Must-Have Switch Mario Platformers

The 8-year-old Nintendo Switch and it's 10-year-old cardiovascular system is currently on its deathbed surrounded by loved ones, a bunch of younger sexier PC handhelds, and its successor Switch 2. 

I shall not mourn its death, but rather celebrate its life... by collecting.

*Throw money into a trashcan.* "Am I doing it right?!"

To build the perfect Switch collection, the best way to flush time and money down the toilet, pun intended, starts with the mustachioed mascot plumber himself, in his natural pipe-hopping habitat.

Super Mario Odyssey is an launch-year 3D platformer that's all about Mario's hat, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a later-life 2D platformer that's all about Mario absolutely tripping on shrooms. Both of these exclusives-for-now add substantial new ideas to highly-polished Mario gameplay. They're not just great Mario games, they're great games that personify what the console is all about, where audience meets console meets gameplay. I'd bet the venn diagram between people who enjoy physical Switch game collecting and people who hate Mario doesn't have a ton of overlap, so these are definitely in, 5 out of 5 cute lil Mario Super Stars.

I also argue for Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Console exclusivity is neat, but unless you like spending money on garbage more than just going to therapy, you know in your heart that former Wii U exclusives barely count. This is great 3D Mario in a more classic-ey format than Odyssey, and Bowser's Fury is a great new inclusion. Another easy yes, 4.5 stars.

You could stop right there and have hundreds of hours of fun while still affording to feed your family. But if you want more Mario depth, introduce your family to Ramen noodles and let's rationalize some more spending together.

Super Mario Maker 2 can't quite replicate the original's best use of the Wii U game pad (just ahead of frisbee and doorstop), and its best qualities are internet-dependent, but it's basically infinite 2D Mario for cheap. On the flipside, if you have enough time to play games but not so much to make them yourself, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a solid Wii U port in the 2D New Super Mario lineup that includes Luigi Bros. content as well. If you had to choose, Maker pairs better with Wonder to scratch nearly any 2D itch, but both are suitable for most collections, 4 stars.

A half-step further down the path toward your budget's ultimate demise, Yoshi's Crafted World is a 2.5D platformer that looks great, and the gameplay seems neat if a bit flawed. Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a remake of a 2004 Game Boy Advance classic puzzle-platformer that's probably kinda niche. I don't have either, but both are on my wishlist... I think. Let's call them a spineless, reserve-the-right-to-change-my-opinion-later 3.5 stars.

Last but not least, if you're in therapy-grade denial about your problems, Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a collection of Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario 64 for which the packaging, presentation, and emulation choices are not great. It gets a ton of flack because Nintendo Nintendoed, and now it costs closer to triple digits than MSRP. However, it's decent enough and I really like having that selection of games on Switch, so it's definitely in, maybe... unless you don't think so... 3 discretion-heavily-advised stars.

There you have it, the must-own Mario platformers! And also some other games.

*Show the same trash can with like 3 games in it.* "Look, it worked!"

Thanks for being here, do something good today, and I'll see you next time!

***

A lot of my favorite games are great first-party experiences, things that are really built to a console's strengths and for that console's audience. So it was actually Odyssey that finally moved the needle on my wife and I getting our first ever current-gen console, the Switch back in 2017, so it's very sentimental to me even though I actually prefer to play 3D World. It's also probably an origin story that to be shared with a psychologist someday...