Board 8 > Ranking the "classic 2D Super Mario games"

(+) Yeah! (+)

Unmarked spoilers for the games below.

Inspired by the recent poll of the day. All the 2D games which came out before Super Mario 64. Excluding SMW2: Yoshis Island here because despite what Nintendo says, I dont consider it mainline and *whispers* its a Yoshi game.

7) Super Mario Land (1989, Game Boy)

We have Mario at home. OK I can respect it was a launch title for the Game Boy but why did it have to feel like a Mario knockoff rather than a Mario game? Probably because its the first game in the series not to be developed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendos EAD division. Its not actually bad, and it did introduce Daisy. It has 12 adequate levels filled with not koopa troopas and not fire flowers and not as much fun as the other games. Its freaking Mario, the bar is set sky high. This game is alright. The SML games were originally not considered mainline by Nintendo and hmm this is the only mainline game before Sunshine not available on Nintendo Switch Online. Almost like Nintendo knows its the worst too.

6) Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1988, Famicom Disk System)

Has enough SMB in its DNA to be a good game even when its so frustrating. Sometimes its hard, sometimes its just plain cheap, and at times that leads to committing the cardinal sin the game isnt always fun. They made the right decision not bringing this over to the NA region because it does feel like its punishing the player at times. Playing this the intended way where your only checkpoints come when you make it to a new world certainly means you feel elated when you clear each x-4 level but the irritation often outweighs the delight. Still its Mario. Whoever decided to lock the bonus worlds behind beating the game 8 times needs to be chain chomped.

5) Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (1992, Game Boy)

This game is really good. Its laughable how much it outclasses the original SML in every conceivable way. Its not a long game obviously but it has nearly triple the levels of SML, secret exits, and Bunny Mario. Bringing back SMLs big bad Tatanga as a world boss was an inspired choice, and Wario is a fun final villain in his debut.

4) Super Mario Bros. 2/USA (1988, NES)

The weirdest classic 2D Super Mario game. Plucking vegetables, the vertical scrolling, the non-standard enemies. Freaking Birdo. This game had to grow on me, but it certainly did and Im glad its part of the mainline Mario games. It cant touch the best of the classic games imo but you gotta respect what it does well four playable characters and the best bosses of the original games (there I said it, sorry koopalings). This game is possibly underrated because of the games above it on this ranking. Only beaten it on a Mario-only playthrough and I hope to beat it as all characters one day. Phanto scared me as a child =(

3) Super Mario Bros. (1986, NES)

First game I ever played. Immensely influential, a genuine masterpiece a 10/10. Every time I revisit this game Im blown away by how tight the controls are, its incredible how good movement feels. And of course the classic enemies, iconic OST and brilliant level design just work together to create something special. Its no wonder this was the game responsible for turning Mario into a tremendously popular franchise.

2) Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, NES)

ITS SMB3. One of two valid choices imo for best of the classic 2D Super Mario games. The power-ups, the worlds and levels, everything is just cranked up to 11. I could brag on this game for paragraphs but it is perfection, no notes.

1) Super Mario World (1990, SNES)

I never owned an SNES and I beat this game for the first time in 2023 via Nintendo Switch Online. This is the ultimate classic 2D Mario platformer. Leveraging the new (at the time) technology of the SNES, Nintendo made a feast for the eyes and ears. World is constantly a joy to look at, listen to and play. Despite playing a ton of SMB3 growing up and no World, not even nostalgia goggles can keep me from recognizing the sheer delight of this game. Yoshi and the feather make things a lot of fun, though I wonder if Id put this game below 3 if I lacked the self control needed to avoid just flying through every level without really engaging. Oh yeah and they named an enemy after Trent Reznor thats pretty sweet. Insanely great game and one I regret not playing fully sooner. Great example of the joy video games can provide.

Lost Levels is great if you're a hardcore SMB1 fan, but yeah it's a very NES hard kind of game, in a way that is just unnatural for Mario.

I would probably put that as #4, and SMB1 on top. Does feel a little weird to argue that SMB1 is better than 3 or World, but I like going back to it even more.

world
3
land 2 maybe?
probably 2
Land
original smb
never really cared about lost levels

original probably deserves to be at least ranked 4 here, but at this point Im more inclined to play any of the others.

also part of me wants to put Land at 3 even though I played all of these games for the first time at basically the same point in my life (extremely young child), I feel a really strong nostalgia for Land specifically. I played it a lot in the car, I guess.

wallmasterz posted...

Unmarked spoilers for the games below.

Inspired by the recent poll of the day. All the 2D games which came out before Super Mario 64. Excluding SMW2: Yoshis Island here because despite what Nintendo says, I dont consider it mainline and *whispers* its a Yoshi game.

7) Super Mario Land (1989, Game Boy)

6) Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1988, Famicom Disk System)

5) Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (1992, Game Boy)

4) Super Mario Bros. 2/USA (1988, NES)

3) Super Mario Bros. (1986, NES)

2) Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, NES)

1) Super Mario World (1990, SNES)

I haven't played the Land games in a very long time but I'd agree with this ranking other than flipping 3 and World (but those are super close no matter what).

there's really no other ranking except switching 3 and world, as mentioned

2 is the best IMO and I don't care what anyone says.

Xtlm posted...

2 is the best IMO and I don't care what anyone says.

the unusual rankings are the interesting ones!

if you included the NSMB games, where would they go?

Ill have to answer that after I play them!

Xtlm posted...

2 is the best IMO and I don't care what anyone says.

it won game of the year 8 years in a row for a reason!

Including NSMBs on mine

3
World
Land 2
2
NSMB U
NSMB Wii
SMB
NSLU
NSMB
Land
Lost Levels
NSMB 2

Right now, Wonder is looking like a top 5, possibly top 3

The older I get the more I'm inclined to put SMB1 on top. It's definitely competing with World for that top spot, at least.

World
3
2
Lost Levels
1
Game Boy stuff

1) Super Mario Bros - 10/10
2) Super Mario Bros 2 - 10/10
3) Super Mario World - 9/10
4) Super Mario Bros 3 - 8/10
5) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 8/10
6) Super Mario Land - 8/10
7) Lost Levels - 4/10

SMB1 & 2 are still a blast to replay/speedrun. SMB3 would have been my #1 maybe a decade ago, but the autoscrollers and secret routes you have to take can be brutal. Lost Levels is so mean it isn't fun imo.

Put Mario Land 2 ahead of Mario Bros 2, at least, and I might agree. As someone who had a Gameboy but no Nintendo console, I loved SML2. SMB2, otoh, was a pile of acid trip garbage, and while I'll respect the opinions of others in not expecting it to come in after Lost Levels or Land 1, it can't beat Land 2.

Personal ranking:
7 - Super Mario Land
6 - Lost Levels
5 - SMB2
4 - SMB1
3 - 6 Golden Coins
2 - SMB3
1 - World

There was a time when I would have put Mario 3 first, but it definitely hasn't aged as well and I might have been willing to put it third here.

World
SMB3
SML2
SMB1
LL
SMB2

Haven't gotten to the first SML yet. Hopefully it makes its way to Switch Online eventually

7) Lost Levels
6) SML
5) SML2
4) SMB2
3) SMB
2) SMW
1) SMB3

I'm in the camp of putting Lost Levels dead last because it's a level of difficulty that takes away all enjoyment for me, but I'm simply not the kind to like punishing platformers and avoid them. The other Mario games are very good at knowing how to set the difficulty just right.

SMB3 > SMW > SMB2 > SMB > SML2 > SML > SMBTLL

All great aside from bottom two. Land is okay, but not really on par with those in front of it. Big gap between 3 and World and another big gap between World and 2

I have a soft spot for Lost Levels because the version of Mario I had on my TI-84 had all those levels in it

Surskit posted...

I'm in the camp of putting Lost Levels dead last because it's a level of difficulty that takes away all enjoyment for me, but I'm simply not the kind to like punishing platformers and avoid them. The other Mario games are very good at knowing how to set the difficulty just right.

The other NES games employ great elements of game design and then there is Lost Levels that exists just to be a dick.

It wasn't made to be fun it was meant to be a painful experience.

True about Lost Levels, but I am also 106%'ing Super Meat Boy for probably my fifth time and currently trying to get my best times possible on all its levels.

Hurt me.

After playing through the FDS version the eight times necessary to unlock Worlds A-D I think I unironically like Lost Levels more than SMW. Ive never been that high on World anyway, but I like the challenge level of Lost Levels. Most of the hard parts are more about knowing how and where to build up or maintain running speed than anything else, which is a skill I enjoy having to develop

3
1
2
LL
World
Land
Land 2

WazzupGenius00 posted...

After playing through the FDS version the eight times necessary to unlock Worlds A-D I think I unironically like Lost Levels more than SMW

This sounds like Stockholm syndrome

WazzupGenius00 posted...

3
1
2
LL
World
Land
Land 2

What a gross order, beyond maybe 3 being first.

3 > World > 1 > 2 > Mario Land 2 > Lost Levels

Never played Mario Land 1

playing as Luigi in LL is pretty awesome too.

Completely changes how you play the game, unlike the SMB2 cast. (Well they do play differently but the level design is a bit too simple for it to matter much)