8bit game, and a brilliant ride from start to finish. Bros. 2 - Underrated little game this, different, but good different, not bad. Bros. - Important game, sure, but getting a bit stale now. Lost Levels - Nintendo held this back because that thought the Euro-Yank peeps wouldn't be able to play it, it's real problem is that it's just Bros 1.5, not at all different enough to get excited about.
I think difficulty levels may be your problem here, Mickey.
You say Mario World is a bit too hard - almost everyone else would agree it's actually far too easy. Maybe one of the reasons you can't get into Bros 3 is that it's less forgiving? And as for Mario 64... it's a stone cold, nailed on, AAA classic. Again, perhaps you 'hate' it because you are not very good at it, and it's less forgiving that some other games?
Again, you say you 'just can't get into' Mario 2, and again that's one of the less forgiving games.
You seem to be on a 'hard=bad' vibe. Each to his own, but Mario World too hard? It only even approaches hard at the end of the game, and then, what do you want? Bowsers Valley and the Special World to be a walk over?
When I said Super Mario 64, I meant the DS version, which has terrible controls and camera that pretty much ruin the game for me.
For Super Mario Bros. 2, I mean I simply can't get into it. I don't like having my enemies not die when I jump on top of them.
As for Super Mario Bros. 3, I hate everything about that stupid game, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It's just not fun.
As for Super Mario World...I don't see how anybody could call that game easy. Some of those levels are just brutal! Worse than anything I've ever seen in the other Mario games.
1. Super Mario Bros. 3 Sure the overworld map might not be as adventurous as Super Mario World's and it is indeed annoying you get send back to the beginning after you lose all your lives, but this is stil the greatest side-scroller ever made. This is were the formula of the first one was perfected. It's much more varied than Super Mario World; there's deserts, mountains, ice levels and more and it has those cool power-ups (Take that Mario world die-hards, that cape is just lame compared to the Raccoon and Hammer Suits!). And the world map was introduced here.
2. Super Mario World Super Mario world, though, is still the second greatest platformer of all time. Yoshi was an important addition and this game was packed with even more secrets. For the first time you really felt like Mario was on a grand adventure. There are two super-tough secret worlds, making this a great game for Mario die-hards. While it wasn't really as innovative as earlier Mario games, it's definitely the biggest and most ambitious 2D Mario to date.
3. Super Mario Bros. While the two previously mentioned games really improved upon this game, it is still a blast to play and remains the game that saved an industry. Thousands upon thousands of games still use elements pioneered in this title, that alone makes it deserve its place right under its two biggest sequels.
4. Super Mario Bros. 2 It may stray far from other Mario games, but if you judge it on its own merits, it is still a highly enjoyable and fun platformer, and innovative for its time, too. There's some tight controls and strong level design in there and it is definitely a game that has that typical Nintendo feel to it. It shows that this game was made by the masters of the genre, even though originally not for Mario and co. Veggie-flinging is fun!
5. Super Mario Land 2.: Six Golden Coins There is a hippo that blows snot bubbles out of its nose... and you can use them to fly to find secret worlds. Really! And its a lot of fun! While this game strays a bit far from the traditional Mario themes (There is a level made out of LEGO-bricks and you can go to the Moon), the levels are so fun, original and diverse you can only love this game. There are power-ups and a world map similar to those in SMB3 and this is were we meet Wario for the first time. There are six worlds in which you need to find a coin to get inside your castle, which has been taken over by Mario's greedy alter-ego. The levels are not that hard, but there is a catch, once you lose all your lives, you lose one coin. The trick is to get many lives in the bonus game, so you can get inside the castle before you lose any coins. The castle is much tougher than the rest of the game, by the way. A true Game Boy classic!
6. New Super Mario Bros. It's great to see a new Mario game but I found it rather easy and not very innovative, more like a tribute to earlier Mario games, rather than something new like the name implies. However, getting al the coins is a tota blast and if you play through as quickly as possible, you will have missed not only on several levels, but also, much like in SMW, two ENTIRE HIDDEN WORLDS!
7. Super Mario Land The classic NES platforming was recreated surprisingly well for this classic Game Boy outing. While it may be a bit short by modern standards, it is till a lot of fun. The level design has that typical Mario feel to it and if you consider this was one of the first Game Boy games, it must have been pretty stunning to people who were used to Game 'n Watch when it came to handheld gaming. There was a full-fledged, NES-style, sidescrolling platformer in that tiny cardridge on that tiny system.
8. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels This one is very, very tough. The very first level feels like at least half way through the first game. While you can complain there is not enough innovation there is one major thing that's new here: This is where the difference in Mario and Luigi gameplay was introduced. Instead of having a 2-player option, you can select to play as either Luigi or Mario. Luigi jumps higher than his brother but is also harder to control. Try to collect all the stars in Super Mario Galaxy, and you will find that this feature's legacy lives on to this day. To bad Lost Levels doesn't have a two player option like SMB 3 has, where the difference in gameplay between the Bros. remains intact in two-player mode.
When I said Super Mario 64, I meant the DS version, which has terrible controls and camera that pretty much ruin the game for me.
For Super Mario Bros. 2, I mean I simply can't get into it. I don't like having my enemies not die when I jump on top of them.
As for Super Mario Bros. 3, I hate everything about that stupid game, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It's just not fun.
As for Super Mario World...I don't see how anybody could call that game easy. Some of those levels are just brutal! Worse than anything I've ever seen in the other Mario games.
64 - Fair enough, I haven't played the DS version. 2 - Fair enough, although they do die if you pick them up and throw them into another enemy. 3 - It is fun, it's the best 8bit game, but each to his own. World - By far the easiest Mario game, can't really see why you are having so much trouble with it.
Yeah...I finally replayed Super Mario World, and it sucks balls. SMB1 and Yoshi's Island are the only Mario games that don't piss me the f*** off at every possible turn, so I guess they're the best Mario games ever.
1. Super Mario Bros. 3 2. New Super Mario Bros. Wii 3. Super Mario World 4. New Super Mario Bros. 5. Super Mario Bros. 6. Super Mario Bros. 2 I really dont want to count The Lost Levels bc it punishes you for exploring
SMW is one difficult game. I can't imagine someone going through the chocolate fortress saying "this is so easy". It's not easy at all, especially if you play it after you get used to the physics of NSMBwii, which is a fantastic game.
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Topic: Rank the 2-D Super Mario games!
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