30. Super Mario World
Platform: SNES
Release Date: 1991
Video:
Super Mario World is a great game, my favourite Mario game. The cape, Yoshi, switch palaces, star road, alternate exits, Yoshi coins, ghost houses -- all things that came straight from this game. There's a fun factor to World that I find missing from other Mario games. It's undefinable but there's just a special something about the way the levels are designed, the way the cape moves or the thrill of getting a Yoshi. Maybe it's the music. Maybe it's the physics. I don't know. Something about this game is just happy.
And yet when I sit down try to think of a specific moment in Mario World that defines the game, I can't come up with one. When I think of Mario 1, 2 or 3, I can instantly recall specific areas or levels. In Mario World it's just a blur of happiness. What I'm trying to say is that Mario World, while awesome, doesn't quite have the pedigree that Mario 1 or 3 do. It's undoubtedly a second tier Mario game when it comes to importance. You could skip this game and just play 3 and probably wouldn't miss very much.
can't imagine life without Yoshi, though
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xyzzy