The Best Mario Spinoff on Every Nintendo Console Since 2000

Mario is a very popular video game, and he has many, many, many games aside from his usual array of platformers. From sports to board games to RPGs and so much more, the red plumber has surely done it all. So, I thought I’d take a look at the best of these Mario spinoffs from each console, specifically each console throughout the 2000s. So, here’s my list of the best Mario spinoff of each 2000s Nintendo console. Any official Mario game that is not a standard Super Mario platformer will be considered, and any ports or remakes of games from previous systems will not be considered, such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch or Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions on 3DS, as an example. And with that, let’s-a-go!

Game Boy Advance – Mario Kart: Super Circuit

For being the first Mario Kart on a handheld console, it’s a pretty impressive game. While the controls are a bit difficult to get used to, once you get them, the game is a joy to play. There are tons on tracks to race on, including classics like Sunset Wilds, Ribbon Road, and Cheese Land to name a few. Plus, this was also the first Mario Kart game to include retro tracks, with every Super Mario Kart track playable. In fact, Super Circuit held the most tracks in a single Mario Kart game with 40 tracks until Mario Kart 8‘s DLC tracks, which is a pretty impressive feat for a Game Boy Advance game. Super Circuit is definitely a perfect Mario game to play on the go, and a perfect start to handheld Mario Kart.

GameCube – Luigi’s Mansion

Personally, I think Mario’s best spinoff library was on the GameCube. Pretty much every spinoff released on the system is seen as one of the best games in its respective series. This included games like Mario Kart: Double Dash, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, just to name a few. However, for me, Mario’s brother and his unique launch game for the console that takes the cake for me. Luigi’s Mansion was a clever and fun little game that many seemed to overlook at the time. Luigi explored a haunted mansion to save Mario, who was trapped in a painting from King Boo. Sucking up ghosts with the Poltergust still feels the best in the original Luigi’s Mansion, as you’d have more of a tug-of-war with ghosts as they’d drag you all around the room, whereas later games made it much easier and less intricate to suck up the ghouls. For the GameCube, it really depends on what kind of games you like – either sports, RPG, or action/adventure. I’m more of action/adventure guy, so Luigi’s Mansion wins it on GameCube.

DS – Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart DS is basically Super Circuit, but with even more. The DS entry had 32 tracks, which wasn’t as much as Super Circuit, but was still a lot more than most of Mario Kart games. There were 16 new tracks and 16 retro tracks. Some of the new tracks are fantastic, including Delfino Square, Tick-Tock Clock, Waluigi Pinball, Luigi’s Mansion, and so much more. The retro tracks are great, too, including 4 classic tracks from each previous Mario Kart (along with Double Dash). Plus, Mario Kart DS includes 6 Battle tracks, 4 returning and 2 brand new. There’s even a mission mode, which makes you do different things collecting a certain number of coins, hitting a certain amount of enemies, or racing against other characters. There’s even boss fights, which is a neat change of pace. Mario Kart DS really went wild with all the possibilities, even for a handheld title.

Wii – Mario Super Sluggers

The Wii started an era where some of Mario’s best series went stale, specifically Mario Party and Paper Mario. However, the sports series improved dramatically, with games like Mario Power Tennis and Mario Strikers Charged being fantastic Mario sports titles. However, I’m giving it to the uniqueness of Mario Super Sluggers. The Mario baseball title included many different modes and gameplay to make for a neat, exciting game. The Wii remote worked perfectly for the game, and it made the title and great addition to the Mario sports series. Super Sluggers also improves on the Challenge mode significantly compared to Mario Superstar Baseball on the GameCube, with a more creative and in-depth system. The game is a great Mario baseball title, and my personal favorite Mario spinoff on the Wii.

3DS – Mario Kart 7

The next Mario Kart is Mario Kart 7. Compared to Mario Kart DS, it doesn’t add too much, but it definitely still plays great for a handheld title. Mario Kart 7 introduced a lot of new customization, allowing players to unlock and choose a large array of karts, wheels, and gliders. Gliders let racers glide downward in courses, allowing for unique additions to courses. There was also the ability to drive underwater, which was a neat new feature. Unfortunately, the game does not include a Versus mode, which makes it almost impossible to race in just one course (not including Time Trials). However, the game is still great, with a great lineup of tracks and new features.

Wii U – Super Mario Maker

Here’s a game that Mario fans never thought they’d ever get officially, but the Wii U gave it to them. The Wii U didn’t have too many spinoffs, and the ones it did have weren’t great, like Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash and Doctor Luigi, so that leaves it to Mario Kart 8 or Super Mario Maker. For me, the creativity and charm of Mario Maker gives it the upper hand on the Wii U. You could design your own Mario courses in four different game styles, and share them online via Course World. Plus, the game made it fun to build levels, with graphical quirks and silliness, making Mario Maker a very fun and charming game. There’s also the GamePad, which makes it a breeze to build levels. It feels like the GamePad was built for this, even though the game came out three years after the console. Though it has now been overlook due to its Switch successor, the original Mario Maker still has the best controls and most charm compared to Super Mario Maker 2, and it’s one of my favorite Wii U games altogether.

Switch – Mario Party Superstars

Here’s another system with a great list of spinoffs, with Mario Tennis Aces, Mario Golf: Super Rush, Paper Mario: The Origami King, and so much more. However, for me, the classic return to Mario Party takes the cake (literally). Mario Party Superstars was the return to Mario Party we’ve all been waiting for. Superstars brings back 5 boards from the Nintendo 64 era, as well as 100 minigames from across the series (with much better inclusions than Mario Party: The Top 100). The game has everything: classic gameplay, great online, fun side modes, and so much more. While the larger coin system does make Superstars slightly worse than the best Mario Party games, Superstars is still fantastic, and my favorite Mario spinoff on the Switch.

 

What’s your favorite Mario game? Let me know in the comments.

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