Poll
Question:
Which 3 Mario Games would represent the whole series?
Option 1: Super Mario Bros.
Option 2: Super Mario Bros. 3
Option 3: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Option 4: Super Mario World
Option 5: Super Mario 64
Option 6: New Super Mario Bros.
Option 7: Super Mario Sunshine
Option 8: Super Mario Galaxy 1/2
Option 9: Super Mario Odyssey
Option 10: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Option 11: Luigi's Mansion
Option 12: Super Mario Land
Option 13: Super Mario 3D Land/World
Option 14: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Option 15: Super Paper Mario
Option 16: Super Mario Bros. 2
Option 17: Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time
Option 18: Other (Specify in Comments)
This is for a project I'm working on, and I hope you can help by taking this poll
I picked SMB3, SM64, and Luigi's Mansion. Among those three, you have my favorite 2D Mario (besides maybe NSMBU), my favorite 3D Mario, and a great example of what kind of spinoffs Nintendo can produce.
Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, and Super Mario Odyssey.
I picked the original Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Galaxy games, and Super Mario Odyssey. Super Mario 64 also makes a lot of sense.
Series, or franchise? Series would mean the 2D and 3D platformers up from Super Mario Bros. until Super Mario Odyssey (or Super Mario Maker 2). Franchise would mean everything on your list (spin-offs included) and thus, in this survey it would not very fair to say which games have more weight than the others.
This article (https://www.mariowiki.com/Super_Paper_Mario) concerns the Super Mario series (RPGs and Luigi's Mansion omitted). You can also see that the Galaxy games and 3D Land/World games are their own separate entries. I'd suggest that you revise your list either to keep it to the mainline games, or include more games from the franchise outside of the mainline games (you only have 3 RPGs and Super Paper Mario right now. Why is that?)
As for your question, I would say Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. I would normally say Super Mario Bros. 3, but I feel that with everything the original brought to revolutionize the platforming genre, leaving it out would be unfair.
I pick 3D land/world. Mario I feel is best represented not just being a platformer, but a game with interesting and unique ideas. And while every mario game has interesting and unique ideas, 3D land and world seem to have mastered the process used in creating these levels. Mark Brown's video on the 4 step level design of 3D world helps explain this. Now, if you're looking more for what games initiated a change in the series, then the ones LeviR.star mentioned would probably be the most practical. I think it might be a little difficult to explain/convince why 3D Land and World would represent the entire series, but I've thought of some examples if wanted.
Quote from: cashwarrior1 on March 31, 2019, 05:26:18 AMI pick 3D land/world. Mario I feel is best represented not just being a platformer, but a game with interesting and unique ideas. And while every mario game has interesting and unique ideas, 3D land and world seem to have mastered the process used in creating these levels. Mark Brown's video on the 4 step level design of 3D world helps explain this. Now, if you're looking more for what games initiated a change in the series, then the ones LeviR.star mentioned would probably be the most practical. I think it might be a little difficult to explain/convince why 3D Land and World would represent the entire series, but I've thought of some examples if wanted.
I do agree on that one, 3d world did have a lot of good ideas, and the game as a whole was awesome, fun, and unique in many good ways.