VGPOTW #12: It's-A-Me, Mario!

Where's the New Super Mario Bros series?

NSMB Wii, NSMBU and NSLU are better than all the games in the polls, SMB3 aside. They perfectly embrace the toybox level design the series is known for.

I agree with Spinosaurus, the New Super Mario Bros series should be included. But anyways, I voted for Super Mario World. It beats all the other options in the music and graphic categories. It also has great gameplay, as it is filled with fun levels and secrets, and will leave you playing for hours upon hours.

Spinosaurus said:

Where's the New Super Mario Bros series?

NSMB Wii, NSMBU and NSLU are better than all the games in the polls, SMB3 aside. They perfectly embrace the toybox level design the series is known for.

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When I did research on all of the games for the poll, New Super Mario Bros. was defined as being a "2.5D" game because it incorporated both 2D and 3D elements, so I was just going to go with games that were strictly defined as 2D. I'll put in an extra poll option of "Other" though.

El Héroe Oscuro said:

When I did research on all of the games for the poll, New Super Mario Bros. was defined as being a "2.5D" game because it incorporated both 2D and 3D elements, so I was just going to go with games that were strictly defined as 2D. I'll put in an extra poll option of "Other" though.

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Wellllllllll I mean it depends on your definition of what 2.5D. NSMB games are pretty much 2D Mario games by design though. I'm pretty sure they're only described as 2.5D because they have a 3D art style, even if the game plays just like 2D Mario does, but *shrugs*.

Wow, I'm really the first to vote for SMB3? That game is like the best Mario game ever!

I mean, it established half the stuff that gets re-used in almost every Mario game after that! It was the first Mario game to have a level select, which is used in many Mario games, Super Mario 3D World included. The Tanooki Suit was first introduced in this game as well, which seems to be a pretty popular power up with everyone except PETA. The level design is high class, and the visual style of making it look like a stage production gives Super Mario Brothers 3 a fresh feeling when placed next to just about any other Mario game, though it's probably a good thing that there was one more thing not repeated in future games.

I'm probably going to be in the minority here, buuuut...

I voted for Super Mario Land. Whenever I think of Mario, I inevitably think of this game first. Considering handheld gaming was just getting started at the time, and it set the trend for the following handheld Mario titles, I don't think it's THAT bad. In context of the time it was released, it was far more amazing than any of the later Mario titles which, whilst they have a more polished look and gameplay, aren't really all that special, at least not to me. I'll admit I'm biased by nostalgia, though - it was my first video game, and whilst I've played later Mario titles, I haven't really been as enchanted by them. Always been more fond of Sonic.

That, plus the soundtrack is fantastic, and soundtrack counts for a lot with me. Gotta love Easton Kingdom's theme.

Although this might not be the primary objective of this thread, I'd still sort of like to share my love for New Super Mario Brothers series. These games bring all our old Mario memories back from originals, with current-generation of graphics, music, sound effects, and much more; am sure many of us have enjoyed going through them. I've spent some money on the DS version, and have loved each and every minute of its gameplay. Have gotten chance to try my hands on Wii one when purchasing the console few years back, and found myself enjoying even more; simply loved what they have done. Their releases could seem kind of repetitive to some of us from time to time, but they still don't fail to give us a nice experience in the end, which I'm sure a majority of fans appreciate, including me.

As for the topic itself, I'd say my most favorite from this particular list would likely have to be Super Mario Bros. 3, as it seemed to have been very fun for me to go through. Its prequels weren't bad at all, but this one has something that tends to draw me in (I wish I were able to put my finger on what it is).

Super Mario World wasn't so bad, either, and neither was Super Mario Land; in their own way, they were both pretty unique.

El Héroe Oscuro said:

When I did research on all of the games for the poll, New Super Mario Bros. was defined as being a "2.5D" game because it incorporated both 2D and 3D elements, so I was just going to go with games that were strictly defined as 2D. I'll put in an extra poll option of "Other" though.

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"2D" refers to the Perspective in the game. Those games are often refered to as 2.5D because they are rendered in 3D, but are on a 2D axis. As such they are still 2D games. But if that's your decision, okay.

I'm probably the minority here but I'm going to say the original Super Mario Bros. It didn't age as well as the later Mario titles, but it is still an incredibly solid and fun Mario game, with excellent level design and it's pretty much the best platformer out there.

But I'm also picking Super Mario Bros 3, since it was an improvement over Super Mario Bros. But is still should have had a save feature, it's not like the technology was unavailable. That's an unforgivable sin Nintendo.

And lastly Super Mario World. It was one again an improvement over the previous game, and was the series debut of Yoshi, so bonus points for that.

Super Mario Bros 3 was my first favorite game. I was 3...it was 3...you know? Haha. I've always loved this game growing up. I think the overworlds are a really neat way to show you what to expect from the levels themselves (world 3 is water, 7 is a pipe maze, etc). The music in the game is all really fun and catchy as well! I made lyrics to it when I was a kid. Yes, I still sing them. No, you can't listen. lol

Aside from all that, I think SMB3 did a lot for the series. After all, that game still gets a ton of praise for the platforming and level design.

I'm also a pretty big fan of Super Mario Bros 2. I like the quirkiness of it. Yes, I know it's another game technically, but I think it fit well into the Mario universe. It definitely made its mark, anyway. You still see Shy Guys around, don't you? Hell, you can race as one in Mario Kart 8. There's an SMB2 stage in Melee as well. And you can race as Birdo in Double Dash. So yeah...weird as it might be, it made a name for itself and I really enjoy it. If you're not totally convinced on SMB2, check out this video.