Mario is the most recognizable video game character of all time, and the franchise's impact on gaming, in general, cannot be overstated. Nintendo's mascot has seen a massive array of different games over the years, from an educational counting game to taking place in the Olympics.
Each Nintendo console has prominently featured the mustachioed Plummer, sometimes with over a dozen games on one system. There's a lot to choose from in terms of Mario content, but a handful of games generally stand out above the rest.
With Mario's long history, it's interesting to look back at the various systems, and which games made the biggest impact. Here are the best Mario games on each Nintendo console.
NES - Super Mario Bros
Mario had a few stellar games on the NES, but nothing can top the very first Super Mario Bros. One of the most influential and important games of all time, Super Mario Bros is where it all started. More than just creating the Mario franchise, the game also played a vital part in saving the video game industry as a whole after the crash of 1983. The simple truth is that gaming would be a much different place without Super Mario Bros.
SNES - Super Mario World
Super Mario World is one of the best games in the series, and it had the first appearance of everyone's favorite dinosaur, Yoshi. The game was hugely influential for the future of the franchise, introducing new power-ups and moves, like the iconic spin jump. Even by today's standards, Super Mario World holds up remarkably well, and its bright and colorful world is still an absolute joy to run through.
Game Boy - Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Mario Land 2 improves on nearly everything about the original and used many of the innovations set up by Super Mario World. Coincidentally, it was also the game that introduced Mario's nefarious rival, Wario. Levels in Super Mario Land 2 felt more substantial, and unlike the first game, players aren't restricted to moving only to the right side. Although it isn't the longest game, Super Mario Land 2 is still one of the very best titles on the Game Boy.
Nintendo 64 - Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64 was a turning point for both the franchise and the platforming genre, showing how platformers can successfully make the jump from 2D to 3D. This was the first game in the franchise to use a hub world instead of an overworld map, and it focused more on exploration than just simple platforming. Going back to the original Super Mario 64 can be a bit rough as the camera and controls are incredibly finicky. Despite those problems, Super Mario 64 was such a momentous game when it was released, and its lasting impact can still be felt to this day.
Game Boy Color - Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is an enhanced port of the original NES game, also featuring the not-often-seen sequel, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Minor changes were applied to levels throughout the game, and there's a host of bonus content outside of the core games. A Toy Box mode contains a variety of new minigames to play, and a You vs. Boo mode tasks players with racing Boo across eight different levels. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe may not have been a new title, but it was a stellar re-release of the original game that added a surprising amount of extras.
Game Boy Advance - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Superstar Saga was the start of a new sub-series, and it brilliantly adapted the Mario franchise into a turn-based RPG, much like Super Mario RPG had done years before. Players control Mario and Luigi both, but the turn-based combat is different from the rest of the genre, as there's a big emphasis on getting the timing of attacks correct. Superstar Saga featured stellar writing that really set a hilarious tongue-in-cheek tone, and it's a precedent the rest of the series would follow. The combat system may not be as complex as other RPGs, but Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is simply a delightful experience.
GameCube - Super Mario Sunshine
Super Mario Sunshine is perhaps the most different 3D game in the franchise, which is both a good thing and a bad. The main gimmick of Sunshine comes with the FLUDD, a sentient backpack that shoots out streams of water. The water mechanics make Sunshine a wholly different experience, and the tropical island setting feels equally refreshing. Super Mario Sunshine's main gimmick may not be for everyone, but it makes the game wholly unique, and a real standout in the overall franchise.
Nintendo DS - Mario & Luigi: Bower's Inside Story
Bowser's Inside Story is yet another hilarious entry in the Mario & Luigi series, but it puts a brilliant twist on the formula. The villainous Koopa is put front-and-center as players take control of Bowser part of the time, as tries to retake the Mushroom Kingdom from Fawful. The rest of the time is spent controlling Mario and Luigi as they shrink down and go into Bowser's body. The three characters have to find ways to work together, with Mario and Luigi finding ways to help Bowser, like increasing the strength of Bowser's arm. Bowser's Inside Story is the best-written entry in the series, and it does so much right both in terms of narrative and gameplay.
Wii - Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy is yet another example of the franchise redefining itself with each 3D entry. Taking the hero into space, Mario Galaxy features utterly brilliant level design, often putting a spin on the space aesthetic with different planets and gravity mechanics. The game also made great use of the limitations of the Wii, and it's easily the most graphically impressive game on the console, party because of a colorful art style. Even though Super Mario Galaxy 2 tightened up a lot of the gameplay elements, there's a level of creativity that simply can't be matched in the first game. On all fronts, Super Mario Galaxy wildly succeeds, and it's one of the best platformers of all time.
Nintendo 3DS - Super Mario 3D Land
Super Mario 3D Land feels less like a handheld entry and more like one of the full-blown 3D console entries, although with a few limitations. Once again the Mario series shows some stellar level design and has some interesting ways of combining elements from both the 2D and 3D games, like having both sidescrolling levels and fully open ones. Super Mario 3D Land also introduced a few new power-ups to the series, like the Boomerang Flower. It's impressive how Nintendo managed to put such a robust 3D Mario experience on a handheld.
Wii U - Super Mario 3D World
Super Mario 3D World expands on what the 3DS game did, this time adding in up to four-player co-op. Levels are designed in such a way that they can be approached in either single-player or co-op. Unlike the more open-ended levels of most 3D Mario games, Super Mario 3D World's levels are more like the classic ones, shorter challenges with a timer and an ending pole. In this way, the Wii U title is the best combination yet of classic 2D and 3D Mario. On top of that, it was the game that introduced one of Mario's best power-ups yet, the adorable Cat Suit.
Nintendo Switch - Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey is a return to form for the franchise, emulating the 3D adventure style of Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy. Levels are bigger and more ambitious than ever before, however, and each one feels like a miniature open-world more than anything. Odyssey's main gimmick adds so much personality to the game, with a brand new character named Cappy. Throwing Cappy onto objects and enemies lets Mario take control of them, and this creates an interesting layer of creativity and experimentation to puzzle solving. Super Mario Odyssey does a great job providing different Cappy forms across the game, meaning there's always something new and exciting to see right up until the end.