Super Mario 3D Land arrives in six days! My 3DS is practically crying tears of joy. As we wait, take a look back at the various versions of Mario Nintendo’s presented over the years and tell us your personal favorite. I’ll bet you won’t agree with my pick! I’ve grouped the many, many different Marios into seven categories, throwing in two non-game options because they represent the extremes of how cartoony or realistic one can get with the character. Here we go!
CLASSIC: He’s probably the most recognized sprite on earth, save for Pacman and a Space Invader. A few dozen pixels forming a completely recognizable blue collar hero. Time capsule worthy!
CLASSIC PLUS: Here, I’m grouping together every other variation on the Mario sprite, including all other NES games, SNES and handhelds. There’s a lot of personality to be found in this roundup of comic adventurers, with Super Mario World at the peak. If you pick this one, which game in particular are you thinking of?
N64 ERA: Aside from blurry textures and fog (and a handful of the greatest games ever made), nothing says N64 like the first polygon Mario that leaped out of a green pipe thinking he was gonna get some cake. Proving you don’t need tons of polygons to form a personality, variations of this Mario were destined to golf, play tennis, brawl a bit and attend parties on sadistic game boards.
PAPER: Is he “real?” Do his adventures really happen in the Mario Universe, or are they a fiction within a fiction? Who cares; this hand drawn redesign is almost impossible to dislike, and boy do I feel awful whenever he collapses just before a “Game Over” screen.
CURRENT: From Sunshine to Super Mario 3D Land, this rendition gets tweaked and upscaled/downscaled depending on the hardware and game needs, but they’re all aiming at this look that’s become Nintendo’s “standard” Mario.
INSTRUCTION BOOKLET: Don’t you wish, just once, you could play a game using this guy? Nothing seems impossible to Instruction Book Mario, and he’s just plain “wacky!” That image of him in the Tanooki Suit is probably my favorite; you can almost picture the white-uniformed men with the big nets chasing him. The original 80’s cartridge of Super Mario Brothers came packaged with Mario stickers, including one depicting him as an Old West sheriff…I’m still waiting for that game!
PHOTO-REAL: Mr. Hoskins, it wasn’t your fault. Mr. Albano, your “Do the Mario” song is pop culture gold.
Okay, here’s my pick (most of you will probably disagree strongly here):
N64 ERA MARIO! Though I’d love to play a game as Instruction Booklet Mario, I’m choosing from the existing library; I really like the funny, beanbag-like look of N64 Mario. Remember the first time you saw this guy get tossed out of a painting after failing a level? The way he picked himself up, recomposed himself and stood there bravely awaiting his next mission? He was perfectly designed for that game, with the funniest running animation in game history and tons of personality. I like the proportions they went with here, yet I realize this is a form they can’t return to: He belongs in the low-polygon world of N64, and he was the best thing about that console.
So, which Mario is your favorite? And, yes, I know I ignored isometric Squaresoft Mario and all the Mariokarts, so please consider any and all games when making your choice!
Six days to go! Whoohoo!
I like the way he looked in Galaxy the best. I also enjoy how he looks in 3D Land, especially without his hat. I wish Nintendo would give us a little teaser of what he will look like on the Wii U.
It's a tie between Classic+, Paper, and Current.
I love booklet Mario. It's like paper Mario, but more traditional.
I choose you, Booklet Mario! He just seems fun, and looks like he's ready for anything! Next would be Mario from Superstar Saga. Both are fun and expressive. 🙂 I like those kinds of designs quite a bit.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
instruction booklet for sure- and not just mario either, those koopa kids were hilarious too!
Booklet Mario – I would love a 2D platformer in that style (kinda like that Wario game on Wii?)
Classic and Paper.
They should team them up like Sonic Generations!
paper mario, not only is tyd my favorite game of all time, but paper mario has so much personality
Classic Mario. I cannot leave my nostalgia with this.
booklet mario all the way.
No Mario and Luigi series Mario? That's a really neat design and interpretation of him and Luigi in that series, especially the more strange looking versions in Superstar Saga. And no mention of the Hotel Mario style?
But for myself, it's a tough choice. Probably a toss up between the more style Mario and the second classic style one.
It's paper Mario. You should have put baby Mario in there :3
Classic+ 🙂 But why does everyone hate the SMB movie? I seem to be the only person in the world who thinks it's a creative and funny interpretation of the Mario universe. The only thing wrong was that Luigi was a lot cooler (and braver) than Mario. Take two, anyone?
Classic + 😀
I want to go play Super Mario World again now.
At the moment? Classic. I've never beaten the original Super Mario Bros. (shh, don't tell!), so I have been playing it on my Wii and 3DS for weeks, only to be met with failure again and again and again…
I like the current Mario.
Speaking of booklet Mario, maybe Nintendo will have a cel shaded Mario that isn't flat like Paper Mario, but along the lines of current Mario but cel shaded if you catch my drift.
My favourite is Current. Least favourite is N64 Mario. Ugly low res heap of gunk that is.
It's actually Paper Mario for me. 🙂
Although it isn't listed, the version of Mario from Super Smash Bros Melee and Brawl has always been a personal favorite of mine. I remember seeing stills for Melee as a kid and being blown away by the details they put into Mario's wardrobe and look (i.e. his denim overalls).
booklet – i like the charm of the illustration the most.
i agree with you with the n64 mario
Booklet Mario I choose you!
He's just so warm and cute. Reminds me of flipping through my booklet to Super Mario World back in the day…
I like NEW SUPER MARIO BROS WII! 🙂 The best.