The 'Shroom:Issue 138/Awards Analysis
Awards Analysis
Written by the 9th Poll CommitteeWelcome! I, The Pyro Guy, as long as the entire 9th Poll Committee, are here to present to you a full rundown and analysis of every award featured in this year's Mario and Fail Awards. That's 45 of 'em. This is the largest project of the term, and I'm super proud to show off this finished product on behalf of all of the members. Big thanks go out to all of the Committee for helping put this together- each member wrote at least 4 pieces, with MsRetroGeek (talk) providing us with eight! The work put into this page has been phenomenal and I hope you can take the time to read through it all. We've got analysis to spare, so please enjoy.
One last thing to announce- since 2016, I've had the pleasure of creating a banner to go at the top of our MarioWiki:Polls page, normally featuring our members in some serious, poll-ridden situation. I'm happy to announce the completion of our latest one!
Am I allowed to complement it? Maybe. It's better to give you a critical review from former Chairperson Lord Bowser. He says, "i hate this there isnt enough bowser 0/10". Thanks, LB!
Anyway, here are those sweet, sweet polls you've all been waiting for. You'll find a Top-10 listing of the results along with additional thoughts and analysis. Each and every member has put their heart and soul into this, so I hope you can get through it all! Enjoy.Mario Awards
M1 - Best Sound Design (Raregold)
Hey Raregold here, enjoying the sweet sound of M1 - Best Sound Design. Why don’t you come and listen with me?
| M1 - Best Sound Design
|
|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey - 353 (22.43%) |
| Super Mario Galaxy - 256 (16.26%) |
| Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 130 (8.26%) |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 103 (6.54%) |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - 90 (5.72%) |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - 74 (4.70%) |
| Super Mario 64 - 71 (4.51%) |
| Super Paper Mario - 64 (4.07%) |
| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - 61 (3.88%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - 60 (3.81%) |
| Total votes: 1574 |
For the past few years the Top 3 awards were very predictable as well as the percentage they would garner. Super Mario Galaxy would top the list at ~20%, Mario Kart 8 in second at ~15%, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 in third at ~10%. While each has remained in a sequential order each was pushed down a spot with the release of Super Mario Odyssey. With the great accolades the game received from nearly every review magazine or publication and the Mario Wiki and extended community’s love of the game this comes as no surprise. An integral part of any great game is the soundtrack, and if you are spending hours on that boss fight at least the rockin’ themes should keep you determined to win.
As Nintendo continues to develop better hardware and push their capabilities to their limit we can likely expect to see the three titans of M1 overtaken in the future.
M2 - Favorite Mario Kart Game (Chibiki Daisy)
Chibiki Daisy here, crossing 8 finishing lines simultaneously (somehow) to bring you M2 - Favorite Mario Kart Game.
| M2 - Favorite Mario Kart Game
|
|---|
| Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 882 (49.80%) |
| Mario Kart Wii - 296 (16.71%) |
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - 240 (13.55%) |
| Mario Kart DS - 155 (8.75%) |
| Mario Kart 64 - 86 (4.86%) |
| Mario Kart 7 - 65 (3.67%) |
| Super Mario Kart - 22 (1.24%) |
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit - 21 (1.19%) |
| O. Mario Kart Arcade GP - 3 (0.17%) |
| O. Mario Kart Arcade GP DX - 1 (0.06%) |
| Total votes: 1771 |
In similar fashion to the last few years, Mario Kart 8, alongside Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, overwhelmingly achieves first place, taking in nearly half of the vote, most likely due to all the features, characters, and courses in these two games. In second, we have Mario Kart Wii, an improvement from last year where it came in third. One reason this may be is the number of recent hack videos for the game on YouTube, causing a spike in interest. Coming in at third is Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, not placing as high as last year. This is likely due to the same reason that Mario Kart Wii came in second. Beyond the top three, nothing’s really changed much from last year, with the sole exception of Mario Kart Arcade GP receiving about half as many votes this year compared to last.
Overall, there’s not much of a shake-up in results, likely due to steady opinions formed about each game as time has passed. Though whether these opinions stand the test of time in years to come, we’ll have to see.
M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer (Roserade)
Greetings, beautiful readers! Roserade here for my first Awards Analysis, where we’re taking a look at M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer. Let’s see which games reached the flagpole first!
| M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer
|
|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey — 601 (35.00%) |
| Super Mario Galaxy — 214 (12.46%) |
| Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS — 152 (8.85%) |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 — 142 (8.27%) |
| Super Mario Sunshine — 132 (7.69%) |
| Super Mario World — 132 (7.69%) |
| Super Mario 3D World — 95 (5.53%) |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii — 62 (3.61%) |
| Super Mario Bros. 3 — 60 (3.49%) |
| New Super Mario Bros — 39 (2.27%) |
| Total votes: 1717 |
The results of this award aren’t surprising. Looking back at the polls for the last couple of years, it’s evident that recent releases tend to receive the highest standings. In 2015, Super Mario 3D World topped the charts, only about a year and a half after its initial release date. It’s interesting to see how the game has dropped in placement, though; seventh place for this year indicates that our voter’s opinions have shifted over time. Meanwhile, Super Mario Galaxy continues to place into the Top 3, a trend that doesn’t appear to be diminishing anytime soon, after receiving third place in 2015 and first place in both 2016 and 2017. A little detail to note is that in the previous three years, Galaxy and Galaxy 2 have always been next to each other in placement, but this year Super Mario 64 has managed to disrupt the pattern. This might be in correlation to the gameplay style of our crowning victor this year: Super Mario Odyssey! Odyssey swept the gaming world by storm, receiving near-perfect ratings, garnishing praise as the “fresh of breath air” the Mario series needed, and even being nominated for the Game of the Year award for 2017 by multiple websites and publications. It was a smash hit, but I’d say look out for if it follows in the footsteps of 3D World, for that may be an indication of what the future holds for Odyssey.
M4 - Favorite Mario Kart Course (Raregold)
Raregold here once again, r8ing M4 - Favorite Mario Kart Course. Things are getting a little slow so let's get double dashing.
| M4 - Favorite Mario Kart Course
|
|---|
| Waluigi Pinball - 246 (14.95%) |
| N64 Rainbow Road (Wii U) - 185 (11.25%) |
| Coconut Mall - 119 (7.33%) |
| Mount Wario - 115 (6.99%) |
| Rainbow Road (3DS) - 110 (6.69%) |
| Electrodome - 99 (6.02%) |
| Maple Treeway - 77 (4.68%) |
| Baby Park - 71 (4.32%) |
| Airship Fortress - 70 (4.26%) |
| Mushroom Gorge - 66 (4.01%) |
| Total votes: 1645 |
The results of this poll remain mostly unchanged from the past two years with ⅔ of the Top 3 remaining in their seats. These results mirror that of 2015 where Coconut Mall placed 3rd in the poll. Waluigi Pinball remains an ever-popular course in part due to the fandom’s love of Luigi’s foil and rival. As for N64 Rainbow Road, nostalgia remains an ever potent ally for the course which received a gorgeous update in Mario Kart for the Wii U. If things continue as they are Mario Kart 7’s Rainbow Road and Coconut Mall are to remain ever locked in their struggle for 3rd.
Until Nintendo releases utterly groundbreaking new courses or major overhauls to old fan favorites the winners and losers of M4 seem destined to remain fairly set.
M5 - Favorite DK Level (Roserade)
Greetings, handsome readers! Roserade here, this time analyzing M5 - Favorite DK Level. This ought to be a barrel of fun, wouldn’t you agree?
| M5 - Favorite DK Level
|
|---|
| Frantic Factory (DK64) — 122 (11.11%) |
| Mine Cart Madness (DKC) — 119 (10.84%) |
| Sunset Shore (DKCR) — 95 (8.65%) |
| Music Madness (DKCR) — 89 (8.11%) |
| Bramble Scramble (DKC2) — 78 (7.10%) |
| Scorch ‘n’ Torch (DKC:TF) — 75 (6.83%) |
| Frosty Fruits (DKC:TF) — 59 (5.37%) |
| Oil Drum Alley (DKC) — 57 (5.19%) |
| Busted Bayou (DKC:TF) — 56 (5.10%) |
| Seashore War (DKC:TF) — 49 (4.46%) |
| Total votes: 1098 |
Favorite DK Level is actually a new poll this year! In the past, we’ve had Favorite DK Game, but this year M5 has been reworked. Because of this, we don’t have the same exact pool to pull from. That being said, we can still look to the past to get a sense of where we could potentially be now. The winner of Favorite DK Game alternated the past three years, with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze taking first place in 2015, second in 2016, and first in 2017; Donkey Kong Country Returns mirrored the trend with second in 2015, first in 2016, and second in 2017. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong 64 maintained a steady third place every year. This can be indicated towards with these results; of the Top 10, seven of the placers are from those three games. It’s interesting to note that 64 placed first with Frantic Factory, but no other 64 levels placed this high. Of course, we can’t ignore Mine Cart Madness placing in second place, with only three votes behind first place. A general consensus amongst Donkey Kong fans is that the original trilogy of Countries are classics, and their level design helps support this. Personally, I am not all too familiar with any Donkey Kong games past 64, so I wouldn’t be able to give my own thoughts on most of these levels. Still very cool to see some familiar faces in the form of classic levels, though.
M6 - Favorite Wario Level (Superchao)
Hello, 'Shroom readers! As you can guess by that header alone, it's time for yours truly Superchao to talk about M6 - Favorite Wario Level!
| M6 - Favorite Wario Level
|
|---|
| Mirror Mansion (WW) - 128 (13.79%) |
| Glittertown (WL:SI) - 71 (7.65%) |
| Crescent Moon Village (WL4) - 68 (7.33%) |
| Stonecarving City (WL:SI) - 67 (7.22%) |
| Turn off the alarm clock! (WL2) - 66 (7.11%) |
| Arabian Night (WL4) - 62 (6.68%) |
| Wreck Train (WL:SI) - 61 (6.57%) |
| Steal the Syrup's treasure!! (WL2) - 53 (5.71%) |
| Monsoon Jungle (WL4) - 45 (4.85%) |
| A Town in Chaos (WL3) - 41 (4.42%) |
| The Toxic Landfill (WL4) - 41 (4.42%) |
| Total votes: 928 |
First of all: Bad taste. Terrible taste! The Wario: Master of Disguise nominees all on the bottom of the nominated levels? Fight me. ...But beyond that. What impresses me is how the one single 3D nominee promptly shoots right past every 2D nominee. Just like Favorite DK level, actually. Is this just the strength of 3D levels in people's minds, or maybe the 3D games are just better known? It's an interesting question. For the 2D games, except for Master of Disguise getting buried, it's all well and mixed up. Wario Land: Shake Land, Wario Land 4, and Wario Land 2 blend together for most of the top ten, proving that people's choices here are less game-based and more level based.
In fact, this award has some of the closest results I've ever seen! From 2nd to 7th is a separation of ten votes, a very VERY tight race. And even when you get past those, you can tell pretty quickly that opinions are well split, as at no point is there a gap of higher than 8 votes between a pair of nominees. Wario levels didn't get that many votes compared to some of the other awards, though, with less than a thousand. Perhaps the relative obscurity of the levels contributes to why votes on them are split so finely? No game makes a massive dominant performance (except Wario World) thanks to none of them being known so much better than the rest. Either way, Wario's opinion would probably be to give all the votes to him, so let's not ask him.
That about covers it, so I'll see you again soon!
M7 - Favorite Yoshi Level (Roserade)
Greetings, exquisite readers! Roserade back again, this time with a double feature for you, M7 - Favorite Yoshi Level and M8 - Favorite Art Style. Let’s look at some of our favorite green dino’s memorable moments first!
| M7 - Favorite Yoshi Level
|
|---|
| Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy (SMW2:YI) — 295 (27.09%) |
| Feel Fuzzy, Get Clingy (YWW) — 84 (7.71%) |
| Bunson the Hot Dog’s Castle (YWW) — 83 (7.62%) |
| Poochy Ain’t Stupid (SMW2:YI) — 79 (7.25%) |
| Raphael the Raven’s Castle (SMW2:YI) — 68 (6.24%) |
| At Last, Bowser’s Castle! (YIDS) — 65 (5.97%) |
| Heeeeeeere’s Wario! (YIDS) — 50 (4.59%) |
| Naval Piranha’s Castle (SMW2:YI) — 39 (3.58%) |
| Castle of Big Guy the Stilted (YIDS) — 36 (3.31%) |
| Jelly Pipe (YS) — 35 (3.21%) |
| Total votes: 1089 |
Likewise with M5, Favorite Yoshi Level is a new poll introduced this year which has replaced Favorite Yoshi Game. But also like with M5, we can look at the past to determine how this affects the level placement in this poll. For the previous three years, the Top 3 results had remained the same: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island in first place, Yoshi’s Woolly World in second, and Yoshi’s Island DS in third. This is reflected even more evidently than with M5: nine out of the ten top placing levels are from those three games, with Jelly Pipe from Yoshi’s Story being the only exception, in tenth place. Of course, there is one detail we can’t overlook: a very clear winner of the poll! Our voters seem really avid for Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy from Yoshi’s Island, which topped second place with 211 votes. That’s a massive margin! Humorously enough, second place is another Fuzzy level, this time being Feel Fuzzy, Get Clingy from Yoshi’s Woolly World. Perhaps our voters just like going on psychedelic trips. Bunson the Hot Dog’s Castle barely missed second place, only being a vote behind.
M8 - Favorite Art Style (Roserade)
Now let’s brush things along and take a look at M8 - Favorite Art Style!
| M8 - Favorite Art Style
|
|---|
| Main series 3D style — 333 (20.47%) |
| Paper Mario style — 298 (18.32%) |
| Mario & Luigi Style — 267 (16.41%) |
| 2D Promotional Artwork style — 131 (8.05%) |
| Yoshi’s Woolly World style — 98 (6.02%) |
| Super Mario Strikers Style — 77 (4.73%) |
| Yoshi’s Island style — 77 (4.73%) |
| Wario Land: Shake It! style — 74 (4.55%) |
| Retro style sprites — 63 (3.87%) |
| Donkey Kong Country style — 61 (3.75%) |
| Total votes: 1627 |
Favorite Art Style was a new poll proposed in 2016, and since its inception we’ve seen similar results overall. The first year it started, Mario series 3D style and Paper Mario tied for first, but for the last two years they’ve pulled apart, and the 3D style we know today has pulled away. I’m sure the vibrancy and detail of Super Mario Odyssey certainly helped its lead this year. Mario & Luigi, meanwhile, has maintained its third place status every year now. The colors and pop of the characters have always made it one of my favorite art styles, and with the remake of Superstar Saga coming out recently, more people were able to experience its design. Otherwise, it’s always fun to note a tie, with Super Mario Strikers and Yoshi’s Island both reaching sixth place. While the future is always uncertain, I think a certain upcoming crafty game can cause a massive upset with its incredible visual direction. Only time will tell, however.
M9 - Favorite Add-on Content (Raregold)
Raregold here, bringing you your newest addition to the Awards Analysis, M9 - Favorite Add-on Content.
| M9 - Favorite Add-on Content
|
|---|
| Luigi’s Balloon World (SMO) - 262 (17.39%) |
| Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 - 261 (17.32%) |
| New Super Luigi U - 231 (15.33%) |
| Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8 - 202 (13.40%) |
| e-Reader Levels (SMA4:SMB3) - 101 (6.70%) |
| Super Mario Mash-Up Pack (Minecraft) - 98 (6.50%) |
| Super Mario Maker Stage (SSB4) - 92 (6.10%) |
| Mercedes Benz x Mario Kart 8 - 77 (5.11%) |
| Peach’s Castle Stage (SSB4) - 69 (4.58%) |
| Season Pass (M+RKB) - 54 (3.58%) |
| Total votes: 1507 |
Over the past two years, this award was easily dominated by the Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 crossover DLC. While still, a rather close vote Luigi’s Balloon World managed to burst that bubble. Of course, this is no surprise with the critical acclaim this game has received from reviewers everywhere and even from fans within the broader Mario Wiki Community. Seeing New Super Luigi U also helps to affirm the fandom’s love of the often overshadowed Mario brother. It seems like with Luigi being the focus of ⅔ of the Top 3, the secret to selling add-on content is to center it around a beloved character.
If Nintendo’s current business model continues, we will be sure to see the winners of this award be shaken up even further. New Super Waluigi U anyone?
M10 - Favorite Song (Hooded Pitohui)
It’s Hooded Pitohui here, wishing some talented fellow would create a compilation in which they make covers of the nominees in M10 - Favorite Song so that I could feature it in Mario’s Boombox.
| M10 - Favorite Song
|
|---|
| Jump Up, Super Star! (Super Mario Odyssey) - 580 (36.09%) |
| Break Free (Lead the Way) (Super Mario Odyssey) - 195 (12.13%) |
| DK Rap (Donkey Kong 64) - 174 (10.83%) |
| Do the Mario (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!) - 169 (10.52%) |
| Ashley’s Song (WarioWare: Touched!) - 99 (6.16%) |
| Phantom of the Bwahpera (Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle) - 82 (5.10%) |
| Ignorance is Bliss (White Knuckle Scorin’) - 38 (2.36%) |
| Mona Pizza’s Song (WarioWare: Twisted!) - 30 (1.87%) |
| I’m Leo Luster (Donkey Kong Country cartoon) - 25 (1.56%) |
| Jimmy’s Aerobics Theme (WarioWare: D.I.Y.) - 23 (1.43%) |
| Total votes: 1607 |
This is a new award, so there’s no history to look back on, but that doesn’t mean there’s no interesting trends here. “Jump Up, Super Star!” was the clear winner, with just under three times the number of votes that second place, “Break Free (Lead the Way),” received. With Super Mario Odyssey having made such a big impact over the past year, and “Jump Up, Super Star!” featuring prominently in Nintendo’s advertising and promotion for the game, those results really aren’t too surprising. What’s more interesting here is that the top six results seem to have been buoyed mainly by recency, reach, and… well, memes. Most of the nominees in the lower ranks come from older media, from old cartoons to aging WarioWare titles, which probably never had that large of a reach. The two songs from Super Mario Odyssey and “Phantom of the Bwahpera” from Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, on the other hand, are from titles that released in the past year. While the “DK Rap” is certainly from an older title, it likely received a boost from its status as a meme, and it’s possible that “Ashley’s Song” received additional attention because of that controversy it generated. Another potential explanation for why the “DK Rap” and “Ashley’s Song” did well despite being older is that they’ve both appeared a few times in Super Smash Bros., a series which has a wide reach and may have helped to keep them relevant. As for why “Do the Mario” made it into fourth, either there’s real nostalgia for The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and Nintendo needs to look into some new licensing arrangements, or, more likely, the song has also attained a memetic status.
While vocal songs may be few and far between in the Super Mario franchise, they certainly leave an impression when they appear. Time will tell if Super Smash Bros., meme culture, or Nintendo’s next showstopper title bring old songs back into relevance or create new winners.
M11 - Favorite Major Character (MsRetroGeek)
Hi Guys, Geeky here! Did you know that with every series there’s that one character that a fan absolutely falls in love with? Well with that in mind I’m going to analyze through the characters that you guys fell in love with in my analysis of, M11 - Favorite Character.
| M11 - Favorite Character
|
|---|
| Luigi -406 (22.71%) |
| Mario - 297 (16.61%) |
| Yoshi - 292 (16.33%) |
| Rosalina - 197 (11.02%) |
| Bowser - 128 (7.16%) |
| Wario - 125 (6.99%) |
| Princess Peach - 107 (5.98%) |
| Toad - 104 - (5.82%) |
| Bowser Jr. - 79 - (4.42%) |
| Donkey Kong - 53 - (2.96%) |
| Total votes: 1788 |
Honestly, there’s no surprise here that of course, Luigi ends up claiming this award. Did you guys know that Luigi has been on a winning streak ever since 2011? I’m curious about whether Luigi will be claiming this award once again after seeing what was released from the Nintendo Direct. Coming in second is our main man, Mario! No surprise here that Mario is the second best character in this series. He’s been a good pure-hearted protagonist. Always trying to do whatever he can to try and save his princess. While restoring peace to the world’s he visits. Finally, our third victor of this poll is the dear companion to Mario, Yoshi. He has served as a great companion. Having his own video game series to allow others to see how much of a help he was to try and assist Mario and company with being great heroes. Let’s see what next year brings for our Green Hated Hero and company. Will he be claiming another victory or will we be seeing a new victor after his 7-year reign.
M12 - Favorite Supporting Character (Chibiki Daisy)
Chibiki Daisy here again, supporting the rest of the committee and taking a look at M12 - Favorite Supporting Character.
| M12 - Favorite Supporting Character
|
|---|
| Waluigi - 439 (25.30%) |
| Cappy - 225 (12.97%) |
| Princess Daisy - 177 (10.20%) |
| Captain Toad - 172 (9.91%) |
| Professor E. Gadd - 126 (7.26%) |
| Kamek - 117 (6.74%) |
| Toadette - 95 (5.48%) |
| Diddy Kong - 89 (5.13%) |
| Poochy - 87 (5.01%) |
| Pauline - 74 (4.27%) |
| Total votes: 1735 |
Waluigi coming in first is no surprise here, seeing as how that’s been the trend since 2015 and beating second by a considerable amount since 2016. As for Cappy, the second-place winner, it seems that people really enjoyed him as a character in Super Mario Odyssey, as he placed quite a bit above older and (arguably) more well-known characters. Unfortunately for Princess Daisy, this meant she wouldn’t attain silver as she had for the past two years, instead taking the bronze. Further down the list, there are a number of characters that despite doing well in previous years, have come in much lower this year. For example, Kamek coming in sixth this year compared to last year’s third. I suspect this is due to Cappy’s introduction in Odyssey.
The introduction of Cappy created a bit of a toss-up in the results this year. Whether or not that’s just a side effect of how new he is, only time will tell.
M13 - Favorite Level Theme (MsRetroGeek)
The setting is definitely an important thing within a video game universe. It gives the gamer a feel for what they can expect from a game. That’s the feeling I often got when I was a child playing through classic Mario video games. Let’s just hope you guys chose something that didn’t have that dumb angry sun that kept killing me when I was a kid. Hola guys, Geeky here with the second analyzation of my second poll, which would be, M13 - Favorite Level Theme. Now let’s get started!
| M13 - Favorite Level Theme
|
|---|
| City/Town- 205(13.03%) |
| Space/Moon- 174(11.06%) |
| Beach- 124(7.88%) |
| Grassland- 118(7.50%) |
| Foods/Sweets- 114(7.25%) |
| Ghost House- 107(6.80%) |
| Factory Industrial- 105(6.68%) |
| Snow/Ice- 93(5.91%) |
| Airship- 87(5.53%) |
| Castle- 75(4.77%) |
| Total votes: 1,202 |
I’m going to assume that Mario Odyssey played a major factor in how this theme level’s had been created. These top three areas had beautiful graphics for each area within the game that they had represented. However, the level that had come up as the true winner had been the City/Town level themed area. I would assume that it had to do with how vivid everything had looked when you had explored through the area. Almost making it feel like the player was really exploring through a new city. The second level theme to win had been Space/Moon. Space/Moon stage had been very breathtaking with how it made the surroundings very galaxy like. It also gives Mario this very adorable astronaut outfit. The Beach level gives off a great feeling of getting away from life. It looks like a great paradise to just explore through. Well done with your level themes Nintendo.
M14 - Favorite Species (Raregold)
Raregold here, just taking filling out the census so Princess Peach can help us decide the winner of M14 - Favorite Species. Don’t forget to fill out yours.
| M14 - Favorite Species
|
|---|
| Yoshis - 395 (23.78%) |
| Shy Guys - 166 (9.99%) |
| Toads - 154 (9.27%) |
| Lumas - 139 (8.37%) |
| Boos - 107 (6.44%) |
| Koopa Troopas - 98 (5.90%) |
| Humans - 88 (5.30%) |
| Dry Bones - 72 (4.33%) |
| Chain Chomps - 58 (3.49%) |
| Lumas - 50 (3.01%) |
| Total votes: 1661 |
As with the past few years, Yoshis and Shy Guys dominated the Top 3 and for the 3rd year in a row Toads place in 3rd. All of these winners receive a remarkable amount of appearances within the Mario series. This is especially true with the Yoshis. They receive regularly released installments featuring the character of the same name. In fact Yoshi’s Crafted World was recently announced for the Switch. Shy Guys have also appeared both as enemies and playable characters in a whole host of games. And Toad is still back in the spotlight with the recent release of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for the Nintendo Switch. With these three species being at the forefront of Nintendo’s game lineup there is little reason why the winners should not continue with the established trend set over the past few years.
M15 - Hardest Boss (Hooded Pitohui)
Hooded Pitohui here again, shaking a controller while taking a look at M15 - Hardest Boss.
| M15 - Hardest Boss
|
|---|
| Cackletta’s Soul - 174 (12.56%) |
| Bowser X (M&L:BIS) - 168 (12.13%) |
| Shadow Queen - 163 (11.77%) |
| Elder Princess Shroob - 119 (8.59%) |
| Culex - 110 (7.94%) |
| Dreamy Bowser - 103 (7.44%) |
| Bonetail - 81 (5.85%) |
| Knucklotec (Rematch) - 79 (5.70%) |
| Boolossus - 70 (5.05%) |
| Bowser (PM) - 59 (4.26%) |
| Total votes: 1385 |
The final bosses and challenging bonus bosses of the RPGs traditionally perform well in this category, and this year is no exception. Bowser X from Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story and the Shadow Queen from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door have been in the top three for the past three years now, and they take second and third, respectively, this year as well. Being two difficult bosses from two very beloved games, the fact that Bowser X and the Shadow Queen stay relevant isn’t surprising. While Bowser X saw a large surge in votes and left its competition far behind last year after the removal of Master Core/Fortress, this year the competition for the top three spots was much tighter and Cackletta’s Soul managed to squeeze by Bowser X to take first. The most likely explanation is the release of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions last October, which reacquainted players with Cackletta’s Soul and her absolutely horrid spinning arm attack.
Further down the list, Elder Princess Shroob, Culex, and Dreamy Bowser continue to jostle for position just outside of the top three, while Bonetail, Boolossus, and Paper Mario’s Bowser round out the top ten. Interestingly, Phantamanta, who had nabbed seventh place last year, was bumped back out of the top ten by the other boss from a platforming title, Knucklotec, who’s Chincho-filled rematch in Super Mario Odyssey must have left an impression on players.
Will the release of Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey help put Bowser X back on top? Will Elder Princess Shroob and Culex continue to perform well even as the games they starred in age and fade into obscurity among the minds of newer gamers? Only time will tell. In any case, it's the frustrating fights and the joy of finally beating these bosses that really make them memorable.
M16 - Favorite Item (MsRetroGeek)
Is it a feather? Is it a flower? Is it a star? Nope! It’s Geeky coming in with a third hot take on my third analysis, M16 - Favorite Item.
| M16 - Favorite Item
|
|---|
| Cape Feather — 162 (10.29%) |
| Mega Mushroom — 127 (8.06%) |
| Tanooki Suit — 114 (7.24%) |
| Super Bell — 111 (7.05%) |
| Fire Flower — 98 (6.22%) |
| Double Cherry — 97 (6.15%) |
| Super Star — 97 ( 6.16%) |
| Penguin Suit — 96 (6.10%) |
| Propeller Mushroom — 95 (6.03%) |
| Cloud Flower — 68 (4.32%) |
| Total votes: 1,065 |
The cape feather is always such a good classic item. That’s been carried all throughout the Mario classic games to this point. This allows for the player of the game to have two abilities. It allows the player to have the ability of flight. To soar through the level/ stage and land soar throughout the area skipping through enemies or exploring. It was also great for allowing Mario to attack the enemies in his way. I would assume that this is why the cape feather was selected as the favorite item. The Mega Mushroom is the second item that had won for this poll. The abilities that this awesome item gives is the ability to grow into a giant to take out any obstacles in your way. The third item is the Tanooki suit. This suit gives the player the ability to basically be invulnerable. Giving the player the power to hover, turn into a statue, and squash enemies that come into your path. These are some great choices you guys made!
M17 - Favorite Mario RPG (Superchao)
Hello, 'Shroom readers! Superchao makes a comeback here, ready to discuss M17 - the Favorite Mario RPG award!
| M17 - Favorite Mario RPG
|
|---|
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - 403 (24.42%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - 257 (15.58%) |
| Super Paper Mario - 175 (10.61%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga/Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions - 146 (8.85%) |
| Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - 134 (8.12%) |
| Paper Mario - 127 (7.70%) |
| Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - 98 (5.94%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Dream Team - 92 (5.58%) |
| Paper Mario: Color Splash - 68 (4.12%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - 64 (3.88%) |
| Total votes: 1650 |
And when you take a look... honestly, the results haven't really changed that much. The Thousand-Year Door won for the record-shattering eleventh time! And I do mean record-shattering, I'm pretty sure no other nominee has won the same award that many single times. Not that it's surprising, though. TTYD is often considered one of the best games out there, and the competition is generally either considered "good but not as" through down to "bad". ...Although, I'm surprised Color Splash beat Partners in Time. Super Paper Mario's high placement is also interesting, considering how divisive it seems to be. Apparently, the fact that a bunch of people like it a lot was just enough to make it work!
Probably the one that impresses me the most is Kingdom Battle, which is a lot higher than I personally thought it would be. People generally seem to consider it good, but I wasn't expecting to see it reflected in the poll. Oh, and of course Sticker Star is last. Well, not quite - Puzzle and Dragons managed to place lower than Sticker Star by one vote. Probably because nobody actually played it! Still though, if there's any award that makes its opinion clear, it's this one. Will next year change the trajectory and upset TTYD?
No.
No it won't.
M18 - Favorite Mario Party Game (Chibiki Daisy)
Once again, Chibiki Daisy here, bringing you M18 - Favorite Mario Party Game while rolling dice and attempting to avoid red spaces.
| M18 - Favorite Mario Party Game
|
|---|
| Mario Party 8 - 248 (15.69%) |
| Mario Party DS - 220 (13.92%) |
| Mario Party 3 - 167 (10.56%) |
| Mario Party 2 - 147 (9.30%) |
| Mario Party 6 - 118 (7.46%) |
| Mario Party 7 - 115 (7.27%) |
| Mario Party 9 - 95 (6.01%) |
| Mario Party 10 - 89 (5.63%) |
| Mario Party: The Top 100 - 85 (5.38%) |
| Mario Party 4 - 84 (5.31%) |
| Total votes: 1581 |
Mario Party DS and Mario Party 8 have a bit of an interesting history with this award, with both of those games going back and forth between first and second for the last few years. This year, first and second place repeated the results of this award in 2016, with 8 coming in first and DS coming in second. Mario Party 3 came in third this year, rising up from fourth last year. Further down the list, we have the newest game, Mario Party: The Top 100, coming in at 9th. From what I’ve heard from various places, The Top 100 did not meet the hype it received prior to release, but people at least liked it better than some of the games that placed below it, such as the other 3DS Mario Party games. Other than that, there’s not been much change compared to last year, with the exception of Mario Party 9 falling down a few places.
Despite a new Mario Party game, the results did not change much compared to previous years. Unless a game comes along that really blows people away, results in future years will probably be similar to what we’ve seen this year and the last few years.
M19 - Favorite Actor (Superchao)
Hello, 'Shroom readers! Superchao here, reporting on Favorite Actor.
| M19 - Favorite Actor
|
|---|
| Charles Martinet (Mario; Luigi; various) - 778 (52.60%) |
| Lou Albano (Mario, DIC cartoons) - 128 (8.65%) |
| Kazumi Totaka (Yoshi, 1997-present; Professor E. Gadd) - 68 (4.60%) |
| Kenneth W. James (Bowser, 2005-present) - 56 (3.79%) |
| Samantha Kelly (Princess Peach; Toad; various) - 56 (3.79%) |
| Deanna Mustard (Princess Daisy, 2003-present) - 50 (3.38%) |
| Danny Wells (Luigi, DIC cartoons) - 48 (3.25%) |
| Kate Higgins (Pauline, 2017-present) - 48 (3.25%)
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| Mercedes Rose (Rosalina, 2007-2010) - 48 (3.25%) |
| Grant Kirkhope (Donkey Kong, 1999-2004) - 41 (2.77%) |
| Total votes: 1479 |
Aaaand in another case of Wow, Who Could Have Seen This Coming, everyone loves Charles Martient! The man gets over half of the vote for his iconic performances of the Mario Brothers, and let's be honest: this crushing victory wasn't in doubt. Not even just because of who he voices, but how much Martinet's known for his enthusiam, delivery, and way he truly IS the voice of Mario. Heck, 2nd place doesn't surprise me much either, considering how much Lou Albano has gone down in popularity. I must admit, though, E. Gadd and Yoshi's VA placing over Bowser's and the Princess's leaves me a little startled. Perhaps it's due to E. Gadd's performance? It does seem to be popular.
After that, it's pretty understandable - the princesses have been longtime favorites, Luigi's cartoon performance is well-known, and of course Pauline made an ENORMOUS impact when Odyssey came out so her being bumped up in the ranks is hardly a surprise. Probably the most interesting part of this award's the write-ins, really! When you delve into the depths, you notice a lot of people writing in a single specific actor from the DKC cartoon or the Mario cartoon. One thing I always wonder when it comes to stuff like that is how serious some people are about it. If you know, tell me next time you see me - two awards from now!
M20 - Favorite Sports Game (MsRetroGeek)
Hi Guys! Geeky coming in with a fast spike to set ablaze in you in my fourth Analysis. This time I will be analyzing M20 - Favorite Sports Games.
| M20 - Favorite Sport Games
|
|---|
| Mario Tennis Aces — 264 (18.42%) |
| Mario Super Sluggers — 189 (13.19%) |
| Mario Power Tennis — 152 (10.61%) |
| Mario Strikers Charged — 137 (9.56%) |
| Mario Sports Mix — 113 (7.89%) |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games — 100 ( 6.98%) |
| Mario Tennis (N64) — 73 (5.09%) |
| Super Mario Strikers — 69 (4.82%) |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games — 67 (4.68%) |
| Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour — 60 (4.19%) |
| Total votes: 1,224 |
The newest Mario Sports game has seemed to claim it’s spot as the number one choice for the favorite Sports game. Mario Tennis Aces would be considered the first Mario Sports Game to come out on the Switch. This game is full of great features. A story mode that will have you face off against a returning or new coming villain, will leave you playing for hours. A great versus mode that gives the players a series of characters to choose from. New added characters that they will be able to play as coming soon. As well as great animations that will leave a player wanting more. The next game to win had been Mario Super Sluggers. I have not played this game but from what I had looked at it. I would assume that this game had been liked so much because of the mini-games that had utilized mini-games that had to do with baseball mechanics so that it wasn’t just a basic baseball game. Fun for friendly competition with friends and family. The third victor had been another Tennis game from the Wii. Although it had been great with some great special shots. I would assume a possible prototype of what Aces is currently. Now I’m kind of up for playing some sports right now. These guys really know how to have a fun time playing sports. Anyone up for a game of tennis?
M21 - Favorite Puzzle Game (Superchao)
Hello, 'Shroom readers! Welcome to the Favorite Puzzle Game award, the only award where I, Superchao, evaluate the results of the Favorite Puzzle Game award... wow that came out bad.
| M21 - Favorite Puzzle Game
|
|---|
| Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - 585 (41.23%) |
| Dr. Mario (series) - 259 (18.25%) |
| Donkey Kong (Game Boy)/Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA) - 120 (8.46%) |
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2 and onwards) - 96 (6.77%) |
| Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition - 85 (5.99%) |
| Tetris Attack - 76 (5.36%) |
| Mario's Picross - 48 (3.38%) |
| Yoshi - 46 (3.24%) |
| Wario's Woods - 45 (3.17%) |
| Yoshi's Cookie - 32 (2.26%) |
| Total votes: 1419 |
Anyhow, this is one of those awards that's dominated by a modern entrant - helped along by the fact that it's basically the ONLY modern entrant with any real splash. Dr. Mario and Mario vs. Donkey Kong both got games in recent years, but in neither case did they make much of an impact, getting a fraction of the marketing and display that Captain Toad did. Captain Toad's victory, taking home 40% of the vote, surprisingly doesn't leave the rest of the field with splitting small fractions, as Dr. Mario shows why it used to be the first place all the time with around 20%. Beyond that, though, we get small votes fractions and totals as we delve into the lesser-known franchises.
Interestingly, Mario vs. Donkey Kong's much longer-lasting post-overhaul branch has underperformed compared to the original game and the DK '94 game. Seems like this might be a case where people just didn't like the direction the series goes, although you'll have to wait for the Worst Direction of Series to confirm. Beyond that, we've got Puzzle and Dragons - which fell off pretty hard, never seems to come up anymore. And then it's just a pile of ancient puzzle games of varying quality! None of these are really bad (except for my trusted sources telling me Yoshi is bad), but they're all overshadowed by the more recent ones. Tetris Attack has a little more of a boost, though, as shown by the large dropoff between that and Mario's Picross.
That's all for this award, so I'll see you for Fail!
M22 - Favorite Battle Course (Roserade)
Greetings, incredible readers! Roserade back for the final time, and we’ll be seeing which courses gained those gold, silver, and bronze trophies with M22 - Favorite Battle Course!
| M22 - Favorite Battle Course
|
|---|
| Block Fort (N64) — 237 (16.05%) |
| Luigi’s Mansion — 198 (13.41%) |
| Nintendo DS — 157 (10.63%) |
| Funky Stadium — 144 (9.75%) |
| Urchin Underpass — 107 (7.24%) |
| Wuhu Town — 102 (6.91%) |
| Pipe Plaza — 94 (6.36%) |
| Delfino Pier — 83 (5.62%) |
| Battle Course 1 (SNES) — 72 (4.87%) |
| Skyscraper — 63 (4.27%) |
| Total votes: 1477 |
Favorite Battle Course is a poll that was introduced last year, so it doesn’t carry the same history as some other courses. However, this year’s results carry a similar trend to last year’s; Block Fort from Mario Kart 64 has taken first once again, with Luigi’s Mansion taking second. With its recreation in Mario Kart 8, Luigi’s Mansion was brought back into the limelight once more, so it’s not as surprising to see it here. Last year, Funky Stadium and Nintendo DS tied for third, but this year DS has pulled ahead by thirteen votes. If you asked me which I preferred, I’d probably have to go for Funky Stadium, because all of its ramps and jumps make for a wild, hectic time. There isn’t much else to note, other than Mario Kart 8 courses placing fourth and fifth as well, likely boosted by how recent the game came out as Deluxe on the Switch.