Summary
As one of the most prolific franchises in gaming history,Marioboasts a catalog of over 200 games. Since Mario’s first appearance in the 1981 arcade gameDonkey Kong, he and his enormous cast of friends have been the stars ofmany different games across multiple genres. From saving Princess Peach to golfing to participating in The Olympic Games, there’s almost nothing that theMariouniverse hasn’t done.
While games likeSuper Mario 64andSuper Mario Galaxyare widely known for being fantastic, there are some in the franchise that went overlooked. The sheer amount ofMariogames suggests that not all of them will be ground-breaking, but oftentimes, critical success and popularity don’t always correlate.
It’s important to note that, with the power of Nintendo behind them, essentially noMariogames performed terribly. Even some of the worst-sellingMariotitles moved upwards of a million copies. Some hardcore fans will know exactly which titles are worth revisiting, but others may wish to know whichMariogames deserve a second chance.
Mario Kartis easily one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises. It’s an incredibly accessible style game that is perfect for serious andcasual gamersalike.Mario Kart: Super Circuitwas released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001, to relatively good commercial success. As is often the case with Nintendo consoles,Super Circuitwas one of the highest-selling titles on the GBA. However, it’s one of the worst-performingMario Karttitles to date, even falling belowDouble Dash.
Super Circuitis a great example of commercial success and critical reception not exactly correlating. Despite its overall low sales, it is rated as universally acclaimed on Metacritic with a critic score of 93. It was the firstMario Kartgame to feature tracks from previous games, which is now a staple of the series. It was also praised for its unbridled course creativity and its huge strides in multiplayer racing. In that sense,Super Circuitwasn’t critically overlooked, but in terms of its place amongMario Kartsuccess, there’s a chance a lot of gamers have never given it a chance.
2New Super Luigi U
New Super Luigi U
New SUper Mario Bros. U brought a whole new level of fun to the Wii U, but now, it’s time for a new adventure. To continue the fun of New Super Mario Bros. U for Wii U, Nintendo is letting Luigi take over in new downloadable content that is coming in the Year of Luigi! Celebrate 30 years of the other Mario brother with an update that provides alternate versions of the original game’s more than 80 stages.Experience the base game as Luigi with an all new invincible player character known as Nabbit who was previously non-playable by people. Players can freely change between the New Super Luigi U and New Super Mario Bros. U stages. These Luigi-focused stages provide a whole new level of game-play challenge and will be available for purchase as a single download.You might find that Luigi is better than Mario at some things – he is a different person after all! What surprises await you?
New Super Luigi Uwas released for the Wii U as part of Nintendo’s ‘Year of Luigi’ promotion to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Luigi’s creation. It was one of three Luigi-fronted games released during the year, which ran from February 2013 to March 2014. The game was originally released as a DLC for the originalNew Super Mario Bros Uand later as a standalone title. It’s an incredibly fun reinvention of the original game, harkening back to classicMariotitles with its increased difficulty and great level design.
Overall, the Wii U was one of the worst-performing Nintendo consoles in history. Despite innovative controls and being a clear stage in the eventual creation of the Switch, the Wii U’s reception was underwhelming, and very few games released on the platformare remembered as classics. With that in mind,New Super Luigi Uwas one of the highest-performing Wii U games, selling around 3 million copies. However, compared to thelikes ofSuper Mario Odyssey(26 million) or evenLuigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon(6 million),New Super Luigi Udoesn’t rank high.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr’s Journeywas released in 2019 for the 3DS as a re-release of the originalMario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Storyfor the DS in 2009. Generally, theMario & LuigiRPG series is a more overlooked one; although it was relatively successful, they aren’t usually the titles gamers think of whenSuper Mario Brothersis discussed. The original game had fantastic sales figures, and it still stands as the best-selling installment in theMario & LuigiRPG series.
Contrastingly, the 3DS re-release was one of the worst-sellingMariogames of all time. This was incredibly surprising since it had been a full ten years since the original game, and the 3DS was considered to be technically superior to its original model. The game itself was critically acclaimed and, although the remake didn’t add too much in the way of additional content, was supposed to bring this RPG game to a wave of newer gamers. Players can evenassume the role of Bowsersince he and the Mario brothers. are working against a common enemy. Its graphics and gameplay were praised, as well as its humorous story and fun execution.
Mario Partyisa polarizing spin-off seriesin theMariofranchise. Although it’s one of the longest-standing spin-off series, not all gamers are a fan.Mario Party 6is no exception, and upon its release, critics gave it mixed reviews. It was released on the GameCube in 2004 and featured 82 brand-new minigames along with a completely unique day-and-night system.
Mario Party 6is the worst-selling home consoleMario Partytitle to date, shifting just over 1.5 million copies overall. Contemporarily, it was criticized for being unoriginal and for its use of the GameCube Microphone - a highly disliked mechanic. However, with the benefit of hindsight,Mario Party 6has since been viewed in a less harsh light.
Within the context of its sequels,Mario Party 6was clearly an important game in the progression of the series. Its day-and-night system was creative and distinct, and noMario Partygame has used it since - settingMario Party 6aside from the rest. It has also since been praised for its imaginative boards and utterly original content. It’s certainly a title worth revisiting, even if only so gamers can see its revolutionary aspects first-hand.
Yoshi’s Woolly Worldwas released in 2015 for the Wii U asthe first Yoshi-ledhome console game since 1997. It’s a side-scrolling platformer in a yarn-like, knitted world. Upon its release,Yoshi’s Woolly Worldsold around 30k copies and was not a particularly popular title. MostMariogames that don’t feature the titular character suffer from a drop in sales since some casual gamers won’t be familiar with the side characters. This meant thatYoshi’s Woolly Worldpeaked somewhere around 1.5 million sales, which is very low for aMariouniverse title.
Despite its sales,Yoshi’s Woolly Worldwas well-received critically, gaining a Metascore of 78 on Metacritic. Its distinct and attractive art style made it popular among gamers who prefer more fun and whimsical games, as opposed to some of the more challenging classicMariogames. It was praised for its fresh content and ability to avoid repetitive levels. Itsco-op abilitieswere highly rated, making it the perfect game to play with a friend. It’s safe to say the game isn’t well-known amongMariotitles, but there’s no doubt that it’s a fantastic choice to revisit.
