Don’t know why but I got to thinking about how many of the Super Mario games you can now play on the Switch. Here’s a list, including some variants, grouped by 2D, 3D and remix styles. I personally count DK and Mario Bros in this series, and it’s really cool that the arcade version of both are finally available here. I’m also tossing in 3D World, due out February.
Donkey Kong (arcade)
Donkey Kong (NES)
Mario Bros (arcade)
Mario Bros (NES)
Super Mario Bros (NES)
Super Mario Bros (SNES remake)
Super Mario Bros 2 JP (FDS)
Super Mario Bros 2 JP (SNES remake)
VS Super Mario Bros (arcade)
Super Mario Bros 2 (NES)
Super Mario Bros 2 (SNES remake)
Super Mario Bros 3 (NES)
Super Mario Bros 3 (SNES remake)
Super Mario World (SNES)
Super Mario 64 (N64)
Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
New Super Mario Bros U (Wii U)
New Super Luigi U (Wii U)
Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario 35
That’s a lotta Mario. All that’s really missing (I think) are NSMB Wii and Galaxy 2 from the console side. If GB and GBA games come to NSO, there could be a lot of the portable games added to this list.
EDIT: Whoops, posted in the wrong forum. @Peltz or other mods, can you help?
These are just the platformers, and it’s still a ton of Mario. I’m kind of obsessed with Super Mario 35 right now. It’s amazing what they’ve been able to do with that concept. Can’t wait also for Super Mario 3D World with actual online play. It’s enough to get me to double dip.
And even though Captain Toad is excluded from this list since it doesn’t star Mario, it’s maybe my favorite “smaller” title ever made (and I have only played the Wii U version!). It’s as good as everything here, barring perhaps Galaxy.
Then there are Super Mario Party and Mario Tennis Aces - two solid b-tier titles in my opinion that are fun for a weekend or two with friends. Not really feeling them long-term though.
Then, of course, there is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is the best version of what may be the greatest kart racer of all time.
The franchise is well represented on the platform for sure. I’m not even sure where they could possibly take the mainline franchise after Super Mario Odyssey. I imagine we won’t know the answer until next gen.
I’ve thought about making a similar list for Zelda games and 3DS. Between the eShop, DS BC and the 3DS remakes, by my count nearly the entire franchise is playable on that platform.
I’d love to know what’s up with the next game. Odyssey was just so good. But with all the Mario ports coming to Switch since, I imagine Peltz is correct in that we won’t see whatever is truly next until Nintendo’s next hardware iteration launches. Hopefully what it is will be available at launch, especially if BotW 2 is the big tentpole game in the final phase of the current hardware’s life.
Honestly, though … I hope the Switch line just keeps on going kinda like the Game Boy line did for so many years. One of the reasons I was thinking about this is I have been thinking about how the Switch is something people like us will want to keep around for many years. The library of classic and retro games (and even recent gens) is just so thorough now. It would be insane to toss all that out in a year or two and start over.
Didn’t realise the Switch accumulated this many Mario platformers, wow. Shame there’s no Game Boy stuff, wonder how the 3DS compares with its support for Game Boy games like DK ‘94.
I was going to bring up Zelda but you beat me to it! I think 3DS will reign supreme for classic Zelda, it even got a port of Four Swords via DSiWare, and I can’t see stuff like the overlooked Triforce Heroes making it anywhere else.
Nintendo’s done a good job of making Zelda games available on current platforms. Combining Wii U and 3DS got literally all of them.
As far back as the end of the GameCube you had:
Legend of Zelda via Collector’s Edition
Zelda 2: Adventure of Link via Collector’s Edition
Link to the Past + Four Swords via GB Player
Link’s Awakening via GB Player
Ocarina of Time via Collector’s Edition + Ocarina/MasterQuest pack
Master Quest via Ocarina pack
Majora’s Mask via Collector’s Edition
Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons via GB Player
Wind Waker
Minish Cap via GB Player
Four Swords Adventures
Twilight Princess
On Wii you could remove the GB Player games and add in Virtual Console, Crossbow Training, and Skyward Sword.
