#19: Super Mario World

Platform: Super Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Release: 01/01/1990

It might seem campy to state that the first game you ever owned, and if memory serves, ever played, remains one of your all-time favourites. But in my case, it's absolutely true. Super Mario World remains one of the most endearing and treasured games I've ever played. The concept of it seeming dated at all isn't just unlikely, it's downright false. I had just as much fun playing it on the GBA when it was re-released in 2002, and I look forward to the day when my children experience this game for the first time. By their standards, it'll be ancient. But if I know SMW the way I believe I do, it'll prove a classic.

Picking the best Mario game is like picking your favourite child; you love them all for their own merits. To many, the series' peak (or plateau?) was with this game's predecessor, Super Mario Bros 3. To me, however, what World did was take everything that made that game great, and increase it tenfold.


Obviously, World won't be looked back on as being the most revolutionary in the series. However, it remains one of the most refined. The exploratory nature of this game trumps other attempts half its age, and I still remember the excitement I felt exiting a level in a new way, and watching a fresh path appear on the overworld map. Where was I going? How far ahead have I jumped? And will I be able to handle these new challenges? Exploring the map felt like a game unto itself; going down pipes, leaping from warp stars and entering exotic little locales... Fantastic.

Add in fun new mechanics, like the multicoloured Yoshis and the spin jump, and near-unrivaled level design, and World simply remains one of the most polished, timeless classics on the SNES. Frankly, you can't have a SNES without Super Mario World, in the same way you can't have a N64 without Super Mario 64. Mario owns Nintendo consoles in a way only Link can challenge.

I mean, come on. What's there not to like about Super Mario World? The only possible fault you could hold against it is that it didn't push new borders like SMB3, but in my mind, a bigger, better and more robust edition of one of the greatest games of all time is a champion in its own right.