Honourable Mario Mentions

What follows is possibly a page that will divide opinions. Some of the games I mention here are considered as brilliant in the video game community, but I for one do not share that view. Might that be a little controversial? Perhaps. Do I care? No. Let us begin!

Super Mario 64

Super Mario 64, released in 1996 as a launch title for the Nintendo 64, was pretty awesome when it first came out. A 3D Mario game was a novelty, and it brought such a unique experience to the field. Everything was new and different, and as you played through it, you would not dare anticipate what might happen. I devoted hours of time to Super Mario 64, and I did like it when I first played it, but returning to it decades later, it hasn’t aged well. The camera angle, and the limited ways it can be changed, make for an awkward experience, and when Nintendo re-released SM64 on the Switch Online service, they didn’t make an effort to remap the controls to modern controllers. Considering how unorthodox the Nintendo 64’s controllers were, this has made the game harder to play. In fairness, this is a weakness of a lot of the N64 games to reach the Switch Online service.

Super Mario Sunshine

Super Mario Sunshine was the flagship Mario game for the Game Cube. Once again this was a 3D adventure, and I dare say the weakest of all of Mario’s 3D open-world games. I never really got into it, and never really enjoyed it. You had a a water-powered jetpack, and you also used it to clean up strange grime left all over the place, and the whole thing just never gelled for me.

Super Mario Galaxy

This is where I know I am breaking with convention, because Super Mario Galaxy is one of the best-received 3D Mario games. It released on the Wii, along with a sequel a few years later, and both games are lauded by critics, but once again I never really got into them. Personal preference and all that.

Super Mario Odyssey

Of all Mario’s 3D adventures, Super Mario Odyssey is the one I have enjoyed the most. Released on the Switch, I found this to be an entertaining romp through some unique worlds, and there are some nostalgic nods to Mario’s roots. I may or may not expand upon my thoughts on this game at a later date, but I consider it the best of Mario’s 3D open-world games.

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