Mario

Mario is the keystone of Nintendo's identity and arguably the most recognizable character in all of games. The catalog here traces the plumber from the 8-bit side-scrollers of the 1980s through his genre-defining leap into 3D, alongside the party spin-offs, the Wario offshoot, and a 1993 live-action film that has aged into a cult curiosity.

Mario is unusual in how rarely the games chase realism. The appeal is clean mechanics and inventive level design rather than plot, a consistency that has held for decades. The franchise also pushed early into television with several animated series and lives on through music in its instantly hummable themes.

Few properties span this many forms, across games, film, TV, and soundtrack, while keeping such a steady, sunny tone.

The Mario franchise spans 3 series, 3 books, 101 games, 5 movies in the CrossBinge catalog.