16. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy)
A massive step up from the first Game Boy Mario adventure, this game played a lot more like SMB3 and Mario World and was much more action oriented. For the most part this game is a lot easier than other titles, but has a tough finale to ensure its no cakewalk. It was also the game that gave the world Wario, Mario's evil doppelganger.
15. Donkey Kong (Arcade)
The game that started it all. Mario first came to us in this platformer without his Italian moniker, his usual girlfriend, or his mushroom kingdom pals. Its incredible how well this game has held after all these years and is still just as playable and addictive as it ever was. This is exactly the type of game which would be a mainstay in the download charts if it were released on mobiles these days. A short game by modern standards, the real challenge came is playing the game on loop to get higher and higher scores. A challenge which was even the focus of a film released a few years back.