Howdy Doody... that's quite an undertaking. I'm going to separate them into 2D & 3D, I'll compare favorites overall a bit though. ALong with other stuff... this is just gonna be some text block maniac review of Mario as a whole.
3D#1 - Super Mario Odyssey - It finally happened, boys. A weapon to surpass Metal Gear... err... game to surpass Super Mario 64. Odyssey is exactly the kind of collect-a-thon I've been craving for ages that Yooka-Laylee largely fulfilled and Hat in Time didn't. Big, expansive worlds with an absolute crap-ton of stuff to find. So many movement options, a ton of variety in levels and theme and that solid Nintendo polish. The genre isn't huge, but this is now my second favorite collect-a-thon behind the untouchable and never replicated Banjo-Tooie, though Odyssey isn't far behind. It's funny Nintendo is gonna have the top 2 GOTY contenders this year.
#2 - Super Mario 64 - SM64 just has a charm that is hard to match, which is why no 3D Mario until Odyssey has surpassed it for me. Sure, on a technical level ever other one is superior, but the simple joy and creativity of Mario 64 is unmatched, especially considering what it did for games as a whole. I can jump right into it so easily unlike the others.
#3 - Mario Sunshine - Compared to 64, Sunshine felt lacking in content which I noticed even when I was in middle school when it came out. That isn't to say it's bad though, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It gave me to open world exploration I wanted and FLUDD was super awesome to play around with. I've never 100%ed this one due to the tedium of blue coins, but I've got most everything.
#4 - Mario Galaxy 1/2 - I'm putting these together because they are so similar. Galaxy took a turn away from the open world exploration and turned into something more linear. I am really not a huge fan of the planetoids and all the weird spherical movement. This is closer to the 3D world games than the other collect-a-thon titles. I played Galaxy when it came out, and Galaxy 2 only a few years back. After getting all the stars in 2, I noped out of the green stars because boy that seemed tedious. Very solid games, but not what want out of 3D Mario.
#5 - Super Mario 3D World - I played through this game completely, but I remember very little about it. It's a fine platformer, but I've never been a huge fan of tradition 3D platformers. I can't remember ever being particularly challenge, though I do remember the cat suit being fun. 3D Mario should stick to collecting and leave platform to the 2D.
#6 - Super Mario 3D Land - The 3D was really good... otherwise, a slightly-lesser version of 3D World. Was it this one or world where you had to beat every level AGAIN with Luigi to unlock the real final level...? Either way, screw that.
2D#1 - Yoshi's Island - It feels a bit sacrilegious putting this at #1, but if it counts as a Mario game, then it's a tiny cut about the others. It is basically a 2D Collect-a-thon and I LOVE exploring the levels to find everything. The game has a ton of variety and a really good level of challenge. It's also visually adorable/stunning. All it's sequels where not as good, and below the next few numbers but I'll put them here anyway. Yoshi's Island DS was not quite as well designed but HOO-BOY those special levels are insanely challenging. Never played New Island as I hear it's dumbed down, Yoshi's Story is REALLY dumbed down and Wooly World is ok, but a little on the easy side most of the time.
#2 - Super Mario World - Again, I kind of feel like a dick for putting this above Mario 3. The exploration and secret exits put it above for me slightly, just because I love that kind of platformer. On top of the exploration. it offers a good level of challenge that I wish climbed a little faster, but some of the special levels are no joke. All around excellent.
#3 - Super Mario Bros. 3 - What can be said? Most people would rank it #1. As a pure platformer, it is better than World offering many memorable, challenging levels. It's bleeding edge platforming greatness, one of the best of all time.
#4 - Super Mario Bros. - The original, and a ball-buster. The basic grandfather of platformers that demands complete mastery of the controls and quick reactions. Brilliantly designed for basically being the first, still holds up today. Although World was maybe the first video game I ever played, I'm really glad I played this one soon after. I've never beaten Lost Levels... or played it that much at all... dunno why, I really should get on that.
#5 - New Super Mario Bros. - A new 2D Mario?! I was sure excited when it came out, and as far as I remember the game largely delivered. I liked finding the 3 big coins in all the levels, and I seem to remember some pretty challenging levels. NSMB Wii was pretty good too, I think a bit easier. I haven't played NSMB 2 or Wii U, but I'm sure they are pretty good... I'll get around to it.
#6 - Super Mario Land 2 - Amazing for a portable game. When my only system was a Gameboy Pocket (besides my dad's Intellivision) this was my jam. It has elements of finding secrets which I of course love. A great adventure for it's platform.
#7 - Super Mario Bros. 2 - Should I put this here...? While not really Mario per se, still a unique game. I've never actually beaten it... I got to Wart as a child and died. Was to frustrated to try again.
#8 - Super Mario Land - The weird Mario game... but also the first video game to ever be mine. It's a nice, if short, game with a lot of unique weirdness. It has some kick-ass underrated music.
RPGsI'll be a little less formal here.
Super Mario RPG is the one I have played through the most, and it some odd stuff, but thoroughly enjoyable. I also have a lot of nostalgia for
Paper Mario, which I kind of want to rate above The
Thousand Year Door because of nostalgia, but I think TTYD objectively more polished. Both games are amazing and hilarious.
Super Paper Mario is ok... I never got into the gameplay much, but the story was classic Paper Mario madness.
Sticker Star and
Color Splash... never played them, never will... the less said about that sadness the better.
Mario & Luigi really kept the spirit of Mario RPG games and also had really good combat. The first one was probably the best, I beat
Partners in Time and
Bowser's Inside Story and both where good. I didn't finish
Dream Team, but it seemed more of the same and haven't played
Paper Jam.
Mario Kart5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Best Kart Racer ever made to me. )
I just need to rant for a second about the direction of Mario Kart. Super Mario Kart came out and it was great, but it was a new concept. When Super Mario Kart 64 came out (Though it is one of my least favorite of them all) it removed the coin system, which was a HUGE improvement. Ad the games kept coming out, they kept not having coins as they should. Then MK7 Came out and look whats back... friggen coins. In a game that already has a lot of things to hold back those in low places, coins are just overkill. I HATE coins. I hate the whole damn speed system linked to them. Then MK8 has COINS AGAIN! NO MORE COINS! MY goodness I hope they stop using coins in the next one, but I am afraid it will be permanent...
Anyways...
Double Dash is the best Mario Kart by a pretty wide margin to me. It has a ton of great tracks, really good controls and I love the doubles system. I have played this one by far the most, many late nights of screaming with my friends.
Mario Kart DS is 2nd, despite some problems. The course designs and online and basically everything was near flawless. The only problem was snaking... if you don't know, it was a back and fourth powerslide you did at all times if you wanted any chance. I hated it at first, but then I just gave up and mastered it. I became nigh unbeatable in that game. Next is
Mario Kart Wii. It's courses where weaker than DD and DS', but it has that sweet, sweet online play. The motorcycles where a nice addition, adding more than upside-down underwater hover nonsense and BRINGING BACK DAMN COINS...! I played this one a ton with my friend, getting up to 9999 score online despite not playing Funky Kong the yell bastard (who was the best character).
Super Mario Kart is next. Despite being the basic origin, it was super fun and still is for what it is. It is one of only 2 Mario Karts to have good battling... sadly.
Mario Kart 64 is really bland with not a lot of frills... I dunno why it's so highly regarded. The racing is the most meh in the series to me, but the battle mode is SUPERB. This is a unique saving grace that makes the game worthwhile. I dunno why they ruined the battle mode after it.
Mario Kart 7 & 8 are largely interchangeable to me because of how much I hate coins. They have a lot of levels and options that I can't enjoy thanks to coins. This is the Witcher 3 all over again. I haven't played Super Circuit, but it's probably similar to the original.
Mario PartyMario Party is largely the same, and usually passable. Individual entries basically live and die by their unique boards, gimmicks and minigames. I don't rememebr which of the mid-series used what gimmicks.
Mario Party 2 is in my opinion the best with lots of good games and costumes(!),
Mario Party 3-7 are pretty similar, though I'd give the edge to the GC ones over 3,
Mario Party 8 had something new going for it with the motion controls but wasn't too much different than the rest and the first
Mario Party was the most basic level but still fun. I played though every Mario Party, 1 board a week with my friend over the course of a year, so I have done every board.
Next you have in descending order:
-AIDS
-Post-revival Family Guy
-Current PC culture
-Literally Hitler
-
MARIO PARTY 9 & 10The fugging friend car in those games is even worse than coins in Mario Kart. Mario Party is supposed to make you yell obscenities ad your friends, not work together in damn 15 minute game. Another series killed by dumb Nintendo decisions. You're lucky you hit it out of the Park with Odyssey and BotW, Big N, cause I was having doubts about your decision making...
...and the rest'
Super Mario Maker is really great. I enjoyed it immensely despite the fact I was basically designing levels for nobody, I wish I still had friends.
Dr. Mario is a fun puzzle game, but not too much different than others.
Yoshi is another puzzle game, not quite as good as Dr. Mario, but more unique.
Wario's Woods is like my favorite puzzle game of all time after
Sutte Hakkun. Speaking of Wario, the Wario Land games are amazing. Wario Land is great, Wario Land 2 is better, Wario Land 3 is not as good as 2, but I like the Metroidvania elements, and Wario Land 4 is last overall in Wario Land hierarchy. Wario World is ok, but kind of meh. Wario Land Shake It! is great except for forced speed runs at the end of every level...! Forced speedruns are almost as bad as Mario Kart coins and friendship cars...!
Hotel Mario is given a bad rap I don't think it deserves. I bought it in the early days of YouTube poop because of le memes, but it's actually a challenging puzzle platformer. Those Zelda games which i got at the same time deserve the crap they get, though. The only Mario sports game I have played is
Mario Tennis on the N64, but it was a very competent tennis game.
Mario Teaches Typing is the best of the educational games... mainly for nostalgia, all the rest are baby=grade.
Is that all of them...? Well, uhm there you go! A novel of text about Mario noone will read. Goodnight everyone!