Ranking the best Super Mario games from worst to incredible

No Mario game is bad, but the best Super Mario games are the ones where Nintendo’s creativity and genius for level design are on display

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The caveat when talking about the best Super Mario games is that there really is no bad Super Mario game. Over the course of three decades and more, Nintendo’s flagship series has seen its ups and downs, but even the blandest, most uninspired of the New Super Mario games still has the power to delight and excite. When the series is at its best, however, is when Nintendo’s knack for clever stage design and creative worlds shines through.

Our list of the best Super Mario games focuses on the series’ mainline entries, so there’s no Mario Maker or Super Mario RPG here.

Nintendo Black Friday sales discount some of the best Switch games

Nintendo’s Black Friday holiday sales are live, with some of the Switch’s best games, including Zelda, Mario, Skyrim, and more

Update: Nov. 25, 2022

Amazon‘s and Walmart’s Black Friday deals are live and offer even steeper discounts on a wide range of Switch games, including Splatoon 3Animal CrossingBreath of the WildMario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, and quite a bit more.

Original Story: Nov. 24, 2022

Nintendo’s Black Friday holiday sales are live online, with steep – for Nintendo – discounts on a big handful of the Switch’s best games. These range from mainstream favorites such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Mario 3D World to third-party and niche hits, including Bravely Default and Skyrim.

Most of the deals are live on Nintendo’s website, but you can check out their Black Friday hub page for links to other participating retailers. And you might want to do just that for the best prices or if you prefer boxed copies over digital games. GameStop’s Nintendo sales feature most of the same games, along with a few more, and the prices are slightly less expensive –$39 for a physical edition of Zelda: Skyward Sword instead of $41.99 for the digital version on Nintendo’s website.

Elsewhere, notable highlights include Fire Emblem: Three Houses and its DLC expansion, neither of which go on sale often, and the recent indie hit Cult of the Lamb. Spooky classic Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Platinum’s overlooked action RPG Astral Chain are also up for grabs at the same $41.99 price.

Also headlining the deals is Nintendo’s usual bundle of a Switch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but bear in mind this isn’t the Switch OLED model.

If you want to dig a bit deeper into the Switch’s catalogue, and a bit less deep into your wallet, check out Target’s deals. They’re offering The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for $29.99, an ideal way to check out the series’ first open-world outing ahead of Tears of the Kingdom’s release in May 2023.

Just don’t expect discounts on more recent games, such as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Those sold 10 million copies in three days, so they’ll likely stay full price for a long time.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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