Continue
Continuing is a game mechanic found in several games in the Super Mario franchise. When a player gets a Game Over in certain games, they may be given the option to use a Continue to resume gameplay with a fresh set of extra lives, usually requiring them to start over from the beginning of the area or world they were in.
Continues are differentiated from simply resuming the game from a save point, as they do not typically require the game to be saved first. Additionally, some games may only give a finite number of Continues to the player, and must be played from the beginning if all Continues have been used.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Super Mario Bros. has Continues as a feature in the form of a cheat code: on the title screen, holding 
while pressing 
will allow the player to restart from the beginning of the world they got a Game Over on, at the cost of all their points and coins. This can be used by the player infinitely. If the continue code is used when starting a 2-player game, both players will start at the beginning of whichever world was played last.
In the Super Mario All-Stars version of the game, as well as in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, the player is instead directly given the option to continue when getting a Game Over, similar to Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. In the latter version, using a Continue starts the player at the level they got a Game Over on, rather than the beginning of the world.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels / Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels features a Continue option on its Game Over screen, which otherwise functions the same as in Super Mario Bros. Once again, there is no limit to how many Continues the player may use. The Continue feature cannot be used on World 9 in the original version of the game, as it is replaced with a congratulatory message on the Game Over screen.
In both the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe versions of the game, using a Continue starts the player on the level they got a Game Over on, rather than the beginning of the world.
Super Mario Bros. 2 / Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario Advance
In Super Mario Bros. 2, the player is given two Continues per game, which each start the player at the beginning of the world they Game Over on. After the third Game Over, the game must be replayed from the beginning. This was changed to infinite Continues in the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance remakes; the latter also starts the player on the level they got a Game Over on when using a Continue, rather than the beginning of the world.
Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 gives the player infinite Continues, which will send the player back to the beginning of the world when used. In doing so, any Locked Doors that the player has unlocked, and any fortresses or vehicle levels (such as tank and battleship levels) that the player has cleared will remain that way, allowing for quicker progression after getting a Game Over.
In the game's Game Boy Advance remake, the player is instead sent back to the last level they cleared when getting a Game Over, and all completed levels will remain so regardless of their type.
Super Mario World / Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
In the original Super Mario World, if the player loses all of their lives, they must resume from their last save point. This also applies in multiplayer mode if neither player has any lives remaining. If either player loses all of their lives before the other, a life transfer prompt will appear, allowing one player to give some of their lives to the other. This prompt can also be brought up manually by pressing 
on the map screen.
In the game's Game Boy Advance remake, getting a Game Over does not affect the player's progress, and only comes at the cost of their accumulated points and coins.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii / New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. U, and New Super Luigi U, if a player loses all of their lives, the game automatically uses a Continue. In single-player mode, this always restarts the game from the last save point, while in multiplayer, no level progress is lost unless every player gets a Game Over at once. Each player has a Continue counter, which increments with each use of a Continue.
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros.
In Super Smash Bros., using a Continue in 1P Game cuts the player's score in half.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Continues are available in Classic, Adventure, and All-Star Mode. They require coins to use. In Classic and Adventure Mode, the number of coins needed depends on the difficulty level. In All-Star Mode, it always costs 10 coins to use a Continue. Using a Continue causes 20,000 points to be deducted from the player's score.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the number of coins needed to use a Continue in Classic and All-Star Mode varies by the difficulty level. Like in the previous game, using a Continue deducts 20,000 points.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the player can only use a Continue in Classic Mode. Using one causes the player to lose some of their rewards and drops the intensity level by 0.5 to a minimum of 2.0.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the amount of Gold needed to use a Continue is based on the player's current intensity. Spending Gold to continue lowers the intensity level, though using a Classic Ticket prevents the intensity from dropping. Continuing prevents the player from reaching an intensity of 9.9, the highest level of intensity, unless they were already at that level. Otherwise, the highest intensity level is capped at 9.8. Unlike prior entries, using a Continue allows the player to resume the match they were in.
Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Queen Jaydes shouts "CONTINUE" to summon the portal sending Mario and Luigi from The Underwhere back to Flipside.
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