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10 Mario Bros. Games That Are Perfect From Start to Finish
This Collider listicle rounds up ten Super Mario Bros. games the author considers "perfect from start to finish," judging them on gameplay, design, originality, variety, critical reception and overall quality. It spans well beyond the core platformers to highlight how Nintendo has repeatedly reinvented the Mario brand across genres, from outsourced spin-offs to sports titles and party games, arguing this willingness to experiment is central to the franchise's enduring appeal.
Entries discussed in the extract include Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, praised for its unexpected turn-based tactical combat developed by an outside studio; Super Mario Strikers, singled out as the best Mario sports game for its aggressive, fast-paced football action; Super Mario Sunshine, defended as an underrated 3D platformer with ahead-of-its-time water effects; and Super Mario Party Jamboree, named the best entry in the Mario Party series for blending classic mini-games with new content. The full list evidently continues beyond these examples to complete its top ten.
In short
- Collider lists ten Super Mario Bros. games deemed "perfect" overall
- Highlights include Mario + Rabbids, Super Mario Strikers and Sunshine
- Super Mario Party Jamboree named best in the Mario Party series
Explained simply
Mario is Nintendo’s long-running character, first appearing in Donkey Kong before starring in the Super Mario Bros. platform games. Over time, Nintendo has built a wider series around him, including sports, party and role-playing games, often with other characters from the same fictional world.
The games in this story show how those spin-offs can change the familiar formula. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle uses turn-based tactics and was made with Ubisoft’s Milan studio, while Super Mario Strikers turns football into a fast-paced contest; Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Party Jamboree offer different takes on platforming and group play.
These games matter because they illustrate how Nintendo has kept the Mario series varied across generations and audiences. The list reflects one writer’s judgement of which games are consistently strong, rather than an official ranking or a shared measure of perfection.
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