Nintendo has a lot of powerhouse franchises under their belt fromPokemontoThe Legend of Zelda. However, without Mario, would the company still exist to this day? Hard to say butSuper Mario Bros.definitely paved the way for other franchises to blossom on the NES and Nintendo has rightfully milked Mario and friends over the years.
Mario platformers and other spinoffs still manage to feel fresh even after numerous iterations over decades. They sell and they sell well.Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis still a system seller for the Switch and it has been seven years since it was released. So, taking into consideration this long history, what systems have Mario had the most original titles on?
GameCube
Super Mario Sunshineis the big platformer of theGameCube which gave Marioa backpack that shot water so that he could clean up the dirt and clear his name.Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorwas the big RPG of the system, and for many, it is the best entry in thePaper Marioseries that even got a Switch remaster.Mario Kart: Double Dashwas a unique entry in the series as it is the only one that allowed two characters per vehicle, creating an interesting dynamic between co-op and AI partners.
There was the usual deluge of party games too includingMario Party 4,Mario Party 5,Mario Party 6, andMario Party 7. BesidesMario Kart: Double Dash, there were plenty of other sports titles too likeMario Golf: Toadstool Tour,Mario Power Tennis,Mario Superstar Baseball, andSuper Mario Strikers. Finally, the strangestMariospinoff on the GameCube wasDance Dance Revolution: Mario Mixwhich was a DDR spinoff starring Mario and friends. There was even a campaign of sorts as players danced across the Mushroom Kingdom.
N64
Super Mario 64defined what a 3D platformer could be and every platformer after that learned from the beston the N64. TheSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Starsspiritual successor,Paper Mario, hit store shelves giving players that same active combat but with new colorful visuals.Mario Kart 64was a huge party game for kids everywhere and remained a hit in college dorms alongside other sports titles likeMario GolfandMario Tennis.
Dr. Mario 64was more of the same puzzle game that started on the NES but with better graphics and more modes. The N64 is whereMario Partybegan andMario Party 2andMario Party 3quickly followed thanks to the popularity. There was a bevy of N64 spiritual successors to the SNES’Mario Paintgame such asMario Artist: Talent Studio,Mario Artist: Paint Studio,Mario Artist: Communication Kit, andMario Artist: Polygon Studio. In Japan, they gotMario no Photopiwhich was a piece of photo editing software.
Wii
Super Mario GalaxyandSuper Mario Galaxy 2were huge hits for theMariofranchise on the Wii, taking Mario literally to new worlds and playing with the idea of gravity. Still,New Super Mario Bros. Wiiwas a bigger step forward as it brought back 2DMariowith four-player co-op for the first time.Super Paper Mariowas a change for the series as well, playing more like a normalMariogame rather than a turn-based RPG.Mario Kart Wiisold like gangbusters unsurprisingly andMario Strikers Charged,Mario Super Sluggers, andMario Sports Mixfilled out the rest of the sports roster.
The Wii didn’t have asmanyMario Partygamesas previous generations butMario Party 8andMario Party 9were sufficient.Dr. Mario Online Rxwas a downloadable entry in the series, again, not adding too much to the puzzle formula. The Wii and DS were the first two Nintendo consoles to feature the Mario and Sonic crossover Olympic Games starting with the simply titledMario & Sonic at the Olympic Gamesfollowed byMario & Sonic at the Olympics Winter GamesandMario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Nintendo Switch
TheSwitch comes pretty close to being the bestMarioconsolefrom new games to updated ports. The first big title was Super Mario Odyssey which was a 3D platformer followed by the very odd 2D platformer,Super Mario Bros. Wonder. There was alsoSuper Mario Bros. 35which was based on the original NES game but remade into a Battle Royale concept andSuper Mario Maker 2gave players a way to make their own games again.Mario Kart 8 Deluxewas a re-release from the Wii U but it was not the only entry on the Switch as there was the augmented reality spinoff,Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which will count. There was a newMario RPGcrossover series that debuted on the Switch and played more likeX-Com.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battlewas first and then that was followed up byMario + Rabbids Sparks of Hopeand alsoPaper Mariogot an entryviaPaper Mario: The Origami King. There is alsoMario & Luigi: Brothershipwhich is not out until November but let’s still count it.Mario Golf: Super Rush,Mario Strikers: Battle League,Mario Tennis Aces, andMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020were all great sports games alongside the party pleasers ofSuper Mario PartyandMario Party Superstars.Super Mario Party Jamboreeis on the way in October too.
3DS
There is simply too much to coverMariocontent on the 3DS, it’s astounding.Super Mario 3D Landwas a top-down platformer that used the 3D effect well andNew Super Mario Bros. 2was a sufficient 2D entry.Mario Party: Island Tour,Mario Party: Star Rush, andMario Party: The Top 100were all fun multiplayer games in groups.
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars,Mario, and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move,Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, andMini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challengewere engaging puzzle games that used the two properties well as wasDr. Mario: Miracle Cure.Mario Sports Superstars,Mario Tennis Open,Mario Golf: World Tour,Mario Kart 7,Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, andMario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympics Gamesgave the sports fans what they wanted from portable entries.
The RPG entries broke some new boundaries. First,Mario & Luigi: Dream Teamwas a typical entry in the franchise as wasPaper Mario: Sticker Star. However, for the first time, both franchises were combined into one withMario & Luigi: Paper Jam. Finally, the hit mobile game in Japan,Puzzle & Dragons, was remade for the 3DS and then combined into a separateMario-based campaign calledPuzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition.
