Episode 565: The Wonder of Mario (Patreon)

Jeremy: OK. It's time to come clean. This episode is not about Super Mario Wonder. The title this week? Absolutely and shamelessly an attempt at search engine clickbait. 

It is, however, about Super Mario Bros. in a more general sense. And about other games and series that landed at the perfect time and place to become classics. It's about the circumstances of their release, the particulars of their design, and the concepts and qualities that make them enduring classics. 

Stuart, Diamond, and Kevin all join me this time around to share their thoughts on the games they consider part of gaming's timeless canon, and to explain why they rank those masterpieces so highly. 

Edits by Greg Leahy. Art by Amanda Neipris. Tunes this time:

• 05:39 - Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Pipe Rock Plateau
• 15:46 - Shnabubula: "Mario Likes Thorazine" (OC Remix #1599)
• 30:09 - Super Mario Maker 2: Underground Theme (NSMBU Edit ver.)
• 41:42 - Myst: Mechanical Mystgate
• 50:25 - PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC: Perilous Pipes
• 1:00:54 - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: PAC-MAN'S Park/Block Town
• 1:12:41 - Resident Evil 4 (2005): Ganado II
• 1:25:51 - Dragon's Lair (NES): Congratulations
• 1:38:11 - Star Trek Original Television Soundtrack vol. 2: Going Aboard
• 1:48:53 - Super Meat Boy: The Battle of Lil' Slugger
• 2:01:29 - Tetris Effect: All Nations
• Closing - Elvis Presley: "The Wonder of You"