The 'Shroom:Issue 162/Awards Analysis
Awards Analysis
Written by the 11th Poll CommitteeHello, all of you readers of The 'Shroom! This is Hooded Pitohui (talk), your Chairperson of the Eleventh Poll Committee. The Poll Committee's main job is to ensure that we have a poll to run on our main page every two weeks, but that's not our team's only job. No, by far, our biggest job of the year in terms of scale is the annual Awards Analysis. This always comes early in the term, which means it's a huge hurdle for a relatively new team that's also just coming off of the Awards Ceremony itself. They spend all month in July making presentations, enjoy the show, and then turn around and get to work making these analyses through August and September. It's a very tall order, and I want to sincerely thank every member of the Poll Committee for their contributions. Lakituthequick (talk), Power Flotzo (talk), Ninja Squid (talk), Goombuigi (talk), Superchao (talk), Luigi 64DD (talk), and especially winstein (talk) and BBQ Turtle (talk) who picked up quite a few extras, I thank you deeply for your hard work.
It isn't much, but please, take a look at this banner that the wonderful The Pyro Guy (talk) has made on behalf of this dedicated little team!
This year, we wanted the emphasize the power of technology in polling, including the ways it lets us continue to work even from a distance. We always have done so here, so it's not really a change, but it is worth considering how lucky we are to be able to continue all this work without disruption. Our thanks go out to The Pyro Guy for taking the time to put this together!
Now, without further preamble, you can get to reading these analyses! Please note that, for the first time, we've covered the Community Awards, so don't miss those!
Mario Awards
M1 - Best Sound Design (Luigi 64DD)
Hello fellow wikians! It's me, Luigi 64DD, here to start off the analyses with M1 - Best Sound Design! Throughout the years, many titles in the Mario franchise have had soundtracks that have captivated and entertained listeners everywhere as well as sound effects and voices that effectively conveyed their purpose, so let's see which games our voters thought did the best job at this.
| M1 - Best Sound Design
|
|---|
| Super Mario Galaxy - 444 (23.39%) |
| Super Mario Odyssey - 332 (17.49%) |
| Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 147 (7.74%) |
| Super Mario 64 - 114 (6.01%) |
| Super Mario 3D World - 105 (5.53%) |
| Luigi's Mansion 3 - 82 (4.32%) |
| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - 75 (3.95%) |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - 74 (3.90%) |
| Super Paper Mario - 74 (3.90%) |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - 72 (3.79%) |
| Total votes: 1898 |
At the top of the list, we have Super Mario Galaxy with 444 votes. It comes at no surprise that its stellar orchestrated music has continued to impress listeners enough for them to vote for it en masse. However, it hasn't managed to make the top spot every year. In 2018, Super Mario Galaxy was removed from its throne by Super Mario Odyssey, with the latter beating the former by 97 votes. 2018 also happened to be the first year Odyssey was an option in this award considering it came out late the previous year. Even so, Odyssey's victory did not last long, as in 2019 Galaxy reclaimed it's number one spot with a 28 vote margin. This trend has continued with Galaxy beating Odyssey this year by a comfortable 112 votes. Now I think it's pretty clear that Odyssey had its brief victory because it was the cool new game, or in other words, that old thing we call "recency bias". While Odyssey does have a quite good varied soundtrack and has been able to maintain the second place spot, it hasn't been able to beat the incredible orchestrated soundtrack of Galaxy in the long-term. For the future, I'd predict that Galaxy will likely maintain its spot and Odyssey may either maintain its spot or gradually drop down the list as we get further and further from its release.
Next, we see Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in third with 147 votes and Super Mario 64 in fourth with 114 votes. However, it turns out that these two games have been in a struggle for the third place spot in recent years. After being consistently seventh place in 2017 and 2018, Super Mario 64 suddenly shot past Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to arrive at third place in 2019. Although Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was able to win out this time, it's interesting to think about why Super Mario 64 (which we all know is a rather old but well-remembered game) suddenly received much more love for its soundtrack in 2019 onward. Perhaps the thriving speed-running and modding scenes for the game were enough to drive interest in it and remind people of its impressive soundtrack? We can't know for sure, but it will be interesting to see where these two games end up in the awards in the future.
As for other games on the list, Super Mario 3D World sits at fifth place with 105 votes, and we've seen it gradually ascend the list after taking a major dip from the higher places in 2018. Perhaps we'll see this game's jazzy soundtrack appreciated more in the future. The all-new Luigi's Mansion 3 takes a respectable sixth place for its first time in the award. Meanwhile, several Mario RPG titles fill out the lower places of the top ten (along with David Wise's musical masterpiece Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze). The most puzzling of these is Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door which has gradually declined from fourth in 2017 all the way down to eighth in the present day. What caused people to lose interest in this game's soundtrack? Was it because of other games surpassing it or has it actually lost fans? It's hard to say, but we'll have to watch to see where it goes in the future. Lastly, I'd like to mention the top write-in for this award: Super Mario Galaxy 2, which managed to receive 8 write-in votes despite being removed from the official list this year. Just goes to show that games with great soundtracks can still get some fans even when they don't make the list.
And that concludes this analysis of the Best Sound Design award! My prediction for the future is that the top few games will mostly stay at their spots with some shifting of places, but who knows what new game with a wild soundtrack may come out and rock the list? We'll just have to stay tuned!
M2 - Favorite Mario Kart Game (Goombuigi)
Greetings, 'Shroom readers! I'm Goombuigi, and I'll be analyzing details and patterns of M2 - Favorite Mario Kart Game. The Mario Kart series is one of the most well-known Mario spin-offs, and while most of the games are considered solid at least, there are games that are more liked than others. Which Mario Kart games got a trophy this year? Have this year's results changed compared to the previous years? Let's find out.
| M2 - Favorite Mario Kart Game
|
|---|
| Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 907 (44.09%) |
| Mario Kart Wii - 436 (21.20%) |
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - 245 (11.91%) |
| Mario Kart DS - 184 (8.95%) |
| Mario Kart 64 - 86 (4.18%) |
| Mario Kart Tour - 68 (3.31%) |
| Mario Kart 7 - 64 (3.11%) |
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit - 17 (0.83%) |
| Mario Kart Arcade GP DX - 14 (0.68%) |
| Super Mario Kart - 14 (0.68%) |
| Total votes: 2057 |
To start off, the results are the same as they were since 2018. Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have obtained the golden trophy once again, in a streak that has been going on since 2014, when Mario Kart 8 was released. The reasons why it won aren't very surprising when one thinks about it - it's the newest installment of the series, it has the most courses, beating Mario Kart: Super Circuit, gliding and kart customization returning from Mario Kart 7, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sweetens the deal even more with a revamped battle mode, new characters, and additional options.
The runner-up is Mario Kart Wii, the sixth game in the series. It's the best-selling game in the series, which already gives it an advantage, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other factors that possibly played a role. A colorful cast of characters, the trick system, bikes, graphics, and the game's general newness (relative to the series in general), the online community.
On third place is Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Similarly to Mario Kart Wii, it has a wide character selection and relatively good graphics, but it also has a special two-players-in-one-kart mode, something that has never returned in other games.
Judging by the results of this award, it seems that people generally prefer Mario Kart games that have more content and variety, and ones that have aged well graphically. Considering that the results were quite similar to the past few years, even being close in percentages, I wouldn't expect the results to drastically change in the future until a new, full Mario Kart game comes out.
M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer (Luigi 64DD)
Hey y'all, Luigi 64DD here again, hopping in to analyze the results of M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer! Platforming is Mario's main genre of choice, and in my personal opinion the main series is where the franchise truly shines. Nearly every game in this series is a true joy to play and each one has thousands of dedicated fans. Let's see which ones won the most praise from our voters.
| M3 - Favorite Mario Platformer
|
|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey - 467 (23.35%) |
| Super Mario Galaxy - 292 (14.60%) |
| Super Mario Maker 2 - 204 (10.20%) |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 178 (8.90%) |
| Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS - 158 (7.90%) |
| Super Mario Sunshine - 124 (6.20%) |
| Super Mario World - 124 (6.20%) |
| Super Mario 3D World - 111 (5.55%) |
| Super Mario Bros. 3 - 70 (3.50%) |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii - 64 (3.20%) |
| Total votes: 2000 |
Coming in first we have the newest entry in the platforming series, Super Mario Odyssey with 467 votes. This game was a massive return to exploration-based form after the more linear platformers of the previous few years. This game made a huge positive impact on the Nintendo community, and it getting first place every year with a fairly wide margin since its introduction to the awards in 2018 is a testament to this fact. However, its margin has been gradually decreasing over the years, going from 35% of the vote in 2018 to only 23.35% this year (granted, this is still a higher margin than the first place winners in the years immediately before 2018). Will Odyssey continue to dominate in the number one spot, or will it eventually be surpassed as the novelty wears off as has happened with other games (see: Super Mario 3D World)? Though it could go either way, I do think Odyssey is well-regarded enough that is has a good chance of sticking around in this spot for quite a while.
Next is Super Mario Galaxy in second with 292 votes. This masterpiece of a game has always been a strong contender for the top 3. However, it has often been kept from the top spot by newer games which it eventually overcomes before being set back by another new game. Just when it seemed like it may surpass its sequel and nab the top spot, it was beaten by the new entry to the awards Super Mario 3D World in 2014. 3D World took the crown again in 2015, but by 2016 the novelty of 3D World was wearing off and Galaxy finally managed to win first place in a platformer award for the first time since it won the short-lived Favorite 3D Platformer category in 2009. This continued on to the next year, but it would not last long as Odyssey came out and began its reign in 2018. Will Galaxy ever climb back up to the number one spot? It has a very strong competitor in Odyssey, and it's only a matter of time before the next big 3D platformer comes out and throws them both out. I, for one, hope it does, but that's just my personal bias shining through.
In third place with 204 votes, we have an all-new entry to the award, Super Mario Maker 2. To many, the Super Mario Maker games are the most creative and interesting way to present the classic 2D Mario platforming style in the modern era, allowing the player to create and share their own levels. With Super Mario Maker 2 being the newer and more advanced rendition of this, it's no huge surprise that it managed to claim such an impressive position. After that, we have Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS in fourth and fifth respectively, two very high-quality classics that have been in the top three in the past but have not managed to make it quite that high this year. Hey, there's no shame in being not quite the best of the best if you're still great. The next four games on the list consist of some not quite as universally acclaimed entries as well as some classic 2D Mario platformers that have gradually descended the list over time. Super Mario Sunshine (tied for sixth) and Super Mario 3D World (in eighth place) are well remembered by the fans but are not often as highly acclaimed as the higher-up entries on the list, so their placement makes sense (the latter has also taken quite the nosedive from its previous first-place position in 2015). Super Mario World (tied for sixth) and Super Mario Bros. 3 (in ninth place) are classic 2D platformers that have somewhat surprisingly declined in the vote count. I suppose as time goes on and newer generations decide the winners, the older classics inevitably lose some of their luster. Lastly, I just want to say the one person who wrote in Wario: Master of Disguise may be in the wrong category.
So that's Favorite Major Platformer! In the future, I think we may see some shifts as some of the old games get older and the new games start feeling less new. Plus we must always be aware that any new 3D Mario platformer will instantly get first, because that's just how it is. On to the next award!
M4 - Favorite Mario Kart Course (Lakituthequick)
Good day dear readers of The 'Shroom! I am here to give you an analysis of some awards!
This is not the first award of today, but it is my first award of today, so let's get started with:
| M4 - Favorite Mario Kart Course
|
|---|
| Waluigi Pinball - 277 (14.46%) |
| Coconut Mall - 175 (9.14%) |
| Rainbow Road (3DS) - 151 (7.89%) |
| N64 Rainbow Road (Wii U) - 149 (7.78%) |
| Mount Wario - 134 (7.00%) |
| Rainbow Road (Wii) - 109 (5.69%) |
| Electrodrome - 86 (4.49%) |
| Airship Fortress - 76 (3.97%) |
| Baby Park - 74 (3.86%) |
| Neo Bowser City - 74 (3.86%) |
| Total votes: 1915 |
This award is a long runner, having existed since 2011. Mario Kart Wii was the newest entry in the series at the time.
As we can see, it is Waluigi Pinball from Mario Kart DS taking the top spot. Ever since its inception, Waluigi Pinball has been in the top 3 of this award, starting in third in 2011, rising to second in 2012, and finally rising to first place in 2015 and staying there through 2020.
The course itself is fairly unique, being themed after a pinball machine. Now, there have been occurrences of pinball machines before Mario Kart DS, but not at this scale and size. Why it is voted as much as it is? Well, it has Waluigi in the name, who traditionally has had a cult following on the internet. Reappearing in Mario Kart 7 and Waluigi's shining absence of that game probably helps, as well as the appearance in Mario Kart Tour.
In second place we have Coconut Mall from Mario Kart Wii. Coconut Mall was the highest ranking write-in in 2011 and has always ranked high in 2012 onwards as a full nominee, mostly in third place, and fourth place otherwise. Yes, this year is its highest placement so far.
The course is another one in the Isle Delfino/holiday setting, but this time as a mall, which we hadn't seen before, and little after, making it quite unique. There are a lot of fun references around the course in the shops, mostly coconut and tropical themed, as well as various cafés. When the course was ported to Mario Kart 7, it lost some of the details it had, such as less cars in the parking lot and less unique spectators.
Finally, in third, we have Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 7. This course started out strong with a first place in 2013, when it was first added as its own thing (prior years contained an ambiguous "Rainbow Road" nominee). It stayed at third and fourth place after that, and once fifth.
This course is very unique in that it is the first of its kind to include driving on something else than a rainbow, this being celestial objects such as the rings of Saturn and the surface of the moon. Astronomically, this didn't make any sense whatsoever, but it earned the course a lot of points. It reappeared later in Mario Kart Tour as well, with a couple of updates.
Other interesting tidbits: N64 Rainbow Road as it appeared in Mario Kart 8 has now left the top 3 after being there in first and second since its addition in 2016.
M5 - Favorite DK Game (Power Flotzo)
Hey everyone, PF here with your coverage of the results of Awards polls. First up for dissection, we have M5: Favorite DK Game. Here, here, here we go!
| M5 – Favorite DK Game
|
|---|
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U/Switch) - 529 (31.39%) |
| Donkey Kong Country Returns/Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D - 251 (14.90%) |
| Donkey Kong 64 - 209 (12.40%) |
| Donkey Kong Country - 205 (12.17%) |
| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - 167 (9.91%) |
| Donkey Kong (Arcade/NES) - 98 (5.82%) |
| Diddy Kong Racing - 64 (3.80%) |
| Donkey Kong (Game Boy) - 50 (2.97%) |
| Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - 42 (2.49%) |
| Donkey Kong Jr. Math - 38 (2.26%) |
| Total votes: 1685 |
In fifth place is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, and immediately above it in fourth is Donkey Kong Country. They haven’t changed positions since 2016 (the last time this category appeared in the Mario Awards), which shows how devoted people are to the classics.
Similarly, in third place is Donkey Kong 64, held higher above the first two games in the original trilogy, possibly due to its multiple playable characters and the DK Rap.
In second place, we have Donkey Kong Country Returns and its 3DS remake, which had come in first previously. However, the title of Best DK Game according to our voters now goes to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Switch port. In fact, it might just be because of the Switch port that Tropical Freeze managed to beat out Returns this year! (Probably mostly because of New Funky Mode, but still.)
M6 - Favorite Wario Game (Superchao)
| M6 - Favorite Wario Game — Detailed Results
|
|---|
| WarioWare Gold - 311 (19.86%) |
| Wario Land 4 - 191 (12.20%) |
| Wario Land: Shake It! - 176 (11.24%) |
| Wario World - 154 (9.83%) |
| WarioWare: Smooth Moves - 128 (8.17%) |
| Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 - 108 (6.90%) |
| WarioWare: D.I.Y. - 94 (6.00%) |
| WarioWare: Touched! - 75 (4.79%) |
| Wario Land 3 - 74 (4.73%) |
| WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! - 68 (4.34%) |
| Total votes: 1566 |
So this award has been cycled in and out - the big W doesn't have the constant schedule to justify constantly using the same award. Despite that, there's still some interesting results to go over! Gold is easy, recency bias is often very strong in these awards, and it was quite well-received. However, Wario Land 4 being in second is part of a trend that only started in 2015, with it going first, second, and first before the award took 2018 and 2019 off. There's no recency bias here - apparently Wario land 4 was just rediscovered at some point and people liked it! Good taste, frankly.
After that, we get into what's largely games that tend to mix in and out of the top three over the years. Shake It!, World, and Smooth Moves have all won the award at various times over the past redentions of this award, and are an unsurprising top five. Beyond that, the only result that really stands out is D.I.Y. clocking in at 7th. That was the winner back in 2010-2012 and 2014. Guess it didn't stand the test of time, huh?
M7 - Favorite Yoshi Game (Hooded Pitohui)
It's Hooded Pitohui here, fittingly prepared to cover M7 - Favorite Yoshi Game as seemingly one of the only people around who played Yoshi's Universal Gravitation and thought it a fun-if-gimmicky romp.
| M7 - Favorite Yoshi Game
|
|---|
| Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - 702 (38.34%) |
| Yoshi's Woolly World/Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World - 426 (23.27%) |
| Yoshi's Crafted World - 236 (12.89%) |
| Yoshi's Island DS - 155 (8.47%) |
| Yoshi's Story - 124 (6.77%) |
| Yoshi's New Island - 51 (2.79%) |
| Tetris Attack - 45 (2.46%) |
| Yoshi - 34 (1.86%) |
| Yoshi Touch & Go - 26 (1.42%) |
| Yoshi's Cookie - 23 (1.26%) |
| Total votes: 1831 |
This is the first reappearance of this award since 2017, when it was decided that the Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong, subseries would get representation in the ceremony with awards that rotate between levels, games, and characters to keep them fresh in spite of these subseries releasing fewer games than their parent franchise. Needless to say, there's been a few changes here. The most notable of these changes? In March 2019, Yoshi's Crafted World released for the Nintendo Switch, following in the footsteps of the yarn-themed Yoshi's Woolly World, except with its handcrafted art style. Crafted World released on a much more popular system than Woolly World originally did, which may explain why it managed to crack the top three and bump Yoshi's Island DS, 2017's third place nominee, into fourth. Despite the fact that I personally thought Crafted World was the best Yoshi game I've played in years, both it and Yoshi's Island DS are generally considered enjoyable-but-mediocre games, likely explaining their similar placement, with a combination of recency bias, their status as traditional Yoshi platformers, and the popularity of the Switch helping to boost Crafted World above its nearest competitor.
The top two games, however, remain unchanged from 2017, though Woolly World did drop from having over thirty percent of the vote to having merely over twenty percent of the vote. Crafted World did about as well in that regard as Yoshi's Island DS did three years ago, so it seems that this drop is attributable to the lower-placing nominees taking more of the vote and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island managing to increase its share of the vote. Indeed, it seems that the original can't be beat in the minds of fans, the game managing to extend its lead even now. Woolly World was positively received, helping explain its placement in second, but a combination of solid game design and nostalgia keeps the first Yoshi platformer securely in first. If there's anything that can be gleaned from the top three, it seems that the secret to making a popular Yoshi game is to make it a platformer focused on collection, give it a distinctive art style, and ensure that it - unlike the reviled Yoshi's New Island has no glaring issues like an overabundance of kazoos in its soundtrack or a nonsensical story and setting.
It seems that, as many Yoshi games that have come out, none of them have recaptured the magic of the original, but the future holds promise. Recent titles like Crafted World and Woolly World have been better received than previous attempts at reviving the Yoshi platformers, after all. If the trend continues, we might see an upset on this award in three years!
M8 - Favorite Art Style (winstein)
For the award Favourite Art Style, I, winstein, will be analysing it. This award is basically about what the overall favourite art style is, which is best seen in official materials rather than from inside the game since art styles transcend games. One interesting thing about this award is related to the first thread I made on the Super Mario Boards, which is about official art styles because a few people found my listing to be better than what was prepared for that year (2015). As such, I took up the task to tackle this award.
| M8 - Favorite Art Style
|
|---|
| Main series 3D style - 383 (19.96%) |
| Paper Mario style - 375 (19.54%) |
| Mario & Luigi style - 328 (17.09%) |
| 2D promotional artwork style - 172 (8.96%) |
| Handcrafted Yoshi style - 97 (5.05%) |
| Yoshi's Island style - 96 (5.00%) |
| Super Mario Strikers style - 94 (4.90%) |
| Wario Land: Shake It! style - 86 (4.48%) |
| Retro style sprites - 83 (4.33%) |
| Super Mario RPG style - 53 (2.76%) |
| Total votes: 1919 |
The most preferred art style is the main series 3D style, which is basically the standard art style used in a lot of promotional material involving Mario, along with the box art for many Mario games. As the most widespread art style, its familiarity is to its advantage and that's the likely reason it's widely picked. Not far off from this art style is the Paper Mario art style, ranked #2. The Paper Mario art style was originally conceived as sprites in a polygonal world, but recent games have added a paper touch in not only the characters but the world, resulting in a paper world that is full of life. As such, its creative uses of paper makes it a contender for the top spot. Mario & Luigi's art style at #3 is a bit less popular, but there are still clearly a lot of fans who are taken into the series' bold lines and soft colours, not to mention what the series represented: an RPG with a lot of character. #4 is the 2D promotional artwork style, which as its name implies, mainly used in promotions and hearkens back to the style employed by Yoichi Kotabe. This art style has a very fine cartoonish appeal and more easily depicted the characters in a wider range of actions. This art style might even appear in games, such as in Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Party: Star Rush.
Down the list, many of the art styles are mainly from specific games or series, which are ranked lower likely because they are not as widely used. For example, the handcrafted Yoshi style is only used in two games so far, but its use of crafts is quite imaginative. Another example is Wario Land: Shake It!, which has an animesque style that showed a lot of character, and this could apply to Mario Strikers' art style except its art style is rougher. Super Mario RPG's art style has simple geometric shapes and is normally displayed in an isometric manner, and it might be that the simple and whimsical type of game that made it a good match. A couple of choices in the top 10 are used a bit more: Yoshi's Island has the crayon style that made its original game a looker back in the day although the novelty didn't quite carry over to newer games; the Retro style sprites which is lower on the list probably because of how limited its scope is thanks to mainly taking from the first Super Mario Bros., and because of how often it's used it's not particularly favourable.
A good art style can enhance the experience, and if the game has a strong art style that complements the type of game it is, the resulting style grows to become special.
Thank you for reading.
M9 - Favorite Add-on Content (BBQ Turtle)
Hello, I'm BBQ Turtle and I'm here to take a look at the results of a few of these awards with you! First up, we've got favourite add-on content, so let's take a look at the top ten for the award:
| M9 - Favorite Add-on Content
|
|---|
| World Maker Update (version 3.0) (SMM2) - 483 (26.89%) |
| Piranha Plant (SSBU) - 228 (12.69%) |
| New Super Luigi U - 220 (12.25%) |
| The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 - 138 (7.68%) |
| Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 - 128 (7.13%) |
| Super Mario Mash-Up Pack (Minecraft) - 107 (5.96%) |
| e-Reader Levels (SMA4:SMB3) - 88 (4.90%) |
| A Legendary Update (version 2.0) (SMM2) - 86 (4.79%) |
| Luigi's Balloon World (SMO) - 84 (4.68%) |
| Mercedes-Benz × Mario Kart 8 - 61 (3.40%) |
| Total votes: 1796 |
So in first place for this award, and taking over a quarter of the total votes, we have one of the new additions for this year, that being the version 3.0 update for Super Mario Maker 2- and it makes a lot of sense for that to be ranking highly right out of the gate! It added a fair few highly-requested features to an already-popular game, and as it's a fairly recent release it's still quite fresh in everybody's minds. Also in the top ten is the other new addition from Super Mario Maker 2, that being the version 2.0 Legendary Update. This one only came in eighth place though, likely due to the fact that it added a smaller number of features than 3.0, but still added enough popular new elements, such as Pokeys, Spikes and the Master Sword power-up to win some voters. In second place is the Piranha Plant DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate- new additions to the Super Smash Bros. roster are always popular, and the combination of a more unusual character pick and a well-made moveset seems to have gone well with the voters. Third place went to New Super Luigi U, which is pretty much a whole new game that puts an interesting spin on the New Super Mario Bros. formula with shorter levels and timers that put an emphasis on speed. It really gave a bit of a shake-up to the series which was receiving some complaints of becoming stale, and this change seems to have been what some fans were looking for. In fourth and fifth place are the Mario Kart 8 DLC packs, Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing respectively, and given that they each have a similar offering of three new characters, a selection of vehicle parts and two new cups each, it makes sense that they're pretty close in votes. I guess Zelda taking the lead comes down to personal preference, though it's always managed to stay ahead of the Animal Crossing pack in previous years. The other Mario Kart 8 DLC pack came down in tenth, but as it was just a smaller selection of vehicles, you'd expect it to come lower than the bigger sets anyway. In sixth is the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack for Minecraft, which with the texture changes for the usual Minecraft resources, Super Mario 64 soundtrack and impressive pre-generated world featuring callbacks to a number of favourite Mario titles would appeal to anyone who's a fan of both game series. The e-Reader levels for Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 came in seventh place, which expanded on the base levels of Super Mario Bros. 3 in the Game Boy Advance release of the game, and provided a mix of more challenging and unique concepts for levels to expand on the base game. As these have been added into the virtual console releases for the game, they've been able to reach a wider audience than they might have otherwise, likely helping to attract several voters to the poll. The last entry to discuss is Luigi's Balloon World from Super Mario Odyssey, which is continuing to see a drop in voters from when it was first added. Perhaps as it is part of a free update and quite well integrated into the game people don't see it as add-on content as much any more, or maybe with some more time since release people have changed their perspective on it? Anyway, although that just about wraps things up for this poll, I think it might be interesting to see next year whether the Super Mario Maker 2 updates will hold their positions, or whether they'll see a bit of a drop in voters like Luigi's Balloon World. I guess only time will tell- and speaking of time, it's time to move onto the next award!
M10 - Favorite Lyrical Song (Hooded Pitohui)
From the distance sings a chorus of polls, growing louder as it gets analyzed. Pitohui stirring heat from the…
Ah, perhaps it is the case that I'm not cut out to write a parody song for the Awards Analysis. Well, I may not have a song, but I do have an analysis of songs for you!
| M10 - Favorite Lyrical Song
|
|---|
| Jump Up, Super Star! (Super Mario Odyssey) - 618 (33.62%) |
| DK Rap (Donkey Kong 64) - 285 (15.51%) |
| Break Free (Lead the Way) (Super Mario Odyssey) - 250 (13.60%) |
| Do the Mario (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!) - 196 (10.66%) |
| Phantom of the Bwahpera (Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle) - 82 (4.46%) |
| Ashley's Theme (WarioWare: Touched!) - 77 (4.19%) |
| Body Rock (WarioWare: D.I.Y.) - 45 (2.45%) |
| Galantis ft. Charli XCX - WE ARE BORN TO PLAY (Super Nintendo World Japan promo) - 42 (2.29%) |
| Mona Pizza's Song (WarioWare: Twisted!) - 33 (1.80%) |
| I'm Leo Luster (Donkey Kong Country cartoon) - 32 (1.74%) |
| Total votes: 1838 |
Nintendo has been employing more and more original lyrical songs in their marketing as of late, with lyrical songs featuring prominently in the advertising for Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and even the Super Nintendo World theme park. With the exception of the last one, that trio of songs is a few years old now, though, so there's not much to say on that matter beyond noting that "WE ARE BORN TO PLAY" managed to crack the top ten. That's not too notable on its own, though, since the bottom four of the top ten shifted considerably this year, with no clear pattern in their shifting.
What is notable, however, is the shift in the top three. The same three nominees stand on the podium this year, but "Break Free (Lead the Way)" has slipped into third place after two years in second. There doesn't seem to be any reason why fans would be rediscovering the memetic "DK Rap" this year, so the likely explanation seems to be that the song of Super Mario Odyssey's climax is slipping out of relevance as the game itself slips out of relevance. Recency bias fades away eventually, as TPG made clear in his presentation for M30 this year!
That said, it doesn't seem to be fading too fast, given that Super Mario Odyssey's headlining song has held steady, taking first place with approximately thirty-three percent of the vote, just as it did last year. Now, the key difference between "Jump Up, Super Star!" and "Break Free (Lead the Way)" is that the former was featured heavily in advertising, establishing a connection between not just itself and a prominent scene in the game, but between itself and the game as a whole. Super Mario Odyssey is inextricably linked to this song, and, as long as people continue to remember the game itself, they'll remember the song, even if specific sequences fade from memory. It seems unlikely that this song will get displaced anytime soon if no other major headlining song for a mainline Mario platformer comes along!
M11 - Favorite Major Character (Ninja Squid)
Hey there, ‘Shroom readers! Thanks for joining me for the analysis of the Favorite Major Character of the Mario franchise. So, let’s get right into it!
| M11 - Favorite Major Character
|
|---|
| Luigi - 490 (23.96%) |
| Yoshi - 329 (16.09%) |
| Mario - 301 (14.72%) |
| Rosalina - 229 (11.20%) |
| Bowser - 186 (9.10%) |
| Wario - 161 (7.87%) |
| Toad - 119 (5.82%) |
| Bowser Jr. - 94 (4.60%) |
| Princess Peach - 87 (4.25%) |
| Donkey Kong - 49 (2.40%) |
| Total votes: 2045 |
In first place, we have Mario’s little brother, Luigi! Luigi in first place is rather predictable, considering that he has won this award in all the years that this award has been in place. Why is he so much loved? Well, when you win at Mario Party by doing absolutely nothing, have the famous death stare, or a game where you are the main protagonist released last year, I think that’s a lot of things that would allow you to become quite popular, and I’ve only mentioned a few.
Yoshi is taking the second place of this poll, and again that’s pretty much predictable as well. Yoshi is well loved among the Mario fanbase. Considering he also have a meme where he committed tax fraud and that Yoshi’s Crafted World was released just last year, gives enough material to keep Yoshi on the podium this year.
Mario himself wins the third place, and that is almost a given considering the popularity of this character. Since he has a franchise of which he is the star, obviously you should be expected to be on the podium. I cannot really give a rather long explanation as to why Mario is on the podium other than that it is rather logical.
In conclusion, this award’s results is very much predictable, especially considering that the top three nominees have always been at the top since the creation of this award. We would have to wait for a big shakeup of the major characters (such as a new one) before seeing change in this award.
M12 - Favorite Supporting Character (winstein)
This is winstein again, this time writing about Favorite Supporting Character. When we put every character together and ask who are the favourites, the major characters will generally be favoured thanks to their overall popularity and how often they are used, which leaves the non-major characters ranked lower overall. Having a separate award for the lesser characters is a good way to know which of them are the most well-liked.
| M12 - Favorite Supporting Character
|
|---|
| Waluigi - 393 (20.34%) |
| Princess Daisy - 196 (10.14%) |
| Professor E. Gadd - 190 (9.83%) |
| Cappy - 169 (8.75%) |
| Captain Toad - 139 (7.19%) |
| Toadette - 136 (7.04%) |
| Poochy - 120 (6.21%) |
| King Boo - 113 (5.85%) |
| Pauline - 91 (4.71%) |
| Kamek - 88 (4.55%) |
| Total votes: 1932 |
In the first place, we have Waluigi, who is a frequent winner only being beaten by Bowser Jr. and Rosalina when they were options, but when both were promoted to major characters, Waluigi has no competition for this spot. His high position could be contributed to the humour and style behind the character, which includes his wacky habits and the jokes people would make about him. In some ways, Waluigi is an underdog character due to his introduction in a Mario game that isn't the main series yet he appears very often that in the minds of many, he is qualified to be part of the main gang. In second place is Princess Daisy, who benefits more from certain characters being promoted to the major character and so could be placed in a notable position. Her unique personality and frequent appearances make her easily a favourite. Down in third place is Professor E. Gadd, who had a resurgence last year, no doubt helped by Luigi's Mansion getting a new entry that year, which puts him in the spotlight once again. In fourth place is Cappy, who is still going quite strong due to his strong debut in Super Mario Odyssey that managed to put him in a high spot, but it remains to be seen if he can maintain it due to a lack of spin-off appearances.
Going down the list, we have Captain Toad and Toadette, who are considered main series regulars but are notably placed lower probably because they are unassuming compared to the other characters who have some quirks that made them more memorable. Poochy, King Boo, Pauline and Kamek are helped by their major and memorable appearances in recent games, so memory on those characters are quite fresh. Diddy Kong is placed lower in the list despite being one of the more important characters, probably because in the context of the Mario series, Diddy Kong is minor and as such not as many people favoured him. The remaining three within the poll have sporadic appearances: Toadsworth barely appeared in games since the Wii debuted, Nabbit is not a regular spin-off attendee while Birdo appears quite infrequently. There are a lot of other characters that were voted in the Others section, including RPG characters, one of the Koopalings or perhaps some oddities like one for Bowser Jr. despite being a major character.
The fact that there are a wide variety of characters being voted goes to show that it's not just the major characters that matter because others can find something they like in the less-important or less-popular characters.
Thank you for reading.
M13 - Favorite Level Theme (Goombuigi)
Welcome, readers! I am Goombuigi, once again present to discuss M13 - Favorite Level Theme, covering the variety of themes of Super Mario games. Which themes are considered the best by the community? Let's have a look.
| M13 - Favorite Level Theme
|
|---|
| Space/Moon - 216 (11.65%) |
| City/Town - 198 (10.68%) |
| Beach - 140 (7.55%) |
| Grassland - 135 (7.28%) |
| Factory/Industrial - 126 (6.80%) |
| Food/Sweets - 121 (6.53%) |
| Snow/Ice - 120 (6.47%) |
| Airship - 103 (5.56%) |
| Carnival - 98 (5.29%) |
| Jungle - 97 (5.23%) |
| Total votes: 1854 |
The winner is the space/moon theme, and the reason for that may be because the space is a largely unexplored area by humanity. It provides a sense of grandness and mystery on an infinitely large scale. Another main reason that the space theme secured the win is probably because of the Super Mario Galaxy games, in which space is the core concept, which is used in the story (Rosalina's storybook) and gameplay (gravity, Pull Stars, etc.), and since the Super Mario Galaxy games are among the most critically acclaimed Mario games ever, it makes sense that they would raise reception of the space theme as a whole.
On second place is the city/town theme. One of the reasons why it scored so well could be because of Super Mario Odyssey. The city theme is rare in Super Mario games, more so than the space theme, which makes the city theme all the more special. In Super Mario Odyssey, it reappeared in the form of the Metro Kingdom, which was one of the most popular themes from the game, probably due to its atmosphere. The city theme doesn't feel like a Mario theme as much as some of the other themes, but that makes it feel more interesting and "out there".
The number three theme is the beach theme. This could be partially due to Super Mario Sunshine, which uses the beach theme in a similar way to how Super Mario Galaxy uses the space theme - the whole game revolves around it. However, Super Mario Sunshine isn't generally as well-received as Super Mario Galaxy, so that point might not be that valid in this case. Another reason why the beach theme earned its place could be because from a gameplay perspective, and that is that it is one of the few themes (and the most prominent one) to feature above water and underwater areas, making the gameplay more varied, and making the theme more distinct. The theme is also quite relaxing and low-stress, so from a "feeling" standpoint, that could be another potential point to the theme. As for why it didn't score higher? For one, it's one of the more common themes, which makes it feel less special and more ordinary. It's not a super common theme, but it's also not rare. Second, unlike the above themes, the beach theme is more suitable for a certain time of year, summer. Not that the beach theme can't be played in the winter, but there is a difference between playing Super Mario Sunshine in the summer and the winter. Not a big difference, but it's there, unlike on the other themes, which are more neutral in that aspect.
And that's all that I have to say for this award. As you can see, all of the themes featured here are at least somewhat rare, making them feel more special, and they also have strong connections to certain games, making them more notable than they would be otherwise.
M14 - Favorite Species (Lakituthequick)
Hello again! Let's have a look at some species now, shall we?
| M14 - Favorite Species
|
|---|
| Yoshis - 473 (24.53%) |
| Shy Guys - 208 (10.79%) |
| Toads - 196 (10.17%) |
| Boos - 148 (7.68%) |
| Lumas - 137 (7.11%) |
| Koopa Troopas - 117 (6.07%) |
| Humans - 89 (4.62%) |
| Goombas - 77 (3.99%) |
| Hammer Bros. - 69 (3.58%) |
| Dry Bones - 57 (2.96%) |
| Total votes: 1928 |
This award has existed in some form since the very beginning. I say "some form", because it started out as Favourite Enemy, and was exclusively for that until it was finally expanded to include species in 2015.
In the first place we have the Yoshis. Yoshis have a very unexciting existence in this poll, consistently getting the first place ever since the award has been about all species.
Why Yoshis? Well, have you ever looked at them? Look how cute they are! And they are versatile, you can ride them, they can float (sort of), eat enemies, lay eggs (and throw them), exist in all colours…
Second position: Shy Guys. Shy Guys are also fairly non-exciting, but did have a more varied placement, fluctuating between second and third in the first years, and also getting a consistent first place for a few years before Yoshis came around, after which they dropped to a consistent second place except for one third place last year.
Shy Guys are an interesting bunch, nobody knows what their faces look like and why they are shy. Maybe this adds to the likeable-ness of the species? They certainly are interesting.
The friendly Toads arrived in third place. They started out in fifth back in 2015, but quickly got up to third and even got one second place in last year.
Toads are a common face across the Mario series, which may explain why they get a lot of votes each year. Everyone knows them and they are likeable, even if RPG-wise the 'hardcore' fans get sick of them.
Other interesting tidbits: Yoshis, Shy Guys and Toads have made up the top 3 since 2016. Before species, 2007 through 2014, it consistently consisted of Boos, Shy Guys and Koopas. Shy Guys are the only species to have been in the top 3 every single year.
M15 - Favorite Instrumental Track (Luigi 64DD)
Yo, it's-a me, Luigi 64DD, here to analyze the results of M15 - Favorite Instrumental Track for thee. Whoa, I'm spittin' bars. Er, anyway, the Mario franchise has had a number of jamming tunes over the years, and this award was made to celebrate the most common type: those that are purely instrumental (which makes my earlier joke kind of ironic, actually...). So to see which ones are the world's favorites, let's listen in on what the fan's votes have to say.
| M15 - Favorite Instrumental Track
|
|---|
| Gusty Garden Galaxy (Super Mario Galaxy) - 232 (12.61%) |
| The Grand Finale (Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story) - 224 (12.17%) |
| Waluigi Pinball/Wario Stadium (Mario Kart DS) - 144 (7.83%) |
| Steam Gardens (Super Mario Odyssey) - 108 (5.87%) |
| Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 64) - 107 (5.82%) |
| Staff Roll (Super Mario 64) - 101 (5.49%) |
| The Ultimate Show (Super Paper Mario) - 96 (5.22%) |
| Comet Observatory (Super Mario Galaxy) - 93 (5.05%) |
| Dire, Dire Docks (Super Mario 64) - 87 (4.73%) |
| Buoy Base Galaxy (Super Mario Galaxy) - 86 (4.67%) |
| Total votes: 1840 |
Now, due to the nature of this award, the results are bound to be quite close as people's subjective tastes vary wildly and produce many different choices with few clear trends in popularity. However, there are some exceptions to this, namely the top two results. In first place is Gusty Garden Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy with 232 votes, followed very closely by The Grand Finale from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story with 224 votes. These two tracks have been in close competition for both two years of this award's existence. While Gusty Garden beat Grand Finale by a mere 8 votes this year, Grand Finale beat Gusty Garden by 25 votes last year. Both years the two songs have been clearly far ahead of all lower entries, with second being 80 votes ahead of third this year and 66 votes ahead in 2019. What we can conclude from this is that while the community is sure that these two songs are the best of the best, they cannot quite decide which one is better out of the two. I think this makes sense, as it's one of the most elegant songs from the brilliant soundtrack of Super Mario Galaxy vs. the suspenseful and exciting final battle theme of the beloved RPG Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
A bit lower down, we have Waluigi Pinball/Wario Stadium from Mario Kart DS in third place with 144 votes. While it is quite a ways down from second place, this track is still a good bit higher than the lower entries, beating fourth place by 36 votes. It's clear from this that fans like this funky track quite a bit, but what is most surprising is that it jumped from seventh last year all the way to third this year, earning close to twice as many votes as it did last year! What caused this major increase? Well, the course that this track hails from recently returned in Mario Kart Tour, which was the first time it has been seen in a new Mario Kart game since 2011's Mario Kart 7. Considering a lot of people are now playing Mario Kart again on mobile phones, they get to witness this course and the illustrious music track that comes with it. After all, you can't discount relevancy in these awards.
From fourth place downward, we find that the results are much, much closer to each other, meaning we've left the clear favorites and entered the point where opinions start to vary a bit. After all, fourth place and tenth place are separated by only 22 votes! Coming in at fourth place is Steam Gardens from Super Mario Odyssey, a surf rock-esque fan favorite from the newest Mario platformer. This is closely followed by two nostalgic N64 classics, Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 64 and Staff Roll from Super Mario 64 (in fifth and sixth respectively). Next, we have another tense Mario RPG final boss theme in the form of The Ultimate Show from Super Paper Mario in seventh place. This is followed by two much more relaxing songs, Comet Observatory from Super Mario Galaxy and Dire, Dire Docks from Super Mario 64 (eighth and ninth respectively), showing that these two games have rather well-loved soundtracks. Finally, in tenth place we have yet another Super Mario Galaxy track which in my personal opinion should have been much higher on the list, Buoy Base Galaxy. All of these songs are very great tracks, and I think they've all earned their place in the top ten. Lastly, I'd like point out that Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 7 is the track with the most write-ins, coming in with 11 write-in votes. Anton and the Awards committee, if you're reading this, put this track on the official list! It's too good not to be on there!
And there are your Favorite Instrumental Tracks. I think that due to the highly subjective nature of this award, we may see big changes major shifts in the places of this award in the future as songs get added and removed (though I do think the highest places will continue to show up as top contenders. I'll be sure to be listening in to see how this award changes in future ceremonies!
M16 - Favorite Item (BBQ Turtle)
Good to see you're still all reading this, here I am again to talk about favourite items this time. The best way to start this is by taking a look at this year's top ten:
| M16 - Favorite Item
|
|---|
| Cape Feather - 164 (8.70%) |
| Tanooki Suit/Statue Leaf - 144 (7.64%) |
| Super Bell - 143 (7.59%) |
| Hammer Suit - 127 (6.74%) |
| Master Sword (SMM2) - 125 (6.63%) |
| Propeller Mushroom - 119 (6.31%) |
| Penguin Suit - 113 (5.99%) |
| Double Cherry - 107 (5.68%) |
| Fire Flower - 106 (5.62%) |
| Super Star - 103 (5.46%) |
| Total votes: 1885 |
Well, the first thing to note about this award is that actually all of the nominees are pretty close in votes! The biggest margin of voters in the entire top ten is only twenty between first and second place, so it seems like personal preference is a lot more at play in this award than others, which seem to be somewhat influenced by the general opinion of the fanbase. And speaking of it, first place this year went to the Cape Feather, an item which provides the player with better aerial mobility through gliding and slower falling, as well as an attack option with the spin attack. Power-ups that add more attack and movement options, particularly while in the air, are pretty popular in this award. Second place goes to prove that with the Tanooki Suit (if you're a Super Mario Bros. 3 player) or Statue Leaf (If you're a Super Mario 3D Land player), offering some similar perks to the cape with the gliding ability and Statue Mario form that can be used to attack and evade enemies. The Super Bell came in third, an item that allows characters to become their Cat form, giving them the ability to climb walls and perform claw attacks and claw jumps. Fourth place went to the Hammer Suit, which covers another type of item that does well in this award: those with projectiles. In fifth place is the newcomer to the award this year, the Master Sword from Super Mario Maker 2, which allows Mario to turn into Link (Don't think about it too hard), which gives him access to not one, but two projectiles, so it's no wonder it's done well. It also adds a handy defensive shield ability which a fair few of these items often have. Sixth place is the Propeller Mushroom, another item which helps Mario move around in the air, which has actually done a little better this year than in the past. Seventh place, the Penguin Suit, is following a similar upward trend, and as another item with projectiles and a fun transformation to go along with it, it's got a decent spot in the top ten. It also gives better traction on ice levels and better swimming in the underwater levels (two of everyone' least favourite level types) as well as the sliding ability on top of the ice balls, so it's pretty much the Ice Flower+. The Double Cherry came in spot number eight, and it's one of the two items in the top ten that doesn't really have any of the popular features- it just gives you a(nother) clone of your character. It works best when stacked with some of the other nominated power-ups though, so it's a little harder to see where the popularity comes from. Maybe having clones is just fun, or people are taking into account the usage of it with other power-ups? Or perhaps they enjoy the puzzle-solving associated with it- the Master Sword did well, and Link is often used for puzzle levels, so maybe that's why. Ninth place is the Fire Flower, a good, classic projectile item, so the positioning's pretty self-explanatory if you've read the rest of this analysis. And rounding out the top ten is the Super Star, one of the other more different power-ups, but with an