The Video Game Evolution Of Mario On Nintendo And Beyond
Donkey Kong, 1981
Gaming legend Mario has evolved quite a bit since his 1981 debut in Donkey Kong, but he still retains his signature style. Here's how he's changed over the years.
Console: Arcade (later ported to home consoles)
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Mario Bros., 1983
Console: Arcade (later ported to home consoles)
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Super Mario Bros., 1985
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
This is Mario's debut on the NES.
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Punch-Out!!, 1987
Console: NES
Mario serves as referee to the boxing matches.
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Mario Bros. II, 1988
Console: NES
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Super Mario Land, 1989
Console: GameBoy
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Super Mario Bros. 3, 1990
Console: NES
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Dr. Mario, 1990
Console: NES
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NES Open, 1991
Console: NES
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Super Mario World, 1991
Console: Super Nintendo (SNES)
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Mario's Time Machine, 1993
Console: SNES and PC
This is one of a few educational Mario games released over the years.
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Hotel Mario, 1994
Console: Philips CD-i
This is an ultra rare example of a Mario game developed for a non-Nintendo console.
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Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, 1995
Console: SNES
This game marks the first appearance of Baby Mario.
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Super Mario 64, 1996
Console: Nintendo 64 (N64)
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Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, 1996
Console: SNES
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Mario Golf, 1999
Console: N64
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Paper Mario, 2000
Console: N64
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Super Mario Sunshine, 2002
Console: Nintendo GameCube
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Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, 2005
Console: Nintendo DS
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New Super Mario Bros., 2006
Console: Nintendo DS
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Super Paper Mario, 2007
Console: Nintendo Wii (Wii)
This is Mario's debut on the Wii.
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Super Mario Galaxy, 2007
Console: Wii
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Super Mario 3D Land, 2011
Console: Nintendo 3DS
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New Super Mario Bros. U, 2012
Console: Nintendo Wii U (Wii U)
This is Mario's debut on the Wii U console.
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Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, 2013
Console: Wii U
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Super Mario Run, 2016
Console: Apple iOS, Android
This is Mario's debut on mobile devices.
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Super Mario Odyssey, 2017
Console: Nintendo Switch
Released on October 27, 2017, Super Mario Odyssey is the first Super Mario game on the Switch console. You can read our review here.
(Image credit: Nintendo)