Mario (series)

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A poster showing several characters in the Mario series.

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 also holds the title of best-selling video game franchise in history, with over 262 million combined units sold.

The series started out in 1981 with the arcade video game, Donkey Kong, and has since then taken off into its own franchise. Originally created by Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario, going under the name Jumpman when Donkey Kong was first released, 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 are a part of what is known as the main series, or the Super Mario series, which consists of 2D and 3D platformers; at least one is released per home console and one per handheld (bar the Game Boy Advance). Even though several games are released, not all of them are available in all countries or on all platforms. Some are only available on certain platforms in certain countries as well.

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, ranging from the racing games of the Mario Kart, to the board game-like Mario Party series, and even the sports-themed Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, and Mario Baseball series, as well as many more. It also plays a large part in the storyline of its partner series, the Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Wario series, two of which spawning from the Mario series.

Mario games

1981-1989

Title, original release and system	Synopsis and Ratings
Donkey Kong	In 1981, the Mario series officially started with the release of Shigeru Miyamoto's creation - Donkey Kong. Originally released in the arcades, Donkey Kong became a very popular game amongst gamers, eventually spawning many remakes and ports. In 1981, Mario had yet to be called so -- rather, he was called "Jumpman" during that brief era; it was only a few years later that Mario Segale would rename the aforementioned character to "Mario". Mario was also a carpenter in the game and would not be a plumber until Mario Bros. Since then, the name has become very popular among the video game community; he is considered to be one of Nintendo's mascots. Since the release of Donkey Kong in 1981, Mario has appeared in over 200 games, and has been referenced in several more. The object of the game was to control Mario to get to the top of the construction site while also trying to dodge barrels to reach Pauline, who had been kidnapped by Donkey Kong.
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Donkey Kong (Game & Watch)	A year after the release of Donkey Kong, Nintendo remade the game on their Game & Watch system while retaining the same name. As in the original game, Mario's girlfriend Pauline has been kidnapped by Donkey Kong. Now, Mario must climb up a construction site while dodging barrels the ape throws at him in order to reach him; he must then use a crane to knock the girder out from under him. This game would later be ported into three future Game & Watch games: Game and Watch Gallery 2, Game & Watch Gallery 4, and Game & Watch Collection; while the Game Boy releases lacked a second screen, all three retained the original gameplay. There were also two game modes: an easy mode and a hard mode.
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Mario Bros.	Two years later, in 1983, Mario got his own game - using his current name. In the game Mario Bros., Mario and his brother Luigi - who first debuted in this game - were traversing the creature-infested depths of the sewers. This game is Mario's debut as a plumber. Mario and Luigi had to fight such creatures as Fighter Flys, Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers to clear each stage, while also collecting coins during the levels as payment. Mario Bros. is the 1st Mario game with infinite levels (and last.) Since its release, it has been released as a minigame with several other games, as well as being re-released once. It also received a sequel, Mario Clash, in 1995.
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Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)	On the same year as the NES game, Mario Bros. for the Game & Watch was released. However, despite the similar names, it bears no resemblance to the arcade game. In this game, Mario and Luigi work for a bottling company and are loading bottles on a truck for delivery. Being on a dual-screen game system that opened up like a book, the game allowed for two players, Mario being on the right and Luigi on the left. This game was later re-released in Game & Watch Gallery 3.
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Mario's Cement Factory	Another release on Game & Watch, Mario's Cement Factory involves Mario running around a cement factory in order to open hatches to prevent the cement behind them from overflowing; if it does so, the cement will injure a factory worker, and will count as a miss. Mario must also avoid touching the factory floor, which will electrocute him and count as a miss, and three results in a game over.
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Mario's Bombs Away	Mario's Bombs Away, released on Game & Watch, involves Mario, as a member of the army, transporting bombs from one side of the screen to another while avoiding enemy torches or fires started when Mario's friend carelessly tosses his cigarettes into puddles of oil. When he reaches the other side, Mario can only give a bomb to his friend when his hands are down, and must hand him four more to cause them to blow up on the enemy. As with the previous game, three misses results in a game over.
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Golf	Before the release of Super Mario Bros., Mario appeared in his first ever sports game: Golf — it was released in 1984. The gameplay is relatively simple: the player must strike the ball with the correct amount of force in order to get a good shot. The more good shots and the player gets, the more points he or she is likely to earn. Golf Mario is stated to be the playable character (even he is not seen in his traditional clothing) but the original version instead claims the golfer name is Ossan.
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Mario Bros. Special	A game developed by Hudson Soft, Mario Bros. Special wasn't a port of the original game, but a complete remake, with new graphics and sounds. Instead of having to defeat every enemy in the level, the game involved trying to get to the top of a level, where the exit to each level is.
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Punch Ball Mario Bros.	Punch Ball Mario Bros., also released only in Japan by Hudson Soft, involved basically doing the same thing as in Mario Bros., but also involved using Punch Balls to hit enemies, stunning them, and then they could be kicked away like normal. Another difference between this and the original was that the platform pattern was reversed.
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Wrecking Crew	In June of 1985, Nintendo released Wrecking Crew in Japan for the Famicom Disk System, then later that year in other parts of the world for the NES. The concept of the game revolved around Mario (and Luigi, if a second player were to join the game) who were in the middle of a demolition site. While at the site, they had to break down all of the concrete walls with their hammers found in each level. The player would encounter several enemies, none of which could be defeated with the hammer that Mario (or Luigi) would carry. Rather, they would have to trap enemies under steel drums. The game also featured a new character: Foreman Spike, who would occasionally appear to outdo Mario at breaking down the concrete walls, and who could push Mario off of ledges. The game also featured a custom level creator, the first game in the Mario series to ever do so.
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Super Mario Bros.	On September 13, 1985, Mario starred in his very first game outside of the arcades. With the release of Super Mario Bros., the NES was an extreme success. Mario, and his brother Luigi, had to set out on a massive adventure across the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Toadstool and the Mushroom Retainers from the evil King Bowser. After traversing through eight massive worlds, filled with enemies, the brothers eventually reached Bowser's Castle, finally rescuing Princess Toadstool. Super Mario Bros. was the best-selling video game for the NES in 1999, and, until surpassed by Wii Sports in 2009, the best-selling video game of all time. Super Mario Bros. also had a major part in both the takeoff of the NES and the revival of the American video game industry after the crash in 1983.
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Super Mario Bros. Special	Super Mario Bros. Special is the true "lost" game of the series, which was made by Hudson Soft for the PC88 series of Japanese PCs and officially licensed by Nintendo. SMB Special was the very first licensed sequel to Super Mario Bros. to appear, released a few months before Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels in 1986. While superficially very similar to the original Super Mario Bros., the game features completely-original levels and lacks a screen-scrolling mechanism. Jumping and running physics also differ from the original, providing a more challenging experience than Super Mario Bros. Due to the PC88's technology being slightly inferior to that of the NES/Famicom, the graphics and audio differ slightly from the original NES game as well, although they are closely emulated, and does not include Luigi or a multiplayer mode.
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Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels	After the extreme success of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was released just one year later in Japan. The gameplay and story were almost identical to its predecessor, but it was not released in the United States due to its extreme difficulty. Some gameplay elements were changed slightly, such as Bloopers flying in midair, wind to help the player jump across abysses, and other minor changes.
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Vs. Super Mario Bros.	VS. Super Mario Bros. was a two-player arcade game released in Japan in 1986. The game was mostly the same as the original game; Mario or Luigi went on a quest to save the princess from Bowser and restore order to the Mushroom Kingdom. The game was harder than Super Mario Bros. in that it had less warp zones and more enemies. The game even featured levels from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
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All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros.	All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. was an officially licensed hack of Super Mario Bros. Gameplay was the same but many characters such as the Mushroom Retainers were replaced with Japanese celebrities from the radio show All Night Nippon. Other changes were also made for this game, such as World 1 being set during night time and Princess Peach's outfit was changed. The game was only released in Japan.
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I Am a Teacher: Super Mario Sweater	I Am a Teacher: Super Mario Sweater is a 1988 Famicom Disk System game released only in Japan. It was designed by Royal industries Co. Ltd., a Japanese appliance and sewing machine company. The company realized that they could make a lot of money by releasing a sweater-design program, which led to this game. Players could design the sweater they want, and the company would make a real-life version for 2,900 Yen (about $24).
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Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race	Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race was a game released only in Japan for the Famicom Disk System. The game involved playing as Mario and racing other computer-controlled vehicles to try and win first place; winning a Grand Prix resulted in the player winning money, which could be used to buy cars. The cars also had limited health, which decreased if the player hit walls or other cars and if they drive off-road. Players can also stop for a pit-stop and repair their car, giving them more health and fuel, but it took time away from the race.
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Kaettekita Mario Bros.	Kaettekita Mario Bros. (translated as Return of Mario Bros., but also commonly known as Mario Bros. Returns in English-speaking countries) is a Japanese game for the Famicom Disk System. The game has several modes that can be accessed from the main menu. The "Original Mario Bros." mode plays, for the most part, similarly to the Mario Bros. game that was released to arcades. However, there are several differences: some new levels were added, Mario and Luigi can now change direction in mid-air (much like modern remakes), the graphics and music were improved, high scores can now be saved and advertisements appeared between levels. Some were for upcoming Mario games, such as Super Mario Bros. 3; others were for the Japanese food company Nagatanien, who sponsored this game. There is also a two-player version of this mode, in which both players are active at the same time.
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Family Computer Golf: Japan Course	Family Computer Golf: Japan Course is a golfing game released only in Japan starring Mario and Luigi. The courses in this game were created based on actual Japanese golf courses. The game was compatible with a service called Disk Fax, in which players, using a machine, could send their save data and high scores to Nintendo. Using this service, a contest was held in which the winner received a gold copy of this game, featuring a higher difficulty and an extra course.
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Family Computer Golf: U.S. Course	Released a few months later as a sister title to Japan Course, Family Computer Golf: U.S. Course is a Japan-exclusive golf game. Like with Japan Course, the courses in this game are based on real golf courses in the United States. This game was also compatible with the Disk Fax service, and a contest was held featuring this game as well, with the same prize and the gold disk having the same additional features.
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Super Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)	Two years after the release of Nintendo's first biggest commercial success, the company released a remake of the game on their Game & Watch system. Being a remake of the game, it essentially has the same plot, but with only eight levels; however, after beating every level, they will have to be repeated. Mario will have to go through nine loops, each time with the levels increasing in difficulty. There are also two types of levels: scroll screen levels, in which Mario will have to reach a certain point to advance, and timer screen levels, in which Mario must get through the world in a given amount of time. Additionally, another difference between the original and this remake is that Mario will find Princess Toadstool at the end of every level, without having to fight a boss.
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Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally	Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally was the Japan-only sequel to Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race. Mario and Luigi were two playable characters, and could drive one of three cars: Kattobi, Yonque and Monster.
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Super Mario Bros. 2	Two years later in 1988, Nintendo released yet another Mario game for the NES - Super Mario Bros. 2. Despite the fact that the game's title has "2" in it, it was not the direct sequel to Super Mario Bros. — Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was, however it was not released outside of Japan. In this game, Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad had to save the dream world of Subcon from the diabolical Wart. After fighting their way through seven strange worlds, they eventually saved Subcon, and Mario woke up from his dream. Super Mario Bros. 2 would eventually be released in Japan as Super Mario USA.
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Super Mario Bros. 3	Another two years had passed by the time the next mainstream Mario game had been released: Super Mario Bros. 3. This was by far, the most expansive Mario game on the NES, as it featured many levels, items, and enemies. Bowser and his seven Koopalings wreaked havoc across the Mushroom World after turning all of the Mushroom Kings into various animals. Mario and Luigi had to traverse through many worlds, castles, seas, forests, and deserts to fix the wrongs the Koopalings had caused. Eventually, the brothers reached Bowser and defeated him, rescuing Princess Toadstool once again.
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Super Mario Land	Mario made the jump to Nintendo's first handheld system in 1989, with the release of Super Mario Land. Selling a total of 18.06 million copies, it became the bestselling video game not to be bundled with a system in history for quite some time. In this game, Mario had to traverse across the four worlds of Sarasaland to save the Princess Daisy from the alien Tatanga. With the help of new features such as the Superball, Marine Pop, and the Sky Pop, Mario was able to stop Tatanga and save Daisy.
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Alleyway	Alleyway was a game made in a classic breakout-style. Its gameplay involved using the paddle, which is driven by Mario, to hit a ball to destroy the blocks above it. Every fourth round in the game a sprite from Super Mario Bros. would appear.
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1990-1999

Title, Original Release, and System	Synopsis and Ratings
Dr. Mario	Dr. Mario was the first game in the Dr. Mario series; it was released for the NES in 1990. The game brought the basic concept of the series to the players' attention immediately, as they would start the game off having to reorganize falling Megavitamins in order to eradicate viruses from the screen. Once all viruses have been eliminated, the player would move on to the next level. As the game progressed, each level rose in difficulty, providing more viruses for the player to eliminate and less space to maneuver the Megavitamins in. Dr. Mario was ported and remade many times after its original release.
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Super Mario World	One year after the release of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World had been released on a whole new home console — the Super Nintendo. It was with this game that the Mario series had been upgraded from 8-bit to 16-bit graphics. Though the games' graphics would later be revolutionized once again, this was indeed a huge step at the time. During the story of Super Mario World, while Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool were vacationing in Dinosaur Land, Bowser and his seven Koopalings once again kidnapped the Princess. With the help of the Yoshis and Dolphins, the brothers traversed across the vast area of Dinosaur Land. As they made their way to Princess Toadstool, they thwarted each Koopaling who stood in their way until they reached Bowser. Once again, Bowser had been defeated and Princess Toadstool had been rescued.
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Mario Roulette	Mario Roulette was a Japan-only arcade game released in 1991. Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Yoshi were the main characters. The graphics were mostly from Super Mario World.
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Mario the Juggler	Years after the release of the previous Mario-based Game & Watch game, Nintendo released Mario the Juggler, a remake of the first Game & Watch game Ball and the final Game & Watch unit created. The game stars Mario, in which he is attempting to juggle various items and objects from the Mario series. Over time, the number of objects needed to be juggled will increase from one to three, and will fall faster with time. As with all Game & Watch games, three misses is a game over.
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Mario Teaches Typing	In 1991, Mario Teaches Typing was released. This game was the first Mario edutainment game released. The game used several Mario-related elements to teach young kids how to type. To advance through the game itself, the player must type the letters or words on the screen. By doing so correctly, the player can cause several actions to occur. Another gameplay mode allowed the player to type the first letter of a word.
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NES Open Tournament Golf	NES Open Tournament Golf was a golf-oriented game that featured Mario characters. The game doesn't take place in the Mushroom Kingdom, instead taking place in three real world locations: America, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
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Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up	Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up is a DOS computer game featuring Mario and friends released in 1992. It is an Electric Crayon game and was published by Merit Software. The game is essentially a coloring book on the computer. A few pages have animated sequences. Career themed pages include Policeman, Attorney/Judge, Chef/Waiter, Business Executive, Ballet Dancer, and Homemaker. Characters in the game include Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toads, and Bowser, who is depicted in both his game and DIC cartoons appearances. Link makes a cameo.
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Super Mario Bros. Print World	Super Mario Bros. Print World is a printing game for the MS-DOS, IBM Tandy and Apple II. It featured figures from Super Mario Bros. 3.
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Mario Paint	Released on the SNES in 1992, Mario Paint was highly interactive, even utilizing the SNES Mouse. The game had a series of four sequels on the failed N64 add-on, the Nintendo 64DD, known as Mario Artist. The game's title screen was interactive, as each letter of the words 'Mario Paint' would cause a different effect on the title screen. In Art Mode, the player could draw several different creations on a canvas displayed on-screen; these drawings would have elements that were highly influenced from Super Mario World. The game also featured the ability to make Stamps, which were a type of sprite that the player could create in a separate game mode. In addition, the player could create their own music samples using the game's Music Mode.
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Super Mario Kart	Two decades ago, in 1992, the Mario Kart series had begun with the release of Super Mario Kart. It was one of the first games ever to be made that was 2-dimensional with 3-dimensional renderings. The game featured eight playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, Yoshi, Toad, Bowser, Donkey Kong Jr., and Koopa Troopa. Though the player could not pick from a selection of karts, each character was pre-assigned with a kart, each with a different weight, speed, and acceleration. This game was also heavily influenced by Super Mario World, as many of the racecourses took place somewhere within the borders of Dinosaur Land; the game also featured the Cape Feather, which was found in Super Mario World.
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Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins	Three years later, Mario reappeared on the Game Boy with the release of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. It was less popular than its predecessor, but not by a lot., Super Mario Land. This story picked up right where the last one left off. After rescuing Princess Daisy, Mario returned to his castle, only to find that it had been taken over by his old nemesis, Wario. Mario must collect six golden coins scattered across Mario Land in order to regain access to his Castle and defeat Wario.
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Mario is Missing!	In 1992, Nintendo added to the list of Mario edutainment games by releasing Mario is Missing!. The game was originally released for MS-DOS, but was later released on the NES, SNES, and then released again on the PC. The game was also the first to feature Luigi as the main playable protagonist. The story revolves around Bowser, who has kidnapped Mario and taken him to his fortress in Antarctica. Bowser then plans to steal several shipments of hair dryers in order to melt the icy continent and flood the world. Luigi must then travel through several locations on Earth in order to retrieve several artifacts to help him rescue his brother. The game was designed to be simple in battle, as the enemies and bosses found throughout the game could not harm the player.
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Mario Unkurukai	Mario Unkurukai was a Japan-only arcade game based on dancing. The game was mostly meant for small children. The game is almost the same as the later game Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, except for the two neutral spaces and no two-player mode.
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Super Mario All-Stars	In 1993, a compilation of NES Super Mario Bros. games had been released. The game was titled Super Mario All-Stars. The game contained Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (the first U.S. release of that game), Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. The games featured updated graphics to fit the 16-bit memory of the Super Nintendo. Not many other changes had been made to the games. One year later, in 1994, a second installment called Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World had been released. As its name implies, it has all the previously mentioned NES games as well as the addition of Super Mario World. A Wii remake of the original compilation game called Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition was released in 2010.
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Yoshi's Safari	In 1993, Nintendo released Yoshi's Safari for the SNES. The game carried over many aspects of Super Mario World, featuring many of the same bosses and enemies (such as Chargin' Chucks), and having Mario ride Yoshi throughout the game. Yoshi's Safari is notable for being the only shooter in the Mario series, utilizing the Super Scope to facilitate gameplay. The story revolved around Mario and Yoshi traveling through the vast realms of Jewelry Land. Their mission was to save King Fret and his son, Prince Pine, from the diabolical Koopalings who were terrorizing the land.
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Mario & Wario	Mario & Wario is a puzzle game only released in Japan, on the Super Famicom in 1993. The game featured three different modes of difficulty and ten levels in which the player had to guide Peach (easy), Mario (intermediate), or Yoshi (hard) to reach Luigi, who is the goal of each level. After Wario drops a random item on the player's head, be it a bucket or a jellyfish, Wanda the fairy must then help guide the player to Luigi in order to advance to the next level. The game was one of very few titles to utilize the SNES Mouse.
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Mario's Time Machine	Mario's Time Machine is yet another edutainment game in the Mario series. It was released in 1993 for NES, SNES, and PC. The game is an attempt to teach children various aspects of world history. As such, Mario must use his time machine to travel throughout various time periods in history, dating back to 80,000,000 B.C., all the way up to 1989 A.D.. Mario must collect artifacts from each period of time he visits in order to progress through the game. Should the player fail at retrieving the artifacts in the wrong order, the ending will show Bowser escaping to Paradise, requiring the player to start the game over completely; however, if the game is completed in an orderly fashion, the player will win the game. This game is also notable for being the first and only game in the Mario series that has Mario speaking in full phrases.
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Wario's Woods	Wario's Woods is a puzzle game released originally for the SNES in 1993; it was later released for the NES in 1994. The game features Toad as the main protagonist, the only Mario game to ever do so. As Toad was out walking one day, he accidentally ran into a large forest owned by the evil Wario. Wario was sending out many of his monsters to attack the Mushroom Kingdom. With the help of Birdo and Wanda, Toad had to protect the Mushroom Kingdom from the monsters' inevitable infiltration.
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Mario's Early Years! Fun with Numbers	Mario's Early Years! Fun with Numbers was the first game in the Mario's Early Years! series. Released in September 1994, the game was aimed at small children and was meant to teach them the basics of numbers and counting. To clear the game, the player must go through various worlds, represented by islands with different environments, waking up a sleeping Luigi, and doing various number-related activities.
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Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters	Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters was released in October 1994, as the second game in the Mario's Early Years series. The game's purpose was to teach children the basics of the English alphabet and how to spell words. The game, like the others, involved players going to different words, each one teaching them different subjects involving the alphabet. The player does this by clicking on objects to interact with them. The player can go down one of two pipes; the first will allow the player to experiment freely, and the other will allow the player to awaken a sleeping Luigi, who will watch the player and compliment him as they play through to complete the area.
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Mario's Early Years! Preschool Fun	Mario's Early Years! Preschool Fun was the third and final game in the Mario's Early Years series, released in November 1994. The game once again involved sending Mario to different islands that taught the player various subjects that pertained to real-world education.
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Tetris & Dr. Mario	As the name states, Tetris & Dr. Mario is a game released on the SNES as a two-in-one game featuring a remade version of both Tetris and Dr. Mario. While the core games remain the same, some additions are made for this release. In Dr. Mario, the player has the option of facing a computer on one of three difficulties. There is also a "Mixed Match" game, in which both players compete to beat Tetris mode B, a round of Dr. Mario, and Tetris mode A consecutively.
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Hotel Mario	In 1994, Hotel Mario was released for the Philips CD-i, and was developed by Philips Media. The game was rather obscure and received very little attention due to the lack of interest in the Philips CD-i. The plot deals with Bowser and his seven children, the Koopalings, who have once again taken over the Mushroom Kingdom; this time, they built a series of hotels, of which, one is hiding Princess Peach. Once Mario and Luigi become aware of this, they set out on a mission to stop Bowser and his children once more and rescue the Princess. The main goal of each stage is to close all of the doors on each floor in order to progress to the next stage or location. However, enemies commonly interfere with the player's goal, thus reopening the doors, requiring them to be closed once more. The name of each hotel is a portmanteau on a Real World hotel, such as the Ritz Carlton hotel.
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Undake30 Same Game	UNDAKE30 Same Game Taisakusen Mario Version was a puzzle game that was released in 1995 in Japan. The game could be controlled with a standard joypad or the Super Famicom Mouse and was similar to the card game Monte Carlo. The game centers around a large playing field composed of a random arrangement of Mario Heads, Coins, Yoshi Eggs, Fire Flowers, and Super Mushrooms. If two or more icons are connected, the player can move the cursor and click to make all the connected icons disappear. Now the icons above fall down and the Player can clear even more icons. Also, there is an undo move that allows the Player to take back the last move, and move back as far as wanted. Once the entire grid is clear, the game ends. The game was developed by Hudson Soft.
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Satella-Q	Satella-Q is a series of quiz game events released exclusively for Japan for the Satellaview (an add-on for the Super Famicom) in 1995. Within the game, Toad was featured as the main and primary character as he guided the players through the number of quizzes and minigames that were available. Each installment of the game series was divided into episodes and each was released at different times during the same year of the game's release. At the moment, it is also the longest-running of the Satellaview broadcasts to this point.
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Mario's Picross	In 1995, Nintendo released Mario's Picross for the Game Boy. Mario's Picross was a puzzle game that spawned a sub-series containing two additional games: Picross 2 and Super Mario Picross. The game featured a paint-by-numbers puzzle system, in which there was a 100-square screen for the player to maneuver around. Once the puzzle was completed, the player would advance to the next one, which would increase in difficulty somewhat. A total of 192 puzzles could be found in the game, found throughout three different modes: Easy Picross, Kinoko, and Star — each of which contained 64 puzzles. There was also a time-trial mode, which contained 64 puzzles, (that were previously beaten), that would appear at random.
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Mario's Tennis	In 1995, the first installment to the Mario Tennis series was released —Mario's Tennis. It inspired the creation of several more games in the series, (the next being Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64). The game had seven playable characters, all of which were featured in Super Mario Kart, with the exception of Bowser who did not appear in this game.
Template:Releasedate Virtual Boy	(Ratings unavailable)
Mario's Super Picross	The Japan-only sequel to Mario's Picross, Mario's Super Picross wasn't released in the west due to the poor reception the original received. The game was mostly the same as the original; the only real difference was that Wario was put into the game.
Template:Releasedate Super Famicom	(Ratings unavailable)
Mario Clash	Mario Clash is an obscure Mario Bros. remake for Virtual Boy. In the game, the player must use Koopa Shells to hit enemies and knock them out of platforms, so they can progress. New enemies not present in Mario Bros. appeared in this game, like Thornys, Lobbs and Snakes.
Template:Releasedate Virtual Boy	(Ratings unavailable)
Mario's Game Gallery	Mario's Game Gallery was an obscure Mario video game for young children released in 1995. Children could play games like "Go Fish", "Checkers", "Backgammon", "Dominoes", or "Yahtzee". Depending on the game, the player either plays against Mario or Bowser. This is the first Mario game in which Charles Martinet provided Mario's voice, not to be confused with Mario Teaches Typing. In 1998, the game was re-released under the name Mario's FUNdamentals.
Template:Releasedate MS-DOS	(Ratings unavailable)
BS Super Mario USA	The pseudo-sequel to Super Mario USA (Super Mario Bros. 2), BS Super Mario USA was released as four installments, and each one involved the player heading into each world to collect a gold Mario statue and defeat the bosses until finally reaching and defeating Wart. Each level could be replayed until the clock reached 50 minutes. As the player progressed, St. Giga's Satellite radio would stream an audio drama to tell the story. After the events of Super Mario Bros. 2, the King of Subcon had golden Mario statues put up all around Subcon, to thank him and his friends for their deeds. However, three Birdos, Mouser, Tryclyde, Fryguy and Clawgrip have stolen them, and now Mario must get them back and defeat Wart again.
Template:Releasedate Satellaview	(Ratings unavailable)
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars	The first Mario RPG to be made was one of the last Super Nintendo games to be released — Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. To many, it was a success, as it received great reviews amongst players. This Mario game also introduced the turn-based battle system to the series. HP, Speed, Attack, Defense, Magic Attack, and Magic Defense were all features that Mario, his partners, and enemies all carried. In the story, Princess Toadstool was kidnapped once again by King Bowser; Mario set off on a brief adventure to rescue her. After battling Bowser, Mario did not get the chance to fully rescue the princess. A large sword fell from the sky and plummeted straight into Bowser's Castle, destroying the Star Road, while sending the three into different directions. After Mario wakes up back in the Mushroom Kingdom, he sets out on an adventure to find out what happened all the while still having to rescue Princess Toadstool. Along his journey, Mario meets characters such as Mallow and Geno, all of whom join him in hopes of defeating Smithy, the cause of the Mushroom Kingdom's current state. This is the first game in which Bowser allied with Mario, and in which Bowser and Princess Toadstool were playable characters.
Template:Releasedate SNES	(Ratings unavailable)
Super Mario 64	Not long after the release of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Nintendo released a new system and a new game — Super Mario 64. The game was a success. It was the first fully 3-Dimensional Mario game to ever be made, thus revolutionizing the appearance of Mario games to date. The game sold over eleven million copies by 2007. Because the game had such amazing success, people began to create rumors of glitches and unlockables in the game. Perhaps one of the most notable rumors was that Luigi was a playable character in the game. This was also the second game to call Princess Peach by her current name (with Yoshi's Safari being the first). In the game, Mario was invited to Princess Peach's Castle to eat a cake she had baked. However, when Mario arrived at her castle, he had discovered that Bowser had taken it over and had stolen almost all of the castle's Power Stars— there were some which he did not know existed. As Mario traversed through fifteen different painting worlds, he eventually recovered enough Power Stars to battle Bowser and take back the castle, freeing Peach from her stained-glass prison.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo 64	IGN - 9.8: Amazing• Gamespot - 9.4: Superb
Picross 2	Picross 2 was one of the two Japan-only sequels to Mario's Picross, the other being Mario's Super Picross. The game was, like the other sequel, mostly the same as the original. During gameplay, the player could be given hints on how to create specific images. Mario and Wario, who are apparently the two playable characters, both had different puzzles to be solved.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy	(ratings unavailable)
Mario Teaches Typing 2	Mario Teaches Typing 2 was released for the computer in 1996, as the sequel to Mario Teaches Typing. The game featured several changes and improvements from the first game. In the game, Mario and Luigi are walking near Bowser's Castle when a typewriter suddenly appears in front of them. To their surprise, it then begins to type on its own, producing a message that says to type the magic words to destroy Bowser's Castle. However, he must type it correctly, or risk the typewriter self-destructing. Mario tries to type the magic words, but his horrible typing cause the typewriter to self-destruct. Mario and Luigi must now recollect the three pieces to the machine to destroy Bowser's Castle.
Template:Releasedate MS-DOS	(ratings unavailable)
Mario Kart 64	Mario Kart 64 was released as the second installment in the Mario Kart series, and was the first to use 3-D graphics. This game also included division of characters by weight classes. Donkey Kong Jr. and Koopa Troopa were taken out of this game, but two new characters were added: Donkey Kong and Wario, both in the heavy class. This game also introduced a four-player Vs. mode. The game involves each character racing each other to get first place, using items attack the drivers ahead of or behind them.
Template:ReleasedateNintendo 64	IGN - 8.1: Great • Gamespot - 6.4: Fair
Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium	Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium is an Super Famicom racing game released in 1997. It is an obscure remake of the NES title, Excitebike. In this game, all human bikers were replaced with Mario characters. The game was somewhat based off of the Mario Kart series. The characters were Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, Wario and Princess Peach. The players could download more parts of the game via Satellaview.
Template:Releasedate Super Famicom	(Ratings unavailable)
BS Super Mario Collection	A remake of Super Mario Collection, (Super Mario All-Stars in North America) BS Super Mario Collection is a game for the Super Famicom add-on Satellaview. Like with BS Super Mario USA, as the player progressed through the game, voice acting and music would be streamed to the system using the Satellaview's Soundlink capabilities.
Template:Releasedate Super Famicom	(Ratings unavailable)
Wrecking Crew '98	In 1998, Wrecking Crew '98, the Japan-only sequel to Wrecking Crew was released. The game had similar mechanics to that of its prequel, as the player had to line up panels in a color-coded manner in order to get rid of them; there was also the option to smash them with a hammer. The game also featured the ability to rain a large amount of panels on the opponent, causing them to have more difficulty clearing the stage. The story tells that Mario, on his way home, discovers Bowser on a campaign to build several high-rises in the Mushroom Kingdom, which are destroying the plant life of the area. As Mario attempts to trump Bowser's plot, he must fight his old nemesis, Foreman Spike, along with other villains such as Eggplant Man.
Template:Releasedate Super Famicom	(Ratings unavailable)
Mario no Photopi	Mario no Photopi is a creativity game released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998 only in Japan. The game's cartridge has two slots for SmartMedia cards in the top, allowing importing digital photos and other images and for transfer between the cards. The pictures can be edited and decorated with font, artwork from the Mario series, borders and other graphics.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo 64	(Ratings unavailable)
Mario Party	In 1999, Nintendo released the first Mario Party game to ever be made — Mario Party. The game was a whole new aspect on multi-player capabilities in the Mario series; most games up until now mainly featured a 2-player versus mode, with the exceptions of a few sports spin-offs. The game mechanics worked near-identically to that of a board game: players would rove around the board, moving from space to space, and hitting a Dice Block in order to move said spaces. The players could earn coins by playing and winning minigames; with a certain amount of coins, the players could by stars. Despite the fact that this was a party game, it also had a single-player mode, in which the player would play against CPUs. There were six playable characters in the game: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Wario. Each character had one board modeled after them, in addition to two other boards in the game — one dedicated to the game's antagonist, Bowser, and the other unlockable after collection one-hundred stars.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo 64	IGN - 7.9: Good • Gamespot - 7.2: Good
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe	In that same year, Nintendo released another hit, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. It sold a total of 2.8 million copies in the United States alone. The game was one of the highest rated games according to Gamespot and IGN. This game, though for the Game Boy Color (which didn't have particularly long or large games), had many features and unlockables. It featured two games in one - Super Mario Bros. and The Lost Levels. This was only the second time that The Lost Levels had been released in the United States. There were also many unlockables such as You vs. Boo, a Yoshi Egg Finder, a Calendar, a Photo Album and much more. A multiplayer mode was also available, which was very similar to the You vs. Boo mode.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Color	IGN - 10: Masterful • Gamespot - 9.9: Superb
Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)	Considered by many to be the first Mario modern-sports game, and the first installment in the Mario Golf series, Mario Golf combined the classic mechanics of golf with various Mario-related elements. The game is compatible with the Game Boy Color-version of the game, allowing one to transfer their GBC character to the N64 version, and characters from this game can be sent over to the GBC game.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo 64	IGN - 8.3: Great • Gamespot - 8.7: Great
Mario Golf (Game Boy Color)	Released only months after Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64, Mario Golf on the Game Boy Color had many similarities to the original, while also having several differences. A main difference was that this game was similar to an RPG. Players had more control over their character, could explore the area, interact with characters, and level up. The game was compatible with the Mario Golf for Nintendo 64; by linking the GBC with the N64, one could transfer their character to the Nintendo 64 Mario Golf, and characters only in the N64 game could be transferred to the GBC game.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Color	IGN - 10: Masterpiece • Gamespot - 7.2: Good
Mario Artist: Paint Studio	Released for the failed N64DD only in Japan, Mario Artist: Paint Studio played mostly the same as Mario Paint, in which the player used different painting tools to create drawings. The game also allowed the player to view and manipulate images of famous Nintendo characters. Using the Game Boy Camera or video tape with the Nintendo 64 Capture Cartridge, images could be imported. It is also possible to create a short, 35-frame animation. The player can also play minigames and explore three 3D worlds and take pictures of the creatures inhabiting it.
Template:Releasedate N64DD	(ratings unavailable)
Mario Party 2	The Mario Party series continued in late 1999 when Nintendo released Mario Party 2 on Nintendo 64, the sequel to the original Mario Party. The game re-used most of the mechanics of the original: players went around a board, hitting dice blocks, to reach the star space and collect it. The story, however, is different; one day, the characters decide to create their own world, which was named Mario Land. However, they soon begin to argue over a good name for the world, and, while this is going on, Bowser invades the new world, taking an area for himself. Now the characters must go through the world, to stop Bowser and take back their world.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo 64	IGN - 7.9: Good • Gamespot - 7.8: Good

2000-2009

Title, Original Release, and System	Synopsis and Ratings
Mario Artist: Talent Studio	Mario Artist: Talent Studio was one of the few games released for the N64DD, as a part of the Mario Artist series. The primary feature of this game allowed the player to create characters and insert them into movies and animations, and they could also be imported into the other Mario Artist games. Images from cameras and videos can also be imported as 3-dimensional models, and then animated. Movies could also be created by linking a video camera to the Nintendo 64 Capture Cartridge.
Template:Releasedate N64DD	(ratings unavailable)
Mario Artist: Communication Kit	Mario Artist: Communication Kit was released in Japan about one month after the previous game. The game mostly acted as an accessory for the others, allowing the player to upload his creations online using a RandNetDD internet service, send creations from one game to the other, and even allowed them to ask Nintendo for a printout of their images. A secret option in the menu let the player download pre-made content for the other games.
Template:Releasedate N64DD	(ratings unavailable)
Paper Mario	After another two years had passed, Nintendo released another Mario game — Paper Mario. It was the first Mario role-playing game since the release of Super Mario RPG for the Super Nintendo. Paper Mario brought up a whole new concept for graphics in the Mario series, as everything in the game was made to look as if it were made out of paper. Once again, Mario had to set out on a long mission to save Princess Peach from Bowser. As Mario set out on his adventure, he met citizens of various villages that wanted to assist him on his journey, the first of which was Goombario. At the end of each chapter, Mario and his partners would fight a boss, eventually leading to the freedom of a Star Spirit. When Mario and his partners had freed all of the Star Spirits, they were prepared to fight Bowser. After an epic two-part battle with Bowser, Mario eventually rescued Princess Peach from her current fate. Paper Mario is the only Mario role-playing game to date in which Bowser acts as the main antagonist; in all other Mario role-playing games, Bowser has either taken the role of an ally, or as a somewhat minor antagonist. Paper Mario has inspired four sequels to date — Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Paper Mario, and Paper Mario: Sticker Star on the Nintendo 3DS.
Template:ReleasedateNintendo 64	IGN - 9.0: Outstanding • Gamespot - 9.5: Superb
Mario Artist: Polygon Studio	Mario Artist: Polygon Studio was the final released game for the Mario Artist series. The game let the player create, render, color, and then texture 3D models. They could also import these models into the other games. These models can also be used in various microgames.
Template:Releasedate N64DD	(ratings unavailable)
Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)	The first sports-oriented Mario game, Mario Tennis was released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000. The game not only introduces Waluigi into the Mario series, but it also re-introduces Daisy and Birdo. Mario Tennis also has several game modes: Exhibition, tournament, special tournament, ring shot, Bowser stage, and the Piranha challenge. This game is also compatible with its Game Boy Color counterpart, able to transfer information between the two. The game is compatible with the N64 version, allowing players to transfer info from the two games.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo 64	IGN - 9.0: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.2: Great
Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)	Months after the release of Mario Tennis on the Nintendo 64, another version was released for the Game Boy Color. The game features four modes: the Mario tour (the game's story mode), exhibition, and linked play, which requires two Game Boys linked together; and a mini-game mode. The game's story involves playing as Alex or Nina, who are trying to rise through the ranks at the Royal Academy, a tennis school.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Color	IGN - 9.0: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.0: Great
Mario Party 3	In 2000, Nintendo released Mario Party 3, the third installment in the Mario Party series. The game once again incorporates the same game mechanics from the previous installments: go around a board to collect stars, and the player with the most wins. However, there is still an original story mode. One day, Mario and friends are relaxing when the Millennium Star arrives and puts them in a toy box. Now, to earn the respect of the Millennium Star and become the Superstar, they have to collect the seven star stamps.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo 64	IGN - 6.4: Okay • Gamespot - 7.5: Good
Dr. Mario 64	Dr. Mario 64 was the third installment in the Dr. Mario series. The game was mostly the same as the original; players had to drop pills into a jar to kill the germs. However, this time, the game had a story mode. In it, the time is flu season, and Dr. Mario wishes to use Megavitamins to cure everyone. However, Wario wishes to steal these and become rich, but Mad Scienstein beats him to it. Now Dr. Mario must go after Mad Scienstein to get his vitamins back.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo 64	IGN - 5.0: Mediocre • Gamespot - 7.0: Good
Super Mario Advance	Super Mario Advance was released onto the Game Boy Advance as a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2, based mostly off of the Super Mario All-Stars version of the game. One of the main differences between this and the original was the inclusion of voices for Mario and friends and bosses. There is also a point system, along with new Ace Coins; collecting all five earns the player a 1-up, along with a star over the level on the level selection screen. An option to play the classic Mario Bros. was included as well. The game's plot remains the same: the dream land Subcon is taken over by Wart, and Mario and friends must save the land from his reign.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 8.0: Great • Gamespot - 8.2: Great
Mobile Golf	Mobile Golf was released only in Japan as part of the Mario Golf series. The game featured similar gameplay to Mario Golf on the Game Boy Color. Several characters from the GBC game could be unlocked as well.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Color	(ratings unavailable)
Mario Kart: Super Circuit	Mario Kart: Super Circuit (known as Mario Kart Advance in Japan) was the third Mario Kart game in the series, released onto the Game Boy Advance. The game mostly involved the same gaming elements as the previous installments, but also contained additions. One new feature in this game is the inclusion of five cups: the four original cups (Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special), and the new Lightning Cup. The game also included a sort of Retro Grand Prix, which was basically all the original Super Mario Kart courses; this marks the first time retro courses have been in a Mario Kart game.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 9.5: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.2: Great
Mario Family	Mario Family was the first sewing machine to be operated by a Game Boy Color. The sewing machine used was the JN-100. The game worked by receiving instructions from the Game Boy Color so the player could then embroider the designs. The designs were all Mario-themed and came from games such as Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Land and Super Mario World. The game was only released in Japan.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Color	(ratings unavailable)
Luigi's Mansion	In late 2001, Nintendo released the GameCube, and one of the launch titles was the Luigi's Mansion. The game was the second ever Mario game to star Luigi as the main protagonist in the game, after Mario is Missing; all other games prior to this one had Luigi portrayed as a sidekick or some sort, or off on his own mission. At the beginning of the game, Luigi is shown walking up to the large mansion that he won in a contest. Inside the mansion, Luigi encounters a few unfriendly beings, only to be saved by Professor Elvin Gadd. The Professor tells Luigi that the mansion is haunted with hundreds of ghosts, and sends him in to stop them in hopes of rescuing Mario. As Luigi passes through the various rooms of the house, eliminating ghosts with the Poltergust 3000, he eventually runs across some of Mario items: his hat, his shoe, his glove, and his star. After taking them to a ghostly fortune teller, Luigi discovers that Mario is indeed still alive and is being held captive by the Boos. Thus, Luigi travels forth more, ridding the mansion of any Boos along the way. Eventually, he finds King Boo's lair, finding Mario trapped within a painting frame. Luigi is whisked away to the mansion's roof, where he battles King Boo and its huge Bowser suit. After defeating King Boo, Luigi takes the framed Mario back to E. Gadd's lab, where he is soon thereafter freed.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 7.0: Decent • Gamespot - 7.9: Good
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2	Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, the sequel to Super Mario Advance, was released near Christmas as a remake of Super Mario World for the SNES. Several changes were also made to this game; one of them being the ability to switch between playing as Mario or Luigi by pressing . Another change is that the player can save from wherever, instead of having to beat a castle, fortress, or ghost house before saving (however, the player can still save by doing that). Mario Bros. was also included in this game. The story is also the same as before; Peach is captured by Bowser in Dinosaur Land, and Mario and Luigi must save her.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 9.3: Amazing • Gamespot - 9.4
Super Mario Sunshine	In 2002, Mario was back in action in his own three-dimensional platformer once again. While on his way to a vacation with Princess Peach and her loyal steward, Toadsworth, they discover a large glob of Graffiti in the shape of Mario's head at Delfino Airstrip. Mario then finds an interesting machine, called F.L.U.D.D., that helps him rid the island of Graffiti. After he collects a total of ten Shine Sprites, an impostor bearing a striking resemblance to Mario kidnaps Princess Peach. Mario then must redeem his identity (because of Shadow Mario) by ridding the entire island of Graffiti, all the while having to rescue Princess Peach. Towards the end of his adventure, he discovers that Shadow Mario is actually Bowser Jr. in disguise. After fighting Bowser and his son, Mario rescues Princess Peach, finally allowing them to start their vacation.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 9.4: Outstanding • Gamespot - 8.0: Great
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3	A remake of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 is the third game in the Super Mario Advance series. Many changes were also made to this game, mostly being level redesigns and additions and graphics changes. Mario Bros., like always, was included as well. The story remains the same: Baby Mario and Baby Luigi are being carried by a stork, until Luigi falls out. Now Mario, allied with the Yoshis, must get Luigi back from Baby Bowser.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 9.4: Amazing • Gamespot - 9.2
Mario Party 4	Nintendo's first Mario Party game for the GameCube was Mario Party 4. The game once again re-uses the gaming mechanics of the previous installments. Toad, Koopa Troopa, Goomba, Boo, and Shy Guy discover the Party Cube, and they invite the characters to celebrate the birthday of a character. However, the five have decided that the characters should win the presents, and, pretty soon, Bowser arrives to create confusion.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 6.9: Okay • Gamespot - 7.2: Good
Mario Bros.-e	The original Mario Bros. game was ported to the e-Reader, a Game Boy Advance add-on. The game is almost identical to the original as the only differences are that there are different coloured Shellcreepers and there is no two-player support. This game was only released in the USA.
Template:Releasedate e-Reader for the GBA	(Ratings unavailable)
Mario Party-e	The first before Mario Party release on a handheld console was Mario Party-e in the 2003. It comes with 64 cards, a playboard, and an instruction booklet.
Template:Releasedate e-Reader for the GBA	IGN - 8.0: Great
Super Mario Fushigi no Janjan Land	Super Mario Fushigi no Janjan Land, translated as Super Mario Ching-Ching Land of Mystery, was a Japan-only arcade game. The game was a medal game featuring many elements from Super Mario Bros. 3.
Template:Releasedate Arcade Machine	(rating unavailable)
Nintendo Puzzle Collection	Nintendo Puzzle Collection was a Japan-only three-in-one game, featuring Dr. Mario, Panel de Pon, and Yoshi's Cookie. The main difference between the original versions of the games and these are the updated graphics.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	(rating unavailable)
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3	Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 was released as a remake of Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES. It is the final game in the Super Mario Advance series. Many of the changes mostly included Mario being able to do things he couldn't in the previous version (for example, being able to break giant bricks as Raccoon or Tanooki Mario). Another addition is the ability to play as Luigi, along with the ability to give one bro's lives to the other. One of the major additions to the game is the inclusion of World-e, where the player can play e-Reader levels by using special cards compatible with the Game Boy. Despite this, the plot, like in the past three, remains the same. Mario Bros. is also once again included in the game.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 9.5: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.9: Great
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour	The Mario Golf series continued when Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour was released in 2003. The second game in the series, featuring sixteen Mario characters, Toadstool Tour featured several game modes, including a tournament mode, a doubles mode, match play, and several others. A few in-game features include Fast Fairways, which allow the ball to roll farther than on normal freeways; Warp Pipes, which will send the ball through to the pipe on the other end of that one when the ball is hit through it; and Chain Chomps, which cause an O.B. shot when the ball is hit toward them.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 8.0: Great • Gamespot - 8.3: Great
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	The fourth installment in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! introduces a one-time addition for the series: two players riding on one kart, one to throw items and the other to drive, and the player can switch between the driver and item user. While characters can be put on teams, each one has their own kart. Each character also has something else that was a one-time addition: a Special Item, an item which only a certain character can obtain. There is also a new type of item box, the Double Item Box, which allows the player to obtain two items at once. The characters are once again divided into light, middle, and heavyweight classes, and yet another new feature divides the karts in this way too; the combination of characters will determine the weight class of kart chosen.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 7.9: Good • Gamespot - 7.9: Good
Mario Party 5	The Mario Party franchise continued in 2003 with the release of Mario Party 5. The game once again follows the same old "go around the board to collect stars" mechanics, with few changes, the most notable being the new Capsule system for items. The story involves the Star Guards wanting to invite the biggest dreamers to the Dream Depot, and they choose Mario and friends. However, Bowser and Koopa Kid want to take over the dreams and ruin them, and it's up to Mario and the gang to stop him.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 7.9: Good • Gamespot - 6.9: Fair
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga	Towards the end of 2003, Nintendo released a huge Mario hit for the Game Boy Advance — Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The game was the first Mario role-playing game to ever be released on a handheld system. The game featured Mario and Luigi, both being playable at the same time. After the evil Cackletta and her henchman Fawful infiltrated Princess Peach's Castle, they stole Princess Peach's voice in order to help dominate the world. Soon thereafter, the Mario bros. head off for the Beanbean Kingdom. After much traversing through the borders and Hoohoo Village, they eventually reached Beanbean Castle Town. When they enter the borders of the city, they find it in ruins. As they reach Beanbean Castle, they find that it too had been terrorized, and that Queen Bean was not herself. After battling her, the bros. set out on an additional mission to find all of the pieces of the Beanstar. After a long journey through the Mushroom World, they eventually reached Bowser's Castle, where Cackletta's Spirit was hiding out. It was a tiresome and fierce battle, but the bros. prevailed as always. The Princess was saved, and the Beanstar was retrieved. All was back to normal once again. This game eventually had a sequel for the Nintendo DS, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and another one in 2009, called Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 9.0: Amazing • Gamespot 9.2: Superb
Mario Golf: Advance Tour	Mario Golf: Advance Tour was released as the latest installment in the Mario Golf series. The game continued to use the RPG-style gameplay, featuring eight Mario characters, four of which need to be unlocked, Advance Tour featured new game mode, including a doubles tournament. By linking the GBA with the GameCube, one can transfer the two main characters of this game over to Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 9.5: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.2: Great
Mario vs. Donkey Kong	Released in 2004, Mario vs. Donkey Kong was a game for the Game Boy Advance. As its name would imply, it revolves around the concept of Mario fighting Donkey Kong. The game had a similar concept to that of Donkey Kong. After Donkey Kong had seen an advertisement on television for Mini Mario toys, he went to the store to purchase some. Since the store was out of stock, Donkey Kong raided the toy factory and stole all of their Mini Mario toys. Because of a hole in the bag in which he was storing the toys, the toys all fell out. Mario, the three Toad factory employees, and all the toys began to mock Donkey Kong. Thus, Donkey Kong kidnapped the three Toads and climbs atop the factory. It is then up to Mario to rescue the Toads.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 8.5: Great • Gamespot - 8.0: Great
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door	In 2004, Nintendo released the indirect sequel to Paper Mario — Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The game was a huge hit, reaching Player's Choice status. The story starts out with Princess Peach in a mysterious town, called Rogueport, looking through someone's rummage sale. She vanishes soon thereafter. After receiving a letter from Princess Peach (mailed before she went missing) Mario sets off on a trip to Rogueport. After arriving there, he finds Toadsworth. To his dismay, Princess Peach mysteriously vanished from Rogueport. So, Mario and his current partner set out on a journey to save Princess Peach, and retrieve the seven Crystal Stars. After a long journey, Mario and his partners set the final Crystal Star in the Thousand-Year Door, they finally unlocked the entrance to the Palace of Shadow — a dark place locked away for an entire millennium. After fighting Sir Grodus, leader of the Secret Society of the X-Nauts, they fought the demonic Shadow Queen. After possessing Peach, the Shadow Queen revealed her true form and battle Mario and his partners. The battle was enormous, and required the motivation of people from across the Mushroom Kingdom to win. The Shadow Queen was defeated, and Rogueport and all surrounding areas were able to relax and return to their lives. Two years later, Super Paper Mario was released for the Wii. It wasn't the direct sequel to this game, but it continued the adventures of Mario in his paper form.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 9.1: Amazing • Gamespot - 9.2: Superb
Mario Pinball Land	In Mario Pinball Land, Mario, Princess Peach, and several Toads are waiting in line to try a new ride at the Fun Fair: The Air Cannon. To ride, the customer must first go through the Spherasizer, a device that will safely compress anybody into the shape of a ball. Afterward, they are fired out of a cannon toward a target. As Peach was about to take her turn, two Goombas showed up and redirected the cannon, sending her flying right into Bowser's Castle. Mario then uses the Spherasizer, to get to Bowser's castle and save the princess. The game is basically pinball, but includes various power-ups to help Mario.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 5.0: Mediocre • Gamespot - 7.5: Good
Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party	Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party, translated as Super Mario Rolling Party of Mystery, was a Japan-only arcade remake of Mario Party 5. A difference between this and console Mario Party games is that this game could be played by up to six players.
Template:Releasedate Arcade Machine	(ratings unavailable)
Mario Power Tennis	Mario Power Tennis was released as the follow-up to Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64, and the second installment to the Mario Tennis series. The game includes an exhibition mode, a tournament mode, and a mini-game mode. Characters are divided into six classes: all around, speedy, power, technique, tricky, and defense. Like in other Mario sports titles, each character has their own Power Shots to help the player.
Template:ReleasedateGameCube	IGN - 8.5: Great • Gamespot - 8.9: Great
Mario Party 6	Mario Party once again returned in 2004 when Mario Party 6 was released. Unlike the past games, one thing was changed in the gaming mechanics: the inclusion of a microphone, which allowed the player to speak and play in Mic mini-games. Another thing that was changed was that every 3 turns, the time of day would change from day to night, and vice versa. The two game hosts, Brighton and Twila, were friends until Brighton asked who was more impressive. This sparked the feud between the two, which Mario and friends hope to stop by collecting Stars and completing the Miracle Book.
Template:ReleasedateGameCube	IGN - 7.0: Good • Gamespot - 6.9: Fair
Super Mario 64 DS	A remake of the original Super Mario 64 and the first Mario game on the Nintendo DS, Super Mario 64 DS incorporates all of the game's old elements, while introducing several new ones (four playable characters and 30 new stars are two examples of this). The game begins the same as the old one; Peach invites Mario to the castle for cake. However, instead of just Mario, Wario and Luigi come for cake, while Yoshi sleeps on the roof of the castle. Bowser then takes over the castle, captures Peach, and locks Mario, Luigi, and Wario inside three rooms. Lakitu then wakes Yoshi up, and now he has to save Mario and the others in order to save the princess once again, this time through teamwork.
Template:ReleasedateNintendo DS	IGN - 8.9: Great • Gamespot - 8.4: Great
Mario Party Advance	The first Mario Party release on a handheld console was Mario Party Advance in 2005. The game had four modes: Shroom City, Play Land, Party Land, and Challenge Land. Shroom City involves the same gaming mechanics as past Mario Party games; However, players travel around inside a car, doing odd jobs for the inhabitants of the city to obtain mini-games and Gaddgets. Play Land allows the player to play the mini-games and Gaddgets they've earned. Party Land lets the player compete to earn coins, and Challenge Land is a multi-player mode where players can compete. Just as soon as the player arrives to party, Bowser arrives and scatters the mini-games and Gaddgets across Shroom City. Now Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi must go around and retrieve them all.
Template:ReleasedateGame Boy Advance	IGN - 6.0: Okay • Gamespot - 6.5: Fair
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix	In 2005, Nintendo released the first and only Mario rhythm game: Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. The game was a Mario edition of the popular Dance Dance Revolution series produced by Konami. The game featured Waluigi as the main antagonist, who had stolen all of the Music Keys from Truffle Tower. Toad then informs Mario of Waluigi's mischief; Mario then sets out on a mission to retrieve the Music Keys back from him. Mario must then visit various locations, dancing to remixes of Mario themes in order to proceed to the next location. The game had five levels of difficulty; the hardest of which contained more than 200 steps in each song.
Template:ReleasedateGameCube	IGN - 8.0: Great • Gamespot - 7.0: Good
Mario Tennis: Power Tour	Mario Tennis: Power Tour was released in 2005, as the counterpart to the GameCube version. It is similar to the Game Boy Color version of Mario Tennis, with the exception of the addition of Power Shots to this game. Unlike the previous Mario Game Boy Advance sports titles, this game isn't compatible with the GameCube version. In the game, either Clay or Ace have entered the Royal Tennis Academy. During this time, however, masked players have arrived at the academy, and begin to defeat to the other students. Wanting to learn who these masked players are and defeat them, Clay and Ace decide to enter a Junior tournament, to eventually rise through the ranks and find out who the mysterious players are.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 9.0: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.5: Great
Dr. Mario & Puzzle League	Dr. Mario & Puzzle League was a "2-in-1" game released on Game Boy Advance, featuring Puzzle League and a remake of Dr. Mario. Dr. Mario was mostly like Dr. Mario 64, but with the pill container being 13 cells tall instead of 16. Puzzle League was a complete remake of the original. Both games also have a feature allowing the player to flip the Game Boy Advance ninety degrees, giving the player a higher resolution playing field. They also have a multi-pack multiplayer feature and the ability to download a demo feature to the GBA.
Template:Releasedate Game Boy Advance	IGN - 7.8: Good • Gamespot - 8.0: Great
Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2	The sequel to Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party, Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2, also a Japan-only arcade game, had the main feature that allowed eight to sixteen people to play at one time.
Template:Releasedate Arcade Machine	(ratings unavailable)
Mario Kart Arcade GP	Mario Kart Arcade GP was the first Mario Kart game to be released in an arcade. The game featured not only Mario characters but also Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Blinky, the red Pac-Man ghost. It had two models: one with a data card dispenser and slot, and one without. Before the player can play, they have to take a picture, the player's face being framed with a Mario hat and mustache. The game features 24 courses and over 100 items, with each character having four special items. Instead of the normal Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special cups, there are four new ones: Mario Cup, DK Cup, Pac-Man Cup, Bowser Cup, and Rainbow Cup.
Template:Releasedate Arcade Machine	(ratings unavailable)
Super Princess Peach	Released in 2005, Super Princess Peach is a platformer for the Nintendo DS. As its title would imply, Princess Peach is the main protagonist. The story is of Bowser sending a large army of his minions to infiltrate Princess Peach's Castle. Because she is not there at the time of the attack, Mario, Luigi, and several of the castle's Toads are kidnapped. Princess Peach must then set out on a long journey — along with her helpful parasol, Perry — in order to rescue those who had been kidnapped and stop Bowser from using his ultimate weapon: the Vibe Scepter, which is capable of making creatures feel emotions and transforming them to fit their feelings. Super Princess Peach featured many extras; among them were three mini-games in which the player had to use the stylus to control Toad. There were also puzzles — only unlocked after all the Puzzle Pieces had been retrieved. Lastly, there were several songs from the game that Princess Peach could collect; these songs would later be played by Peach's band, the Peach Hit Five.
Template:Releasedate DS	IGN - 7.8: Good • Gamespot - 7.2: Good
Mario Party 7	Mario Party still returned when Nintendo released Mario Party 7 in November 2004, the final installment on GameCube. The game once again incorporated all the mechanics from previous releases, including the microphone and mic-exclusive mini-games. However, one feature is included, which allows up to eight players to party, with two players sharing one controller. The game's story involves the gang going on a cruise around the world. However, since Bowser wasn't invited, he has decided to get his revenge, by trying to make the cruise horrible for the gang.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 7.0: Good • Gamespot - 6.5: Fair
Mario Superstar Baseball	Mario Superstar Baseball was the first baseball-oriented game in the Mario series. The game features an exhibition mode for baseball, a minigame mode, a practice mode, and a Toy Field mode. A unique feature for these games is Chemistry, the compatibility between teammates. Good chemistry shows when a player is hitting while a compatible character is on base, and it shows when throwing the ball to a friend. Bad Chemistry does the exact opposite, though it only occurs on the field. Another special feature is a character's Star Skill, a unique move that a character can perform while pitching or batting.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 7.9: Good • Gamespot - 8.0: Great
Mario Kart DS	Mario Kart DS, is the fifth installment in the Mario Kart series. This game has an assortment of old characters, while introducing three new characters to the series. They include Dry Bones, Shy Guy (who is only available in DS Download Play), and R.O.B., a robot that was an accessory for the NES. This game brings back old courses and introduces new, classical courses that appeared in the Wii installment. They include Desert Hills, Peach Gardens, and Delfino Square. This game also includes missions, where the player has to complete tasks in order to advance. Mario Kart DS, shows what Nintendo is capable of throughout the Mario Kart series.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo DS	IGN - 9.5: Amazing • Gamespot - 9.2: Superb
Super Mario Strikers	The first soccer-oriented Mario game, Super Mario Strikers was released on GameCube in 2005. The game is just like soccer, but with no rules and referees, and the ability to use power-ups. Each team consists of five players: the team captain, three sidekicks of the same type, and the goalkeeper. Matches can be from 2-15 minutes long, though the default is five. Each team captain also has a special ability, known as a Super Strike, which allows them to kick the ball straight to the goal.
Template:Releasedate GameCube	IGN - 7.6: Good • Gamespot - 7.2: Great
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time	In 2005, Nintendo released the sequel to Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga; it was titled Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. The game once again allowed Mario and Luigi to be playable at the same time, but it also allowed newcomers to the Mario & Luigi series — Baby Mario and Baby Luigi — to be playable as well. The story revolved around the invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom by a group of extraterrestrial terrorists, known as the Shroobs. The Shroobs had invaded the past and was quickly taking over all of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario and Luigi, after teaming up with their infant selves, were eventually able to stop this catastrophe after defeating Princess Shroob and Elder Princess Shroob. The invasion immediately went into retreat and the Mushroom Kingdom returned to its normal self, thanks once again to the Mario bros.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo DS	IGN - 9.0: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.9: Great
New Super Mario Bros.	This newest installment of the Super Mario Bros. series was released for the Nintendo DS in 2006. New Super Mario Bros. was the first 3-dimensional sidescroller ever in the Super Mario Bros. series. The story revolves around Mario and Luigi, who, once again, are out to rescue Princess Peach; this time from Bowser Jr. The Mario Bros. had to travel through several worlds full of Bowser's minions in order to finally rescue the Princess. This game marked the debut of Bowser's skeletal form, Dry Bowser. The game featured a two-player mode, in which the Mario Bros. would endure races through various levels collecting Big Stars.
Template:Releasedate DS	IGN - 9.5: Amazing • Gamespot - 9.0: Superb
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis	The sequel to Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis features the return of the minis trying to stop Donkey Kong and save Pauline. In the game, Mario's Toy Company has just opened a new theme park: the Super Mini Mario World Theme Park, a theme park dedicated to the Mini Mario, Mini Peach, Mini Toad, and Mini Donkey Kong toys. At the park's grand opening, Donkey Kong sees Pauline and falls in love with her. He tries giving her a Mini Donkey Kong toy, but Mario also offers her a Mini Mario toy. Donkey Kong is then heartbroken as he sees Pauline accept the Mini Mario, so he causes havoc in the park and kidnaps Pauline. After Donkey Kong gets away with Pauline, Mario doesn't know what to do to save her until two Mini Marios that survived Donkey Kong's fit of rage show up.
Template:Releasedate DS	IGN - 7.0: Good • Gamespot - 8.2: Great
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2	Despite the poor ratings of the original Mario Kart Arcade GP, a sequel was created two years later. Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 once again featured characters from the Mario and Pac-Man series, along with Mametchi, a Tamagotchi. A feature that was copied from the original game was the Mario Card, which acts as a player's save file. A new feature in this game is the inclusion of Mario coins, which, when enough of these and regular coins have been collected, will unlock special prizes. In addition to all the old courses returning for this game, there are also two new cups: the Yoshi Stage and Waluigi Stage. Other new features include faces to frame the photo taken with and Internet rankings.
Template:Releasedate Arcade Machine	(ratings unavailable)
Super Paper Mario	Nintendo released yet another installment in the Paper Mario series in 2007, with the release of Super Paper Mario. The game introduced a whole other dimension to the series with Mario having the ability to flip between the second and third dimensions. This new feature was commonly required to pass up various road blocks or to defeat enemies throughout its eight chapters. The story revolves around Count Bleck, an evil mastermind that plans to destroy not only the Mushroom World, but all worlds and dimensions in existence. After reading a prophecy in the Dark Prognosticus, he had already devised a plan on how to do so. Thus, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and even Bowser teamed up, (with the help of many Pixls), to help stop Count Bleck and his vile plans. However, to do so, Mario and his friends had to collect all eight Pure Hearts in order to even have a chance to stop Count Bleck.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 8.9: Great • Gamespot - 8.8: Great
Mario Strikers Charged	The latest installment of the Mario Strikers series, Mario Strikers Charged showed what Nintendo had to offer. The game has the original captains and sidekicks, but it introduces more captains and sidekicks. It introduces Boos, Diddy Kong, and many more characters. It has an assortment of stadiums to choose from. This game also features Wi-Fi Connection. Being the latest installment in its series, it is unknown if a sequel will come out.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 8.3: Great • Gamespot - 7.5: Good
Mario Party 8	Mario Party 8, is Nintendo's ninth installment in the Mario Party series. This game introduces two new playable characters, Blooper and Hammer Bro., and a new host, MC Ballyhoo. This game has an assortment of new mini-games and new game boards. There are five modes in the Star Carnival: The Party Tent, where players can have a classic game of Mario Party; The Minigame Tent, where players can play mini-games; the Extra Zone, where players can play extra mini-games; the Fun Bazaar, where players can buy mini-games, items, and various other things; and the Star Battle Arena, which acts as the game's story mode. Mario and friends have been invited to the Star Carnival to party, and the winner of their game gets a year's supply of candy. However, just as one of the gang is crowned the Superstar, Bowser steals the Star Rod they were to receive, and now Mario and friends must defeat Bowser and get it back.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 5.2: Mediocre • Gamespot - 6.5: Fair
Super Mario Galaxy	The latest main installment into the Mario platformer series was released by Nintendo in the end of 2007, Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii was an adventure on galactic proportions. The story is told that every hundred years, a comet soars over the Mushroom Kingdom, raining stars down upon the land. Princess Peach invites Mario to her castle to join in on the festivities, only to have Bowser and Bowser Jr. crash the party. Bowser once again kidnaps Peach, but orders a Magikoopa to send Mario into a small planetoid. Mario then has to bounce from galaxy to galaxy, collecting Power Stars along his way. After encountering Rosalina and her Lumas, Mario learns that he needs to collect the Grand Stars in order to stop Bowser from completing his plan to create a new galaxy. The game introduces many new items to help Mario along his journey, including the Boo Mushroom, Bee Mushroom, Ice Flower, and many more. Super Mario Galaxy has a few similarities to Super Mario 64, including the fact that Mario must travel to various locations — this time galaxies instead of painting worlds — in order to defeat Bowser. This game gives Mario only three life points, as opposed to the eight that he had in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, but he can increase his life points up to six by use of the Life Shroom.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 9.7: Amazing • Gamespot - 9.5: Superb
Mario Party DS	For the very first time, Nintendo developed a Mario Party game for the Nintendo DS. Mario Party DS came out a week after Super Mario Galaxy and in the same year as its prequel, Mario Party 8. In this game, five meteorites fall from the sky. The next day, Mario and the gang are discussing this when Kamek drops invitations for the Mario gang; Bowser has invited them to his castle for a banquet. However, once Mario and the gang arrive, they are captured, shrunk to a microscopic size, and thrown out of the castle. Now, they have to get back to Bowser's Castle to be restored to their normal height, helping people along the way. This game features many mini-games and it has a unique storyline compared to the other game in its series. All the playable characters that appear, appeared in Mario Party 8. About a year and a half later, Nintendo developed its sequel which is only available in Japanese.
Template:Releasedate Nintendo DS	IGN - 7.0: Good • Gamespot - 8.0: Great
Dr. Mario Online Rx	Dr. Mario Online Rx is the first WiiWare Mario title. Gameplay is basically the same as previous Dr. Mario titles except this game utilizes the Wii's motion sensor. The character can play as either Dr. Mario or their personal Mii. This game also has a multiplayer feature and uses Nintendo Wi-Fi to play against other players online. Virus Buster, a mini-game from Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! was also included in this game. The game is downloadable for 1000 Wii Points in all regions.
Template:Releasedate WiiWare	(Ratings unavailable)
Mario Kart Wii	Mario Kart Wii is the sixth installment of the Mario Kart series. A Wii Wheel, designed from the ground up for the Wii, is included in the package because Nintendo aimed that it would make it a more realistic steering experience. It is, however, compatible with other controllers as well. It features many classic Mario Kart characters as well as several new ones. Mario Kart Wii takes a step in a new direction, as twelve players are present in normal races. All twelve racers head to the finish in a multi-lap race around a given circuit; along the way, they may employ items, engage in horseplay, and take shortcuts to try and come in first.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 8.5: Great • Gamespot: 8.5: Great
Mario Super Sluggers	The sequel to the GameCube title Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Super Sluggers uses several of the elements from the previous game while also incorporating several new features, such as advanced Wii controls and a Challenge Mode, which was created as the most important feature of the game. The Challenge mode also incorporates a story mode, involving Mario and his team trying to reach and defeat Bowser and his team.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 7.4: Good • Gamespot - 6.5: Fair
Dr. Mario Express	Dr. Mario Express was released several months after Dr. Mario Online Rx but on DSiWare. Gameplay is very similar but the Virus Blaster minigame is not included and there is also no multiplayer feature. This was the first Mario DSiWare game.
Template:Releasedate DSiWare	(ratings unavailable)
Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher	Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher was the third Mario Party Japan-only arcade game. The game was based on Mario Party 8, with its main feature being the crane game, and the game allowed up to sixteen players, though each one will be playing a different game. The game's boards were based on Mario Party 8, but they are completely linear. Red and Blue spaces also have a different purpose; sometimes, when the player lands on a blue space, a block hovering over the space will be broken and one of seven events will occur. A mini-game will not be played after every turn. There are also five game events: a Fever Chance Game, a Crane Chance game, a Kurūn Challenge, a Jackpot Challenge, and a Double Up Game. Many of the mini-games in the game were also taken from Mario Party 8; however, the games were changed to work with the game's controls.
Template:Releasedate Arcade Machine	(ratings unavailable)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story	In 2009, another sequel of the Mario & Luigi series was released for the Nintendo DS. In this installment, an epidemic called The Blorbs swept across the Mushroom Kingdom, and it's up to Mario and Luigi to find a cure. However, determined to defeat the Marios, Bowser seeks help from Fawful, where he eats a "Lucky Mushroom". The mushroom gives Bowser the ability to inhale with great force. Bowser uses this ability to consume the Mushroom Kingdom, citizens and all. Throughout the adventure, Bowser realized he was used by Fawful, and in retaliation, goes off to stop his evil scheme. Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi, being inside Bowser's body, does whatever it takes to help Bowser in his quest, by messing with Bowser's insides to affect Bowser in a good way. This is the first time an RPG was created for the same platform as its predecessor. This also marks the first time Bowser is playable in the series, as well as the first time in the entire franchise where he is the protagonist.
Template:Releasedate DS	IGN - 9.5: Amazing • Gamespot - 9.0: Superb
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!	In 2009 a third Mario vs. Donkey Kong game was released; Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! Unlike the previous two games, this game was released on DSiWare instead of a normal handheld console. In this game Mario and Pauline open the Super Mini Mario World Theme Park. Donkey Kong causes trouble when he kidnaps Pauline after becoming enraged because he missed out on a ticket. After Mario uses the Mini Marios to rescue Pauline, it turns out the whole thing was a test for the Mini Marios. This game also used Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Template:Releasedate DSiWare	(ratings unavailable)
New Super Mario Bros. Wii	The sequel to New Super Mario Bros. for the DS, New Super Mario Bros. Wii was released in November 12, 2009 in Australia. This installment includes four players simultaneously controlling their characters, a feature Shigeru Miyamoto had wanted for years. This game also returns the Koopalings, absent since Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, in their first 3-D models. In the story, Bowser and his minions kidnap Peach by using cake as a disguise. Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad travel to eight worlds to save the princess. This game also reintroduces rideable Yoshis, although they can only be ridden in a few levels. The Penguin Suit and the Propeller Mushroom are new power-ups in this game. This game also includes the Super Guide, a demo video for those who are struggling in a particular level.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 8.9: Great • Gamespot - 8.5: Great

2010-present

Title, Original Release, and System	Synopsis and Ratings
Super Mario Galaxy 2	Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a 3D platform game for Wii, and the sequel of Super Mario Galaxy. In the game, Princess Peach invites Mario to this year's Star Festival. On the way, he finds a lost Baby Luma. Once he gets to the town, to his surprise, Bowser, who is now gigantic, attacks Toad Town and flees with the princess. Mario follows him in space and the adventure begins. During the adventure, Mario meets Lubba, the Cosmic Spirit, The Chimp, Bowser Jr., the Toad Brigade, and other characters. To navigate through the galaxies, instead of the Comet Observatory, Mario uses the Starship Mario. The 2-Player mode has been upgraded from the previous game: the second player can control Co-Star Luma, who can grab items and stun enemies. The game also features Yoshi, who Mario can use to eat and stun enemies, and he also has three power-ups: the Bulb Berry, the Blimp Berry, and the Dash Pepper. Other than these additions, the gameplay mechanics are reused from the first game.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 10.0: Masterpiece • Gamespot - 10.0: Prime
Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition	Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition is a Wii port of Super Mario All-Stars. This game features a book detailing the history of Mario and a soundtrack of various songs from Mario games. It was released for the 25th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 7.0: Good
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!	Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! is the fourth game in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, after the DSiWare title Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!. Because of the opening of his new park, Mario is giving Mini Pauline toys to the first 100 guests; Donkey Kong gets to the park and charges to the front of the line, but finds out he is 101st guest to arrive. He's anxious to win the toy, but Mario tells him that the toy is out of stock. Enraged, Donkey Kong kidnaps the real Pauline and Mario and the toys run towards him as the adventure begins.
Template:Releasedate DS	IGN - 9.0: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.0: Great
Super Mario 3D Land	Super Mario 3D Land is a main series game for the Nintendo 3DS. The game combine the elements of a Mario 3D platformer with a 2D sidescroller, using elements like a time limit, linear levels, and even a flagpole at the end of each level. This also marks the first time an original 3D Mario platformer has been released on a handheld system. Several elements from Super Mario Bros. 3, such as Boom-Boom, the Super Leaf, and the Tanooki Suit, returns in this game, as well as featuring several new elements. The term "land" was used in homage to past Mario titles. In the game, a tree with Super Leaves on its branches is affected during a storm, and all the leaves are blown off the tree. The next day, Princess Peach checks the tree, but is captured by Bowser. Later, Mario and three Toads show up and find a letter, which reveals that Bowser has kidnapped the princess and stole the leaves. Now Mario must go off to save the princess again.
Template:Releasedate 3DS	IGN - 9.5: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.0: Good
Mario Kart 7	Mario Kart 7 is the third Mario Kart game on a handheld console after Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and also the latest installment in the Mario Kart series. Mario Kart 7 was unveiled with the Nintendo 3DS. The most prominent features are that the players can fly through the air with a glider and drive underwater with propellers, both attached to their karts. Another unique feature is that, instead of selecting a pre-made kart to drive, the player can customize their own kart, choosing between several premade kart bodies, wheels, and gliders. Mario Kart 7 also marks the return of coins, their first appearance in a Mario Kart game since Mario Kart: Super Circuit. This game is also the first to have online multiplayer be supported by Nintendo Network.
Template:Releasedate 3DS	IGN - 9.0: Amazing • Gamespot - 8.0: Great
Mario Party 9	Mario Party 9, a sequel for Mario Party 8, is a Wii game. The game use a similar gameplay mechanic as Mario Party Advance in that the players move around in a vehicle. Players take turns as the captain, rolling to dice to move the vehicle. Instead of attempting to collect coins to buy Stars, the players attempt to earn the most amount of Mini Stars on each board by collecting them from the board, winning minigames, and beating bosses. They must also avoid Mini Ztars, which decrease the player's current total of Mini Stars. The game also has two boss battles integrated into each board; the players try to take down a boss together, while also trying their best to increase their individual scores. The game's story first involves Mario and friends looking at the night sky when they suddenly see Mini Ztars being sucked into a vortex; the ones behind this are Bowser and Bowser Jr. Mario and friends then head off to save the Mini Stars by defeating Bowser. The game is developed by Nd Cube, the first in the series to not be developed by Hudson.
Template:Releasedate Wii	IGN - 7.0: Good • Gamespot - 6.0: Fair
Mario Tennis Open	Mario Tennis Open for the Nintendo 3DS is the sixth installment in the Mario Tennis series. The game function the use of gyroscopic controls. The player can use the touch screen to choose from various types of shots. The game also features Online multiplayer supported by Nintendo Network.
Template:Releasedate 3DS	IGN - 6.5: Okay • Gamespot - 5.5: Mediocre
New Super Mario Bros. 2	New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a mainstream Mario game for the Nintendo 3DS. Several gameplay elements are based upon Super Mario Bros. 3, as it features Raccoon Mario and the P-charge bar which were introduced in that game. However, the primary focus of gameplay is on collecting as many Coins as possible, with each level providing numerous ways to earn many, such as the Gold Ring, which turns enemies golden to give the player coins, and the Gold Block, which allows the player to wear a block on their heads and collect coins as they run. The game's primary objective is collecting one million coins. The game also features a 2-player co-op mode, as well as a Coin Rush mode, which challenges players to earn as many Coins as possible in three randomly selected levels. This game is also the first Mario game to feature downloadable content.
Template:Releasedate 3DS	IGN - 8.5: Great • Gamespot - 7.0: Good
Paper Mario: Sticker Star	The fourth game in the Paper Mario series, Paper Mario: Sticker Star. The game returns to the traditional turn-based RPG battle system used in the installments before Super Paper Mario. However, this game uses a new sticker-based attack system for battle, instead of the traditional system; players must gather stickers in order to attack enemies, and each sticker may only be used once. The game takes place on the night of the Sticker Fest, where the Sticker Comet appears once per year in Decalburg. However, Bowser appears and unintentionally shatters the comet, splitting it into the seven Royal Stickers that fly across the land; one of them lands on Bowser and increases his power. When Mario recovers from being knocked out, he finds the festival in ruin, and Princess Peach missing. Joining with the sticker fairy Kersti, Mario begins his journey to recover the Royal Stickers and defeat Bowser to save Peach.
Template:Releasedate 3DS	IGN – 8.3: Great • Gamespot – 7.5: Good
New Super Mario Bros. U	New Super Mario Bros. U is a launch title Mario platformer for the Wii U. The game features a flying squirrel power up and Baby Yoshis. The game supports four players at once, like in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The game also has what is called "Boost Mode", where a player with the Wii U's GamePad can make platforms appear. The game later received add-on content in 2013 in the form of New Super Luigi U, an expansion starring Luigi as the main character released to commemorate the Year of Luigi. The game features more difficult courses in place of the original ones, and plays using Luigi's trademark physics.
Template:Releasedate Wii U	IGN – 9.1: Amazing • Gamespot – 8.5: Great
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon	Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is the Nintendo 3DS sequel of Luigi's Mansion for the Nintendo GameCube. The basic premise is that Professor E. Gadd is researching the ghosts in Evershade Valley, when the Dark Moon shatters and causes the once friendly ghosts to turn evil. Thus, Luigi sets out with the Poltergust 5000 to solve the problem. Instead of one, the game features five mansions to explore. There is also a multiplayer mode, the ScareScraper.
Template:Releasedate 3DS	IGN: – 9.3: Amazing • Gamespot – 6.5: Fair
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move	Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move is the fifth installment in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. After a huge success with the Super Mini Mario World Theme Park in the previous game, the Mario Toy Company decides to host an annual Mini Toy Carnival. Donkey Kong joins Pauline to run a game arcade inside the carnival.
Template:Releasedate 3DS (eShop)	IGN: – 7.0: Good
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team	Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is the fourth installment in the Mario & Luigi series. Released as part of the Year of Luigi celebration, the game mostly centers around the world of Luigi's dreams, as gameplay shifts between the real world and Luigi's dream world. Many elements from the previous installment, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, appear to be returning, such as the character Starlow, badges, and an entire species based upon the character Broque Monsieur. The game involves Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and her Toads traveling upon invitation to Pi'illo Island, where they discover a temple containing a magical pillow. Luigi resting on the pillow opens a portal to the dream world, allowing a villain named Antasma to take Peach into the dream world. The brothers must travel between the real and dream worlds to find Antasma and save Peach.
Template:Releasedate 3DS	IGN – 8.0: Great • GameSpot – 8.0: Great
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX	Mario Kart Arcade GP DX is the tenth game in the overall Mario Kart series, and the third game in the Mario Kart Arcade GP series of Mario Kart games. The game re-uses the glider and underwater driving mechanics seen in Mario Kart 7, and also introduces a tank mechanic, in which by collecting a special item the player's kart is transformed into a tank, the turret being controlled by a second player. The game also features five cups, two being unlockable, and two courses per cup, a total of ten courses.
Template:Releasedate Arcade Machine
New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U	A compilation of both New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U on the same disk, released exclusively with the Mario & Luigi Deluxe Wii U set (known as the Premium Pack in Europe). New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U includes notable changes to the originals, including a new title screen and over 200 videos included as bonus content.
Template:Releasedate Wii U
Super Mario 3D World	A follow-up to Super Mario 3D Land, Super Mario 3D World features the same style of gameplay, being based on the 2D games but in a 3D environment. The game features five playable characters; players can play as either Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, or Rosalina (once she is unlocked), the default four featuring their abilities from Super Mario Bros. 2. Several new and returning power-ups, enemies, and items are also featured. The game involves Bowser capturing the Sprixie Princesses, and the main characters chasing him to the Sprixie Kingdom to stop him.
Template:Releasedate Wii U	IGN – 9.6 - Amazing • GameSpot – 9.0 - Superb
Mario Party: Island Tour	Mario Party: Island Tour is the thirteenth overall installment in the Mario Party franchise, and the second on a handheld console. The game returns to the traditional board gameplay of the Mario Party franchise, but each board includes its own style of play.
Template:Releasedate 3DS	IGN – 5.5 - Mediocre • GameSpot – 7.0 - Good
Dr. Luigi	Dr. Luigi is a download-only game available on the Wii U Nintendo eShop. Released as part of the Year of Luigi, the game is a Dr. Mario-style game starring Luigi as the main character instead. The core gameplay remains similar to the Dr. Mario games, though this title features the mode Operation L, in which players stack special L-shaped megavitamins to defeat viruses.
Template:Releasedate Wii U	IGN – 7.5 - Good • – 5.0 - Mediocre
Mario Golf: World Tour	Mario Golf: World Tour is an upcoming Mario Golf title to be released on the Nintendo 3DS, and will be the fifth in the series overall. The game has been announced to feature connectivity to the internet, allowing players around the world to play against each other, either in normal matches or in specialized matches, similar to the internet features of Mario Kart 7.
Template:Releasedate 3DS	IGN – 8.6 - Great • GameSpot – 7.0 - Good
Mario Kart 8	Mario Kart 8 is the eighth installment in the Mario Kart franchise. In addition to having many returning elements from past games, such as glider and underwater sections of tracks and kart customization from Mario Kart 7 and bikes from Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 8 also features courses with anti-gravity segments, allowing racers to drive along vertical and upside-down surfaces. The game also features Miiverse integration in the form of a feature called Mario Kart TV, where players can share replays of races and viewers can comment on them.
Template:Releasedate Wii U	IGN – 9.0 - Amazing • GameSpot – 8.0 - Great
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker	Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a game currently in development for the Wii U. It stars Captain Toad, and expands on The Adventures of Captain Toad levels from Super Mario 3D World.
2014 Wii U
Mario Maker	Mario Maker is a Super Mario course builder currently in development for the Wii U and planned for release in 2015. It allows players to create and edit levels based on Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. U.
2015 Wii U
Mario Party 10	Mario Party 10 is the next installment in the Mario Party series and the direct follow-up to Mario Party 9 currently in development for the Wii U. In addition to the returning Party Mode, the game features the all-new Bowser Party mode. In this mode, one player uses a Gamepad to play as Bowser and face off against the other four players.
2015 Wii U
Mario vs. Donkey Kong	Mario vs. Donkey Kong on Wii U is the next game in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series and the first to be released on a home console. The game was first shown in a demo at GDC 2014 to show off Nintendo's Nintendo Web Framework to developers. The game was officially confirmed at E3 2014. While the core gameplay is the same as in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem, several new features such as Mini Luigis and an improved level creator with new sharing capabilities.
2015 Wii U

Cancelled games and tech demos

Title	Summary	Planned system
Super Mario's Wacky Worlds	Super Mario's Wacky Worlds was a planned game for the Philips CD-i. The game came close to development but was cancelled due to disinterest in the CD-i. The game was to focus on Mario travelling the world. The game came extremely close to completion, and in fact several prototypes exist, but gameplay is limited due to the game being incomplete. The game would have served as a sequel to Super Mario World.	Philips CD-i
Mario Takes America	Mario Takes America was another cancelled game for the CD-i. The game's concept initially impressed Philips, who wanted to release a Mario CD-i game, but the game was cancelled due to Philips being unsatisfied with the games process. The game would have focused on Mario arriving in New York and attempting to make his way to Hollywood to star in his own film.	Philips CD-i
Mario Demo	The Mario Demo was a Tech Demo displaying the 3D features of the Virtual Boy. The demo simply showed Virtual Boy written on the screen and Mario standing underneath it. The letters then flew out onto the viewer. This demo was presumably never intended for home release.	Virtual Boy
VB Mario Land	VB Mario Land was a game planned for the Virtual Boy. It was cancelled due to the Virtual Boy being discontinued because of its unpopularity. The game was to be part of the Super Mario Land series. Not much is known about its storyline, but Wario was to be featured in the game. A Virtual Boy version of Mario Bros. was possibly going to be included.	Virtual Boy
VB Mario Kart	According to German magazine Big N, a game tentatively titled VB Mario Kart was being developed for the Virtual Boy console. It was cancelled presumably due to the discontinuation of the Virtual Boy.	Virtual Boy
Super Mario RPG 2	Super Mario RPG 2 was the original title of Paper Mario. It was initially created as a sequel to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, but the name was changed due to complications involving Square Soft (now Square Enix), the gaming company that developed Super Mario RPG. The screenshots shown for the game under its original title have some elements not included in the finished game, such as Poochy's appearance and differently designed locations.	Nintendo 64
Luigi's Mansion	Luigi's Mansion was originally going to be a game on the Nintendo 64, but was cancelled as Nintendo moved on to the Nintendo GameCube. The game's idea was then going to be used as a Tech Demo for the GameCube, but Nintendo decided to make it a full game.	Nintendo 64
Mario Artist	Four games were released for the Mario Artist series on the failed Nintendo 64DD (N64DD). Originally eight games were planned. The other four were cancelled due to the failure of the N64DD. They were Mario Artist: Game Maker, Mario Artist: Graphical Message Maker, Mario Artist: Sound Maker and Mario Artist: Video Jockey Maker.	Nintendo 64DD
Super Mario 64 2	Super Mario 64 2 was another unreleased game for the N64DD. The game would have followed the 3D style of Super Mario 64 and was even announced to have a multiplayer feature in which the other character would play as Luigi. The game was cancelled due to disinterest in the N64DD. It is believed that some aspects of this game were used in later 3D games.	Nintendo 64DD
Mario Paint 64	Mario Paint 64 was yet another cancelled game for the N64DD. Not much is known about what gameplay would have been like. This game was to be one of the few games to use the Nintendo 64 mouse. The game was cancelled for the same reasons as the other cancelled N64DD titles.	Nintendo 64DD
Super Mario 128	Super Mario 128 was a tech demo for the GameCube which was used to experiment with elements that could be used in future 3D titles. The demo showed 128 Marios being spawned and running around, as well as demonstrating the use of "sphere walking." Although elements from this demo were used in games such as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Mario Galaxy, Shigeru Miyamoto later revealed that this demo had directly served as the basis for Pikmin.	Nintendo GameCube
Peach's Castle	Peach's Castle was a Tech Demo for the GameCube. It was made by Nintendo and sent to various game developers to show the graphics capabilities of the GameCube. The demo showed many of the areas of Princess Peach's Castle, some of which have never been seen in any other games and even included a statue of Metal Mario.	Nintendo GameCube
Face to Mario	Face to Mario was a tech demo for the Nintendo DS. This demo showed a picture of Mario's face which could be squeezed and pulled around, similar to the start screen in Super Mario 64. Wario's face also appeared.	Nintendo DS
Super Paper Mario	Super Paper Mario was originally planned for the Nintendo GameCube but was reworked on the Wii with the same name. The main difference between the beta version and the final one was that it appeared that Tippi was the only Pixl and she morphed into the other Pixl forms. Several enemies shown in the GameCube version were also removed from the final version.	Nintendo GameCube
Super Mario Spikers	Super Mario Spikers was a cancelled game intended to be on the Wii. It was to be a volleyball based game that may have included more violent content, similar to the Mario Strikers series by the same developers. It is unknown why this game was cancelled.	Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Mii	New Super Mario Bros. Mii is a tech demo for the Wii U. It is based off of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, except the player can choose to play as his or her Mii. The demo can be played without use of a television and needs only the Wii U GamePad, which has a screen on it, to play the game. Several elements of this game, such as using Miis as playable characters, have been incorporated into New Super Mario Bros. U.	Wii U

Main features of the Mario series

Major characters

Character	Brief Biography	First Appearance
Mario	Mario is the main protagonist in his titular series of games. He made his debut in 1981, with the release of Donkey Kong for arcades across the world. Mario (going by the name "Jumpman" in that game), had to fight his way through several mazy stages full of obstacles and enemies in order to rescue Pauline from the large ape, Donkey Kong. After that, Mario became largely popular, receiving another game for the arcade — Mario Bros.— and then several more games for the newly-developed home game console, the NES. Throughout almost thirty years, Mario has been the star of the largest game franchise Nintendo has published. Many characters have fought alongside Mario in his adventures in platformers and RPGs, but many have also fought against him during those times. Mario has gone through many physical changes, from his original 8-bit appearance, to his current 128-bit appearance. Mario commonly rescues Princess Peach, as well as several others, such as Mushroom Retainers, as his adventures continue. Mario has even been accepting enough to team up at times with his greatest foe, Bowser.	Donkey Kong
Luigi	Luigi is Mario's taller, younger, twin brother. Luigi first debuted alongside Mario in Mario Bros. in 1983, fighting off the many enemies as a plumber. Luigi reappeared in Super Mario Bros. for the NES, playable only in the two-player mode of the game. He later appeared in Super Mario Bros. 2, being playable in one-player mode for the first time along with Toad and Peach. Luigi has appeared in many of Mario's games, but there were some from which he was excluded — among which are Super Mario Land and Super Mario 64 . Luigi received his first starring role in Mario is Missing!, in which Luigi had to go on a search for Mario. Several years later, Luigi received a similar role in Luigi's Mansion, having to search for and rescue his brother. Luigi has appeared in every single Mario spin-off to date, from the Mario Party series to the Mario Kart series.	Mario Bros.
Princess Peach	Princess Peach — originally "Princess Toadstool" — is one of the main protagonists in the Mario series, and she usually plays the damsel-in-distress. Princess Peach is the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, and is protected by many Toads. However, her protection commonly fails and eventually results in her being kidnapped, be it by Bowser, or by another villain. Princess Peach's original appearances would leave her without an initial design, however, she was later given a standard design in Super Mario Bros. 2. Super Mario Bros. 2 also marked the debut of Peach's first playable appearance, something not found often in mainstream Mario games. Princess Peach was repeatedly the victim of kidnapping for many years, until she finally took over the role of the main protagonist. In Super Princess Peach, she had to rescue Mario, Luigi, and many of the Mushroom Kingdom's Toads from Bowser and his minions. For spinoff installments in the Mario series, Peach is almost always a playable character which the player can choose.	Super Mario Bros.
Princess Daisy	Princess Daisy is the second most prominent female in the Mario series, and she is the ruler of Sarasaland; in her first appearance, Daisy had been kidnapped by Tatanga and had to be rescued by Mario. The redhead princess has appeared in many Mario games since Super Mario Land, most regularly as a playable character. Compared to other females in the Mario series overall, especially in the princess category, Daisy is known for being a tomboy even since her debut as a damsel-in-distress; a role she has yet to subsequently fill. Daisy has a strong affinity for flowers; her special abilities, clothing, and any other general representations always deal with flowers. Aside from her strong friendship with Princess Peach, Daisy also shares ties with many other characters such as Luigi.	Super Mario Land
Yoshi	Yoshi is one of the main protagonists in the Mario series, and he is also the main protagonist of his own series. Yoshi is native to Yoshi's Island, along with his fellow species. Yoshi's first appearance was in Super Mario World, in which Mario would ride Yoshi across the various levels of the game. Yoshi later appeared in his own series of games as a playable character. His only appearances in main Mario games after that were either the same as in Super Mario World or non-playable. Yoshi has appeared in almost every Mario spin-off game to date, always as a playable character. He has starred in every game in the long-running Mario Kart and Mario Party sub-series, and has commonly appeared in the Mario Tennis and Mario Golf sub-series.	Super Mario World
Toad	Toad is a protagonist in the Mario series, and he is commonly found in the company of Princess Peach. Toad originally played the role of Princess Peach's assistant, as well as her guide and guardian throughout her travels; however, he has been reduced to lesser roles since his debut appearance, with his role in main games having been replaced by Toadsworth. His first playable appearance was in Super Mario Bros. 2. He appeared a few years later as the main protagonist of Wario's Woods; with the help of Birdo and Wanda, Toad had to defeat the monsters Wario was sending out from his woods to attack the Mushroom Kingdom. Though he appears identical to many others in his species, Toad is actually an entirely different character; this causes much confusion as to whether or not certain Toads are the Toad discussed.	Super Mario Bros.
Birdo	Birdo is a character in the Mario series. Birdo first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 2 as a boss enemy, and she appears in numerous Mario titles to date. Birdo is shown to have a strong affection towards Yoshi. Birdo is actually a member of a species that shares her name; in Japan Birdo goes by the name Catherine. Like Yoshi, she is sometimes reduced to the role as a species, rather than a single playable character. Birdo also has caused much controversy over her gender. In the American versions of games, Birdo is referred to as a female, but in the Japanese versions, Birdo is a male that is referred to as a female.	Super Mario Bros. 2, (Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic)
Toadsworth	Toadsworth is a protagonist in the Mario series, and he serves as Princess Peach's personal steward. He has replaced the role of Toad since the release of Super Mario Sunshine. He also appeared in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door as Peach's steward; the player could talk to him at any time at the inn at Rogueport. Toadsworth also appeared in New Super Mario Bros.; in this game, he didn't act as Princess Peach's steward; rather, he ran the Toad Houses found throughout the various worlds of the game. Toadsworth has also appeared as a host of a few spin-off titles, such as Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Party 7. He has appeared as a playable character only in the Mario Baseball installments.	Super Mario Sunshine
Diddy Kong	Diddy Kong is Donkey Kong's nephew and lives in the Kongo Jungle. Diddy Kong made his debut in Donkey Kong Country. He has also appeared throughout sports like Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Superstar Baseball, along with Donkey Kong. He also has a peanut popgun and rocket barrels in Donkey Kong 64, and also has them in Super Smash Bros Brawl. He even has his racing series called Diddy Kong Racing, and this game features characters from other series.	Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong is a character that appears in the Mario series, but is the main protagonist of his own series. Donkey Kong made his first appearance in his titular arcade game released in 1981, appearing as the games main antagonist. He later appeared as a sort-of protagonist in Donkey Kong Jr., as he was the caged victim of Mario. Donkey Kong has appeared in the Mario series mostly in spin-off games since his arcade days. In the Mario Party sub-series, Donkey Kong originally appeared as a playable character, but eventually became a feature found on most boards from the fifth installment on. He has also appeared in some spin-offs with Diddy Kong, such as Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Donkey Kong has recently reappeared as an antagonist in the Mario series, once again rivaling Mario in Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis.	Donkey Kong
Rosalina	Rosalina is one of the main characters in the Mario series. She debuted in Super Mario Galaxy installments, but subsequently started to appear in many more Mario games, most notably the Mario Kart series, and even as a playable character in Super Mario 3D World. She is the adopted mother of the Lumas, which are also popular to Super Mario Galaxy. Her main duty is to watch the Lumas and help keep the galaxies safe. Throughout the game, Rosalina gives helpful and important advice and tips to Mario.	Super Mario Galaxy
Bowser	Bowser is the main antagonist throughout most of the Mario series. He first appeared in Super Mario Bros. for the NES, having kidnapped Princess Toadstool. He is the King of all Koopas, and is found to be the final boss in almost all platformers. However, Bowser has, on occasion, teamed up with Mario to help save the world. Bowser has shown signs of affection towards Princess Peach over the years; so despite the fact that he is a villain, he has never put her in any mortal danger. Rather, he has consistently attempted to put an end to Mario, Luigi and Yoshi. Bowser has appeared in almost every spin-off game in the Mario series; however, he has never once appeared as a playable character in the Mario Party series (with the exception of a minigame in Mario Party 4). Bowser was also made the protagonist of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.	Super Mario Bros.
Bowser Jr.	Bowser Jr. is Bowser's son, introduced to the Mario series; he is sometimes considered a replacement for the Koopalings or Boom Boom. Bowser Jr. first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine, acting as the game's main antagonist. He was convinced that Princess Peach was his mother, and thus kidnapped her back from Mario. Bowser Jr. has commonly reappeared in mainstream Mario games, alongside Bowser, usually in the act of kidnapping Princess Peach. He has appeared as a playable character in some games as well; among these are Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.	Super Mario Sunshine
Koopalings	The Koopalings consist of Bowser's seven loyal minions: Larry Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr., Wendy O. Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, and Ludwig von Koopa. Oftentimes, the Koopalings act as high-ranking leaders of the Koopa Troop and mostly appear as bosses in the various Mario series games. The Koopalings are known for taking long hiatuses between their appearances, most recently appearing in New Super Mario Bros. U where Morton, Wendy, Roy and Lemmy have different weapons. After Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, they have not reappeared outside of the main series games. Since their introduction in Super Mario Bros. 3, the Koopalings were thought to have been Bowser's children, as the English manual and various other media released at the time showed said affiliation. However, an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto in late 2012 states that the Koopalings are not Bowser's children, and that Bowser Jr. is his only offspring. They will have their playable debut in the upcoming Mario Kart 8.	Super Mario Bros. 3
Wario	Wario is Mario's greedy, hot tempered arch-rival appearing in the Mario series as a an antagonist and sometimes antihero, and he is the main protagonist of his own series. Wario first appeared in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, having taken over Mario's estate. Wario mostly appeared in Mario spin-offs after that game. He is always a playable character, and is often found partnered in some way with Waluigi. Wario appeared in Super Mario 64 DS as one of the games four playable protagonists; he was the last playable character to be unlocked, and was unlocked after defeating Chief Chilly. Wario is a burly person, generally classified as a heavy character in some manner. The Nintendo Power magazines have stated several times that Wario is actually the cousin of Mario and Luigi, though this has yet to be confirmed.	Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Waluigi	Waluigi is one of the few reoccurring characters to have never appeared in a mainstream Mario game. He is commonly alongside Wario aiding him in many ways. He first appeared in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64, in which he was Wario's partner-in-crime; a trait that he would follow throughout almost every appearance he makes. Waluigi has appeared as the main antagonist in only one game: Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. In this spin-off, Waluigi had stolen all of the Music Keys in hope of world domination. The only other significant connection Waluigi has is with Luigi, who Waluigi considers to be his biggest rival. Not much has ever been revealed about Waluigi's past, so where he comes from, and who he is related to is a mystery. Although he is mostly believed to be Wario's brother, this has not yet been confirmed.	Mario Tennis
Pauline	Pauline was Mario's original love interest. She is the damsel-in-distress in the arcade game Donkey Kong, in which she was captured by the original Donkey Kong. She is one of the few damsels in the Mario series who is not a princess, but simply a normal citizen. After a large gap of absence, Pauline now makes regular appearances in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. There, she fulfills the same role as in prior games, although she can play other background roles..	Donkey Kong
Fawful	Fawfulis a mechanical genius, but his common sense suffers due to his extreme fury, which often causes him to act in a delusional manner. His name comes from the words guffaw (a sort of laughter) and awful. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is the only game in the Mario & Luigi series to not feature him.	Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
King Boo	King Boo first appeared as the main villain in Luigi's Mansion. He was introduced as the king of the Boo species and was imprisoned by Luigi in a painting. He somehow escaped and later reappeared in Super Mario Sunshine as a boss. Under the name of Big Boo, King Boo appears again in Super Mario 64 DS, kidnapping Luigi to get his revenge. After that, King Boo has been participating in a few spin off games, including Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Party 8, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and Mario Kart Wii.	Luigi's Mansion
Boo	Boos are a species of ghosts that tend to haunt castles and other dark locations; they first appear in Super Mario Bros. 3. Boos have the ability to make themselves invisible to others around them, keeping them safe from most possible harm. In Super Mario Bros. 3, Boos are invulnerable to all attacks except for being touched while using a Star. If the player were to stare at a Boo, it would cover its face; if they player were to face the opposite direction, the Boo would chase after the player to attack. In Luigi's Mansion, Boos served as the main antagonists, following their leader King Boo. Boos also have several alternate varieties, from their large counterparts to their vibe-inflicted ones. In Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Boos were show to have a natural talent for racing. In this game, several different-colored Boos appeared as opponents, each much swifter than the last. Boos have also appeared as playable characters in many spin-off games, including the Mario Party series, as well as the Mario Golf series. Some Boos have been shown to have friendly personalities as well, much like Lady Bow from Paper Mario, and the Creepy Steeple Boo from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.	Super Mario Bros. 3
Tatanga	Tatangais an alien invader who once conquered Sarasaland. Although he is acknowledged as an invader, in appearance he looks like a meek purple alien. During the events of Super Mario Land, Tatanga captures Princess Daisy, the princess of Sarasaland, and orders his armies to guard the land's four kingdoms. Tatanga is also the first extraterrestrial	Super Mario Land
Wart	Wartis an anthropomorphic frog king and the main antagonist of Super Mario Bros. 2. He is the leader of his troop known as the 8 bits and his major appearances all center around his efforts to conquer Subcon, a land of dreams. Wart's information in the game's instruction booklet says, "He is the most mischievous of all in the world of dreams. He created monsters by playing with the dream machine." To attack, Wart can spit streams of bubbles or jets of water; he can also use magic and put curses on people.	Super Mario Bros. 2
Petey Piranha	Petey Piranha is a recurring boss throughout the Mario series. He first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine, where he was partly responsible for the mess in Delfino Plaza. Like all other boss characters, Mario made quick work of the overgrown Piranha Plant. After that, he went on to antagonize the heroes further in games like New Super Mario Bros. and Super Princess Peach, or to participate in sports like Mario Super Sluggers and Mario Strikers Charged.	Super Mario Sunshine
Professor Elvin Gadd	Professor Elvin Gadd is a scientist and the creator of Gadd Science, Inc. His career focuses on capturing ghosts that terrorize the Mushroom Kingdom. He first appeared in Luigi's Mansion where he invented the Poltergust 3000 a device used to capture Boos and other ghosts that inhabit the Mansion. He also has made many other inventions such as F.L.U.D.D., the Game Boy Horror and even a Time Machine.	Luigi's Mansion
Blooper	Bloopers — originally called "Bloobers" — are squid-like creatures that are generally found underwater, usually with the company of Cheep-Cheeps. Bloopers can move freely in any direction they wish, though they do so in a slow manner. Bloopers like to corner their prey, closing in on their victim, even ganging up on them. In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Bloopers have the ability to hover through the sky. Their motion in the sky is identical to those made in water, so it looks as if they are swimming through the sky. Bloopers have been shown to be able to survive out of water in the Paper Mario series as well. A Blooper first became playable in Mario Party 8, where it was an unlockable.	Super Mario Bros.
Bob-omb	First appearing in Super Mario Bros. 2, Bob-ombs are anthropomorphic bombs that commonly act as enemies. They are known for their short tempers, leading to their inevitable explosion. Bob-ombs have appeared in many games since their debut. In Super Mario 64, Bob-ombs once again appeared as enemies; here, they were seen in the first course of the game, Bob-omb Battlefield. Along with the black Bob-ombs that would attack the player, there were also Bob-omb Buddies, who are pink in color. They acted as allies that helped Mario somewhat, by letting him use their cannons to rove around the course. Among the notable Bob-omb characters that have appeared in the Mario series are Big Bob-omb, (who acted as the first boss in Super Mario 64 and its DS counterpart), Bombette, (who appeared as one of Mario's partners in Paper Mario), and Admiral Bobbery, (who appeared as one of Mario's partners in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door).	Super Mario Bros. 2 (Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic)
Bullet Bill	Bullet Bills are the last type of enemy to be introduced in Super Mario Bros., appearing in World 5 of the game. Bullet Bills are a type of projectile that are shot out of blasters in order to attack the player. Once fired, Bullet Bills could only move in a perfectly horizontal line across the screen. They are impervious to fire, and can only be damaged by jumping on them. In Super Mario 64, Bullet Bills were much larger in size, and were given the ability to make turns after being shot. Bullet Bills have many varieties, including the large Banzai Bill — which act identically to a Bullet Bill — the sea-bound Torpedo Ted — which are launched out underwater to attack — the Bombshell Bill, an extremely hard and powerful version of a Bullet Bill, and the King Bill, a variant even bigger than the Banzai Bill. Bullet Bills have never been playable in a game, and no confirmation has been made as to whether or not they will be.	Super Mario Bros.
Chain Chomp	Chain Chomps are vicious, dog-like creatures that resemble a ball and chain. They are often staked to the ground so that they can only reach so far. Chain Chomps have long, sharp teeth that they bite their prey with; they also tend to ram their head into any being that approaches them. Chain Chomps have no feet or arms, so they must hop along by their head. They have extremely vicious personalities, and tend to attack anyone or anything that approaches them. They have also appeared in the Mario Party series, usually acting as the subject of a mini-game; even in these roles, they are feared by any around them, and generally try to attack the players in some manner. One variation of the Chain Chomp is the Fire Chomp, a free-roaming orb with the ability to spit fireballs.	Super Mario Bros. 3
Cheep-Cheep	Cheep-Cheeps are a species of fish that first appear in World 2-2 of Super Mario Bros.. In this game, they appear in two different colors: red and green. The red Cheep-Cheeps could swim in a diagonal pattern, while the green ones were restricted to swimming in a straight line. Underwater, Cheep-Cheeps can only be defeated by attacking them with fireballs; otherwise, they must simply be avoided. Cheep-Cheeps are also shown to be able to survive above water, despite being fish. They have the ability to jump at extraordinary heights out of water; there are also some Cheep-Cheeps that live on land, (such as Chef Shimi). Cheep Cheeps have a large variety of subspecies, some of which are spiked, are extremely large, or are miniscule in size.	Super Mario Bros.