Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 17

17: Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES/GBA/etc)
Developer: Nintendo
Year: 1990

I’m a firm believer that Super Mario Bros. 3 is the greatest Mario game ever made by man. I know, I know, some of you out there will find problems with that claim, going on and on about how Mario World is the best game, blah blah blah. But, to me, childhood is defined by a few video games, and Mario 3 is one of those games.

I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve tried to beat this game on the NES, to be honest. Back in the day, when I was more patient when it came to platforming, I used to make it real close, but lacked the skill and timing to master the last few levels’ trickier jumps. The early stages were easy as all hell, true, but once you get to level 8’s lava fields and flying tanks, it was a bit too tough for someone of my age to get through. Add to the fact that, usually, I had a sibling to play the game with – who would constantly drag us both into those old school Mario Bros. vs stages – and things either got too taxing or one of us got tired of playing… either way, game over.

I did finally best Bowser’s children and the king of Koopa’s himself years later, via emulation. It was a fun game, to be sure, but the real treat was that, unlike most games I’d played on my now defunct NES, this game actually maintained its overly high fun level even in PC format. Moving Mario through levels of flying platforms, using power-ups like the Pegasus Wing and Raccoon Leaf, and getting into boots that had previously been utilized and operated by Goombas was no less entertaining using a keyboard. The quirkiness of the game’s various curious gameplay decisions (including a bear suit that turns you into a statue, whistles to blow you ahead in levels, and a level in which running off the left side of the screen brings you around to the right side… among others) was still as endearing.

And that’s really why it stands above the other Mario games, for me. None of the 3D games hold a candle to this title, because they’re no more than simple products of their system generation; Mario 64, while an amazing game, is only amazing because it ushered in the Nintendo 64, Galaxy was only to showcase the raw power the Wii can put out… if done right. But Super Mario Bros. 3 was when the Mario series peaked, in my personal opinion because it didn’t define the system or the generation – the original Mario Bros. had done that, already. No, this game took everything about its origins and improved them to perfection, adding flair and awesome touches were it could. The fact that its as good as it is, despite being a sequel to an already great game, provides it enough points – in my book – to skyrocket it to the franchise’s highest spot on this list.

All in all, Super Mario Bros. 3 is a game that belong on everyone’s top 20 list, despite any foolishness they may feel from a nostalgic point of view. It added so much to the franchise – many of these elements still being used by the franchise, 20 years later! The nice part, of course, is that its easily accessible via the Wii’s virtual console, as well as through a number of rereleases throughout the years. Mario isn’t going anywhere, at this point, and with the plumber’s 25th birthday taking place this very year, there’s no better time to examine his roots.

Classic Moment:
One of the coolest parts about this game – and, really, games from the period – is that we didn’t have the internet to figure out tricks and secrets. I mean, remember the hidden flying coin ships? There were tricks to getting them to appear, but you had to figure them out on you own. Friends would have to tell you how to get the secret mushroom houses, where to find them, and it took daring to use two whistles at once to go straight to the last levels. Things like this are taken for granted, now, since you can just go online and find all the secrets before you start playing (especially since things like Trophies and Achievements entice gamers into looking up how to acquire them), cheapening the experience, somewhat. Yesteryear, you had to figure it all out on your own, adding to the depth and re-playability of the games.

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Added April 6, 2017
Well, add this to the list of games to get on Switch when that Virtual Console rolls out. Man, Nintendo. Hurry the shit up!
I still hold this as the best Mario game, though. The sheer variety of content is mind-boggling for the time.