Favorite Mario Games?

[KoopaBro64]

So folks, what are your favorite Mario games? From any era, main series such as Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario 64, or spin-offs like Dr.Mario & Mario Kart, but not games with cameos though such as Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Mine would be:
Super Mario Bros. (Because, it's a classic game that never gets old!)
Super Mario RPG: Legend of The Seven Stars (I like how Square Enix brought in some great music, memorable one-time characters, and just an amazing SNES game)
Paper Mario (The best of the very few N64 RPGS. It has some great music, humor, and it's the best of the Paper Mario series, hands down)
Super Mario 64 (What can I say? Mario's first translation to 3D, and in my opinion: The best. The only 3D open-world Mario game that actually takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom, that's what we need to see more of.)

[Star Ma'am]

I'm very fond of New Super Mario Bros. (the DS one) - because it's so much fun! And, more importantly, it was one of several games which I completed as part of my tribute to Dennis Hopper 0:-)

[incognitus]

Of course the original "Super Mario Bros." Also the "New SMB" and "Mario Kart: Double Dash"

[Redstar]

I've been a Mario fan for as long as I can remember, but there's only ever been a handful of titles in the franchise that really connected with me. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to fully play Super Mario Galaxy 1 or 2, so I can't speak on them, but I'm sure they're great games and that one or both of them would easily top this list.

So, in chronological order:

Super Mario Bros. 2 - I played the original release on the NES, but was never able to get much further then World 4 (Ice) before having to turn it off. On occasion I'd reach World 5, but only through use of the Warp Vases. To this day I still don't know how we ever discovered those Vases... Anyways, I was able to revisit the game through Super Mario All-Stars and fell in love with that version. The enhanced visuals and the addition of a save-system really brought the game into Mario canon. It's undoubtedly the most unique title in the franchise.

Super Mario World - I grew up playing this. While incredibly easy these days, it still has a certain charm to it. It's probably the dinosaurs.

Super Mario Land - Not for the gameplay or experience so much as the simplistic graphics, the unique enemies and cool atmosphere.

Super Mario Land 2: The Six Golden Coins - Okay, I admit the only reason I like this game is because of Bunny Mario. Still haven't beaten Wario.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - While not strictly a "Mario" game, it did help in returning Shy Guys and other classic Super Mario Bros. 2 enemies/characters into the series. It's also fun, difficult and much different then you'd expect.

Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars - One of the best RPGs ever, even outside of the Mario franchise. It's simply more difficult than its spiritual successor, Paper Mario, with a lot more humor and strategy than you'd take for the series first foray into that genre. It's also a fascinating look at a somewhat more realistic Mario universe. There's just a strange balance between the usual Mario elements and the foundation of an RPG.

Paper Mario: A great successor that lived up to its name. It could have been better, but for its time and place you could ask for no more. The Mario elements took center stage while the humor and meta-commentary on the series fell to the wayside, only returning in the later sequels. I'll always return to this game, even more than the superior Seven Stars.

Super Mario Sunshine: Many fans were disappointed with this game, but I felt it was a fair successor to Super Mario 64. It was a beautiful game that rewarded exploration. My only complaint is that it was too short. We desperately needed an underwater corral level as well as a Yoshi-focused jungle island.

[Guest]

Super mario 1 - 3 and All Stars
SMB 64
Super Mario Kart 64
Marios Time Machine. (yes im serious)

[CTM]

World is probably my favorite of the 2D games. It's just amazing how many secrets they managed to pack into this game. It's everything that was great about the NES Marios and more.

Then for 3D I'd probably go with the Galaxies. Some great levels, and amazing soundtracks. 64 isn't far behind though, moslty for nostalgic reasons.

And of course the entire Paper Mario series. In addition to the great gameplay they also have fantastic soundtracks, and prove that Mario can have a plot. My favorite is probably Thousand Year Door. I feel like that took everything great about the first and cranked it up to eleven. Super felt like a step downward in a lot of areas, but I did there was still a lot to love about it.