Super Mario (franchise)

The Mario series is a long-running video game series published by the popular gaming company, Nintendo. The Mario series has been running for more than a quarter of a century, and in its lifespan has released more than two hundred video games.

The series started out in 1981, with the arcade video game, Donkey Kong, and has since then took off into it's own huge franchise. Originally created by Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario is the main protagonist throughout most of the series; the main antagonist of the series is Bowser, the King of all Koopas. The Mario series has contained many different genres of games, from platformers to role-playing games, and from puzzle games to party games. The most popular games in the series consist of what is known as the main series or the Super Mario series which consists of 2D and 3D platformers, at least one per home console and one per handheld (bar the Game Boy Advance).

The Mario series has been released on a large array of systems, including home consoles, handheld game systems, and even personal and Macintosh computers. Originally starting out with an 8-bit game, the Mario series has gone through many graphical changes throughout the years. The series has spawned numerous sub-series, including the Mario Kart and Mario Party series; it has also taken a large part in the story line to its partner series, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Wario.

Mario Sub-Series
{| align=center width=100% border=1 !width=10%| Artwork !width=65%| Summary !width=18%| List of Games !Super Mario Series
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==Super Mario Bros. series
 * The Super Mario series fired Mario into stardom as The King of Platforming. This large series can be broken down into 3 smaller sub- series, the "Super Mario Bros." series, the "Super Mario Land" series and the 3d "Super Mario" series. The series originally started on the NES as a trilogy of three Super Mario Bros. games released between 1985 and 1990 (however Japan and USA had two different Super Mario Bros. 2s, making four games). When the SNES was released in 1991, so was Super Mario World, known in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World. The original side-scrollers then gave way to the 3D platformers, with Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 in 1996 and Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube in 2002. In 2006 the original style of 2D platforming was revived with New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS. That was followed by three Wii games: the 3D platformer Super Mario Galaxy and its eventual sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and 2009's New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which is the first side-scrolling game to have a 4-players cooperative & competitive mode. Almost all the games in the Super Mario have the basic plot of Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach, who then has to be rescued by Mario, although the American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was drastically different. To this day the Super Mario series is the most successful video game series ever.
 * ''Super Mario Bros.
 * ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
 * ''Super Mario Bros. 2
 * ''Super Mario Bros. 3
 * ''Super Mario World
 * ''New Super Mario Bros.
 * ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Super Mario Land series

 * ''Super Mario Land
 * ''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

Super Mario series
!Paper Mario Series
 * ''Super Mario 64
 * ''Super Mario Sunshine
 * ''Super Mario Galaxy
 * ''Super Mario Galaxy 2

!Mario & Luigi Series
 * The Paper Mario series is a series of Mario role-playing games. As its name implies, all the characters and elements in the game appear to be made from paper. The series started in 2001 with the release of Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64. The game used a similar battle system to that of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars; the player would attack an enemy for one turn, then the enemy would attack the next. The first team to reach 0 HP would lose the battle. The series generally revolves around collecting multiple objects from evil beings in order to stop the ultimate evil faced in the game. The series also utilizes partners throughout its games; each partner has unique abilities to help the player progress through the overworld, as well as in battle.
 * ''Paper Mario
 * ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * ''Super Paper Mario
 * ''Paper Mario 3DS
 * ''Paper Mario 3DS

!Mario vs. Donkey Kong Series
 * The Mario & Luigi series is yet another Mario sub-series. This sub-series is formed of a series of role-playing games for Nintendo's handheld systems. The first game in the series was Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, released in 2003 for the GameBoy Advance. The series features games with long, detailed stories, full of battles that the player must endure in order to Level Up and progress through the game with ease. The battles are turn-based, much like those from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and the Paper Mario series. In the games, the player must control both Mario and Luigi; in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the player also had to control their baby forms and in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the player also controls Bowser. The series has yet to feature Bowser as the main antagonist of a game; however, he usually ends up falling victim to the ways of the games's true villains.
 * ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
 * ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
 * ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
 * ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

!Dr. Mario Series
 * The Mario vs. Donkey Kong series is yet another Mario sub-series. This sub-series is formed of a series of games similar to the original Donkey Kong arcade game. The first game in the series was Mario vs. Donkey Kong, released in 2004 for the GameBoy Advance. The series features games with puzzles similar to the 1994 Donkey Kong game released on the Game Boy. The objective was always to get to the end of the level to defeat Donkey Kong. In the original game, the player must control Mario, however, in the later two games the player takes control of Mini Marios.
 * ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong
 * ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
 * ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!
 * ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
 * ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!

!Mario Party Series
 * The Dr. Mario series series is a puzzle-themed sub-series of the Mario series; it stars Mario's physician alter-ego, Dr. Mario. Other characters that have appeared in the series are Princess Peach as "Nurse Toadstool" and Wario. The series revolves around a Tetris-like concept in which the player must line up Megavitamins in a color-synchronized pattern in order to rid the screen of Viruses. As each level progresses, the game grows more and more difficult, providing the player with more Viruses to eradicate and less room to maneuver the Megavitamins.
 * ''Dr. Mario
 * ''Vs. Dr. Mario
 * ''Dr. Mario 64
 * ''Dr. Mario & Germ Buster
 * ''Dr. Mario Express
 * ''Dr. Mario Express

!Mario Kart Series
 * The Mario Party sub-series is the largest Mario spin-off series to date. With a total of ten main games and one on the e-Reader, the sub-series has been released on the Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, DS, and Wii. There were also quite a few games that were only playable on arcade machines in Japan. The series started in 1999 with the release of Mario Party. While the actual game boards rely on luck &mdash; either from the Dice Block, or from which paths the player takes &mdash; the mini-games rely on skill. The player must perform various tasks in each mini-game; some mini-games will award the player with coins as long as they play, while others require the player to win to earn coins. Many characters have been playable throughout the series, including characters such as Koopa Kid, Hammer Bro., and several other unique characters. The most recent Mario Party game to date was Mario Party DS, released for the Nintendo DS in 2007.
 * ''Mario Party
 * ''Mario Party 2
 * ''Mario Party 3
 * ''Mario Party 4
 * ''Mario Party 5
 * ''Mario Party 6
 * ''Mario Party 7
 * ''Mario Party 8
 * ''Mario Party Advance
 * ''Mario Party DS
 * ''Mario Party-e
 * ''Mario Party-e

!Mario Golf Series
 * The Mario Kart series is one of the most popular genres of Mario spin-offs. Like the titles says, the player could race as one of the Mario characters. The first game was Super Mario Kart, released for the SNES. It had eight characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Koopa Troopa, Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr. The courses took mostly in the same locations, but the courses self had their location name and the number of this course (e.g. Koopa Beach 1). Also, there were five courses in one cup, and the Special Cup was only playable in 100cc. This later changed in Mario Kart 64: Wario and Donkey Kong took the places of Koopa and Donkey Kong Jr., courses were differently named, there were four courses per cup and the Special Cup was in every cc playable. It was also the first Mario Kart that could be played up to four players. More features continued to be added over the years (e.g. VS in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, more karts in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Classic courses and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection usage in Mario Kart DS, bikes in Mario Kart Wii). Some functions were also removed in subsequent games (e.g. two racers rode in one kart in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, but not in the subsequent games; Mario Kart DS included missions, which were replaced by the competitions in Mario Kart Wii). Like the Mario Party Series, more and more characters have participated in Mario Kart series (e.g. Rosalina, R.O.B. and Petey Piranha). The items (which were introduced in the first Mario Kart) also got more additions (like Mega Mushroom, Blooper and Bob-omb). Character-specific Special Items were briefly included in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
 * ''Super Mario Kart
 * ''Mario Kart 64
 * ''Mario Kart Super Circuit
 * ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
 * ''Mario Kart DS
 * ''Mario Kart Wii
 * ''Mario Kart 3DS
 * ''Mario Kart Arcade GP
 * ''Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
 * ''Mario Kart Arcade GP 2

!Mario Tennis Series
 * The Mario Golf series is yet another one of Mario 's sports spin-offs. This sub-series revolves around the grassy sport of golf. Mario and his friends (and enemies in some games) grab their golf clubs and tees and prepare to compete to see who is the best golfer. The series started with the release of Golf for the NES in 1984. The only playable character in the game was Mario, who appeared in much different apparel than usual. Past there, the series started to introduce more and more characters to be playable, including Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and many others. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour featured the largest cast of playable characters ever; it also had the compatibility to be linked to the Game Boy Advance game, Mario Golf: Advance Tour, for the addition of new characters. The home-console-to-handheld-system linking capability is a feature that has been available since the release of Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64. The games feature the exact same rules as a real world golf game; however, many Mario elements are added as obstacles throughout some courses, giving the series even more originality.
 * ''Golf
 * ''NES Open Tournament Golf
 * ''Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)
 * ''Mario Golf (Game Boy Color)
 * ''Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
 * ''Mario Golf: Advance Tour
 * ''Mario Golf: Advance Tour

!Mario Football Series
 * The Mario Tennis series is yet another sports sub-series of the Mario series. The series revolves around the concept of tennis, as the games' titles imply. The series started in 1995 with the release of Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy. Despite the fact that Nintendo started the series on an unpopular game system, four more games have been released to date. The games stay fairly close to the real world concept of tennis; however, there are some Mario series features added to each game. Many human characters are introduced in the sub-series &mdash; as with the Mario Golf series &mdash; though they were never seen in any other Mario series or games. The latest release in the series was Mario Power Tennis for the Game Boy Advance.
 * ''Mario's Tennis
 * ''Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)
 * ''Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)
 * ''Mario Power Tennis (Nintendo GameCube)
 * ''Mario Power Tennis (Game Boy Advance)
 * ''Mario Power Tennis (Game Boy Advance)

!Mario Baseball Series
 * The Mario Football series (known as the Mario Strikers series in North America and Japan) is a soccer-based sports spin-off in the Mario series. The series has only two installments: one for the Gamecube, and one for the Wii. The Mario Football series features many playable characters in its few installments. The first release was Mario Smash Football, for the Gamecube; it featured eight team captains, along with four different types of sidekicks. The second installment, Mario Strikers Charged Football, featured twelve team captains and eight types of sidekicks to select from.
 * ''Mario Smash Football
 * ''Mario Strikers Charged Football
 * ''Mario Strikers Charged Football


 * The Mario Baseball series is the latest sports-based spin-off in the Mario series. As its name implies, it revolves around the concept of baseball. This sub-series features more playable characters in a single game than in any other spin-off title, with a total of more than forty in the most recent installment, Mario Super Sluggers. The series originated with Mario Superstar Baseball for the Gamecube, which was developed by Namco. The sequel was released on the Wii in 2008 in Japan and North America; however, no announcements of release dates in Europe or Australia have been announced.
 * ''Mario Superstar Baseball
 * ''Mario Super Sluggers
 * ''Mario Super Sluggers
 * }
 * }

Critical Reception
The Mario series is the largest video game franchise in existence, and has had a lifespan of almost thirty years. It is often considered to be the greatest video game series of all time, receiving many high-scoring reviews on their various games. In the series, many games have been considered to be the best of their time by players. However, the series has been considered to have some games of lower quality. An example is the Mario Party sub-series; after the release of Mario Party 3, the series is considered to have lost its flair, as the games often contain the same mechanics. Super Mario Bros. was declared to be the greatest video game of all time twice: once by IGN in 2003, and the other time by GamesRadar in 2000.

The Mario cartoons also were shown to have received good reviews. Though each of the series were very short-lived, they were considered to be highly popular, attracting an audience of children to each episode.

Even with the success of the games and cartoons in the series, there was still a large production that attracted a lot of negative reviews. The Super Mario Bros. film is often considered to be a great failure. The film took over a $20 million gross loss in profits. Bob Hoskins, who played the role of Mario in the film, was recorded saying that the movie was a "nightmare". In the May 2006 issue of Nintendo Power, an interviewee from the magazine had said, "Yes, it happened. Let us speak no more of it."

Cultural Impact
The Mario series has been referenced many ways throughout the years. From animation to music, and from the internet to other video games, the Mario series has culturally impacted many people.

In animation, Mario characters and elements have appeared in such shows as The Simpsons, The Ren and Stimpy Show, and even The Fairly OddParents.

In films, the Mario series has been referenced in such titles as Billy Madison and Ghostbusters II.

Not many references have been made to the Mario series in music, but some songs have been dedicated to the popular series, such as the song "Birdo" as performed by Horse the Band.

The Mario series is highly popular on the internet. Many websites have dedicated themselves to the series in some way, while others poke fun at the series. On Youtube, there are thousands of videos poking fun at one of the greatest blunders of the Mario series, Hotel Mario. The popular website, Newgrounds, has many fan-made games, like the popular Super Mario Bros. Z, that are Mario-themed in some way.

Many comics and books have also referenced the Mario series, or are completely centered around them.

In television, the Mario series has been referenced in such shows as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and My Name is Earl.

The Mario series has been referenced more times in video games than in any other form of publication. Many games created by Nintendo, such as Animal Crossing make very notable references to the Mario series. Even games on non-Nintendo consoles, such as Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, have referenced the Mario series in some way.

The Mario series has also been referenced in commercials as well as other theatrical productions.