OK, everybody.

While some folks around the world may prefer other games (for whatever reason), barely anyone can deny the impact that Mario has had on worldwide gaming. From his first outing in the arcade classic "Donkey Kong", to newer entries like "Super Mario Galaxy" and beyond...the little Italian plumber with an affinity for jumping has made gaming what it is today.

So, here's the place to discuss the franchise - the good, the bad, and the strange. All I ask is that all comments are kept PG-13 and under. Let's hear it...what's your favorite Mario entry, and why?

I will start off my reply with because I have so much love and respect for this great franchise.

I've played pretty much every iteration of Mario game, some were complete flops, but the ones that were great were REALLY great. Super Mario 2 will always be my favorite, but I love all of the 2D platform-style Mario games. I was never a fan of the 3D versions.

Who would have thought that 2 Italian plumber brothers jumping on creatures' heads and eating mushrooms to save a Princess would be such a successful idea. <--but it sure was

Yeah, and the best thing about the whole deal was that just about anyone from 8 to 80 could figure it out.

Personally, I think my favorites are the original 8-bit NES version, the "All-Stars" port of "Super Mario Bros. 3", and "Super Mario 64". I haven't played "Sunshine", "Galaxy", or any of the DS games, but I still love the franchise as a whole.

The one entry that frustrates me to no end is "The Lost Levels", because the difficulty is borderline psychotic! Those blasted Purple Mushrooms are irritating, and it seems like you're always bouncing off one enemy, only to collide with another. Argh!

Wow, thank you so much for this great thread. So so many memories. Hot summer days and sore thumbs, playing for 4-5 hours nonstop. And that high frequency music still brings back so many memories.

Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World...

All those different levels. And how much did I love these little guys, Yoshi...

What a brilliant game, very creative, fun, exciting, and addictive. I so enjoyed grabbing that feather and flying, but what was most enjoyable was that sense of mystery, finding keys, ghost castles, finding a new world. It somehow captured that sense of curiosity and adventure I had as a kid when I would go to the woods and feel that I was in presence of great mystery.

Those were the times....

I used to stay up until 2 AM as a kid, determined to beat the original game no matter what. I'd play it every chance I had, often for hours. To this day, I still get a kick out of it. I can usually beat the original game in under 45 minutes, level by level, with no warps or lives lost.

I also found a huge cheat (of sorts) in "Super Mario World". After completing the first castle, take the first few hidden exits in every stage, until you reach the lower of the two Ghost Houses. After battling the Giant Ghost at the end, you'll enter the Star Road. Then, all you have to do is work your way around to the lower-right point, and you can teleport straight to Bowser's front door!

My favorite Mario games (and Zelda games) are the 2D versions on NES, SNES and Gameboy, though I did quite like Mario 64. Just something about the simple controls and rich gameplay that engrosses me more than newer games.

If you have a DS (or know someone that does) I HIGHLY recommend New Super Mario Bros. it's fantastic. Better than 3 in my opinion.

What are some of your favorite tricks in a "Super Mario" game? Here's one of mine.

The greatest moment in my 23 years of video gaming life was in 1996, the time I walked into Walmart and saw it. In the game section.

Super Mario 64.

The N64 hadn't been released yet, but Walmart had display units set up in stores so you could play Mario 64. As I walked up to the display, I saw months of anticipation and excitement flash before me. All the news I read in Nintendo Power about the system (formerly the Ultra 64), the games, the controller...not having the Internet quite yet to over-saturate myself in N64 knowledge...it made the whole lead-up to this system and game the most anticipated event in my life to that point. I had been so anxious to get an N64 and Mario that I was actually drawing up potential levels on pieces of paper when I got home from school, for fun.

So, to finally play the game I knew would be a masterpiece was amazing. I swam around in the water and killed a few enemies the best I could. I may have attempted to get a star, but couldn't. I really accomplished nothing. But playing Mario for the first time in 3D, done to perfection, with 3D controls STILL better than 90% of games made today - was a religious experience.

Super Mario 64 was then, and still is, my favorite Mario game and one of my top 5 all-time games ever made.

I lost count of the amount of times i played and completed Mario Land: 6 Gold Coins on the gameboy. That game will stay with me forever.
Playing Mario Kart was a lot of fun with friends.
But i'm not interested in Mario anymore and he and the games will stay in my childhood.

Ah sweet memories of getting into the gaming world, as most started there first gaming experience with these famous plumber brothers when the NES came out

I played all 3 Super Mario brothers on the NES then the one that came out for the Super Nintendo, and ended with Mario Kart which was my fav of them all back in the day...seeing you were finally able to use Bowser

but ppl grow up and this type of game no longer appeals to you

that's evil talk. I never grow up.

I'm 29 years old myself, and I still love the series (which is why I created this thread). I also have spoken to several people online, some of whom are older than me, and they still enjoy a good Mario game. I think we as a culture are craving innocence again ins some respects, and this series represents that in the gaming world. I'd rather play "Super Mario" over "Resident Evil" almost any day of the week.

On a related note, I thought some of you may enjoy this clip from YouTube. It's one of many interviews that have been done in recent years, with voice actor Charles Martinet. He's been Nintendo's official "voice of Mario" since 1995, and also voices Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi as well. Enjoy! =)

You also got to play as Bowser in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES, which I'm surprised no one has even mentioned in this thread yet because it is probably my personal favorite Mario game. This game introduced me to RPGs and the concept of video games actually having rich stories and characters, and being simple and easy to learn it was and still is an excellent "gateway" game for anyone who has never played an RPG. After that one I moved on to Final Fantasy 7 and have been an RPG fan ever since. So in a way, Super Mario RPG changed my life.

I like many of the Mario games. The last ones I played were Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart Wii which were awesome. New Super Mario Bros on the DS was great, very fun to play when I was bored and on the go. I'm very excited for New Super Mario Bros Wii, looks like it's going to be very fun.

all i can say is thx god for emulators.

playing a bit of NES & SNES Super Mario Bros on huge crystal sharp resolutions is whats its all about.

Not that joke Wii.