Now that Nintendo and everyone else is celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros., fans are weighing in on the Super Mario 3D All-Stars. The collection features three of the most beloved and highly acclaimed Mario games ever released, but which one is the best? Critic and fan reviews differ, and their answers are a little surprising.
Releasing on September 18th, 2020, Super Mario 3D All-Stars features three games: Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. Each title is great, but that doesn't keep people from debating which game is the best of the three. It's safe to assume people's opinions on the remastered versions will align somewhat similarly to their thoughts on the originals. This means looking at reviews for the original games in the collection to find the answer.
The oldest of the three titles in Super Mario 3D All-Stars is Super Mario 64. Releasing in 1996 on the N64, this installment in the Super Mario franchise is considered by many people to be one of the best platformers and greatest video games of all time. Fans love it so much, there was even a Super Mario 64-inspired area in Super Mario Odyssey. The game revamped the franchise, and Super Mario 64 helped shape almost every 3D Mario game that followed.
Is Super Mario Galaxy Better Than Super Mario Sunshine?
Super Mario Sunshine released on the GameCube in 2002, and was the second 3D platformer game ever starring Mario. Fans have wanted a sequel for some time, and Nintendo appeared to tease Super Mario Sunshine 2 earlier this year. For now, though, the Sunshine remaster in 3D All-Stars is the only thing official. That doesn't diminish the fact that it's a spectacular game with a now iconic location (Deflino Island) that's been featured in several games since.
Then there's Super Mario Galaxy, which released on the Wii in 2007. It was an immensely successful game that took full advantage of the Wii Remote's motion controls, and it even spawned an adored sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, which sadly isn't included in the 3D All-Stars collection. The galactic adventure was highly praised by both critics and fans, but that leaves the big question: Which of these three Mario games is best?
According to a conglomeration of critical reviews from sites like Metacritic, the best game is Super Mario Galaxy with a rating between 97-98%. That edges it out just slightly above Super Mario 64's 96% and Sunshine's 92%. However, scores for the game are slightly different. Fans and critics both seem to agree on Sunshine taking third place, but fans rate Super Mario 64 (with a 9.2 score) slightly higher than Super Mario Galaxy's 9.0 score. However, Galaxy has almost twice the amount of scores that 64 has, so that could be a contributing factor to its slightly lower number.
This isn't the first time critic reviews have differed from those of fans, and tastes vary. Either way, fans and critics should all agree that Super Mario 3D All-Stars will contain three of the best Mario games to ever release. The collection releases on September 18th for Nintendo Switch.