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The Ranking Hootenanny is back, and this one seemed somehow inevitable: A rundown of the 15-ish two-dimensional titles in the core Mario series. After all, I enraged the world a few years ago by publishing a factually and objectively correct ranking of the Mario games on Polygon, so it was only natural that I would want to permanently enshrine those opinions here in this podcast. Unfortunately, Nadia, Stuart, and Diamond were having none of it and decided to team up to shout me down, and maybe even prevent the dissemination of the wholly accurate statement that the greatest 2D Mario game of all is New Super Mario Bros. U (which is now Deluxe! That makes it even better!). I'm still not clear on how remote recording tech works, so I couldn't find the kill switches to their mics, which means we ended up with a democracy of opinions rather than tyranny. Unbelievable. What's the point of even creating a podcast if you don't get to use it as a vehicle for silencing all opinions but your own? What a world, what a world.

As always, edits by the inimitable Greg Leahy. Art by Nick Wanserski. Tunes for this madness:

  • 07:18 - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Donkey Kong/Donkey Kong Jr. Medley
  • 13:20 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Mario Bros.
  • 19:50 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme
  • 28:11 - Super Mario All-Stars: The Lost Levels Title Theme
  • 36:29 - Super Mario 3D World: Slot Machine
  • 44:45 - Super Mario Land: Invincibility
  • 50:29 - Chip Tanaka: "Dedicated to Hiroshi Yamauchi. 01" | Super Mario Bros. 3(NES): Athletic
  • 1:00:20 - Super Mario World (SNES): Ghost House
  • 1:09:47 - Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins: Space Zone (Stage Theme 2)
  • 1:18:25 - Mario Clash: Pipes (L1)
  • 1:22:48 - New Super Mario Bros.: Athletic
  • 1:31:33 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Volcano
  • 1:36:48 - New Super Mario Bros. 2: Rainbow
  • 1:44:09 - New Super Mario Bros. U: Castle
  • 1:52:17 - Super Mario Run: Underground Theme
  • Closing - Mario & Zelda Big Band Live Album: Super Mario Bros. 3 Ending Theme

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Comments

Anonymous

Super episode! Just made me want to binge play Mario games again😄 and DK 94 is indeed a “mini masterpiece”- it’s one of the few games that regretfully makes me want to use the word “sublime”. Also great to see so much love for SMB2- it never felt out of place to me, it just instilled the idea in me that Mario games are all about exploration and inventing great new experiences with these characters.

Daniel Greene

Long time listener, finally a patron so catching up on older episodes! I really resonated with Stuart about Lost Levels and SMB3 (my number 2 and 1 respectively). While I hold SMW in a higher regard than he does, I wasn't foaming at the mouth at his criticisms. He makes some good points which I may have held unconsciously, probably explains why I always regarded SMB3 much more than world.