NOTE: I know there's dozens of different spin-offs, so here's the conditions: - Mario is the main character. (No Luigi's Mansion) - He has to be doing some kind of jumping activities and fighting Koopa. (So no Sports, SSB, Kart and Party) So what do you prefer? The old games, like Super Mario Brothers 3 which was linear and mostly platforming. Or the new games, with free exploration and collecting items like Super Mario Galaxy. I'm also looking for ideas for Old vs. New games, it has to be before the 2000's and a series that still is continuing today. I will give you credit for the idea. I have tried both Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy, but I never found both of them appealing to finish. Super Mario 64 for me was just long and boring, the tasks got repetitive fast and it felt massively headache inducing to get some of those stars. Galaxy I actually was enjoying, like the Manta Ray race, but they only had it as side games and though I went back to them, the main parts of the game couldn't hold me long enough to play through the whole game. As for the old games. I actually really enjoy them. Whether it's the simplicity of the levels, or the fact I grew up with these games. I enjoy sitting down at any time and playing them. Super Mario Brothers 3 is still one of my highest favorites of classic games out there.
If I was asked this a few years back it'd be a easy answer. Personally I prefer 2D marios more than anything. Since the Wii came with New Super Mario series (and the DS version but I don't know which came out first. I think it was DS but I played the wii version.) I got interested in the newer mario games again. This split me some between the older games and newer ones. And, given that my two favorite mario games, Super Mario World and Super Mario Galaxy, are in separate parts of the new and old it's pretty hard for me to choose between the two. I can't really say either era of mario is bad (even in my opinion) since each has had some pretty great games so I'm really split down the middle for it.
The question should really be "2D vs 3D Mario". Honestly I never liked Super Mario 64 very much because it's entirely based off of "Collect X things to move forward". The platforming in that game was iffy at best and was further held back by the awful N64 controller. Newer 3D Mario games aren't any better. I have plenty of examples of better(imo) 3D platformers and that's all Mario games are really good for. I've seen some of the newer 2D Mario games in action and they look fun to play with others...although they look far too easy if it wasn't for the ability to accidentally kill other players. 2D Mario games just feel better but if I had to choose between old and new, I'd pick old. I could take them a little more seriously as games rather than cashing in on a popular character whose development stopped at having a stereotypical Italian voice.
Mario had a great run for a while. Of course SMB3 and Super Mario World were friggin' classics, is it even possible to not like them? To be honest, I haven't played much of 64, or Sunshine, or Galaxy, but knowing what I know about the format and having sampled a little of each, I'm not turned off to them. It just happens I haven't had time to sit down with them and really dig in. It's these New SMB games that really bug me. For two big reasons: (1) 2.5D is ugly 99.9% of the time, and this is not the .1%; (2) If you're gonna make a precision platforming game, the controls need to be precise, not floaty and slidey and crazy unpredictable. The number of NSMB videos in the world dedicated to spills and bloopers are a testament to how difficult it is to land those jumps. I liked it better when Nintendo used the Mario brand to try crazy new ideas, knowing they'd meet with at least some success because, hey, it's-a-Mario! How can he fail? But they've pretty well stopped doing that entirely, and now I just yawn when I see the new titles. There are too many platformers in the world, even today, that surpass that old-school Mario magick Nintendo keeps trying to recapture. Dustforce, They Bleed Pixels, Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe, VVVVVV, Super Meat Boy... The list goes on.
