Topic: 3D Mario Games

@MarioLover92

But this next console can be another Switch (Switch 2 or Switch Pro), that is backwards compatible. So an Odyssey 2 is not out of the question!

@dionysos283 Yep you're right, it could happen! Especially since I think it's likely that they'll have a full-blown successor to the Switch in a few years or so. This I would prefer over a Switch Pro honestly, especially if it's gonna be backwards compatible.

For my personal list it would be:
1. Sunshine
2. Odyssey
3. Bowser's Fury
4. Galaxy 1+2
5. 3D World
6. Mario 64
7. 3D Land

Everything 64 and above on my list I absolutely love, so it's hard to rank them. 3D Land is fine, but I just couldn't get into it that much. 3D World significantly improves on 3D Land, each level in 3D World feels much more unique and inventive with its ideas. Galaxy 1 and 2 I just lump together because I just see 2 as an extention of 1. The quality of the levels is pretty similar. A bit better in 2 than 1 but I think 1 has a better hub world so it evens out.

Sunshine is definitely my favourite though. I love the tropical setting, I think FLUDD is a fun mechanic, and I think it has the best hub world of any of them. Delfino Plaza is a great playground, and watching the progression of the sunshine slowly expand with each shine you get is really rewarding.

Looking at the different rankings, I realize that I have to give Sunshine another chance. I tried to play through it two times, but always rage quit after the second or third level.

But Galaxy 1 (which people seem to like the same as Galaxy 2) I just recently beat and liked even less this time than the first time I played it.

I think one problem I have with Sunshine (besides the obvious ones) is the tropical island theme. I was never a going-to-the-beach kind of guy. And I think I prefer different themes between levels a la Odyssey and 64. The levels in Sunshine are all too samey for my liking. The overarching space theme is also something that I don't in Galaxy 1&2. But the space theme leaves more room for interesting variation than does the tropical island theme.

I would rank them like this:

1. Super Mario Galaxy
2: Super Mario Galaxy 2
3: Super Mario Odyssey
4: Super Mario 3D World
5: Super Mario 64
6: Super Mario Sunshine
(I haven't played Bowser's Fury so I can't count that yet)

I won't go into too much detail but basically, Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite game of all time. Pretty much for the same reasons that most everyone else loves it. Fantastic level designs, beautiful graphics, solid movement, and a masterful score. I can say pretty much the same things for Galaxy 2 as well.

Super Mario Odyssey is an absolute masterpiece. It's another one of my favorites of all time. I think it has a couple of flaws, though. For example, I'm on the side of people who think that there are a few too many moons. I think if there were fewer scattered about the world, it could lead to more rewarding discoveries when you do find them. However, this game also has the best movement/controls out of any Mario game in my opinion.

Next is 3D World, and while I do agree that the game is maybe a little too simple, what we have is still some stellar level designs, plus great graphics and soundtrack. The controls are pretty simple, which I think is probably my biggest complaint about the whole game. There's a lot of levels that feel very unique.

Now I know what you're thinking: "What kind of lunatic ranks 3D World over 64?" And I think that's a fair judgment. However, 64 just never really quite clicked with me. The level design and music is great, but I could just never get down the controls. Not to say the controls are bad or I think they're too difficult, but I just never clicked with them, despite having played hours and hours of this game. I'm not saying it's a bad or even okay game by any means because it's a fantastic game. But it's just not my favorite 3D Mario game.

Last and least is Sunshine. Granted, I haven't played a ton of this one, but what I've played, I didn't really enjoy it. It is weirdly unpolished compared to the other 3D games. Along with that, the controls feel extremely slippery and the level design is, simply put, not good. Many of the levels are super finicky and frustrating.

I'm open to hearing what you guys have to say about this list!

Surely the next 3D Mario will be out 2026, right? ... Right?

Jokes aside, my favorite 3D Mario platformer, and the only one I actually own, is Odyssey. I haven't gotten every single moon (probably never will), but I did get 500 of them and beat the Darker Side of the Moon (for this part I really needed assist mode. Even with assist mode, it was an aboslute nightmare😨). I don't own it, but I've seen videos of the entire game for Super Mario 3D world + Bowser's Fury. That game looks like a good time as well (Grumblump Volcano and Champion's Road aside).

Edit: I've also seen a few videos of the entire games included in Super Mario 3D All-Stars. As cool as those games are, when I actually tried them by renting a physical copy from the library, I couldn't get past the first level in any of them and the 3D camera controls felt off. Then again, I never really played video games at all in my life until the Switch era, which started when I was almost 8, so I am not the greatest fan of older video games.