Nintendo has a lot of powerhouse franchises under their belt from Pokemon to The Legend of Zelda. However, without Mario, would the company still exist to this day? Hard to say but Super Mario Bros. Definitely paved the way for other franchises to blossom on the NES and Nintendo has rightfully milked Mario and friends over the years.
Mario platformers and other spinoffs still manage to feel fresh even after numerous iterations over decades. They sell and they sell well. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still a system seller for the Switch and it has been seven years since it was released. So, taking into consideration this long history, what systems have Mario had the most original titles on?
5 GameCube (12 Original Games)
Mario Dances And Gets Into The Sun
- Super Mario Sunshine
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Mario Kart: Double Dash
- Mario Party 4
- Mario Party 5
- Mario Party 6
- Mario Party 7
- Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
- Mario Power Tennis
- Mario Superstar Baseball
- Super Mario Strikers
- Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Super Mario Sunshine is the big platformer of the GameCube which gave Mario a backpack that shot water so that he could clean up the dirt and clear his name. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was the big RPG of the system, and for many, it is the best entry in the Paper Mario series that even got a Switch remaster. Mario Kart: Double Dash was a unique entry in the series as it is the only one that allowed two characters per vehicle, creating an interesting dynamic between co-op and AI partners.
There was the usual deluge of party games too including Mario Party 4, Mario Party 5, Mario Party 6, and Mario Party 7. Besides Mario Kart: Double Dash, there were plenty of other sports titles too like Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Superstar Baseball, and Super Mario Strikers. Finally, the strangest Mario spinoff on the GameCube was Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix which was a DDR spinoff starring Mario and friends. There was even a campaign of sorts as players danced across the Mushroom Kingdom.
4 N64 (14 Original Games)
Mario Learns To Party And Become An Artist
- Super Mario 64
- Paper Mario
- Mario Kart 64
- Mario Golf
- Mario Tennis
- Dr. Mario 64
- Mario Party
- Mario Party 2
- Mario Party 3
- Mario Artist: Talent Studio
- Mario Artist: Paint Studio
- Mario Artist: Communication Kit
- Mario Artist: Polygon Studio
- Mario no Photopi
Super Mario 64 defined what a 3D platformer could be and every platformer after that learned from the best on the N64. The Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars spiritual successor, Paper Mario, hit store shelves giving players that same active combat but with new colorful visuals. Mario Kart 64 was a huge party game for kids everywhere and remained a hit in college dorms alongside other sports titles like Mario Golf and Mario Tennis.
Dr. Mario 64 was more of the same puzzle game that started on the NES but with better graphics and more modes. The N64 is where Mario Party began and Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 3 quickly followed thanks to the popularity. There was a bevy of N64 spiritual successors to the SNES’ Mario Paint game such as Mario Artist: Talent Studio, Mario Artist: Paint Studio, Mario Artist: Communication Kit, and Mario Artist: Polygon Studio. In Japan, they got Mario no Photopi which was a piece of photo editing software.
3 Wii (14 Original Games)
Mario Goes Universal And Joins The Olympics
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Super Mario Galaxy 2
- New Super Mario Bros.
- Super Paper Mario
- Mario Kart Wii
- Mario Strikers Charged
- Mario Super Sluggers
- Mario Sports Mix
- Mario Party 8
- Mario Party 9
- Dr. Mario Online Rx
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympics Winter Games
- Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 were huge hits for the Mario franchise on the Wii, taking Mario literally to new worlds and playing with the idea of gravity. Still, New Super Mario Bros. Wii was a bigger step forward as it brought back 2D Mario with four-player co-op for the first time. Super Paper Mario was a change for the series as well, playing more like a normal Mario game rather than a turn-based RPG. Mario Kart Wii sold like gangbusters unsurprisingly and Mario Strikers Charged, Mario Super Sluggers, and Mario Sports Mix filled out the rest of the sports roster.
The Wii didn’t have as many Mario Party games as previous generations but Mario Party 8 and Mario Party 9 were sufficient. Dr. Mario Online Rx was a downloadable entry in the series, again, not adding too much to the puzzle formula. The Wii and DS were the first two Nintendo consoles to feature the Mario and Sonic crossover Olympic Games starting with the simply titled Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games followed by Mario & Sonic at the Olympics Winter Games and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
2 Switch (16 Original Games)
This Console Cannot Be Stopped
Nintendo Switch
- Brand
- Nintendo
- Weight
- .88 lbs
- Storage
- 32 GB
- Display
- 6.2-inch LCD Screen / 1280 x 720
- Battery
- Approximately 4.5 - 9 hours
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Super Mario Bros. 35
- Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
- Mario & Luigi: Brothership
- Mario Golf: Super Rush
- Mario Strikers: Battle League
- Mario Tennis Aces
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
- Super Mario Party
- Mario Party Superstars
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- Super Mario Maker 2
The Switch comes pretty close to being the best Mario console from new games to updated ports. The first big title was Super Mario Odyssey which was a 3D platformer followed by the very odd 2D platformer, Super Mario Bros. Wonder. There was also Super Mario Bros. 35 which was based on the original NES game but remade into a Battle Royale concept and Super Mario Maker 2 gave players a way to make their own games again. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was a re-release from the Wii U but it was not the only entry on the Switch as there was the augmented reality spinoff, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which will count. There was a new Mario RPG crossover series that debuted on the Switch and played more like X-Com.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was first and then that was followed up by Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope and also Paper Mario got an entry via Paper Mario: The Origami King. There is also Mario & Luigi: Brothership which is not out until November but let’s still count it. Mario Golf: Super Rush, Mario Strikers: Battle League, Mario Tennis Aces, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were all great sports games alongside the party pleasers of Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars. Super Mario Party Jamboree is on the way in October too.
1 3DS (21 Original Games)
The Greatest Mario Console Of All Time
- Super Mario 3D Land
- New Super Mario Bros. 2
- Mario Party: Island Tour
- Mario Party: Star Rush
- Mario Party: The Top 100
- Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
- Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again
- Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge
- Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure
- Mario Sports Superstars
- Mario Tennis Open
- Mario Golf: World Tour
- Mario Kart 7
- Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
- Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympics Games
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
- Paper Mario: Sticker Star
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
- Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
There is simply too much to cover Mario content on the 3DS, it’s astounding. Super Mario 3D Land was a top-down platformer that used the 3D effect well and New Super Mario Bros. 2 was a sufficient 2D entry. Mario Party: Island Tour, Mario Party: Star Rush, and Mario Party: The Top 100 were all fun multiplayer games in groups.
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, Mario, and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, and Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge were engaging puzzle games that used the two properties well as was Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure. Mario Sports Superstars, Mario Tennis Open, Mario Golf: World Tour, Mario Kart 7, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympics Games gave the sports fans what they wanted from portable entries.
The RPG entries broke some new boundaries. First, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team was a typical entry in the franchise as was Paper Mario: Sticker Star. However, for the first time, both franchises were combined into one with Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. Finally, the hit mobile game in Japan, Puzzle & Dragons, was remade for the 3DS and then combined into a separate Mario-based campaign called Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Editio n.
- Creation Year
- 1985
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo