The 'Shroom:Issue 150/Awards Analysis
Awards Analysis
Written by the 10th Poll CommitteeWelcome! This is your Poll Chairperson, LudwigVon (talk), along with the members of the 10th Poll Committee for our annual Awards Analysis. This is a big project for the Poll Committee, and we are very pleased to present you the final result of our clever analysis of this year's Mario and Fail Awards. Before continuing, I would like to give a special thanks to ArchagentEverlasting (talk) to have made a huge contribution to this project, and in addition, to replacing some members, which were not available for this.
Before concluding, it's also time to unveil the brand new banner who represents this year's team from our sweet Graphic Design Manager, The Pyro Guy (talk).
Isn't it beautiful? This time around, I kicked everyone out of our office. It was time to chase citizens down the street to receive feedbacks on everything. Will this be useful? Maybe. Let's see how the year goes...
Now, without further ado, enjoy the best part of this project!Mario Awards
M1 - Best Sound Design (ArchagentEverlasting)
Hello, dear reader. There is no greeting greater than one from the Archagent himself. Welcome to the Awards Analyses. I hope you get comfortable. Settle into your chair and get cozy. What's a host without the comfortableness of his guest? Let's look at the first award we will be analyzing, that being the game with the best sound design.
| M1 - Best Sound Design
|
|---|
| Super Mario Galaxy - 291 (20.22%) |
| Super Mario Odyssey - 263 (18.28%) |
| Super Mario 64 - 92 (6.39%) |
| Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 90 (6.25%) |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 83 (5.77%) |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - 71 (4.39%) |
| Super Mario 3D World/Super Paper Mario - 70 (4.86%) |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze/Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - 61 (4.24%) |
| Super Mario World - 53 (3.68%) |
| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - 47 (3.27%) |
| Total votes: 1439 |
Time to crack down the results, as that's what I'm here to do. In the first place, we have Super Mario Galaxy. The fact of the matter is, that this was a shoe in. There isn't anybody on this planet who dislikes the biggest tracks from this game, from Gusty Garden Galaxy to the softer track of Buoy Base Galaxy. In actuality, I can't think of a single time I've heard anyone complain about the sounds in this game.
Super Mario Odyssey is second, which is also of no surprise. Seeing that not only is it the newest mainstream Mario game (barring remakes), this would lead to it being on people's minds. Not only that, but a large part of its marketing was dedicated to the incredible main theme, “Jump Up, Superstar!”. Almost every trailer and commercial featured the theme. Overall, definitely a solid pick for second place.
The third pick on the list is Super Mario 64, which I can't say I disagree with. From the inviting Bob-omb Battlefield theme to the perils of Koopa's Road, there isn't a theme in this game that doesn't fit the aesthetic of whichever polygonal level you're bouncing through. Not only that, the game has the nostalgia factor on its side for both people who grew up with the Nintendo 64 and people who grew up with the Nintendo DS. It was a must have for both of the consoles. Seeing these reasons makes it easy to believe that Super Mario 64 would rank so highly on this list.
I was shocked to see Mario Kart 8 and its remake on this list. After all, I personally did not see the soundtrack as anything more than standard Mario Kart fare. Once I had debated with myself hotly on the nature of the situation, I came to a few conclusions. Reason number 1: Many people see the Mario Kart games as a good source of music for the Mario games. There is nary a person you will find who does not praise Coconut Mall and its ilk for the amazing sounds. Reason number 2: This was the newest Mario Kart game in the series. Due to the fact that it has only been five years since its initial release and only two since its re-release, people will think of this game first when they want to compliment the music of the Mario Kart sub-series.
For my final mentioning on this poll I would like to bring your attention to Super Mario Galaxy 2. This game ranked fifth in the poll, which is something that I find quite odd. While the first Super Mario Galaxy game had quite a bit of good tunes, a good portion of the Super Mario Galaxy 2 soundtrack is reappropriated from the first game or other Mario games, with I myself being unable to name any particular tracks - aside from possibly Sky Station Galaxy and Yoshi Star Galaxy - that weren't derived from another game. That being said, nostalgia sells. I assume that is the case here, with people being whisked away by the various songs they loved from their past Mario outings.
All in all, these awards had their fair share of surprises. I didn't expect Mario Kart 8 or Super Mario Galaxy 2 to be so high up. That being said, the top 3 were to be expected, as those games are essentially universally regarded as masterpieces of sound. Super Mario 64 is a soft spot for two generations of gamers, Super Mario Odyssey was advertised around its incredible soundtrack and main theme, and Super Mario Galaxy has almost always been praised for its soundtrack to the point that Shigeru Miyamoto himself cried at a performance of Gusty Garden Galaxy 12 years ago when it was played for him.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the awards analyses, and until our next meeting, stay everlasting, my friends. Ciao!
M2 - Favorite Mario Kart Game (Doomhiker)
The Mario Kart series is am extremely popular spin-off series in the Mario franchise. It also has a large amount of games, meaning it has a large amount games that can be your favorite. Let's look at this awards results.
| M2 - Favorite Mario Kart Game
|
|---|
| Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 49.52% (771 votes) |
| Mario Kart Wii 18.82% (293 votes) |
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 13.74% (214 votes) |
| Mario Kart DS 7.71% (120 votes) |
| Mario Kart 64 4.88% (76 votes) |
| Mario Kart 7 3.40% (53 votes) |
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit 0.83% (13 votes) |
| Super Mario Kart 0.77% (12 votes) |
| Total votes: {{{totalvote}}} |
In first place we have both versions of Mario Kart 8, winning this award for the sixth year in a row. The game has several things going for its favour, mainly extra content via its DLC and its rerelease, and also being the most recent Mario Kart game. Of course, the game's large amount of drastically reimagined retro tracks and unique nitro tracks help too, along with anti-gravity being added alongside gliding and underwater sections, allowing for more possibilities with track design, helps it too. The game's great reception is reflected in these results. Second is Mario Kart Wii, which is not a surprise. From 2008 to 2013 the game one first place, only being knocked down due to Mario Kart 8. After 2013, it still done well, receiving second place in 2014, 2015, and 2016, before being knocked down to third place by Mario Kart: Double Dash!! in 2017. It came back to second place in 2018. Mario Kart Wii is the best selling game in the series, with 36.83 million copies sold. This would give give the game the largest audience of all games in the series. Another reason for its popularity is because Funky Kong is playable it has a large online community, including mods. Stuff like the popular CTGP Revolution allows online play to resume, and for fan-made custom tracks to be added to the game. This, of course, gives a large amount of new stuff for fans of the game to do. This is not something exclusive to Mario Kart Wii, but it is the most prominent in Mario Kart Wii. It also had general good reception at launch, with less negative reviews than positive. In third place we have Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Again, not a surprise. The game won second place from 2007 to 2011 (although in 2008 it shared second place with Mario Kart DS). In 2012 in went down to third due Mario Kart 7, a game which only was in the top three in 2012 and 2013, likely due to being new at the time. Due to that Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was in third in 2013 too, and managed to stay there in 2014 due Mario Kart 8, which completely removed Mario Kart 7 from the top three. Double Dash!! managing to stay in the top three longer than Mario Kart 7 could be interpreted as MKDD aging better than MK7, and also shows how Mario Kart 8 basically replaced MK7. In 2015, 2016, and 2018, MKDD stayed in third, going up to second in 2017. So, why did the game retain its position in the top three? Well, considering how MK7 likely lost its position due to no longer being extremely new, and due to being replaced by Mario Kart 8, I think that it is quite obvious that how MKDD is so unique helped the game not grow stale. With two characters in each kart, and character exclusive items, there is a lot of reasons to go back to this game even after a new game came out. In forth place we have Mario Kart DS. Mario Kart DS was actually the first-ever winner of this award, in 2007. Then in 2008 in was knocked down to second place due to Mario Kart Wii, where it was tied with MKDD. It then stayed in third until 2012, where it was not in the top three at all, likely being replaced by MK7. It was never seen in the top three again. However, its place in fourth place does prove that it is still popular, likely due to the DS' popularity and still being a fun game, with extremely popular courses such as Waluigi Pinball. At the bottom half of the options that got more than one vote, we have Mario Kart 64. It got third place in 2007 and 2008, but nothing since. It likely got to fifth due to its Battle Mode and nostalgia, but a lot of things in this game is done better in future games, so while still a good game I can see why it only got fifth place. In sixth place we have Mario Kart 7. I already explained its history in the awards, and why it is no longer in the top three, which is due to it basically being replaced by Mario Kart 8. It still as its fair share of voters, likely due to it still being a good game. Finally, in seventh and eighth place respectively we have the two mode seven Mario Kart games, Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Super Mario Kart, which only have the difference of a single vote. While these games still have their fans, they have not aged well in many regards and are limited by their graphics. We do have a massive five write-ins, which are the four arcade Mario Kart games and the mobile game Mario Kart Tour. They only have one vote likely due to them being harder to play, and to form an opinion on, as the arcade games are limited to the arcade, and Mario Kart Tour only had a closed beta which ended.
The results of the award were predictable. I guess people know which game is their favorite, which is generally the newest one, excluding hard-to-play ones. Next up we have M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer!
M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer (Doomhiker)
Next we have M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer.
| M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer
|
|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey 28.32% (416 votes) |
| Super Mario Galaxy 13.48% (198 votes) |
| Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS 10.07% (148 votes) |
| Super Mario World 8.51% (125 votes) |
| Super Mario 3D World 7.96% (117 votes) |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 7.76% (114 votes) |
| Super Mario Sunshine 5.99% (88 votes) |
| Super Mario Bros. 3 3.61% (53 votes) |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii 3.54% (52 votes) |
| New Super Mario Bros. U/New Super Luigi U/New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe 2.72% (40 votes) |
| Total votes: {{{totalvote}}} |
In first place we have Super Mario Odyssey. Not a surprise, not only due to the game being relatively new but also winning first place last year. I do wonder how the game will do in the future, though, as the awards show that our votes have a penchant to prefer newer titles, and sometimes that preference wears off, as we can see with Super Paper Mario winning first place in 2007, yet not being in the top ten in this poll. We can even see this in other polls, such as with Mario Kart 7. In fact, the top three this year are the exact same as last year’s top three. Though Super Mario Odyssey was voted by a smaller percentage of voters this year, while Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 64 both have seen a (small) increase in percentage of voters. Perhaps some of the game’s “new” factor is already starting to wear off, although I do still think it will do well in the future due to the game being more open than for example Super Mario 3D World, something that seems to be something commonly preferred. Nothing on the list overall is surprising, though. Even beyond the top three Super Mario World is the favourite 2D game and the New Super Mario Bros. games strike low, likely due to being very similar to each other and thus being repetitive. I don’t have anything else to say, so let’s move on!
M4 - Favorite Mario Kart Course (ArchagentEverlasting)
Ack! More temporal shenanigans from Archagent! I apologize, friend! I've been going in and out of the this timeline due to the fact that there are some analysis that must be done, and must be done quickly. Without further need for introduction, let's look at the results!
| M4 - Favorite Mario Kart Course
|
|---|
| Waluigi Pinball - 223 (15.84%) |
| N64 Rainbow Road (Wii U) - 125 (8.88%) |
| Rainbow Road (3DS) - 123 (8.74%) |
| Coconut Mall - 105 (7.46%) |
| Mount Wario - 93 (6.61%) |
| Neo Bowser City - 74 (5.26%) |
| Electrodrome - 66 (4.69%) |
| Maple Treeway - 62 (4.40%) |
| Bowser’s Castle (N64) - 61 (4.33%) |
| Baby Park - 60 (4.26%) |
| Total votes: 1408 |
In the first entry I'm going to be looking at, we have Mount Wario! While I personally know why I would rate this course so highly, I don't know why the fanbase would. I cannot speak for others. I believe it to be such a great course not only due its length and difficulty, but also its variety in obstacles and the fact that it would be a really neat location to visit in the main games as a platforming area. I doubt this is why it is so popular.
Next, we have Coconut Mall, which has been a fan favorite for a long time due to the unique setting and the theme associated with it, as well as the fact that many members of the community today grew up with this track as one of their favorites when they were teens or children, so it sort of grew on and up with them.
While I'm not sure why this particular version of Rainbow Road is so high (I didn't play MK7) I do know that Rainbow Road is a classic stage that nearly every Mario Kart game has, if not all of them. Therefore, it's only natural to see one of them on the list, even if it was one of the more obscure ones in my opinion.
Next, we have the Rainbow Road from MK64, which is often shown as one of the most iconic Mario Kart courses in the history of the series. This is more what I was expecting from a Rainbow Road entry on this list, so I'm glad to see it here, even if I'm not the biggest fan of it myself.
Finally, we have the Waluigi Pinball! The one and only course that many people adore simply due to the fact that it's, well, Waluigi Pinball! Charming aesthetic, based on a fan favorite character and with catchy theme music? What's not to love about this stage? Anyway, that's it for me, I have to go and do some more analysis! See you in a bit!
M5 - Favorite Donkey Kong Character (ArchagentEverlasting)
Oh, you’re back. That’s simply wonderful. This time we’re going to be looking at something completely different: Who’s the favorite Donkey Kong character of the forum? That is a question that I’m sure you’ve wanted answered for quite some time, and now that the Mario Awards this year has it, it will finally be answered! Let’s take a look, shall we?
| M5 - Favorite DK Character
|
|---|
| King K. Rool - 321 (22.65%) |
| Funky Kong - 267 (18.84%) |
| Donkey Kong - 178 (12.56%) |
| Diddy Kong - 174 (12.28%) |
| Cranky Kong - 111 (7.83%) |
| Dixie Kong - 105 (7.41%) |
| Lanky Kong - 64 (4.52%) |
| Chunky Kong - 34 (3.03%) |
| Enguarde the Swordfish - 33 (2.33%) |
| Tiny Kong - 26 (1.83%) |
| Total votes: 1417 |
Time to break down the results, as I’m sure you are accustomed to by now, seeing as you’ve made it this far. In first place we have King K. Rool, the ruler of the Kremlins himself. While always a popular character for one reason or another, I find the reason why King K. Rool is so high on the list compared to the others is due to the fact that he recently appeared in a certain crossover fighting game we all know and love - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Not only was he already a popular character (which was part of the reason that he was put in the game), but the amount of sheer energy that followed his reveal nearly a year ago certainly did not shrink his fanbase.
As for number 2, it was an anomaly to me. Really? Funky Kong of all characters? Then it hit me. The re-release of Tropical Freeze hit the Switch last year, and with it, came Funky Kong as a new playable character. Due to the fact that he entered the public eye in such a bombastic, meme-filled way, Funky Kong was almost a shoe-in for this list. Who would’ve thought?
Finally, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong and Cranky Kong are at the bottom of the top 5. I’m definitely not surprised they made it up here, considering that they’re the original 3 Donkey Kong characters that most people know and love and who also made returns in the Tropical Freeze last year. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the two thirds of them made appearances as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as well. Another factor into this, I assume, is that the Donkey Kong series is fairly obscure by comparison to the rest of the Mario franchise, so many fans will only know those who have appeared in other series in the Mario franchise, with Cranky Kong being the only contender in the top 5 who hasn't had an appearance in another series.
This award was interestingly predictable. I hope to see it make a comeback next year, as the subject of Donkey Kong characters has always been a fascinating one to me. Unfortunately, this award has often been plagued with having the same results year after year, with Donkey, Diddy and Funky of the Kong Clan dominating the top results. Due to this it may not return next year. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess. Until the next award, this is the Archagent, signing off. Ciao!
M6 - Favorite Wario Character (Power Flotzo)
Hey there! Power Flotzo here, giving you the deets on what the community picked for M6 - Favorite Wario Character. So, which character from WarioWare and Wario Land came out on top? Let’s take a look at the results.
| M6 - Favorite Wario Character
|
|---|
| Wario – 382 (28.34%) |
| Ashley & Red – 236 (17.51%) |
| 9-Volt – 153 (11.35%) |
| Mona – 95 (7.05%) |
| 5-Volt – 79 (5.86%) |
| Captain Syrup – 68 (5.04%) |
| Jimmy T. – 46 (3.41%) |
| Orbulon – 40 (2.97%) |
| Princess Shokora – 38 (2.82%) |
| Kat & Ana – 37 (2.74%) |
| Total votes: 1348 |
Well, speaking as a Captain Obvious, Wario came in first for the fourth time – not much to say about that. The same goes for the others in top four: their positions haven’t changed from 2017 (the last time this award was held) and I can’t write much about them. But the most noticeable difference from this year and two years ago is that 5-Volt has gone from a write-in character with only a few votes to fifth place. This could be due to her gaining a more major role in WarioWare Gold. With that said, on to the next award!
M7 - Favorite Yoshi Character (ArchagentEverlasting)
Let’s tackle another slightly obscure Mario series that has its own identity: Yoshi. And what better to tackle about Yoshi than the characters present within the series? Let’s look at the results, shall we?
| M7 - Favorite Yoshi Character
|
|---|
| Yoshis - 391 (28.03%) |
| Poochy - 345 (24.73%) |
| Kamek - 237 (16.99%) |
| Raphael Raven - 80 (5.73%) |
| Baby Bowser - 75 (5.38%) |
| Baby Luigi/Baby Mario - 64 (4.59%) |
| Naval Piranha - 42 (3.01%) |
| Burt the Bashful - 28 (2.01%) |
| Pak E. Derm - 25 (1.79%) |
| Stork - 17 (1.22%) |
| Total votes: 1395 |
In the first place, we have the titular Yoshis themselves! Seeing as they are the main characters of the series, this is fitting. After all, who else could be put in the top spot? Kamek? No, that’s silly! Right? Yoshi is also one of the main characters of the Mario series, featuring an important role in almost every main Mario game since his debut. I’m sure there are some people who prefer Yoshi to even Mario on occasion! I know I certainly did when I was young.
Second place we have Poochy, who often plays the role that Yoshi does to Mario, but instead to Yoshi! Poochy is Yoshi’s canine pal that he rides on to avoid obstacles. He is one of the most important characters in the Yoshi series having appeared in every game. I think a big reason to why he did so well in this awards particularly is due to the fact that he was featured prominently in the marketing for the Yoshi’s Wooly World 3DS port and was in Yoshi’s Crafted World on the Switch, with many adorable Poochy offspring as well.
In the third we have Kamek, who is an antagonist often featured in the Yoshi series. I believe the reason that he made it this high on the list is most likely because he is one of the more popular major antagonists that’s not Bowser himself. He was even one of the hosts in Super Mario Party - Definitely something that would help your reputation!
For the fourth place there is Raphael the Raven, which is something that I find to be of surprise. Raphael the Raven? Isn’t he just a one-off boss fight? Then I realized that not only does he have an appealing design that is very cute, but he’s a boss fight in nearly every Yoshi game. Of course, I didn’t know he was a Yoshi character for many years, but I knew of him from Paper Mario, and I’m sure his appearance in that game also helped his ascension to stardom in this poll.
Baby Bowser crowns fifth place, and this is most likely due to the fact that he is almost always the final antagonist of every Yoshi game. While Kamek may be the main antagonist, Baby Bowser is the man that you fight at the end - the final obstacle before you save the Baby Luigi or what-have-you. He has quite the adorable design, and many similarities with his son. His boss fights, especially the giant form variation, are applauded by many as some of the best Yoshi boss fights with some of the best Yoshi music. All in all, a great pick.
That’s about it for the favorite Yoshi character poll. The poll here was one of the best I’ve seen so far, seeing as I learned a lot about the public opinions on the Yoshi series, and I hope you did too. Up next, we’re going to be talking about “Favorite Art Style”.
M8 - Favorite Art Style (ArchagentEverlasting)
After our adventures with the Yoshi, let’s look a bit at something completely different. Say, what are the top 5 awards relating to the art style, the most visually interesting part of the game? Let’s check.
| M8 - Favorite Art Style
|
|---|
| Main Series 3D - 289 (20.07%) |
| Paper Mario - 265 (18.40%) |
| Mario & Luigi - 230 (15.97%) |
| 2D Promotional Artwork - 145 (10.07%) |
| Super Mario Strikers/Wario Land: Shake It! - 77 (5.35%) |
| Handcrafted Yoshi - 70 (4.86%) |
| Retro Sprites/Yoshi's Island Sprites - 59 (4.10%) |
| Donkey Kong Country - 47 (3.26%) |
| WarioWare - 45 (3.12%) |
| Super Mario RPG - 34 (2.36%) |
| Total votes: 1440 |
In first place we have the Main Series’ good ol 3D style! Of course this one would rub off on people, granted, its what’s used in all of the main series games and promotional material. Since its essentially everywhere, its hard to not garner a liking for it. Its also the only art style that many younger users have ever seen! A fitting style for first place.
Ah, Paper Mario. Such a magical series, and the fact it won second place is of no surprise to me. The simple style of the games has an unparalleled charm that I’m sure everyone enjoys, especially the large fanbase that the games have, at least over here in the west. This style is so transformative that the games’ very foundations are on this style, being that of having paper characters and diorama-esque worlds, and eventually a full-conversion to an entire arts and crafts theme. Since this series is defined by its art style, it would be only natural that it would be so high.
Next up we have one of the more peculiar winners of our top 5, the Mario & Luigi series. The reason I find this peculiar is not only does this series appear to have multiple art styles, but also because the style isn’t all that unique. Nonetheless, due to the popularity of these games, it ends up very high on the list. The style of the Mario & Luigi games is zany, fast-paced and cartoon-esque, which is much like the series itself. One of the most fun to watch, to be sure.
The 2D Promotional Artwork style? This high up? Very intriguing. This most likely got so high up due to the fact that, much like the 3D art style, it is seen everywhere. As the name suggests it is featured in a lot of promotional art, which is a lot of what people see from Mario if they’re casual fans. A surprising pick, but not one that I am all too dissatisfied with.
Finally, the last of the art styles is the Super Mario Strikers art style. Honestly, I was surprised by this as well, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Not only is Super Mario Strikers one of the most popular Mario spin offs (When will there be a third one?), but it also has a unique style and grace to it all, going for a more gritty look than any other Mario game has gone before. A great style from a great game.
That’s going to be it for the art styles section. A lot of things that we already expected to win won, as per usual. That being said, there were some present surprises, such as the 2D Mario promo art and the Mario & Luigi series. Tune in for the next analysis, also hosted by me, on “Favorite Add-On Content”!
M9 - Favorite Add-on Content (ArchagentEverlasting)
And we’re back. What better way to keep going with Favorites than with Favorite Add-On Content, hmm? Let’s look at the results before I bore you to death, shall we?
| M9 - Favorite Add-On Content
|
|---|
| Piranha Plant (SSBU) - 327 (23.99%) |
| New Super Luigi U - 211 (15.48%) |
| The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 - 151 (11.08%) |
| Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8/Super Mario Mash-Up Pack (Minecraft) - 106 (7.78%) |
| e-Reader Levels (SMA4:SMB3) - 96 (7.08%) |
| Mercedes-Benz x Mario Kart 8 - 60 (4.40%) |
| Super Mario Maker stage (SSB4) - 59 (4.33%) |
| Nintendo Labo VR (SMO) - 28 (2.05%) |
| Yoshi's Island Zone (Sonic Lost World) - 25 (1.83%) |
| Season Pass (M+RKB) - 24 (1.76%) |
| Total votes: 1363 |
Well, in the first place is Piranha Plant as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! Something that I saw coming from a mile away, considering that he’s not only a great, fun addition to a great, fun game, but he’s the most recent Mario-related add-on for us to pick from! Of course, the fact that it was Piranha Plant - a silly choice to be sure - certainly helped its case to be voted to the top. As a community, we sure love our silliness. See my awards presentation for more on that.
In second place, we have New Super Luigi U! For a few reasons I think this soared to the near-top position that it currently holds. For one, it stars Luigi, who is one of the most popular Mario characters due to the fact that he’s an underdog, a paradox that I find ironic and humorous to a certain degree. For two, it is also quite possibly the largest add-on on this list, being essentially a full-force game as opposed to a new playable character or feature in the game. Hell, that’s the reason it had my vote!
In the third we have the Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 DLC, which makes a lot of sense as well. Not only, as I have stated previously, was Mario Kart 8 recently re-released on the Switch with this content in two, but it was also the first add-on pack for Mario Kart that added characters to the series that were not featured in the Mario series, although not the first time non-Mario characters had appeared. (Pac-Man’s gaggle of ghosts, Tamagotchi, and R.O.B. come to mind.) It was certainly the time that the appearance of non-Mario characters entered the public eye, however. This was the first main console Mario Kart game to feature such a character. Link is also a much more iconic and beloved character than the ones that were previously featured in Mario Kart games, especially because Mario Kart Arcade GP is very hard to come by.
Luigi’s Balloon World comes in fourth, which is anomalous to me. Maybe I just didn’t appreciate it properly, but to me, Luigi’s Balloon World always felt a bit lacking. It’s the journey to find balloons…. And not much else. Super Mario Odyssey is a fantastic game, and Luigi’s Balloon World came shortly after the game came out, so its no surprise to see that its still on people’s minds. Also, Luigi is one of the most popular Mario characters as I said earlier.
Finally, we have a tie between two different add-ons! Both the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack and the Animal Crossing x Mario Kart DLC. The Super Mario Mash-Up Pack and the Animal Crossing x Mario Kart are both fairly recent, and also feature other series that are very popular, especially Minecraft. I don’t think there’s much else I can say about that other than the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack was meticulous and detailed enough to include Tarantox as a Spider and that makes me very happy.
Well, that about does it for the Add-Ons segment. There hasn't been a whole lot of interesting add-ons for the Mario series, unfortunately. However, the few that we have made for some great poll options and the results that came from them were beyond serviceable with the data we collected. Next we’re going to tackle the idea of “Favorite Lyrical Song”! See you after the break!
M10 - Favorite Lyrical Song (ArchagentEverlasting)
You don’t really think of Mario games for their lyrical songs. Sure, their soundtracks are often applauded for their jumpy and nice sounding tunes, but oftentimes they are not accompanied by lyrics. If they were, they most certainly wouldn’t achieve the same effect that they do now. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any good lyrical Mario songs, as we’re here to prove now. I’m Archagent Everlasting, once again, with “Favorite Lyrical Song”.
| M10 - Favorite Lyrical Song
|
|---|
| Jump Up, Superstar! - 513 (36.33%) |
| Break Free (Lead the Way) - 191 (13.53%) |
| DK Rap - 190 (13.46%) |
| Do the Mario - 151 (10.69%) |
| Phantom of the Bwahpera - 69 (4.89%) |
| Ashley's Theme - 66 (4.67%) |
| Body Rock - 39 (2.76%) |
| Intro (Super Mario World cartoon) - 27 (1.91%) |
| Ignorance is Bliss - 22 (1.56%) |
| Tomorrow Hill - 19 (1.35%) |
| Total votes: 1412 |
Let’s look at the top five contenders again, as I seem to do every time. For number one, we have Jump Up, Super Star!, which is of no surprise to me. As I explained earlier, the song was a big part of the marketing of Super Mario Odyssey as a whole, and therefore, was going to be on people’s minds when voting. It was also essentially the main theme of the game. I think it was a good pick for number one.
At number two we have Break Free (Lead the Way) from the same game. Serving as the anthem for the final obstacle before clearing the game’s main story, I’m sure this also stuck in people’s minds due to the recent nature of the game and the fact that you finally get to control Bowser in a 3D space in this segment, although he is very limited in terms of control unfortunately. That being said, this escape from the inside of the moon set to this song is going to be one of the most iconic Mario moments for many years to come, and that’s why its spot at number two is cemented.
Number three is the DK Rap, which I knew would be making an appearance in the top 5 at some point. Its essentially one of the largest memes in the community, with many people who are now adults in it having grown up with Donkey Kong 64. Serving as the iconic opening to the game, its now often used in memes ironically as is the Donkey Kong series as a whole on some days.
For our penultimate pick, we have Do the Mario, which is also meme fodder and that’s most likely why it is picked so high. Granted, I’m sure that a lot of people grew up with this song as well - but I’m less sure that they are members of this community. It has the notoriety of being associated with the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and that leads to a cavalcade of memetic material to be made.
Finally, we have Phantom of the Bwahpera. This took me by surprise because I forgot that this segment of the game even existed. I’ll chalk it up to not only the fact that this game is recent - only coming out a few months before Super Mario Odyssey did - but also due to the fact that this portion of the game was very silly, as are the last three entries on this list. It seems that voting on silliness as opposed to actual enjoyment is a common theme with this poll.
That about does it for this one. A lot of the entries on this list took me by surprise, mostly because I thought this community was a bit more serious than this. Well, you can’t expect people to vote seriously all the time. Until the next award, this is Archagent, signing off.
M11 - Favorite Major Character (Power Flotzo)
The ‘’Mario’’ series just wouldn’t be the ‘’Mario’’ series without all the major characters, wouldn’t it? And I just so happen to have the results for what you guys picked as your favorite ‘’Mario’’ character right here, so without further ado, let’s-a go!
| M11 – Favorite Major Character
|
|---|
| Luigi – 371 (24.15%) |
| Mario – 232 (15.10%) |
| Yoshi – 213 (13.87%) |
| Rosalina – 177 (11.52%) |
| Bowser – 141 (9.18%) |
| Wario – 117 (7.62%) |
| Toad – 85 (5.53%) |
| Bowser Jr. – 84 (5.47%) |
| Princess Peach – 72 (4.69%) |
| Donkey Kong – 44 (2.86%) |
| Total votes: 1536 |
In first place is Mr. Number Two himself, Luigi, winning the award for what seems to be the umpteenth time. And, in what seems to be another case of déjà vu from last year, Mario takes second place. An impressive position, considering that he is the protagonist of the series. Finally, in third place is Yoshi, Mario’s most faithful companion, and much like both of the Mario Brothers, retains his position from last year.
Overall, quite a predictable award. Will next year bring different results? Only time will tell….
M12 - Favorite Supporting Character (ArchagentEverlasting)
You might have enjoyed your brief sanctuary away from me, but you can’t run forever! Now that you’re stuck with me again, let’s go over “Favorite Supporting Character”, who are often considered the more interesting counterpart to the main character anyways.
| M12 - Favorite Supporting Character
|
|---|
| Waluigi - 378 (25.84%) |
| Princess Daisy - 176 (12.03%) |
| Professor E. Gadd - 139 (9.50%) |
| Cappy - 127 (8.68%) |
| Captain Toad - 124 (8.48%) |
| Toadette - 93 (6.36%) |
| Kamek - 75 (5.13%) |
| Pauline - 73 (4.99%) |
| Poochy - 72 (4.92%) |
| Diddy Kong - 71 (4.85%) |
| Total votes: 1463 |
Time to get into the results. For our number one spot, we have Waluigi, something that we all could see coming. After all, Waluigi’s popularity took a reverse nosedive after he was not included as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and now everybody loves the purple underdog. To be fair, it wasn’t like he was without fans before, but now he’s definitely not without fans.
Second place is Princess Daisy. I’ve always seen her as really popular and I never truly knew why people liked her so much. That being said, she’s definitely the favorite of the princesses and definitely a fan-favorite character, my understanding of why regardless. This was one of the character-specific fan bases that jogged my memory. 3 others did too, however, I’m not seeing them very high up here. Where is Fawful? The Great Dimentio also requires an appearance, as does the blanket himself, Doopliss!
Third place, and here we have Professor E. Gadd. This one I find to be a little strange upon first glance. Then I realized that it was my own ignorance as to why it was confusing. After all, there was a new Luigi’s Mansion game coming out this year, and there was a port of the first game to the 3DS the year before. Ergo, it would make sense that one of the main characters of this series would be on the minds of fans while voting. One of my favorites, so I’m glad he made it so high up.
In the next place we have Cappy, the deuteragonist of Super Mario Odyssey! This loveable cap is an ode to the helper characters that are present in almost every RPG series that speak for Mario in his stead. Cappy is also very adorable and has many lines that make him more and more endearing, most of them completely optional. Of course, Super Mario Odyssey is also the latest mainline Mario game, so that must have also helped him soar in popularity.
Finally we have Captain Toad, the pithy leader of the Toad Brigade and star of the Captain Toad series of games! Er, well, game, as of right now. Of course, that game has received multiple ports (including a Switch one) in recent memory, so its no wonder that those who are fans of the character would choose him over others in light of this. Unfortunately, he did not take the top spot. We’ll work harder next time, fellow Captain Toad fans!
Another interesting poll in a series of polls that were interesting. The characters that I thought were going to win didn't seem to come close, and the ones that I never would have imagined made it very high, which I realized I should have noticed in the first place. Next we're looking at "Favorite Level Theme", something incredibly intriguing.
M13 - Favorite Level Theme (ArchagentEverlasting)
Now, for something a little more universal. Almost every Mario game has the same level themes as the last. It's one of the things the series isn't particularly well known for mixing up. However, they are still iconic as ever. So, let's see what the favorite of the forums appears to be.
| M13 - Favorite Level Theme
|
|---|
| City/Town - 173 (12.42%) |
| Space/Moon - 149 (10.70%) |
| Beach - 110 (7.90%) |
| Grassland - 107 (7.68%) |
| Factory/Industrial - 105 (7.54%) |
| Food/Sweets - 96 (6.89%) |
| Snow/Ice - 94 (6.75%) |
| Jungle - 72 (5.17%) |
| Carnival/Ghost House - 70 (5.03%) |
| Airship - 67 (4.81%) |
| Total votes: 1393 |
Now to analyze what has been shown, and already, there is something that is interesting. As I have said multiple times, as Super Mario Odyssey was the last true mainline Mario game, there have been many votes based around this, and I can only attribute the City/Town winning by a landslide due to the nature of how prominently it was featured in Super Mario Odyssey, not only being one of its worlds, but it was also the world that was most prominently featured by the advertising of the game. As per usual, the marketing will win the vote, that much I can assure you.
In second we have the Space/Moon theme, which was also in Super Mario Odyssey very recently, so I can see why this was yet another popular pick for the poll. It was the climax of the game, which was arguably some of the best Mario has seen in a very long time, so I can see why many people voted for it. Not only that, it was a world featured in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins which is a modern masterpiece and anyone who says otherwise be hecked.
As for Beach, not only was this also a level in Super Mario Odyssey, but as I have stated previously, many people on this board who are adults now grew up playing Super Mario Sunshine, which was mostly centered around the Beach world theme. I believe that many people voted for this due to the nostalgia factor, or because they liked beaches. Either way is fine.
The Grassland theme makes sense to be this high, as it is the theme most commonly seen in the Mario games. Almost every Mario game opens with a Grassland area in some capacity, and almost every one maintains this Grassland theme as the main and most important part of the game. When forced to play through a level theme for an entire series and for so long, it's bound to rub off on you.
Finally, we have the Factory/Industrial theme. I was stumped on this one for a while whilst I was typing the other entries, but then it hit me. The reason why this one is so high is because it, much like the Grassland theme, is one of the most iconic level themes from the series and is featured in it quite a bit. Granted, it is much less so, but every time it shows up it is much appreciated and one of the coolest level themes that can come to pass in a video game.
Alright, now I'm going to hand off the baton. Before I do, I would like to say that this was one of the more surprising polls to read the results from, specifically because not only were many of the level themes hard to justify, in the end, I couldn't even think of a reason for some of them. Next up, we have "Favorite Species". Go get 'em, tiger! Archagent out!
M14 - Favorite Species (ArchagentEverlasting)
Surprise! Bet you didn't expect to see my ugly mug again so soon. It's Archagent from the future! Unfortunately, due to a certain turn of events, I had to go back in time and fill in some spots that were left open. As they say, the cracks in space time aren't going to fix themselves! Well, we're going to be talking about the different species of the Mario universe.
| M14 - Favorite Species
|
|---|
| Yoshis - 307 - 21.62% |
| Toads - 156 - 10.99% |
| Shy Guys - 140 - 9.86% |
| Boos - 95 - 6.69% |
| Humans - 95 - 6.69% |
| Koopa Troopas - 95 - 6.69% |
| Lumas - 90 - 6.34% |
| Goombas - 83 - 5.85% |
| Dry Bones - 58 - 4.08% |
| Hammer Bros. - 51 - 3.59% |
| Total votes: 1420 |
Yoshis are our first entry in this list, with them being the most prominent race in the main series aside from Toads and humans. Seriously, who doesn't love these adorable critters? They were so great that they ended up getting their own game series! Unfortunately, it was an over saturated one, but it still kept them in the public eye long enough for them to be popular characters.
In our second place we have the Toads, the most important original race to come out of the Mario series. The Toads have been around since Super Mario Bros., one of the first games in the series. Due to this, they would become very popular, seeing as they are in many, many, many games and thus warrant many fans.
In third we have Shy Guys. They're probably so high due to their aesthetic, which is very adorable and kind of cool in hindsight. While they're all ground soldiers, they do have their particular charms that make them so cute. I assume that it also helps that they appear fairly often, especially within spin off games, which mostly likely led to their securing of the third place position.
Our penultimate entry deals with the ghastly Boos! Also very cute and with a cool powerset, the Boos have been around since Mario's third outing with Luigi in the Mushroom Kingdom. However, unlike most of these characters, the Boos probably have their popularity survive from design alone. The cute way they hide their face when you look at them certainly makes them more appealing overall. Something something, Tezuka's wife.
Finally, we have the humans. I'm going to be honest, I don't know why anybody would vote for these. But, I guess (especially since their recent focus in Super Mario Odyssey) they've entered the limelight due to their many appearances as well. Go figure.
There you have it! Up next is... uh, me? What a coincidence!
M15 - Favorite Instrumental Track (ArchagentEverlasting)
Well, you can't escape my clutches for too long. Now we're going to be talking about the favorite instrumental track! Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
| M15 - Favorite Instrumental Track
|
|---|
| The Grand Finale - 188 (13.86%) |
| Gusty Garden Galaxy - 163 (12.02%) |
| Steam Gardens - 97 (7.15%) |
| Athletic Theme - 92 (6.78%) |
| Staff Roll - 82 (6.05%) |
| Rainbow Road - 79 (5.83%) |
| Waluigi Pinball/Wario Stadium - 78 (5.75%) |
| Comet Observatory - 69 (5.09%) |
| Buoy Base Galaxy/Delfino Plaza/Main Theme - 53 (3.91%) |
| Overworld Theme - 52 (3.83%) |
| Total votes: 1356 |
Hmm... The Grand Finale at number one? I couldn't be more pleased with you guys! This was my favorite song of all time for a very long time, and the fact that it has crowned this list makes me feel happy in ways you can't possibly understand. The reason it topped this list, or at least my summation, is that it was the final boss theme of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, which is considered one of the best Mario RPGs ever created by many. No other final boss theme quite summarizes the exhilarating thrill that comes with the final battle as this one does.
Gusty Garden Galaxy is a masterpiece of song writing and you all know it. It proobably goes to show how beloved it is when it's been used in almost every Mario game since it was introduced. It would only stand to reason that it would end up nearly winning this poll, especially when it's just - incredible. This was the song that made Miyamoto cry. It's truly gorgeous.
Steam Gardens, while I originally thought it to be a heavily underrated track, has always been such a beautiful piece of music. The whole Wooded Kingdom is a grandiose, interesting area thematically, and really, I can't believe that most people don't talk about it. I'm glad that the song got this high against all odds. I'm very glad, in fact.
I have no idea what to say about the Athletic Theme other than its essentially Yoshi's leitmotif and is used every time he shows up in one of these games. Due to the theme being used so often, I assume that it rose to popular from that reason for the most part. It's not a bad song, it's just.... rather simplistic. It represents the character of Yoshi well, which is a great thing.
Finally, we have the amazing Staff Roll from Super Mario 64, which is a masterpiece. No other ending credits theme can come close to the sadness and nostalgia this one brings to me, especially the way I feel about this special game. No words can be said about he beauty of this song. No wonder it was picked for the top 5.
So, sorry for getting so emotional. These awards were very surprising, but again, very pleasantly surprising. The people on these forums not only have good taste, but they have good taste in spades! I'm glad to be a part of this community. I'm glad to call this place my home.
M16 - Favorite Item (Roserade)
Greetings, beautiful ‘Shroom readers! I’m Roserade, and welcome into another Poll Analysis for this Issue 150 Special! I hope you’ve been having an enjoyable read so far; the entire Poll Committee works really hard to make certain we can get this analysis out to you all, so make sure to read all that you can! With that being said, I’ve got M16 - Favorite Item to look at, so let’s dive right in!
| M16 - Favorite Item
|
|---|
| Cape Feather - 156 (11.17%) |
| Super Bell - 123 (8.80%) |
| Tanooki Suit/Statue Leaf - 114 (8.16%) |
| Hammer Suit - 88 (6.30%) |
| Mega Mushroom - 87 (6.23%) |
| Super Star - 86 (6.16%) |
| Double Cherry - 85 (6.08%) |
| Propeller Mushroom - 81 (5.80%) |
| Mystery Mushroom - 76 (5.44%) |
| Penguin Suit - 74 (5.30%) |
| Total votes: 1397 |
The top voted choice of this poll to be no surprise to anybody who follows the Mario Awards. The Cape Feather has been placing as the favorite item for the past three years, and for good reason! It’s versatility, and frankly game-breaking capabilities, has definitely made it a fan favorite. The Super Bell placed first previously, in the 2015 and 2016 Awards, no doubt in part to the more-recent release of Super Mario 3D World. While the Cat Bell fell out of the top three last year, it reappears this year as the second place winner, which could be contributed to the inclusion of the Super Mario 3D World level theme in Super Mario Maker 2. The Tanooki Suit powerup has placed second or third in the poll every year for the past five years, so its placement this year at third is fully expected. I’d identify the most interesting change in last year to this year is the Mega Mushroom, which dropped from its position to second place down to fifth. To be honest, I don’t know why the Mega Mushroom placed second last year to begin with. No significant releases last year highlighted it, and it didn’t place top three any of the three years before. I mean, hey, maybe people were really feeling nostalgic of New Super Mario Bros. last year! Otherwise, the fanboy in me appreciates the Hammer Suit making it up to fourth place, as it’s always been one of my favorite powerups in the series. Now if only the Hammer Bros. themselves would be treated with the same respect…
M17 - Favorite Mario RPG (ArchagentEverlasting)
We’re back for more! After all, few awards analyzed does not an Archagent make. It’s your favorite host, yet again, Archagent Everlasting. Today we’re going to be looking at the results of the awards and what they mean. The award I’ll be looking at is the one that I presented to you earlier: of course, that of “Best Mario RPG”.
Now, let’s look at the results from the award, shall we?
| M17 - Favorite Mario RPG
|
|---|
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - 367 (25.77%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - 226 (15.87%) |
| Super Paper Mario - 158 (11.10%) |
| Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - 134 (9.41%) |
| Paper Mario - 120 (8.43%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga - 89 (6.25%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Dream Team - 85 (5.97%) |
| Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - 73 (5.13%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - 54 (3.79%) |
| Paper Mario: Color Splash - 48 (3.37%) |
| Total votes: 1424 |
Honestly, these results didn’t surprise me in the slightest. I do find it surprising that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle did as well as it did. However, that being said, everything else is rather predictable: The big three Paper Marios are in the top 5, SMRPG is really high and Bowser’s Inside Story is very high up as well.
To start, the Paper Mario games have always been some of the most popular games in the franchise. This is most likely due to massively improving on the formula within the already existing Super Mario RPG and making it easier to digest, as well as having the darkest storylines in the Mario series. Especially the latter two titles of the trilogy, which include the destruction of universes and the resurrection of a certain demon queen.
Super Mario RPG’s take on the classic formula was not only a trailblazer, but it was a trailblazer that worked surprisingly well on its own. The bombastic jumping action being translated into both the overworld and the combat, as well as taking inspiration from nearly every aspect of the Mario universe and further fleshing them out in a more Square Enix-y style (including enemies that were only ever featured in Super Mario USA) really shows the amount of care and time that was put into this game and the popularity it has with fans shows the fruits of these efforts.
While Bowser’s Inside Story is the only Mario & Luigi game in the top 5, it is by all means no joke. It was able to take the world of the Mushroom Kingdom and, without introducing too many new concepts or ideas, make it more witty and fresh. The dialogue of this game is packed to the brim with wit and ideas. Fawful makes his iconic return in an outing where he finally takes the role of the main villain after being built up for two whole games. Also, you can play as Bowser, which I’m sure helped its case in the eyes of the fans.
Something I did find funny is that Puzzles & Dragons: Mario Edition (which was the bottom of the list, mind you) got 18 votes, which means 18 people prefer that game over any of the other games on this list. The reason this is humorous in my eyes is that Puzzles & Dragons: Mario Edition is exactly how it sounds: a Mario clone of Puzzles & Dragons. It is not often that somebody finds that their favorite compared to a list of star-studded other video game titles.
To keep it short and sweet (which I am not particularly not known for), the Mario RPG awards were nothing that wasn’t to be expected. Almost every opinion showcased here is something that is well-known and easy to rationalize.
M18 - Favorite Mario Party Game (LudwigVon)
Who’s there for your favorite Mario Party analysis? Well, it’s your Chairperson, LudwigVon. No time to chat, it’s time to analyze the result.
| M18 - Favorite Mario Party Game
|
|---|
| Super Mario Party - 282 (20.80%) |
| Mario Party DS - 162 (11.95%) |
| Mario Party 8 - 151 (11.14%) |
| Mario Party 2 - 136 (10.03%) |
| Mario Party 3 - 110 (8.11%) |
| Mario Party 7 - 86 (6.34%) |
| Mario Party 6 - 84 (6.19%) |
| Mario Party 9 - 74 (5.46%) |
| Mario Party 4 - 67 (4.94%) |
| Mario Party 5 - 57 (4.20%) |