Super Mario: Every Game Ranked From Worst To Best

2. Super Mario Odyssey

Mario Feat Copy
Nintendo

A child had to be born, grow up, and be legally allowed to drink alcohol within the United States before we were allowed a true sequel to Mario 64. It was worth the wait: when Mario Odyssey finally dropped anchor in our lives, it made us feel like one again.

It's really more Banjo-Kazooie than Mario 64, but unlike second-rate sequels amongst the bird-and-bear's three, Odyssey is Goldilocks's expansion to the greatest game ever made: just right. The levels eschew the prevailing mentality that bigger must be better, giving way for continuous discovery over tedious travelling. Not that traversing the inventive, colour-soaked locales is ever a chore; Mario moves like a liquid ferret, a constant pleasure beneath the thumb. It's the sweetest of platforming porridge.

People who bemoan it as an excessive collect-athon have missed the point entirely , because that is the point. Not all 850 moons were made equally, and some are right arseholes (one can skip right off), but the fun never dries up even as the space shards start to. Plus you can play as a manhole cover. I mean, come on.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.