Nintendo's famed mustached mascot has seen an endless array of quality games and huge hits over the decades. He's been the star of some of the most iconic platformers, party games, and kart racers of all time. There's been no shortage of memorable romps bearing the Mario name, spanning just about every genre imaginable.
Yet, the pasta-loving plumber has also been part of a handful of stinkers and more forgettable efforts over the years. Whether they be bland rehashes, uninteresting concepts, or otherwise flawed experiences, Mario has had his share of mediocre games attached to his name.
This list will comb the archives of Metacritic and take a look at his ten worst outings in his decades-long history as a gaming icon.
Updated July 30th, 2021 by Stephen LaGioia: Though he hasn't starred in many new games of late, Nintendo's premiere mascot has remained just about as popular as ever. This is partly spurred by the 35th anniversary of Mario last year, which the Big N helped celebrate by releasing a new collection of 3D Mario classics, Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Though a remaster (and added content) of Super Mario 3D World, along with memorable new entries in the Mario Golf and Paper Mario series, also contribute.
With this in mind and the fact that there remains a handful of mediocre Mario games yet untouched, it seemed fitting to refresh this list with more of the worst Mario games.
15 Mario Party 10 (66)
While the Switch's Super Mario Party thrives with its appealing rework, the series was arguably in need of a facelift during the Wii U era a few years prior. Enter this rendition from 2015; an effort that didn't achieve much other than bring back the unpopular Mini Stars and single-vehicle transportation in board games.
For most fans, the one notable addition was the new Bowser Party, which made use of the unique GamePad by having a player control Bowser while being pitted against four others. Though some critics and fans enjoyed this fun new twist, many felt it was a cheap way to shoehorn the GamePad features into a Mario Party experience. Then there are the more traditional minigames, which tended to be a mixed bag of mostly simple showdowns.
14 Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games (66)
This collection of Olympic minigames tends to be uplifted by the name recognition of Sonic and Mario, which, back in 2011, was still a somewhat fun and fresh novelty. This sports-party game received some praise for some dynamic, creative use of the motion control, and a slew of characters as well as events.
Still, many also criticized it for some bland, shallow gameplay, and an experience that felt more like a more incremental step from its 2007 predecessor. This is despite the inclusion of a few new sports like soccer, which did little to wow most players.
13 New Play Control: Mario Power Tennis (65)
It's fair to say that the original from which this Wii reworking is derived is one of the stronger entries in the Mario Tennis franchise. Yet, judging the merits of this specifically, New Play Control: Mario Power Tennis failed to hit its mark. Its tacked-on Wii motion control wasn't enough to warrant the fairly high price or repurchase for most.
Amidst the familiarly fun tennis gameplay lies a feeling of unrealized potential with what amounts to a glorified game port. If anything, it tends to feel like a small step back. Not only have some gamers reported spotty, fairly inaccurate motion, but certain elements are also watered down here to accommodate the Wii controls.
12 Mario Party 7 (64)
Though this late addition to the GameCube library certainly has its following, Hudson Soft's seventh Mario Party effort managed to feel lukewarm for many. It didn't help that one of its few notable highlights was a series of mostly shallow, convoluted microphone-controlled romps. It also played with the concept of teams of two sharing a controller; a feature that sounds more interesting in theory than in practice.
Mario Party 7 certainly delivers in terms of quantity, featuring a whopping 88 minigames; none of which are reprisals from previous games.
11 Mario Sports Mix (64)
In an odd divergence from their usual material, Nintendo tapped Square Enix to handle this medley of Mario sports, rather than opting for, say, Camelot or Hudson Soft. But while SE may be practiced in the art of JRPGs, most would agree that this talent didn't quite translate to a party-sports romp. Even the amusing guest appearances from some staple SE characters weren't enough to sell some.
Much of that same arcade-style gameplay from typical Mario sports games are here to a degree, which some critics and fans praised for their multiplayer fun. Still, some pointed to the lack of available sports (only four), simple AI, and tedious, shallow experiences that comprised most games. This is especially the case for the watered-down version of volleyball offered.
10 Mario Pinball Land (GBA) (62)
It's perhaps not too easy crafting an interesting pinball videogame or generating much excitement for one when the real thing offers so much more—even one bearing the Mario brand.
Regardless, the few that played it mostly found Mario Pinball Land for Game Boy Advance to be a bland, wonky virtual pinball experience. Outside of its decent graphics and overall presentation (for GBA standards), players struggled to find much of interest here. The gameplay mostly proved repetitive and the pinball machine "stages" felt static and empty.
9 Mario Sports Superstars (3DS) (62)
Mario Sports Superstars is a reaffirmation that quality tends to reside over sheer quantity. This bundle of amusing sport romps here does contain a well-rounded list of football, baseball, tennis, and golf—though the inclusion of horse racing is a bit of a head-scratcher.
Still, despite this enticing lineup, many who played the game felt it didn't particularly do any of these very well at all. While most were suitable enough, they tended to take on a cheap and shallow feel more often than not. Most quickly realized they were better off sticking to the superior Mario Tennis or even Mario Super Sluggers.
8 Mario Party 8 (Wii) (62)
One could say the major shift from the GameCube to the Wii, and the then-new concept of motion controls would make Mario Party 8 an enthralling party game. And while fans and critics generally approved of this one, it never felt quite as fun or exciting as this innovative control input might have led fans to believe.
Most of the minigames that are fun aren't even really a result of the motion enhancements, and those that use the functionality tend to feel like afterthoughts. Many boil down to simply shaking, waggling, or briefly pointing the Wiimote on-screen. And despite being over a decade old now, the lack of online support here is a questionable decision by the Big N.
7 Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympic Games (3DS) (60)
By 2016, the novelty of having two of gaming's biggest mascots—the once-rivals Mario and Sonic—together on a frenzied party game had somewhat lost its luster. Thus, all gamers were left with was a cheap-feeling compilation of simple minigames and sporting events meant to resemble those at the Olympics.
Some of the game choices here are questionable as well—like the decision to include a horse-riding event as opposed to, say, basketball. The controls can feel interesting and intuitive when players get the hang of them, but the varying motion controls and timing required for each game could be rather jarring.
6 Mario Kart Tour (Mobile) (59)
Nintendo-based mobile titles have proven to be something of a mixed bag since the release of Miitomo in 2016. On the one hand, there's the entertaining phenom that is Pokémon Go or the charming Super Mario Run. On the other hand, there's the fairly watered-down and wonky version of Mario Kart.
As this is played on a more limited mobile device rather than a controller tethered to a home console, one would expect some level of simplicity. Yet, Mario Kart World Tour still largely feels like a missed opportunity, especially given the small tracks and short races that comprise the game.
5 Mario Party: The Top 100 (3DS) (59)
On the one hand—it's neat to get a sizable compilation of the apparent 100 "best" Mario Party minigames from the home console titles. On the other hand, the criteria of what qualifies this subjective notion is never quite explained. There are some head-scratching inclusions, like a few of the silly microphone romps from the GameCube entries; no doubt meant to show off the mic capabilities of 3DS.
While most of the minigames prove fun on one level or another, there is a looser, "cheaper" feel to some of them. And although players can take advantage of Local or Download Play to engage in some fun multiplayer, there's still a notable lack of online play.
4 Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (Wii U) (58)
In a likely attempt by Nintendo to keep this pretty straightforward tennis experience feeling fresh, they opted to largely revolve the Wii U rendition around the weird, imbalanced concept of oversized players. This feat could be achieved through nabbing Mega Mushrooms randomly tossed onto the court. While it's an interesting idea, it usually just disrupted the match more than add to it.
Not only this, but the online mode was limited and lacking substance, and the single-player options were some of the weakest in the series; areas that would thankfully be rectified by Switch's Mario Tennis Aces.
3 Mario Party: Island Tour (3DS) (57)
As is the case with many examples, Mario Party: Island Tour isn't necessarily a bad experience. But many regard it as feeling rather basic and doing little to stand out, especially compared to the far stronger entries in the series. The selection of minigames is tepid, and the board games are some of the least interesting in the MP franchise. Critics and fans have pointed to their heavy emphasis of random chance rather than skill or tactics.
Again, the game mainly suffers from its lack of multiplayer emphasis, which is where this franchise excels. Online play is also disappointedly missing, despite this being a 2013-14 release.
2 Mario & Sonic At The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (Wii U) (55)
In yet another case of "quantity over quality," this is but another example in a long list of Mario & Sonic games - with this iteration proving quite forgettable to most. This is despite its implementation of ten major sporting events with a handful more including subdivisions within some of them.
While one would expect this for a colorful Mario sports game, most of the efforts included are particularly cartoony and repetitive, often leaning on basic motion controls for the crux of the fun. Many are just over too quickly and offer too few scenarios, tracks, or customizations. Aside from the hockey event, there are few games that offer real substance or lasting enjoyment.
1 Mario Party Advance (GBA) (54)
Ah yes, the first-ever iteration of a handheld version of Mario Party. It's tempting to cut this lukewarm, often-forgotten Mario game some slack simply for being the first of its kind. Still, ultimately, a bland game is a bland game, and this one wasn't exactly ancient considering it released in 2005.
Of course, the basic visuals tend to go with the territory when it comes to the GBA. But regardless, the flat, cartoony graphics tended to make much of this experience feel limiting and cheap. The game very much stresses luck—along with rather shallow gameplay and particularly brief minigames. Mario Party Advance also makes a strange attempt to feel a bit like an RPG with its quest system, but it mostly falls flat. At least according to Metacritic, it currently stands as the worst Mario game.