Super Mario (series): Difference between revisions

The '''''Super Mario''''' series is the biggest and most prominent series of the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]]. It started in 1985 with the creation of ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' on the [[Family Computer]] and subsequently the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]. It has been followed by many sequels released in almost every Nintendo video game console to date, except the [[Game Boy Color]] and the [[Game Boy Advance]], where only remakes, ports, or other spin-offs games were released and development was handled by other divisions and companies. The '''''Super Mario Bros.''''' series, a subset of the greater ''Super Mario'' series, comprises 2D side-scrolling games such as the aforementioned ''Super Mario Bros.'', ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'', and ''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]''.<ref>December 20, 2023. "[[Wonder Flower]]s are Appearing!" ''[[Super Mario Run]]'' in-game notification. ({{media link|SMR Notifications 2023-12-20 excerpt.jpg|Screenshot}}.)<br>"''The Super Mario Bros. Wonder Game''<br>"''This entry in the Super Mario Bros. series of side-scrolling action games debuts just about 11 years after the last side-scrolling entry.''"</ref> Alongside the 2D installments, the ''Super Mario'' series also features 3D platform games, the first of which has been ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.

|''Super Mario Bros.'' is the first entry of this series. Mario and his brother, Luigi, have to set out on a massive adventure across the [[Mushroom Kingdom]] to rescue [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] and the [[Toad (species)|mushroom retainer]]s from the evil [[Bowser|King Bowser]]. After traversing through eight enemy-filled [[world]]s, the brothers eventually reach [[Bowser's Castle]], finally rescuing Toadstool. ''Super Mario Bros.'' was the best-selling video game for the NES in 1999<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060317005503/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=52404 Best-selling NES game]</ref> and, until being 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. The game earned Mario a permanent position as Nintendo's mascot, and it triggered a massive boom in the video game industry that still continues today.

While the game was called ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' in Japanese, Nintendo of America originally deemed this game too challenging and too much like the original to sell well in Western countries.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090125010751/http://wii.ign.com/articles/824/824330p1.html]</ref> Instead, another game was ported as ''Super Mario Bros. 2'', and the Japanese ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' became known as ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' when included in the ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' remake years later. It saw release in its original form in the West only when released on the Virtual Console in 2007.

Although ''Super Mario Land'' and its sequel, ''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'', were originally excluded from the main ''Super Mario'' series, they were included alongside the more traditional games for the 30th anniversary of ''Super Mario Bros.'',<ref>{{media link|Super Mario Bros 30th Anniversary - JP Artwork.jpg|Official Japanese artwork for the 30th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros. illustrating the games part of the Super Mario series.}}</ref> and the history page from the Mario Portal and "The official home for Mario" websites.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190209092340/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/collection/search.html#?g=series&v=mariobros ''Super Mario'' game collection, Mario Portal website (Japanese)]</ref><ref name=History>[http://mario.nintendo.com/history/ The official home for Mario - Super Mario games]</ref>

|''Super Mario 64'' was released simultaneously with its system, the [[Nintendo 64]]. The game was a great success. It was the first fully three-dimensional ''Super Mario'' game to ever be made, thus revolutionizing the appearance of ''Super Mario'' games to date. The game sold over eleven million copies by 2007.<ref>[http://www.gamecubicle.com/features-mario-units_sold_sales.htm Super Mario 64 sales results]</ref> 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 is invited to the [[Peach's Castle|Mushroom Castle]] to eat a cake she has baked. However, when Mario arrives at her castle, he discovers that Bowser has taken it over and has stolen almost all of the castle's [[Power Star]]s—there are some that he did not know existed. As Mario traverses through fifteen different painting worlds, he eventually recovers enough Power Stars to battle Bowser and take back the castle, freeing Peach from her stained-glass prison.

These original games are related to the ''Super Mario'' series while not being considered part of it by official Nintendo websites. Many of them feature the adventures of characters other than Mario, sometimes leading into their own series. Notably, [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] stated that he considered ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'' to be part of the core ''Super Mario'' franchise in an interview published in 2012.<ref>[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/09/24/miyamoto-tezuka-interview.aspx Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, taken from Game Informer, issue 234]. (Retrieved September 5, 2016)</ref>  

|''[[Super Mario's Wacky Worlds]]'' is a canceled [[Philips CD-i]] game developed by [[NovaLogic]]. It was intended to follow-up on ''[[Super Mario World]]'' after a [[Nintendo]] sales executive suggested that the CD-i could play simple Nintendo games,<ref name=SMWW>[http://www.blackmoonproject.co.uk/statements/silas_warner.php Statement by Silas Warner - Programmer on Super Mario's Wacky Worlds]</ref> which is a result of [[Royal Philips Electronics|Philips]] acquiring the rights to several Nintendo characters for use on their platform. The game was to feature a game world mostly based on real-life [[Earth]] locations, with themed old and new enemies in the ''Super Mario World'' sprite style. Despite NovaLogic impressing Nintendo with their work-in-progress, it was canceled due to poor sales of the CD-i.<ref name=SMWW/>

|''[[VB Mario Land]]'', also known as ''Mario Adventure''<ref>[[Media:Big N Magazine (Germany) VB.jpg|Big N magazine (Germany), July-August 2000, pg. 19]]</ref>, is a canceled [[Virtual Boy]] game which was revealed at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in early 1995.<ref>[[Media:Nintendo Power - March 95.jpg|Nintendo Power issue #70, March 1995, pg. 29]]</ref> A [[Wario]]-like object can be seen in one of the released screenshots, so it is thought to be an unproduced follow-up to ''[[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins]]''. The game was to use two-dimensional side-scrolling elements, as well as the use of three-dimensional movement between the background and foreground of the stage. Its three-dimensional ''[[Mario Bros. (game)|Mario Bros.]]''-style mini-game was repurposed as ''[[Mario Clash]]''.<ref>[[Media:Official Nintendo Magazine - VB Mario Land.jpg|Official Nintendo Magazine (Great Britain) January 2010, pg. 62]]</ref>

|''[[Super Mario 64 2]]'', the direct sequel to ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', is a canceled [[Nintendo 64DD]] game. [[Luigi]]<ref>[http://ign64.ign.com/objects/001/001960.html Info on Luigi's appearance]</ref> and a rideable [[Yoshi]]<ref>Owsen, Dan (January 1998). [[Nintendo Power]] volume 104, "Insider Collector's Edition". [[Media:Nintendo Power NSider Collector's Edition Volume 104 Page 16.png|Page 16]]</ref> were set to appear, which were ideas unused during the creation of the original game.<ref name>"[http://shmuplations.com/mario64/ Super Mario 64 – 1996 Developer Interviews originally featured in the official strategy guides]" ''shmuplations.com''. Retrieved September 10, 2018.</ref> [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] has stated in 1999 that the game's actual development only got as far as a two player demo level featuring [[Mario]] and Luigi.<ref>[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1326369 Multiplayer information]</ref> An unreleased port of ''Super Mario 64'' to the 64DD demoed at Space World 1996, known as ''Super Mario 64 Disk Version'', may be related.<ref>https://gamingafterhours.com/2014/06/24/super-mario-64dd-version-discovered-in-japan/</ref>

|[[Dry Bowser]] is the undead and skeletal version of [[Bowser]]. He made his debut in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'', where he came about as the result of Mario defeating Bowser by dropping him into lava at the end of ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]''{{'}}s first [[Castle|castle]]. However, both in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' and ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'', Dry Bowser appears even though Bowser isn't turned into a skeleton when he falls into the lava at the end of the final boss battles.<ref>GameXplain (August 17, 2012). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNizPGKg3yI New Super Mario Bros 2: Ending & Credits (Spoilers!)]. ''Youtube''. Retrieved April 22, 2016).</ref><ref>❤Sunny❤ (February 17, 2016). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDQy2kAT6RE Super Mario 3D Land - Final Boss Battle & Ending]. ''Youtube''. Retrieved April22, 2016.</ref>