What games would you consider to be the pinnacles of the Mario series?

Which ones do you think are the most deserving of being the pinnacles of the Mario series?

  • Super Mario Bros. 3

    Votes: 10 25.6%
  • Super Mario World

    Votes: 17 43.6%
  • Super Mario 64

    Votes: 21 53.8%
  • Super Mario Sunshine

    Votes: 7 17.9%
  • New Super Mario Bros.

    Votes: 3 7.7%
  • Super Mario Galaxy

    Votes: 24 61.5%
  • Super Mario Odyssey

    Votes: 5 12.8%

  • Total voters
    39

Dr. Peach

Rest in Peace Walkazo 1991-2016
Banned User
I was examining the major milestones that Mario series had received that changed things with the series. I have found some games that I can find to be the pinnacles of the series in certain areas.

The pinnacles of the Mario series for me are Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy.

Super Mario 64 is when Princess Toadstool became universally known as Peach for the second time & became the de facto standard, and the introduction of major elements such as Peach's castle and the Power Stars.

Super Mario Sunshine is the game where realism was added into the Mario series in some form, in particularly with Peach. It introduced her ponytail updo/up-style/hairstyle which was the the second time Peach wore her hair up since All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. (if you count the geisha outfit with the shimada, which I do) and the first time anyone outside of Japan ever got see her hair worn differently for a change of pace. Unlike the shimada which is the cultural updo, her ponytail was just a normal traditional upstyle. It added realism into the series in particular to how women in real life put their hair up in the summer time where it is too hot (which reflected realism in Peach's case for this game), and during sporting events where female athletes wear ponytails to look neater when playing sports which is why this game is where the realism starts in the series.

Super Mario Galaxy is another pinnacle in the series because it brought orchestrated and sci-fi-ish music into the series. It is where Rosalina was added into the series and where Mario explores beyond the boundaries of the Earth.

Those are what I think are the pinnacles of the Mario series. What games do you think that are the pinnacles of the Mario series?
 
Any game where Baby Luigi appears playable in

None of the games in the poll fit that requirement, so they all suck.

Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Super Sluggers, Mario Kart 8
 
I wouldn't say any specific game, but the Gamecube generation was the best generation for Mario in my opinion.
 
Definetely Mario Galaxy and it's sequel.

3D World is amazing, but as a main Mario Title , Galaxy games are just better representatives.
 
Pretty much a good chunk of everything between the GameCube and Wii eras respectively.
 
On the 2D side, I'd say Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. They both were very innovative at the time and fun even now. I think the New Super Mario Bros. series owes a lot to them.
On the 3D side, I think that Super Mario 64 was revolutionary and still has that wonderful level design and that great variety, also thanks to what is likely to be the largest moveset Mario ever had.
Super Mario Galaxy was already starting to be more linear, but I'd still say that it still had some exploration elements left and that care for telling a story with the right atmosphere and the right amount of epic cutscenes. Of course, I think that the sense of epicness and scale is unmatched and the orchestrated soundtrack is beautiful.
In my opinion, the realism of Super Mario Sunshine has become a rare phenomenon in the series that was picked up recently pretty much only by Mario Kart 8. More in general, speaking about SMS, I think its realistic environments, the presence of a relatively "complex" story - told also with actual voice acting - with a different main villain that only in the middle of the game reveals his true identity and the many exploration-based levels (that were "compensated" by platform or mini-game sections with abstract settings that, apart from the awesome soundtrack of the "mysteries", I didn't even found necessary, as they made the levels less cohesive) make it more a unique Super Mario series game than a pinnacle.
 
I think each series has it's own pinacle.

2D Mario is bros 3

Paper Mario is the first one.

Mario Party is 2

M&L is Bowser's inside story

Sports it's Power tennis and Baseball

Kart is 8

Mario vs DK is the gameboy original

Am I forgetting anything?
 
Mcmadness said:
I think each series has it's own pinacle.

2D Mario is bros 3

Paper Mario is the first one.

Mario Party is 2

M&L is Bowser's inside story

Sports it's Power tennis and Baseball

Kart is 8

Mario vs DK is the gameboy original

Am I forgetting anything?

DDR Mario Mix ;P
 
Ah yes, the pinnacle of Mario Dancing games. How could I forget such a gem?
 
lol Mario Kart 8 is definetely not the ''pinnacle'' of Mario Kart

Judging how questionable many stuff is in that game , its extremely obvious it can be waaaaaaaaaaay better.

It really didn't fill the major expectations.

Nintendo can definetely do better than MK8.
 
Mcmadness said:
Ah yes, the pinnacle of Mario Dancing games. How could I forget such a gem?
We also had the pinnacle of Mario Mahjong during that time period too.
 
Swiftie_Luma said:
lol Mario Kart 8 is definetely not the ''pinnacle'' of Mario Kart

Judging how questionable many stuff is in that game , its extremely obvious it can be waaaaaaaaaaay better.

It really didn't fill the major expectations.

Nintendo can definetely do better than MK8.

Yeah but is there any other Mario Kart game that is better?

Any game can use major improvements, and yes, especially Mario Kart 8, but as for now I still consider it the best game in the series.
 
smb3, world, sm64, and galaxy, although i dont really like galaxy that much i do appreciate the improvements and new stuff it added(plus the best mario soundtrack ever).

The others ive played over and over and can still enjoy today for everything they are, i feel like they are the top of the series, especially smb3.
 
No Sticker Star? You disappoint me Maria.

Really, I would have to say Mario 3.

EDIT: Missed the joke didn't you.
 
TheFarmboy said:
No Sticker Star? You disappoint me Maria.

Really, I would have to say Mario 3.

Sticker Star sucks shit from a straw so I don't include it. I am talking "main" series.
 
Super Mario Bros.


If we're talking only about the main Mario series, then I'd say SMW, SM64, and Galaxy are all very high points in the series. As for a single pinnacle? Maybe SM64.
 
Why isn't Sunshine popular even though it introduced many elements into the series including Peach's ponytail in the Mario sports and Mario Kart games?
 
I would say 3DWorld. Ever since SMB2, I began hoping the series would return to original form, but with 3D graphics added (like other games, such as Pacmania), which I had thought would be the ultimate game. They finally did with 64, and the graphics improved, and then 3DL restored the basic “world” format, so then 3DW added the new multi player capability.
(I never even owned it, as we never got the WiiU, but did play some of it in the store, and watched through the whole game on YouTube, and played through 3DL).
 
Leon Belmont said:
Why isn't Sunshine popular even though it introduced many elements into the series including Peach's ponytail in the Mario sports and Mario Kart games?
Huh, funny that Peach's ponytail came to mind rather than Bowser Jr., Shine Sprites, F.L.U.D.D., and Isle Delfino.
 
At least he didn't think of.....that line.
 
Leon Belmont said:
Why isn't Sunshine popular even though it introduced many elements into the series including Peach's ponytail in the Mario sports and Mario Kart games?

because sunshine has a lot of up and downs really, while its not entirely a bad game it has a lot of things that people would rather not remember.

I like the game but even i know it certainly has some issues amongst the fans.
 
Yes, people seem to forget the really bad things about Sunshine.

Sunshine is not my favorite Mario platformer, not by a stretch.
 
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