2. Super Mario Bros. 2
Ever wondered why Super Mario Bros. 2 drifts so far from the superior Super Mario Bros formula with Mario 3 reverting immediately to type? Well, that is because Mario 2 was never supposed to be a Mario game at all and it shows. Strange power ups and hurling vegetables at enemies replaced the classic squash them by jumping their head tactic. Whereas Mario 3 offered some interesting elements, such as flying through the traditional Mario-esque environments, Mario 2 took us out of our comfort zone into a strange world which couldn't decide if it was Mario or something else entirely, because it was sort of both, a direction that was never really explored again...and no surprise.