When the word ‘underrated’ is used in relation to entries in beloved series such as, say, Super Mario or Zelda, never Enough he feels good. Sure, there may be some oddball early entries that people missed – games that were made when the template and direction of the series were still in flux – but it’s hard to argue that they represent the most analyzed, considered and questioned video games ever made.
Whether it’s the famous genre definers or one of the lesser entries in the Mushroom Kingdom canon, surely every single Mario game has been rated absolutely appropriately, right? Sunshine isn’t as polished as the other 3D Mario mainstays, but it has some great details. Some people will call it their favorite, which is fine, but generally speaking, it’s where it is (13th at the time of writing) on our list of the best Mario games of all time for a reason,
It’s a poser, but we thought it was a good time to reflect on the Mario games that we feel have gotten a bad rap. Maybe because they’re not quite the paradigm shifters they’re associated with. Maybe they released it at a bad time, on a dying system. Maybe they deviated too much from the revered predecessor and then it didn’t work.
Whatever the reason, this MAR10 we’re taking a look at 10 Mario games that, if not underrated, deserve a second look if you’ve dismissed them in the past. We’ve opened the field for any game with Mario in the title (and starring), not just the massive mainline.
So let’s go to the top 10 “underrated” Mario games…
The first 2D home console entry since Mario World in the early 90s, New Super Mario Bros. 2009’s Wii brought chaotic four-player local multiplayer to the series for the first time and gave fans of old-school side-on Mushroom Kingdom adventures something to chew on, with plenty of clever nods to the past.
Anyone turned off by the new series’ ‘wow’s and cuteness missed a real platform treat. New Super Mario Bros. The Wii is honestly our favorite of the bunch. It develops the basic formula of the DS entries perfectly, and the multiplayer is an absolute blast. And look, Penguin Mario is one of the best powerups ever. Don’t challenge us.
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Super Paper Mario blends the classic platformer with some of the RPG elements of its predecessors and throws in world-turning mechanics that give you a whole new perspective on traditional 2D platform courses. Originally planned as a GameCube game, it perhaps makes more sense to be different from the Thousand-Year Door way of doing things and certainly divides fans of the series.
No matter where you are on the fandom spectrum, the Wii entry is a beautiful game with creepy puzzles and an intriguing, unique turn mechanic. It’s also wonderfully weird in ways you’ll never expect. Despite not being a traditional RPG, Super Paper Mario’s blend of genres really works to create something that is completely unique in Mario’s storied history.
Mario Hoops 3 on 3, known as Mario Slam Basketball in Europe, it was a great handheld title in its day, especially when played with a friend. If you’re after a fun, colorful and (sometimes) manic sports experience with inventive controls and beautiful presentation, this is definitely worth a try.
Our wonderful video producer Felix is a particular fan of this underrated Mario gem — check him out waxing lyrical about Mario’s skills on the court with footage of the match. Wait, there are Final fantasy characters here too? sold out.
This tweak to the original DS did more than enough to impress us and, along with Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn, gave the 3DS a truly great swan song, even if most Nintendo fans had switched to the Switch by January 2019. Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey hasn’t touched what made the original so great and brought it to a whole new audience with completely new features. With updated visuals, an all-new side story involving Bowser Jr., and the ability to speed up gameplay, it’s the best version of arguably the best Mario & Luigi RPG series.
Additionally, you can root yourself in the guts of a giant fire-breathing lizard. What’s not to like?
Mario Strikers: Battle League is a masterclass in competitive game design. The game it played from the start was beautiful, and what it lacked in options it more than made up for in how fun the game was. She is absolutely gorgeous to begin with. Initially, the game may not have lived up to many people’s expectations, but free updates after launch brought new characters, modes and more.
If arcade sports action isn’t your thing, it probably won’t sway your opinion, but if you’re even passingly interested in this kind of fun, Mario Strikers: Battle League is one of the best sports games on the Switch, especially now that it’s “complete.” Try again.
Super Mario Land was an impressive achievement when it was released for the Game Boy in 1989. A sequel might make this original attempt at translating a plumber’s platformer to an overburdened, underpowered handheld seem odd by comparison, but it’s still a very fun Super Mario experience. albeit briefly. Created by Gunpei Yokoi R&D1, not Shigeru Miyamoto’s team, it’s a surreal yet compelling take on a template that needs a little tweaking for the present day. And just when things are really starting to get better, the credits arrive.
If you haven’t played Super Mario Land before, you owe it to yourself — it’s worth playing at least once to see where Mario’s portable adventures began. Blasting music, too.
The star of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope doesn’t seem to be as bright as its predecessors. Challenging, curated combat and beautiful visuals turned it into a cult hit, and the sequel started with a “bigger is better” mentality. The battles are less an evolution of what came before and more an impressive shift towards freedom and creativity that can sometimes trivialize Cursa’s attempts to take over the galaxy. However, Sparks of Hope shines in most aspects outside of these Darkmess fights. Wonderful little puzzles, quests, and memorable locations abound, making this Rabbid-themed adventure a must-have for Mario and strategy game enthusiasts.
One aspect of Mario’s legacy that seems to have taken a hit on the Switch is sports games. We’ve already pushed for Mario Strikers on console, but now it’s time to start singing about Mario Tennis Aces. It was anything but the disappointing Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash; instead, Aces is a superb arcade sports game that is generous with its package of player options and only occasionally guilty of being a little cheap in Adventure Mode. The presentation is on point and the underlying tennis action is absorbing whether you’re trading simple shots or firing special shots. Some of the animations and voices are identical to those of Ultra Smash, but everything around them has been improved to pretty awesome heights. So this is something like the Switch Port Plus – not an entirely new experience, but so much improved it’s almost unrecognizable.
Super Mario Bros. 2 (or Super Mario USA when this famously coated, water-informed form Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic returned to Japan), was a sequel to Super Mario Bros., with platforming mechanics quite different from the original. It introduced the ability to pick up and throw objects and a screen that moves left and right and up and down.
The verticality of the levels and the ability to play as different characters was a profound change from the first game, but despite being strange in its homeland, Super Mario Bros. 2 ended up having a huge impact on the iconography of the series. The game is definitely worth revisiting — Nintendo Switch Online is the easiest to find these days — if only to remind yourself how different it is from what came before and after.
Intended as a stepping stone between 2D and 3D games, Super Mario 3D Land reduced the large playgrounds of the main titles into smaller courses that worked better on a handheld screen. Apart from a handful of obvious and humorous perspective puzzles, this platformer showed off the console’s stereoscopic 3D by subtly signaling distance and perspective to the player – you weren’t relying so much on Mario’s shadow (a fact we appreciated more when we first played this game’s ‘big brother’, the excellent Super Mario 3D World on Wii U/Switch).
Games like this and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds really showed off the 3DS’s namesake feature and how it can enhance the gaming experience without poking your eye out. Comfortably placed and superbly matched to the hardware, this should already be in your collection.
These are our ten picks. Think we’re missing something? Is Mario Picross rated enough? Is Hotel Mario under ranked in popular ratings? You think Super Mario 64 DS deserves more love (it almost made this list, actually — played on the 3DS, of course). Let us know in the poll and comments below.
