The 10-Best Video-Game Franchises
- July 11, 2006 12:52 PM PST
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Super Mario World for the SNES was pure 2D gaming bliss.
2. Mario
Developed by Nintendo
Surprise: The Mario franchise is not (in our collective opinion) the best video-game franchise of all time-that title will be revealed next month. Ranking in at number two, Mario is one of the most-recognized video-game characters on the planet, and games involving the mustached plumber run through all gaming genres-from sports to racing. Yet it's the so-called platformer (meaning a key play facet is jumping among islands of solid ground, or "platforms") titles that truly shine. Mario began as the hero in Donkey Kong, an action arcade game where you had to save your beloved from the clutches of a giant ape (King Kong, anyone?). Mario Bros. the Arcade Game was a two-player co-op title, where Mario and his brother Luigi hopped on and bumped enemies off the screen.
The series made successful forays into a variety of gaming genres, such as Super Mario Kart.
Yet it was on the 8- and 16-bit Nintendo consoles where the series really took off. Mario Bros. and its sequels were epic action titles packed with clever gameplay, amazing level designs, classic enemies and bosses, and music that stuck in your head for days. The 2D hop-and-bop play mechanics became the standard for the genre, as enemies were vanquished by being jumped upon-not zapped, shot, or smacked with a sword. The games' non-violent themes and whimsical music scores broadened their appeal, and it isn't uncommon to hear older gamers claim to this day, "I grew up with Mario." The first three Mario titles for the NES made their mark, as did the SNES pack-in title Super Mario World. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) brought Mario into 3D world, and the game practically became the template for 3D platformers.
The Mario series also scored a sweet hit with Super Mario Kart, an arcade-sy racing game, where characters not only sped around the track, but used a bevy of power-ups to knock opponents off the track. Other variations on the Mario franchise surfaced throughout the years-including multiplayer party games, puzzlers, soccer, baseball, and even an RPG (developed by none other than the genre's powerhouse, Square Soft). Mario continues to this day, and there's little doubt he'll have a grand adventure ready for the upcoming Wii console.--Major Mike
Super Mario Sunshine is one of the more recent Mario adventures in 3D.
Key Entries in the Mario Series
- Super Mario Bros. (NES/1985)
- Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES/1988)
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES/1990)
- Super Mario World (SNES/1991)
- Super Mario Kart (SNES/1992)
- Super Mario All-Stars (SNES/1993)
- Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2 (SNES/1995)
- Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64/1996)
- Mario Party (Nintendo 64/1999)
- Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube/2002)
