02-27-2015, 06:45 PM
Okay I'm listing a top 20 because I couldn't NOT include some of these titles, but to keep this from being too much reading I'm only going to write out opinions for the top 10. So here goes:
#20 - Paper Mario (N64)
#19 - Wario World (GC)
#18 - Super Mario World (SNES)
#17 - M&L: Partners in Time (DS)
#16 - Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
#15 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
#14 - Super Princess Peach (DS)
#13 - M&L: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
#12 - Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 (Wii)
#11 - Wario Land 4 (GBA)
#10 - Wario Land 2 (GB)
My favorite Wario game. I mean, 4 is pretty great don't get me wrong; it has vivid colors, creative environments, faster paced gameplay, and the Super Hard mode is INSANE but also really fun, if you have the game but haven't tried that mode you really should. But I've played both games relatively recently and for some reason 2 just appeals to me more, and I couldn't really tell you why. I think it probably has something to do with the secret exits and branching story paths mechanics, or the fact that it just has a lot more content. I couldn't really tell you.
#9 - Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze (WU)
#8 - Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Mmm ... not much I can think of to actually say about these two. Just that I'm a big Donkey Kong Country fan and these two games are excellent additions to the franchise in ways I didn't even expect. Personally I prefer Returns slightly more over Tropical Freeze for reasons I can't really explain but probably has a lot to do with the frustrating Air Meter in the swimming areas. The games are already challenging enough without having to worry about breathing too.
#7 - Super Mario Sunshine (GC)
I think one of the things that made Mario 64 so great was the freedom and openness that the worlds within provided you. Sure, you were given objectives to complete in each stage, but with such large open playgrounds to explore, you could spend as much time dicking around as you pleased. And honestly, who didn't take advantage of that? How many people, upon playing the game for the first time, always went straight for the star objectives in the most linear fashion possible? I'd wager to say pretty much no one, unless they were some sort of incredible prude. Just fuckin' around in the worlds and testing the limits of what you could do in them were their own rewards.
Super Mario Sunshine, at least in my opinion, extrapolated on that concept by introducing FLUDD, the water-gun backpack that could spray water but more importantly allowed you to hover wherever you wanted. Suddenly there was a dozen different routes you could take to reach every objective dependent on how good you were at utilizing your jumps and the hovering mechanic. Sure, there were always clear routes that the game expected you to take to reach your goals, but with the FLUDD mechanics there were always a variety of ways for you to "break" the game and do things your own way, which was encouraged.
So that's what made the 3D Mario games so great for the time; the openness and feeling of freedom that the games provided.
... aaannnnd then, Super Mario Galaxy came along.
Don't get me wrong, I really like the Mario Galaxy games, but I feel like they've spoiled the future of 3D Mario games. The Galaxy Games still allowed you to move around in open space, so it still felt like you had some freedom, however you were still forced to follow a very distinct linear path. It's like comparing playing in a playground to walking down a very wide forest path. Sure, you can move back and forth in the path, but you're always stuck traveling down it from point A to point B, and you can't really go running off it and exploring the forest on your own as much as you would like to.
At least the first Mario Galaxy had some free-roaming areas. Galaxy 2 was almost entirely linear which is why I didn't like that one quite as much. And don't even get me started on 3D Land and World.
Anyways I'm getting super off topic I think. My point is just, this is why Sunshine is my favorite 3D Mario game.
#5 - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GC)
Definitely the best of the Paper Mario games, although to be fair the only two I enjoyed were this one and the N64 game anyways. Super Paper Mario I guess I kind of respect for being experimental, but actually playing the game always gives me a headache. While I think this game's gameplay is superior to the SNES Mario RPG game, this game does have quite a few flaws that I feel make it a slightly more inferior game, such as some levels being just way too long (Boggly Woods I'm looking at you), some of the music is just irritating, and the quest board system feels lazy compared to just going out into the world and finding quests for yourself. Stuff like that.
#6 - Super Mario RPG (SNES)
I want to call this a solid RPG, but if we're being honest, this game is severely broken in the player's favor. Still, I do feel like this game outclasses every other Mario RPG in regards to story, humor, and sheer amount of things to discover. This game never really fails to be fun from start to finish, no matter how many times you've played it.
#4 - Yoshi's Island (GBA)
I never had the opportunity to play this game on the SNES, but if I had I probably would have considered this to be one of the finest platformers on the system. Definitely the best of the Yoshi games; most of them I didn't like at all, but we'll see what happens when Woolie World comes out. Unfortunately I lost my GBA copy of this game at some point and was forced to repurchase it on the Wii U instead, which idoes not feel quite as good to play, but whatever.
#3 - Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)
What is there I can really say about this one that people haven't already said before. If you're a fan of the DKC series at all you already know that this one is considered by most fans to be the best in the series. It's also considered to be one of the toughest, but I've personally never had much difficulty with it.
#2 - Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES)
Just slightly squeaks ahead of DKC2 as my favorite DK game. I know most people would argue that DKC2 is the best, and I do think it's an excellent game, but 3 has some of my favorite stages in it. Plus I just like the aesthetics of this game a bit more; you guys know me, I'm a Kirby fanatic ... clearly I have a thing for vivid, colorful worlds.
#1 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
I'll be honest, this one's rank might be purely out of nostalgia reasons, because I can't come up with any legit reason why it deserves it other than the fact that I love this game so much. Sometimes you just have to go with your heart, you know?
The GBA remake was shit though. Yeuck.
#20 - Paper Mario (N64)
#19 - Wario World (GC)
#18 - Super Mario World (SNES)
#17 - M&L: Partners in Time (DS)
#16 - Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
#15 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
#14 - Super Princess Peach (DS)
#13 - M&L: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
#12 - Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 (Wii)
#11 - Wario Land 4 (GBA)
#10 - Wario Land 2 (GB)
My favorite Wario game. I mean, 4 is pretty great don't get me wrong; it has vivid colors, creative environments, faster paced gameplay, and the Super Hard mode is INSANE but also really fun, if you have the game but haven't tried that mode you really should. But I've played both games relatively recently and for some reason 2 just appeals to me more, and I couldn't really tell you why. I think it probably has something to do with the secret exits and branching story paths mechanics, or the fact that it just has a lot more content. I couldn't really tell you.
#9 - Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze (WU)
#8 - Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Mmm ... not much I can think of to actually say about these two. Just that I'm a big Donkey Kong Country fan and these two games are excellent additions to the franchise in ways I didn't even expect. Personally I prefer Returns slightly more over Tropical Freeze for reasons I can't really explain but probably has a lot to do with the frustrating Air Meter in the swimming areas. The games are already challenging enough without having to worry about breathing too.
#7 - Super Mario Sunshine (GC)
I think one of the things that made Mario 64 so great was the freedom and openness that the worlds within provided you. Sure, you were given objectives to complete in each stage, but with such large open playgrounds to explore, you could spend as much time dicking around as you pleased. And honestly, who didn't take advantage of that? How many people, upon playing the game for the first time, always went straight for the star objectives in the most linear fashion possible? I'd wager to say pretty much no one, unless they were some sort of incredible prude. Just fuckin' around in the worlds and testing the limits of what you could do in them were their own rewards.
Super Mario Sunshine, at least in my opinion, extrapolated on that concept by introducing FLUDD, the water-gun backpack that could spray water but more importantly allowed you to hover wherever you wanted. Suddenly there was a dozen different routes you could take to reach every objective dependent on how good you were at utilizing your jumps and the hovering mechanic. Sure, there were always clear routes that the game expected you to take to reach your goals, but with the FLUDD mechanics there were always a variety of ways for you to "break" the game and do things your own way, which was encouraged.
So that's what made the 3D Mario games so great for the time; the openness and feeling of freedom that the games provided.
... aaannnnd then, Super Mario Galaxy came along.
Don't get me wrong, I really like the Mario Galaxy games, but I feel like they've spoiled the future of 3D Mario games. The Galaxy Games still allowed you to move around in open space, so it still felt like you had some freedom, however you were still forced to follow a very distinct linear path. It's like comparing playing in a playground to walking down a very wide forest path. Sure, you can move back and forth in the path, but you're always stuck traveling down it from point A to point B, and you can't really go running off it and exploring the forest on your own as much as you would like to.
At least the first Mario Galaxy had some free-roaming areas. Galaxy 2 was almost entirely linear which is why I didn't like that one quite as much. And don't even get me started on 3D Land and World.
Anyways I'm getting super off topic I think. My point is just, this is why Sunshine is my favorite 3D Mario game.
#5 - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GC)
Definitely the best of the Paper Mario games, although to be fair the only two I enjoyed were this one and the N64 game anyways. Super Paper Mario I guess I kind of respect for being experimental, but actually playing the game always gives me a headache. While I think this game's gameplay is superior to the SNES Mario RPG game, this game does have quite a few flaws that I feel make it a slightly more inferior game, such as some levels being just way too long (Boggly Woods I'm looking at you), some of the music is just irritating, and the quest board system feels lazy compared to just going out into the world and finding quests for yourself. Stuff like that.
#6 - Super Mario RPG (SNES)
I want to call this a solid RPG, but if we're being honest, this game is severely broken in the player's favor. Still, I do feel like this game outclasses every other Mario RPG in regards to story, humor, and sheer amount of things to discover. This game never really fails to be fun from start to finish, no matter how many times you've played it.
#4 - Yoshi's Island (GBA)
I never had the opportunity to play this game on the SNES, but if I had I probably would have considered this to be one of the finest platformers on the system. Definitely the best of the Yoshi games; most of them I didn't like at all, but we'll see what happens when Woolie World comes out. Unfortunately I lost my GBA copy of this game at some point and was forced to repurchase it on the Wii U instead, which idoes not feel quite as good to play, but whatever.
#3 - Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)
What is there I can really say about this one that people haven't already said before. If you're a fan of the DKC series at all you already know that this one is considered by most fans to be the best in the series. It's also considered to be one of the toughest, but I've personally never had much difficulty with it.
#2 - Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES)
Just slightly squeaks ahead of DKC2 as my favorite DK game. I know most people would argue that DKC2 is the best, and I do think it's an excellent game, but 3 has some of my favorite stages in it. Plus I just like the aesthetics of this game a bit more; you guys know me, I'm a Kirby fanatic ... clearly I have a thing for vivid, colorful worlds.
#1 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
I'll be honest, this one's rank might be purely out of nostalgia reasons, because I can't come up with any legit reason why it deserves it other than the fact that I love this game so much. Sometimes you just have to go with your heart, you know?
The GBA remake was shit though. Yeuck.