15. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)

While divisive among fans of the 8- and 16-bit classics, there's no denying the popularity of the 'New' series. The original New Super Mario Bros. opened up 2D Mario to an entirely new generation, even if gives off a 'been there, done that' vibe these days. We dinosaurs can pine for our pixels and the 'classic' games, or wax lyrical about the myriad enhancements Mario Wonder brought with it, but that shouldn't detract from this remarkably solid Mario platformer. Absolutely essential it is not, but there's plenty to like in Mario's oldest New adventure.

Is that enough qualifications?

14. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)

The first 2D entry to come to a home console since Mario World in the early '90s, 2009's New Super Mario Bros. Wii brought chaotic four-player local multiplayer to the series for the first time and gave old-school fans yearning for a side-on Mushroom Kingdom adventure something to chew on, with plenty of clever nods to the past. Anyone put off by the New series' 'wah's and cuteness missed out on a real platforming treat.

13. Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)

Mario's run of hit after hit after hit is rather incredible when you think about it. The expectations each new mainline entry creates are astronomically high and we're continually gobsmacked that, more often than not, those expectations are surpassed. Available to play on Switch if you have a copy of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Sunshine is a great game which — thanks to its rushed development — lacks the immaculate polish we've come to expect from the Mario series. However, there's a unique charm and brilliance to its mechanics and setting which make it an underdog in the series, and who doesn't love one of those?

As a direct sequel to Super Mario 64, it is not the genre-defining classic everyone was hoping for. However, with the passing of time, we can look back and appreciate the many things that Sunshine does superbly. The joyful, bouncing Isle Delfino theme alone makes it worth revisiting, and if you've skipped this entry in Mario's back catalogue, don't let its reputation put you off. The Sunshine Defence Force may be overcompensating a tad — it's certainly got its flaws — but at the very least, it's still very good in our eyes.

12. Super Mario Bros. (NES)

So much of the foundation of the series — and the medium of video games at large — was put down in Super Mario Bros. that it's tough to evaluate all these years later without considering its historical importance. This game, perhaps more than any other, has passed into the popular cultural consciousness and would go on to influence countless developers since 1985. Artifacts like this delineate epochs; when it comes to video games, there was 'Before SMB' and 'After SMB'.

Going back after all Mario's other 2D adventures shows that it has aged, naturally, and it doesn't control quite as tightly as the Super Mario Bros. theme in the Mario Maker games. But it's still the original and, some would say, the best. Not us, but some.

You've played this many, many times before, no doubt, and you'll play it many, many times again. Good game.

11. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB)

The original Super Mario Land was a solid start for the series on Nintendo's Game Boy system, but nothing prepared us for what Nintendo R&D1 was able to do with this sequel. Every aspect of the game is improved to the point that it genuinely feels of a piece with its 8-bit, home console brethren, delivering a longer, more in-depth handheld Mario adventure. It's a bit on the easy side, but it remains one of the best Game Boy titles ever released and a testament to just how capable a system it was in the hands of talented devs.

If you're a Super Mario fan, you absolutely must play this game; if you're not, this legendary release is good enough to make you one.

10. Super Mario Maker (Wii U)

The original Wii U Super Mario Maker, with its multiple updates, additions, and tweaks over time, was a game which arguably justified the Wii U GamePad on its own. Enabling you to craft levels in the style of the original game, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and the New series, the elegant user interface and overall polish made this an exceptional Mario experience, one that was tailored perfectly to the second screen of the Wii U GamePad. It was the system's true 'killer app', but it simply arrived too late in the lifecycle to make a difference.

Super Mario Maker 2 might have added slopes and other fun doohickeys on Switch, but the sequel stands on the shoulders of the original, and base course creation experience is arguably still at its most intuitive on the Wii U GamePad. Bafflingly backward, Nintendo-like solutions for online sharing aside, if you've ever enjoyed a 2D Mario game and have a creative, playful spirit, then the original Mario Maker deserves your attention, even if you can't share your creations online anymore.

9. Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch)

Super Mario Maker 2 took everything you loved about Super Mario Maker and turned it up to 11. It's got more of everything: the Super Mario 3D World style, enemies, gizmos, powerups, vertical levels, the Story Mode having an actual story, multiplayer, and more (and slopes, of course). The list of additions is truly massive.

There are a few small issues here and there — the online is still hilariously obtuse in a way only Nintendo could make it, and the slight awkwardness of button-based building is disappointing after how natural it felt on the Wii U GamePad — but they're overwhelmingly dwarfed by the sheer joy and unbridled freedom on offer. Free updates and tweaks to the formula evolved the experience over time, much like the original, with Ninji Speedruns and various new elements added to this expansive Mario toybox.

8. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury takes everything that made the cat-filled Wii U original special and throws in various small gameplay tweaks to make it even more enjoyable. The first four-player 3D Mario game fuses the freedom of the third dimension with the spirit of the tighter, more constrained (yet no less imaginative) courses from his 2D games to wonderful effect. The cooperative multiplayer element brought Princess Peach, Luigi, and Toad back into the fold of playable characters, mirroring the lineup of Super Mario Bros. 2., and both Cat Mario and Captain Toad were also introduced here.

This game serves as an unintimidating introduction to a larger three-dimensional Super Mario world, and a joy for veterans of the Z-axis to boot. The additional open-world-y Bowser's Fury mode makes the Switch version an essential purchase even if you 100%-ed the sublime original game on Wii U. The only real mark against the awkwardly acronym-ed SM3DW+BF is patchy online multiplayer implementation, but this Switch release is otherwise up there with the very best of the plumber's portfolio. Dog lovers should probably steer clear; everyone else, jump to it.