The Best Games to Play On National Mario Day

Yes I am a HUGE Nintendo fan & of course that means that I LOVE MARIO. Ever since Mario's debut for the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1985, Mario has become a staple in the video game world & has arguably some of the best video games ever created. And since it is March 10th, also known as National Mario Day, I think it's only fitting to celebrate by listing some of the BEST Mario games that I'VE personally played.

Note: I'm only listing the MAIN games in the series (so no spin-off games, no Mario Kart, Mario Party, etc. This list would be WAY too long at that point)

5. Super Mario Bros (NES)

You can't go wrong with the classic Super Mario Bros right? The game that started it all back in 1985. I never owned an original NES so my experience playing this game was always on a handheld, or in Super Mario All-Stars (which is coming up later). But I couldn't possibly leave this off the list. It was the game that saved the video game industry back in the 80s & without Mario, we might not be enjoying video games as much today. So the original SMB goes on my list.

4. Super Mario Sunshine (Nintendo GameCube)

The 2nd 3D Mario game & the first one for the GameCube, Sunshine was such a BEAUTIFUL game. The environments were gorgeous, using F.L.U.D.D. to clean the island was a unique addition to the game & the soundtrack always made me feel like I was on an island getaway. My only gripes were the under-utilization of some the power-ups & Yoshi, and the story annoyed me in a few places. But this was still a GREAT game & one I always come back to.

3. Super Mario All-Stars (SNES)

I never got to own an original NES but luckily I got to play the original Super Mario Bros games for the SNES with Super Mario All-Stars. Being able to play remastered versions of Super Mario Bros 1,2 & 3 was fantastic. Even playing The Lost Levels (albeit being EXTREMELY DIFFICULT) was a nice little add-on.

2. Super Mario World (SNES)

The first Mario game for the SNES took everything about the original SMB games & made it BETTER. The power ups, the introduction of Yoshi & the Koopa Kids, the secret worlds, & that epic final battle with Bowser made me come back to this game every time & on multiple consoles (including the GameBoy Advance version & the Nintendo Switch). It was a game so good that the sequel, Yoshi's Island, is one of my favorite games of all time. But since you play as Yoshi in that game, not Mario, I decided to leave it off my list. So what is my number one?

1. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)

There was NO WAY I could leave off Super Mario 64. The first 3D Mario game for the Nintendo 64, it was revolutionary back in the day. I remember staying up COUNTLESS nights playing SM64 & beating the Bowser levels before going to school. The graphics are not as clean as newer games & the controls weren't the best but there's so much charm looking back on the old school graphics, the feeling of getting a Star whenever you beat a mission & THE MUSIC. There's a reason why Super Mario 64 is beloved by many & will always be one of my favorite Mario games.

Honorable Mentions:

New Super Mario Bros for the Nintendo DS: I thought it was a SOLID platformer game for the DS.
Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2/Super Mario Odyssey. I've never been able to play any of these games personally so I couldn't properly rank them but these games ARE CLASSICS.

No matter what games are at the top of YOUR list, you can't go wrong with Super Mario games & I'll always continue to show my love for the Italian plumber.