I vote Super Mario Rpg... owait...

Anyhoo...

I vote Super Mario Bros. 3 as my favorite in the series. So many levels, secrets and just damn fun to play over and over again. Not to mention it's still a challenging game as of today.

Least favorite: Mario Bros. the original, assuming that's not disqualified too. I hated that damn game. Though in all honesty, I still played the hell out of it cause whenever any game got old and boring, you could always bust that out and play a mindless, yet exponentially challenging game depending how far you made it.

Makes me realize where/why they pulled the old, bounce off each others heads again for the NSMBWii

@Jonathan Melancon: Fixed, thank you. BQ3 is your fav item, BQ4 is your least fav item.

Favourite platformer is a difficult choice between SMB3 and SM64. I'm gonna go with Super Mario 64 though.

Least favourite would be Super Mario Bros. 2. It was good and all but... eh. It didnt really feel like a Mario game (and to be fair, it wasn't)


BQ1. Do you like Mario or Luigi better? Why?
Luigi is wonderful, especially in the Mario and Luigi series. That little laugh he does when he levels up in Bowsers Inside Story always makes me smile.

BQ2. What is your favorite method of flying in the series?
Cape, motherfucker.

BQ3. What is your favorite item, suit, power-up, etc in the series? Why?
Fireflower because YOU CAN SHOOT FIRE GODDAMN

BQ4. What is your favorite item, suit, power-up, etc in the series? Why?
We just had this question? If you mean LEAST favourite, then the Blue Shell in NSMB. Ew.

BQ5. Have you grown to like, dislike, or hate that damn Princess Peach who keeps getting captured? Why or why not?
I don't care about her. I only rescue her because the game makes me.

BQ6. What are a few of your favorite levels in the series? Why?
1-1. Obvious choice, I know. I also loved the Plaza in Sunshine and that level with the massive watermelons.

BQ7: What are a few of your least favorite levels in the series? Why?
Anything underwater. Fuck that noise.

BQ8. What do you want to see the series do next? Why?
A sequel to Galaxy- OH WAIT :D

BQ9: This bonus question is in another castle.
But this is world 8! There are no more castles!

If we're just talking favourites I'll go for Super Mario Galaxy. I know it's not the best game in the series but after Sunshine it had the most improvements from the previous game not to mention it was just fun and in terms of items and level design was incredible.

BQ1: Luigi. He's taller, faster and can jump higher. What's the point of mario anymore?

BQ2: F.L.U.D.D. It was such a good idea put into a game that didn't deserve it.

BQ3: The classic Fire Flower. It was the first time I remember looking at something and actually getting totally mesmerised in a game. I loved that damn thing and I love playing with it.

BQ4: Spring Mario because he wasn't fun, they knew he wasn't fun, they only put him in the game so they could have a 4th hew power up. I fucking HATE Spring Mario.

BQ5: I like the Princess. Anyone else would be afraid to even go outside but she just strolls along the place getting kidnapped like it's nothing. If anything she's brave I'll give her that.

BQ6: I love the obligatory green levels of all the games. I never got the feeling of "OH SHI- IT'S ON MOTHERFUCKERS!" as much in the other levels. Any of the World 1s and Good Egg Galaxy are awesome.

BQ7: All of the sunshine ones. I don't hate Sunshine but it's the worst Mario game of them all. It wouldn't be as bad if it hadn't had been Mario but it brought down the quality of such a great series.

BQ8: Super Mario Sunshine with Luigi, done like Mario Galaxy and with more power ups than just those damn F.L.U.D.D. attachments.

BQ9: Fuck toad. That is all.

SMB3 is the best mario platformer with Mario Sunshine being the worst.

BQ1. Mario since Luigi's jump hangs too much for my tastes. That and they turned him into a wuss.

BQ2. Probably the cape.

BQ3. The sock. Its just amazing.

BQ4. Hammer Bros. suit. I've just never used it.

BQ5. I'm more upset that Mario isn't saving different princesses. He started with Pauline and then Peach and then Daisy before falling back into saving Peach over and over and over again. It has a sense of familiarity, but I'd like to see a more thought out concept other than Peach is captured again. Heck make it like Kingdom Hearts where Koopa kidnaps Peach and when Mario tries to rescue her he finds out that he actually kidnapped 8 princesses across 8 worlds. Do something original!

BQ6. Mario Land 2 had some of the best levels in the series just based on design alone. I miss that sort of creativity.

BQ7: World 8 battleships. They suck.

BQ8. I have a 2d mario again...so not much.

BQ9: This bonus answer is in another castle.

SMB 3 was the first mario game I played, and its still probably my favorite.

Super Mario World, for sure. I still play it to this day.

@ Birdman the Friendly: Hahaha, yes. That's exactly why I did it, because I noticed there were 8 BQ's, and that a 9th "another castle" would be an aggravating surprise much like the Mario series loves to give us!

FAVORITE: Mario 64.
Super Mario 3 is a close second though. Mario 1 was amazing and more impacting than probably any of them, 2 was much better than most people admit(whether it's a true Mario game or not), and 3 expanded on so much in so many ways. Mario 64 also expanded on so much 2d in so many 3d ways -- and it was all done SO WELL. It's still one of the most smooth 3d games i've played. there's times, even to this very day, where i'll be playing a game and realize the main character's footsteps aren't matching the animations EXACTLY right, as if your character is doing a walking animation and just sliding across the ground. Mario 64 is one of the very very early 3d games, and it still has some of the best 3d designs to date. Which is both easy to believe, and also very sad. Shame on 30% of all games that get released.

I liked Sunshine more than most, and the FLUDD water pack thing was fucking awesome, but I really wish Delfinos were never made. There's no reason there couldn't be a town of goofy tropical humans, and Delfinos were just so goofy but not fun, childish but not enjoyable. But the idea of a bizarre Mario Vacation is such a great idea, and one they could even redo in the future with new vacation areas in the Mario universe.

LEAST FAVORITE:
Super Mario World on SNES. Sorry, Hamza, I know it's your favorite. It was definitely a great game, but I didn't enjoy much of the level design -- it felt more about fun and badassness than exploring and secrets. The new color schemes were also fun, but I prefered the traditional colors better. And most importantly (to me), it felt like it wasn't a true part of the Mario canon/series, as if some excellent Mario fan made it. The first time I played it I saw bad guys who were . . . football players.... football players?! What?! It completely broke my adoration, and from then on everything else felt kinda sloppy and all over the place.

Don't get me wrong, it was a good game, it added a lot of great things to the series, but it felt like it added a lot of bad things to the series, too. Which is why some things you don't see anymore in the series, for good reason. Plus, the majority of its great basis came from Super Mario 3 world exploration setup.

y'know you guys really need an edit button...

1. Donkey Kong '94 for Game Boy.. It has some of the best, tightest, and most responsive platforming controls of any game I've ever played. The pacing is brilliant, too--it doesn't *give* you any new abilities, but it masterfully introduces you to the ones you've had all along as it ramps up the difficulty. The levels are lovely bite-sized chunks of combat, platforming, and puzzle-solving. It's an unheralded classic of game design, and I wish some modern gamemakers would look at its progression as an alternative to Metroid-style ability unlocking.

2. Super Mario 64. It was innovative, and influential, but it didn't feel at all like Mario. It feels more like a Banjo-Kazooie game than anything. Galaxy was the first 3D Mario that I thought really got it "right."

BQ1: Luigi; there's actually some amount of substance and character to like there. Mario's too much of a blank slate--even with Charles Martinet doing his voice, he's still the ultimate silent protagonist.

BQ2: Cape. It's the most fun to locomote with--there's actual technique involved, so you can improve at it. The racoon suit is just button-mashing, the hat's just steering in 3D space, and the FLUDD's too limited in use. Honorable mention to the Mario Land 2 Carrot, just because I'm sure nobody else will mention it.

BQ3: Cape again, with Tanooki a close second and Kuribo's Shoe an honorable mention. Both cape and tanooki give really interesting combat AND locomotion options, but I find flight with the cape to be more fun, so it edges out.

BQ4: Assuming this is supposed to be "least favorite," I'm going to have to say Mario 64 Vanish Cap. It may as well have been the Blue Key from DOOM, for as much as it changed gameplay.

BQ5: I like her because she's generally a great character every time she's playable. I prefer light, quick-accelerating characters in the kart racers, she's awesome in Mario RPG, and the float ability in Mario 2 is awesome. Moreover, I enjoy the literary technique of subverting expectations, and "The Princess is Kidnapped" is such a well-established trope that I'm always interested to see how Nintendo will choose to tweak or subvert it in any given game.

BQ6: Mario 1 - World 1-2. First underground level, first warp zone, and the ability to enter the Minus World. Awesome.

Mario 1 - final Bowser's Castle. The "right path" level is awesome.
Mario 3 - World 1-2. I love the music notes, and I love sliding downhill. And chain Starmen are wonderful.
Mario 3 - World 7-1. I love the pipe levels. A mostly-vertical level from time to time is great fun.
Mario World - Donut Plains 1. Capes EVERYWHERE.
Mario World - Any ghost house. I love the design philosophies there.
Mario World - Cheese Bridge. The platforming on ropes is a blast.
Mario World - Castles. There's a ton of fun stuff in many of those, from the moving wall segments to the Bridges 'O' Doom to the chain-link fences.
Mario World - Star Road. Fun puzzle levels, even moreso than ghost houses.
Mario Land - World 1-3. I love the paths that you can only take as small Mario, the hidden elevators, and the whole underground aestetics.
Mario Land - World 2-2. Fond memories of the hidden platforms there.
Mario Land - World 2-3 and 4-3. Mario the Shmup!
Mario Land 2 - A world set inside a giant Mario made out of LEGO-brand building blocks, inexplicably guarded by the Three Little Pigs.
Mario 64 - I have a soft spot for jumping through Thwomps in the Thwomp level, and some of the races in the first snow world are just a blast.

BQ7: Any fixed-pace auto-scrolling level. Yes, this includes the Mario 3 Airships. I really don't enjoy how the pacing of those levels flip-flop between "oh shit I'm about to die right now" and "bored bored bored waiting for the game to let me do something" with no moments in-between.

BQ8: I haven't the foggiest.

BQ9: Thank you Mario. Oh! Daisy

@Fronz: How is Super Mario World not about exploring and secrets? That was the entire point of the Ghost Houses, Star Road, the myriad of secret exits to levels... there's more secrets to find and exploration to do in Super Mario World than there ever was in Super Mario 3.

I pick Super Mario World as the best. It had multiple level endings, star road, Yoshi, and loads of secrets. It really did feel like one big immerse world. It's fantastic

I like Mario better than Luigi I guess. He's chubbier. But then again, Luigi is hilarious... It's hard to say. I'll go with Mario because I've spent more time with him. Luigi just pops up every now and then to dick around.

My favourite method of flying in the series is without a doubt the super cape. It require a lot of finesse and you can actually manage to continuously gain altitude unlike the other suits which peter out after a while. Not to mention dropping like a bomb is always fun. I should mention that my runner up is the propeller hat from NSMBW. It's a LOAD of fun.

Favourite item? Is Yoshi an item? If so, then Yoshi. There is nothing funner then riding around on a dinosaur that eats everything and poops out mushrooms.

The Koopa suit from NSMB... So many unintentional deaths from that thing... So many...

I love 4-2 from NSMBW, the place with Kuribo's shoe in 3, Donut Plains in SMW, the bob-bomb place with the flying hat in SM64, and the last level (leading up to Bowser) and Gusty Garden in Super Mario Galaxy.

Oh gee... I dunno. I hate most ice levels... And some of the levels in Galaxy were painfully hard with comets on them..

I wanna see the series stay the course, really. Keep the 3D and 2D Mario's alive together. I wouldn't mind NSMB to go hand-drawn, though. that would be fantastic. A fully 2D Mario again. but I have no real complaints about the series.

I think my favorite is Super Mario World, with Mario 3 coming in on a close second.

BQ1. Do you like Mario or Luigi better? Why?
Mario. Even if he is short and fat, he never lost his hope. He didn't quit after getting the message "Princess, another castle, fu", he just kept going. He is an inspiration to us all.

BQ2. What is your favorite method of flying in the series? Raccoon suit, cape, winged hat, F.L.U.D.D. water jet backpack, etc. Why?
Cape, although harder to fly with it, you could fly much longer and even make a bomb with it.

BQ7: What are a few of your least favorite levels in the series? Why?
Underwater levels, or levels with no ground.

BQ8. What do you want to see the series do next? Why?
Anything else than a new Mario Galaxy, it was boring and I didn't like it. Didn't feel like mario to me. Oh wait. (Although Nintendo is forgiven because of Mario Bros Wii)
BQ9: This bonus question is in another castle.

Super Mario 3

Super Mario World. The level design was brilliant, I was happy to replay levels to get the alternate exit. The best game for the SNES and it came with the damn system. Nintendo's gone downhill since this one, and that's why it's the best.

awa64: yah, you've got me on that one. i'll take that back -- just because i disliked the game's theme and setting doesn't mean i can fault its advanced level design. i definitely owe the game another try.

1.) Favorite Super Mario Game: Super Mario World
2.) Least favorite Super Mario Game: Super Mario Land

BQ1.) Mario, cause he's not a pansy like Luigi :P
BQ2.) Cape easily. The cape has been the most maneuverable of any of the flying methods in any of the Super Mario games. I'm very annoyed it hasn't reappeared in any of the games, as it truly was fantastic. Close second goes to Winged hat Mario.
BQ3.) Favorite item: Cape. Read: Above.
BQ4.) Invisible Mario is my least favorite item. So lame. Does nothing interesting but go through a couple of walls :P
BQ5.) Princess Peach is the bomb :D It's because of her we have had so many great Mario platformers over the years.
BQ6.) Favorite levels: Nearly every level in every Mario game has something unique or interesting about it. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'd have to say... any level that isn't a swimming level XD
BQ7.) The swimming levels aren't as fun to me as the other levels. Luckily, Nintendo is smart and realizes this, and spreads them out far enough so that they are just infrequent enough for them to be entertaining. But if the entire game was swimming levels, it'd pretty much be the worst thing ever.
BQ8.) I want the series to combine every Mario suit that has appeared in the game into one. Bring back the cape Mario!! Also, what about the frog suit? And Kuribo's Shoe?!? Tanooki?? And what's up with me not being able to keep Yoshi at the end of the levels in the new game?? He's so fun!
BQ9.) STFU~! :P

To me it's a tough choice between three games that were each intros to the series in their own way. SMB3 was my first Mario game which I played at a friend's house before I owned any game console. Second would be Super Mario 64 which I almost passed up to get the SNES due to a brief playing of Super Mario World. My third contender would be Six Golden Coins on Game Boy as that game taught me the word "macro."

It may seem like the easy way out, but I really have to give my vote to Super Mario 64. There's just a pure sense of joy to be had from the very second you turn on the N64.

Q1: Mario is an awesome character with a lot of humor and quality his own, but there is something special about Luigi in way that I think about sidekicks in general. Han Solo, and Chewbaca even more so, are so well loved by largely being side characters for most of the movies and so each of their scenes does more for the character and they never overstay their welcome.
To get back to the topic, that's how I see Luigi. He doesn't have as much presence as Mario, and as a result is a special treat whenever he shows up. Not to mention that he apparently has some very dark secrets.

Q2: Definitely the Raccoon/Tanooki suit. The first time you get one and get to make that power run into flight is nothing but awesome.

Q3: My favorite item is definitely the Fire Flower from SMB3. I love the sense of power it brought and nothing quite defeated a boss like it. And let's not forget it's power underwater.

Q4: I'm going to assume this is meant to be the least favorite item. In any case I'm going to answer it that way regardless. My least favorite would have to be the Fire Flower in Galaxy for the simple fact that it and the ice flower are limited in time and fire rate. They just don't have the power of the 2D iterations of the Fire Flower and that, along with it's absence from other 3D Mario games makes it my least favorite. The nonexistent Fire Flower is the worst!

Q5: The capture and rescue of Peach is just another cycle in life, much the same way as the seas become rain and then return to the sea again. She does kick some ass every now and then too and that certainly helps.

Q6: Favorite level is hands down 1-5 in SMB3. That slide down the hill taking the enemies down is truly an entrance like no other. And due to my general failure at that game's later levels, I got to play it a lot. Strangely, when it was changed to a dirt hill in the GBA version it lost something to me that I can't quite place. And pretty much all the levels in 64 were amazing. Oh, I almost forgot about the part in SMB3, in one of early gray castles, if not the first, where you sprint as the whomps crash behind you. Perfect!

Q7: My least favorite level would have to be whatever level in SMB3 that the big gulper fish appears in. That guy is a dick and I hate that level. The auto-scrolling ones to a certain extent, but once my skill improved they became more fun.

Q8: Honestly, I think the guys making Mario are more imaginative in that regard than I could ever be. I may sound like a kiss-ass, but whatever they do I'm sure I'll love. The one area I think they've fallen somewhat is in catchy tunes. The music has never been a negative, but it's never been quite as iconic after Super Mario 64, or at the very least, has not had as many memorable tunes in each game. Although some more shy guys and boos couldn't hurt.

And that leads me to asking a question of my own if anyone reads my entire post. What is your favorite tune/overall soundtrack in the Mario games?

P.S. I totally would have had this up sooner, but my internet died while I was writing it and delayed me just a little. I wasn't slacking!

I'm surprised so many are choosing smw over smb3. Smb3 changed the whole landscape of platforming. Smw refined it, but smb3 was so far beyond it's contemporaries. All of the people I know who don't game now but did a little gaming in youth remember two games: contra and smb3. If we send a game on a satelitle looking to make first contact with other life, it should include smb3 gameplay loops!

Super Mario Brothers 2: Yoshi's Island is my favorite Mario platformer of all time, hands down. The game has its own unique charm from its crayon-style art and a yoshi-fied twist to the franchise's gameplay and level design, setting it apart from the rest of the series in such an amazing way. Though it definitely could have done without Baby Mario's incessant crying.

As for worst in the series, if it counts, I vote Yoshi's Story. A failed attempt at taking the Yoshi's Island formula and making it appealing to a wider audience (storybook-style graphics to draw in the children, a very simple objective for most players and a useless melon-collecting goal for hardcore gamers) left us with a bastardization of a great game.

If Yoshi's Story doesn't count, then Super Mario Sunshine. Maybe I didn't put enough time into it, but I couldn't get into that game.

If Yoshi's Island doesn't count, then I'll trap you in Mario's dreams in a room crowded with Phantos. With no doors. Nor potions. And there will be a giant key soldered to your hands.

I vote for...Mario's Time Machine!!!

Hey, I'm a historian, and the game has enough platforming in it to count...right?...

Question 1: My most favorite would have to be Super Mario 64 without a doubt. Nearly infinite replayability, it's just fun to mess around in the environments, and it was a huge breath of fresh air that the series desperately needed.
Question 2: My least favorite would have to be Mario Sunshine. I tried really hard to get into that one, but I just found it to be really boring and not very conducive to exploration.

BQ1. Do you like Mario or Luigi better? Why? Mario is better in that he's really a neutral character. Since they're basically the same except for in some iterations, Luigi has that weird arched jump, I just find Luigi to be a really annoying character.

BQ2. What is your favorite method of flying in the series? Raccoon suit by far. The wing hat would be it because of how fun it is, but it's much easier to control yourself as the raccoon.

BQ3. What is your favorite item, suit, power-up, etc in the series? Why? Tenuki suit because you can turn to stone for no reason at all.

BQ4. What is your least favorite item, suit, power-up, etc in the series? Why? The Bee suit from Mario Galaxy was terrible. It solved the puzzles that it was meant for, sure, but you couldn't get it wet and you couldn't use it outside of the levels it was meant for.

BQ5. Have you grown to like, dislike, or hate that damn Princess Peach who keeps getting captured? Why or why not? I'm pretty indifferent about her. I just see her as an arbitrary means to inject plot in a game that would otherwise not have plot.

BQ6. What are a few of your favorite levels in the series? Why? I really liked all of the snow levels from all of the games. I think that hit the nail on the head with all of them across all games, and especially those in Mario 64.

BQ7: What are a few of your least favorite levels in the series? Why? FUCKING HATE WATER LEVELS. Because of drowning.

BQ8. What do you want to see the series do next? Why? I still haven't played New Super Mario Bros. Wii, so I want to see that game be badass (unlike Super Mario Galaxy which was hyped up and didn't deliver).

BQ9: This bonus answer is in another castle.

1. FAVORITE - SMB3 - It really set the standard by which all platform games would follow for the rest of time. Myriad power-ups, entire secret levels, Mario can fly, and was, for its time, the most epic experience and a fundamental part of my young life.

2. LEAST LIKED - Super Mario Sunshine - It wasn't that this was a terrible game by any reach, but it tried to hard to change up the formula of Super Mario 64 without working out very well. F.L.U.D.D. was annoying, I just wanted to jump on enemies and shoot fireballs. TAKE NOTE SONIC: GIMMIC GAMEPLAY CHANGES ARE NOT WHAT WE WANT. (had to, he's the main offender between the two...)

BQ1: Luigi. He is always the #2, and I'm an underdog fan. Plus he probably bangs Peach while Mario is off with Daisy, Penelope, or whatever floozy he has this week.

BQ2: Raccoon Tail/Tanooki Suit. Mario in full-on furry form!

BQ3: FAVORITE ITEM - Hammer Bros. Suit - Because I love chucking hammers at stuff.

BQ4: LEAST FAVORITE ITEM - F.L.U.D.D. - (see above)

BQ5: I can never dislike the Princess. I just think she could use better security. I mean, in the newest game one of Bowser's kids snuck into her FREAKIN' BIRTHDAY CAKE. Come. On.

BQ6: I've always enjoyed every level from every first world of the Mario games. They always establish the basic fundamentals and enjoyable gameplay. But no level will ever top 1-1 from the first SMB for that. Also all of the ghost house levels from Super Mario World on up, EXCLUDING Luigi's Mansion. Sorry Luigi.

BQ7: Always despised underwater levels because I'm lazy and they are tough. But the main offender is always the castle levels where you have to figure out the path to the end by choosing the right level of height hallway to walk down. Especially in SMB 1 and 2j, where there was no indication by 'chime' that you were doing anything right or wrong and just had to run around confused.

BQ8: Next for the series? A game where Mario kidnaps Bowser's first daughter and you play as Bowser to rescue her. Make Mario the bad guy again like in Donkey Kong Jr. and give him an edgier vibe.

BQ9: Damnit... play on!