Super Mario Series

[talonmalon333]

I agree Double Dash!! is the best. But with that said, Rainbow Road in 64 is the best Mario Kart course ever, in my opinion.

[Avaitor]

Rainbow Road 64 pisses me off. It's too long with no purpose and if you don't time it right, you can fall off way too easily.

It's great to piss off people who hate it even more than you do, but that's about it IMO.

[Rynnec]

I must be the only one here who finds Double Dash overrated and 64 to be superior. And it's not just Nostalgia Goggles, I've legitimately gotten more enjoyment out of playing MK64 than I ever have playing DD. I dunno, but I just can't get into Double Dash the way other people do.

[Eddy]

Double Dash and Mario Kart DS are my favorites.

Mario Kart 64 has not aged well at all. That said, the end credits music is amazing.

Mario Kart Wii is the worst. They went overboard with the items system in that one to the point where the game just stopped being fun. I don't know how many times I would be in first place, on the final lap, right by the finish line only to get fucked over by a blue shell, followed by a red shell, followed by a lighting bolt, followed by a green shell, and every other weapon in the game and wind up in last or close to it. Mario Kart Wii is shit.

[talonmalon333]

Mario Kart 64 has not aged well at all.

I don't see how that would be the case. It hasn't aged anymore than Super Mario Kart.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Super Mario Kart is a 2D racer, it's about as good as they can get. It's not much for multiplayer, but a random solo run is still fun today.

I remember first playing Mario Kart 64 and being so disappointed. The courses were so boring (the retro tracks and DS especially), the graphics were fuzzy, and the tracks were needlessly wide. Crash Team Racing and Diddy Kong Racing just blew it out of the water.

Super Circuit is okay. I think at this point I was burned out on Mario Kart since I remember hating the turning.

Mario Kart Double Dash... My friend rented it one time and I decided to give it a go and was blown away. Item chaos, unique strategy, the best courses in the series (still), and a great cast. About the only problem was that the battle mode was a letdown, but 4 player GP is still an awesome mode. On the minus the modern blue shell starts here, but on the plus it is really rare and I rarely get hit by it on the last lap.

Mario Kart DS is like Super Circuit to me. Kind of just generic Mario Kart. Also I have to say that while the retro courses were a great idea, they chose some of the worst courses to bring back.

Mario Kart Wii would be the best Mario Kart game if it wasn't for item spam. The courses are all excellent, the music is great, and there's a lot of variety (and it has FUNKY STADIUM!)... but there is so many times where you'll be hit by an item you can't avoid as well as some really terrible ones (the storm cloud is the worst item ever) REALLY pull it down.

The arcade Mario Karts I don't remember liking. They didn't play much like Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 7 is really good! Star Cup especially has some of the best courses in the series and the retro tracks are easily the best set chosen so far. The sky, sea, and land stuff is cool as is the custom kart stuff and the Battle Mode is finally decent again (no balloon blowing or item chaos to drag it down and actual bots for single player), leading it to be probably the best all around MK game. But still not as explosive as Double Dash.

[Commode]

The one thing I hate the most about these New Super Mario Bros games, besides the music,  is the dancing Koopas.  More than a few times has my timing been fucked up because a Koopa decides to pause and dance, it's really annoying.

[talonmalon333]

Super Mario Kart is a 2D racer, it's about as good as they can get. It's not much for multiplayer, but a random solo run is still fun today.

I remember first playing Mario Kart 64 and being so disappointed. The courses were so boring (the retro tracks and DS especially), the graphics were fuzzy, and the tracks were needlessly wide. Crash Team Racing and Diddy Kong Racing just blew it out of the water.

I just don't see how Super Mario Kart is any better.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Super Mario Kart is a 2D racer, it's about as good as they can get. It's not much for multiplayer, but a random solo run is still fun today.

I remember first playing Mario Kart 64 and being so disappointed. The courses were so boring (the retro tracks and DS especially), the graphics were fuzzy, and the tracks were needlessly wide. Crash Team Racing and Diddy Kong Racing just blew it out of the water.

I just don't see how Super Mario Kart is any better.

Well here's why I think it's better:

• the game runs at a rock solid 60fps
• the courses are tighter and less pointlessly wide than 64
• the graphics are clear and it's easy to see everything
• the courses feature more obstacles than 64
• the music is better than probably every installment
• the AI has less rubber-band and hits each other with items than in 64
• the items are the most balanced in the series with all being useful
• It is the only entry without a Blue Shell

All that still makes it a great game to play nowadays. Mario Kart 64 doesn't really do any of those better than SMK except for arguably the music and I find Double Dash fixes all of my issues with 64 including less pointlessly wide courses, a solid framerate, bright and clear graphics, and great music. About the only thing it did worse was change the Blue Shell and have worse battle courses.

[Spark Of Spirit]

And yes, SM is Miyamoto.

Just thought that was an interesting tidbit... that and Miyamoto considers Yoshi Island a Mario game.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I've always considered Yoshi's Island to be a Mario game. It takes place in the Mario Universe, and although you don't actually play as Mario except for when you get a star power-up from time to time, the game still heavily revolved around him.

[Nel_Annette]

Isn't it pre-faced with the title Super Mario World 2? I've always considered it part of the Mario main game canon because of that.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Isn't it pre-faced with the title Super Mario World 2? I've always considered it part of the Mario main game canon because of that.

In North America it is, but in Japan it isn't.

Sort of like how Super Mario World is subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 in Japan but not here.

I don't know what they'll name the next non-NSMB 2D Mario game, the title will be confusing somewhere.

[Nel_Annette]

Newer Super Mario Bros. World 3D Land Wii-U2 2 

I almost feel like the word Paper should go in there somewhere.

[talonmalon333]

Yoshi's Island is enough of both that you could consider it either and not be wrong, really (Mario game, Yoshi game, Mario and Yoshi game, etc.).