6. Super Mario Bros. (NES)
It can be argued that some of the more recent games have eclipsed this game, but it ranks so high for its innovation and the fact that it is still just as playable as it ever was. You have to give the guys at Nintendo credit. With many other genres and game franchises you'll go back and revisit their early entries to find that they are mere shadows of what they would eventually become. Some games don't age as well as others. Super Mario Bros has always managed to remain relevant. Just as they later would with his 3D debut, Nintendo made Mario's first 2D adventure the standard that all contemporary rival platformers would have to beat.
5. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
A huge step up in innovation after the original SMB, Mario Bros 3 is perhaps the most fondly remembered of the original NES trilogy. The game introduced items and suits so Mario could fly with the Tanooki suit and swim better than ever before with the frog suit. Marios new ability to fly and glide is still a pure joy when you have spent hours mastering the exact timing to blast through levels at breakneck speeds. The variety of levels and ideas and the tough boss stages ensure this game a place in the top five.