Kevin's Watch

eeh, gads...

Other notable options, not limited to:

- Paper Marios
- Other Mario Karts
- Other Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario RPG (SNES)
- various Mario sports games
- Mario Partys
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

Super Mario World won this, for me - but only just. Mario 3 was a very close contender, and part of me still says it's the better game - but it's too limited in some ways. Mario 3 sees the genesis of some ideas and game mechanics that are more fully utilised in Super Mario World.

An honourable mention goes to New Super Mario Bros, on DS. The best new Mario game in years. Marios 64 and Galaxy don't even get a look in; 64 is fun but clumsy, and Galaxy gives me a headache with its attempts to do something new.

What makes New, well, "new"?...

Super Mario World.

I think Super Mario World is probably my fave. I have split most of my mario playtime between that and Mario 3 for the NES (which I don't think I ever beat as a tyke, while I beat SMW very easily as a kid).

Memories:


I don't think Brawl really counts as a Mario game...

EDIT: I like both 64 and Galaxies but I honestly don't think either deserves to be put on a pedestal. Galaxies was honestly something of a bore, I haven't even collected all the stars yet. Other 3d platformers I have played (jak and ratchet series on PS2 come to mind) are quite a bit better, I think, though I haven't tried most of the recent entries. Have heard good things about Sly Cooper and Beyond Good and Evil (is that a platformer?) as well.

Mario Kart 64.

Holsety wrote: Memories:

Damn that's funny!

LOL!!!!!!!!!!! You know, I just now really paid close attention to it...

Tough call. I mean, I mastered Super Mario Bros. I probably spent more time on that game than most others combined. I wanted to vote for SMB2 just because it was such a fun game for its time, but then I thought that SMB3 totally blew it away. Eventually I had to go with Mario Kart for the SNES. That was the go to game for my friends and I, even after we eventually got tired of MKII or SSF2T. To demonstrate this point, Adam and Stacy had a quarter each wagered on who would win the most out of 100 games. Adam refused to give up even after it was 51 to 10.

jacob Raver, sinTempter wrote:What makes New, well, "new"?...

'New' is probably entirely the wrong word, but Nintendo didn't consult me about the title. New SMB is the closest thing there has been to Mario World/Mario 3 since those games - with added visual shininess and some new gameplay dynamics. It's very much in the style of those classic games, and does it very well.

I've never been a big Mario lover, at least of the action games. I've enjoyed all the RPG games and Paper Mario games up until the latest. I haven't been able to get into the one on the Wii much at all, which is a shame.

CovenantJr wrote:

jacob Raver, sinTempter wrote:What makes New, well, "new"?...

'New' is probably entirely the wrong word, but Nintendo didn't consult me about the title. .

Terrible.

Mario 3, definitely. Super Mario World was too easy, as well as a re-tread of the whole World Map device, and it's music was far less memorable to me; most importantly, 3 just had a feel to it I think no Mario will ever come close to: that of being unconsciously, sublimely strange but great. Its number of enemies and power-ups, as well, can't be beat for sheer originality.

The ideas were fresher: giant/small world, sky world, literally going through hell and brigades of tanks to get to Bowser. The game just came up to the plate, said, "Get hyped as possible," and still blew away all expectations. No. freaking. contest!

The game was and will be a lifelong obsession of mine, and I believe no other game has such tasty physics as Mario's mechanics, the challenges and variety of the levels, and I believe their length (being shorter than World) gave a much better punch. Overall, there's nothing really leaner or meaner in the platforming world, and nothing since has ever captured the sense of a major, cosmic event in video gaming like SMB3. There's a reason there's never been an SMB4. It's like watching Star Wars or something for the first time. It's the Sgt. Pepper's of video games.

Still, for my cash? Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. It introduced me to RPGs, looked damn good, had a freaking great story (for my 12 year old brain, anyway), and the music and Mario nostalgia was like eating a never-ending carpet of ambrosia until I finished the damn thing. And you got to play as Bowser. Seriously though--those graphics are how you freaking do it, 16-bit style.

I have to agree with you, master...Mario 3 all the way.