What are the most worthwhile Mario games on the Switch?

[Gameguy]

Love how a recommendations topic turned into "let's discuss why we don't like Mario anymore." But I probably already own the two best Mario games available on the platform...

Well you limited suggestions to the Switch so it's only natural....

Honestly I didn't mind Super Mario Sunshine from what I've played of it so that's something, I do own it for the Gamecube though so it's not a Switch recommendation. Just about every other 3D Mario game once Super Mario 64 came out I've just disliked, mostly I disliked the way the games control and would rather go back to the older 2D titles.

Metroid was never really a frequent series, sequels usually only popped up once every several years until the mid 2000's when it somehow became popular and tons of games came out. Most of the popular games with Metroid were portable entries. Then Metroid: Other M came out and soured the series so Nintendo packed it up for awhile, but they're apparently working on Metroid Prime 4 for the Switch so maybe it'll get popular again. I never got into the 3D games either so I again tend to prefer the older entries. It's weird how Metroid started this style of gameplay but most people are wanting new Castlevania games to get this type of game, I haven't heard the same demand for new Metroid games.

I'm not that desperate for the Switch because it seems to use rechargeable batteries for the controllers. It just feels like a console that has a shelf life of under 10 years like with any cell phone or tablet. Maybe I'm wrong about the batteries and they're both easy to replace and easy to buy replacements, but I don't think they are. I don't have space for another console either so I didn't see the point to start buying more stuff, though there are various Switch games that actually interest me like the Shantae games as an example. There are more games on the Switch that interest me than both the Wii and Wii U have combined.

[Aussie2B]

This is the Modern Gaming section, so it's only natural that the topic wouldn't cover Mario games from the 80s and 90s.

My Game Boy Advance SP is from 2005, and it still charges just fine and holds its charge for what feels like indefinitely (as in, I can leave it untouched for several months and it still has its charge). Rechargeable batteries have been an industry norm for a long time, and they generally last longer than 10 years and aren't hard to replace when necessary. It is possible to replace a Switch battery, but obviously very few people need to at this point. It doesn't seem quite as easy as popping a new battery in an SP or PSP but still perfectly doable, and I'm sure there will be even more tutorials and more third-party options by the time Switch battery replacement becomes more common. While the batteries may not last forever, it's not really any different than older systems having capacitors, laser units, lubricants, etc. that give out and need replacement. No hardware lasts forever, and having to possibly replace a rechargeable battery eventually is worth not having a controller tethered to a system, a handheld tethered to an outlet, or having to buy separate AA batteries, either standard or rechargeable, add extra weight to the system/controller, and repeatedly replace those when they die. For that matter, I've had AC adapters for older systems die on me too.

[Tupin]

Super Mario Sunshine always felt a bit rushed to me. It is one of the reasons I was hoping for a full remake, so some of its issues could be fixed. But we're never getting that now.

[Gameguy]

This is the Modern Gaming section, so it's only natural that the topic wouldn't cover Mario games from the 80s and 90s.

That was a joke on how modern games mostly suck compared to older ones, that's why it's hard to recommend good games on a modern console.

So far my GBA SP systems and DS/3DS systems still have working batteries, but I've come across some used SPs with swollen batteries and have heard of plenty of people needing to replace them already. At least these are designed to be user replaceable. And I have to hope that these proprietary batteries will still be manufactured in the future, good luck buying replacement batteries for a 20 year old laptop today. Which actually reminds me that I should try to find my old Win 95 laptop and see if the battery is still good as I probably haven't used it in close to a decade.

Here's a guide on changing a Switch battery.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nintend...acement/112995

The Switch battery is glued in, and just to get to it you need to remove shielding and thermal compound which will have to be replaced when reassembling. That's not easy, and replacing adhesive along with thermal paste is an additional expense on top of a new battery. A PS3 controller battery is much easier to replace than this. Intentionally designing modern systems this way after video games have been established as long term collectibles is just insulting. They're not intended to be disposable anymore the way cell phones are. I don't get why controllers need to be wireless anyway, were people tripping over the cords? Obviously a portable system needs to be cordless but does the PS3 or PS4 need controllers to be wireless?

Capacitors are standard off the shelf parts, they'll always be available. I can't say that about all proprietary batteries. And most likely if I needed capacitors replaced I'll have to pay someone to do the work for me. I shouldn't need to do the same thing with replacing a rechargeable battery when it could have easily been designed differently, even like the SP which is user replaceable. So far I've never had an AC adapter die on me, but at least these are easily replaceable.

Super Mario Sunshine always felt a bit rushed to me. It is one of the reasons I was hoping for a full remake, so some of its issues could be fixed. But we're never getting that now.

I've played it for about a half hour so my experience isn't all too great with it, I just didn't completely hate it so I liked it far more than other 3D Mario games I've played. Well I guess I like Luigi's Mansion too but it's kind of a spinoff rather than a Mario game to me, I'm just thinking about main Mario games.


I really need to look into these Puyo Tetris games as I've never seen them before. I meant to comment earlier on this but forgot.

[Tron 2.0]

Super Mario Sunshine always felt a bit rushed to me. It is one of the reasons I was hoping for a full remake, so some of its issues could be fixed. But we're never getting that now.

I've completed sunshine on gc but really i never liked it's camera which is one flaw that needs a fix.Still this collection seems to be a straight up port nothing more.