What is a "core" Mario game?

[Kong Wen]

One of the Ars Technica guys is running a Google Docs poll to determine how people define what a "core" Mario game is. If you'd like to add your input, this is the link (I'm not sure how long the poll will be live).

But that aside, I thought this would be an interesting opportunity to hear your opinions on the matter! How did you vote and why?

I picked Super Mario Bros., both SMB2s (JP and NA), SMB3, World, World 2, 64, Sunshine, Galaxy 1 & 2, and Odyssey. Notably, I didn't pick any of the portable / Land entries, or any of the "New" SMB series entries, or entries that logically followed in those subseries. I most certainly didn't choose XCOM Rabbids, which isn't even developed by Nintendo.

[MerlinDrazziw]

I picked all Mario games involving 2D or 3D platforming, no RPG elements and Mario as main character. So that also includes the portable and New entries for me. Why? For me a core Mario game is a 'simple' platform game where you guide Mario through levels from point A to point B and move on to the next level. Spin offs with Wario, Luigi, Toad or Princess Peach are just that.

[The Shoemaker]

I picked all Mario games involving 2D or 3D platforming, no RPG elements and Mario as main character. So that also includes the portable and New entries for me. Why? For me a core Mario game is a 'simple' platform game where you guide Mario through levels from point A to point B and move on to the next level. Spin offs with Wario, Luigi, Toad or Princess Peach are just that.

I would definitely agree with Merlin here and include the portable games as well. Core Mario games to me include the title "Super" and involve pure platforming.

This goes along with my 30th anniversary Mario keychain as well, which includes artwork of SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SML, SML2, SMW, SM64, SMS, SMG, SMG2, NSMB, NSMB2, NSMBW, NSMBU, 3DL, and 3DW


(Got this from a Nintendo rep at a Best Buy event for Super Mario Maker back in 2015)

I think the Super Mario Land entries are a bit more on the oddball side, but I definitely consider 3D Land and World. The NSMB series is a continuation of the 2D platforming games, definitely core entries there.

[evildevil97]

I voted SMB, SMB2, SMB2j, SMB3, SMW, SM64, SMS, SMG, SMG2, SM3DL, and SM3DW, and SMO. I consider the New series and the original Land series to be spinoffs, as well as Maker. I also don't view (enhanced) ports like SM64DS as a core series game either.

[Kong Wen]

I voted SMB, SMB2, SMB2j, SMB3, SMW, SM64, SMS, SMG, SMG2, SM3DL, and SM3DW, and SMO. I consider the New series and the original Land series to be spinoffs, as well as Maker. I also don't view (enhanced) ports like SM64DS as a core series game either.

I agree with you for the most part.

The guy who's running the poll has been tweeting some interesting stuff. Some people not including SMB2 & 3 (because they're sequels), some people not including the original SMB (because it's a spinoff of the original Mario Bros.), strong divergence between people who include SMW2 and those who don't, etc. It's an interesting survey because there's a lot of material and people have different levels of investment in the different games.

[SkyPikachu]

I voted SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SML, SML2, SML3 (However I've never played it), SMW, SM64, SMS, SMG, SMG2, NSMB, NSMB2, NSMBW, NSMBU, 3DL, 3DW and SMO.

I actually didnt vote for NSMBU as I thought they were talking about the Luigi version for some reason. I do think it's part of it though.

I also think there's another "core" group of SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SMW, SM64, SMS, SMG, SMG2, NSMBW, NSMBU, 3DW and SMO considering they're console games. The quality of the handheld systems were never as good imo.

[The Shoemaker]

Interesting that some people don't consider the new super Mario bros series a part of core Mario. Is it that the 3D games have taken over and 2D games don't fit anymore? Is it the general quality of the NSMB games? If they came out with SMB4 would that be considered core?

I don't consider Yoshi's Island as a part of core Mario, but I think Nintendo does.

[Kong Wen]

Interesting that some people don't consider the new super Mario bros series a part of core Mario. Is it that the 3D games have taken over and 2D games don't fit anymore? Is it the general quality of the NSMB games? If they came out with SMB4 would that be considered core?

I don't consider Yoshi's Island as a part of core Mario, but I think Nintendo does.

Nintendo definitely considers Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island to be a part of the core series, but not the Yoshi sequels.

I don't consider the NSMB subseries to be core Mario games because they seem to be revisitations (not structurally, but thematically/philosophically/whatever) of previous games, and/or because they're sequels to a portable spinoff series. They're definitely Mario games, and some of them are good, and good platformers, but I don't consider them part of the main series string.

[Ouenben]

I voted SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SML, SML2, SML3 (However I've never played it), SMW, SM64, SMS, SMG, SMG2, NSMB, NSMB2, NSMBW, NSMBU, 3DL, 3DW and SMO.

I actually didnt vote for NSMBU as I thought they were talking about the Luigi version for some reason. I do think it's part of it though.

I also think there's another "core" group of SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SMW, SM64, SMS, SMG, SMG2, NSMBW, NSMBU, 3DW and SMO considering they're console games. The quality of the handheld systems were never as good imo.

You include wario land (SML3) but not wario land 2, 3 or 4 etc ?
You didn't include SMW2 either.

[The Shoemaker]

I voted SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SML, SML2, SML3 (However I've never played it), SMW, SM64, SMS, SMG, SMG2, NSMB, NSMB2, NSMBW, NSMBU, 3DL, 3DW and SMO.

I actually didnt vote for NSMBU as I thought they were talking about the Luigi version for some reason. I do think it's part of it though.

I also think there's another "core" group of SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SMW, SM64, SMS, SMG, SMG2, NSMBW, NSMBU, 3DW and SMO considering they're console games. The quality of the handheld systems were never as good imo.

You include wario land (SML3) but not wario land 2, 3 or 4 etc ?
You didn't include SMW2 either.

Don't the other Wario land games lose the Mario land subtitle? I wouldn't consider sml3 core, but I guess it does at least have the title.