This September marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES! To celebrate, Mario Party Legacy is spending each day of the week looking back at the Mario titles released in a single year. Each retrospective will also feature a remix or medley that best fits that year! Check out Week 1 here!

1992

Day 8, Tuesesday, September 8, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Mgnw-4qm4

Last week we saw a lot of releases of classic Mario titles that are to this day still cherished and loved by the community. That trend continues with this next set of games, even though these are not as popular. Our two biggest titles from the bunch are Super Mario Kart for the SNES and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins for the Game Boy. One was the start of a beloved series and the other was a fantastic sequel to another classic Mario title.

The remix above is from none other than the Star Maze from Super Mario Land 2. This is the theme that brings back some intense nostalgia for those that played the game decades ago, and even for those that have recently played the game. This rendition maintains the retro feel of the game while allowing it to feel modern as well. If you like the remix, give the creator a like!

Mario games released in 1992:

Yoshi (NES, June)
Mario Paint (SNES, August 1)
Super Mario Kart (SNES, September 1)
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy, November 1)
Mario is Missing! (MS-DOS)

1993

Day 9, Wednesday, September 9, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_9XI1Rqc04

1993 saw it’s normal set of releases like any other year of Mario, but nothing stood out like previous years. Yes, we got spin-offs with the Yoshi series and the incredible Super Mario All-Stars that bundled the four NES side-scrollers (Super Mario Bros., 2, 3, and The Lost Levels) into one package, complete with updated sprites and music for the SNES. But outside of that, nothing big and new was released.

For that reason we are taking the time to look at Super Mario Kart, a game released the year prior. As it was mentioned before, the game was the start of a very popular and very successful new Mario series, and we still look forward to each release. The medley above looks at the wonderful music featured in the first game. Make sure to listed to the Rainbow Road segment!

Mario games released in 1993:

Yoshi’s Cookie (NES, April)
Super Mario All-Stars (SNES, August 1)
Yoshi’s Safari (SNES, September)
Mario’s Time Machine (SNES, December)

1994

Day 10, Thursday, September 10, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsg9CR_JSdA

Wario took the reins this year as three major titles were released under his name. Most notable is the release of the third Super Mario Land game. Why is this one so different than the two before it? If you weren’t able to guess already, the game stars none other than our yellow plumber, Wario!

Again, this entry in the Super Mario Land series went on to start it’s own spin-off series with the Wario Land games, spanning multiple titles across the next set of handhelds and even consoles. The remix above is from one of the final moments in the game. Enjoy!

Mario games released in 1994:

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (March 13)
Hotel Mario (CD-i, April)
Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! (Game Boy, November)
Wario’s Woods (NES/SNES, December)

1995

Day 11, Friday, September 11, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYlP26znPuY

This year we say the start of the Mario Tennis series, which surprisingly began on the Virtual Boy, as well as the release of the beloved Yoshi’s Island. From here on out, the Yoshi series won’t be cataloged in our Month of Mario, but we do want to shine light on this gem of a game.

The medley above goes through a good chunk of the tracks from Yoshi’s Island. You’ve got the opening, the main theme, the boss theme, and even the goal theme! Enjoy!

Mario games released in 1995:

Mario’s Picross (Game Boy, March)
Mario’s Tennis (Virtual Boy, August 21)
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (SNES, October 4)

1996

Day 12, Saturday, September 12, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0N1my0rnmA

Two big games this year! While Super Mario RPG was another instant classic and a surprisingly deep game, Super Mario 64 takes the cake (woop woop, reference!) as the most revolutionary of the two. This was Mario’s first step into the world of 3D, and boy did it make an impact.

As one of the first 3D platformers, Super Mario 64 took the reins of the genre and established the foundation for many games to come. To celebrate, enjoy the 17 minute medley that remixes just about every song in the game!

Mario games released in 1996:

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES, May 13)
Super Mario 64 (N64, September 26)

1997

Day 13, Sunday, September 13, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrwLCLcny64

Today is the day! Super Mario Bros. for the NES was released in Japan on this day 30 years ago! If you have anything to say or just want to celebrate, head over to this article to do so!

Mario Kart 64 was released this year, bringing the multiplayer heavy and beloved Mario Kart series to the Nintendo 64. The medley above goes over all the themes in the game, including favorites like Kalimari Desert and Frappe Snowland. Let the memories rush back!

Mario games released in 1997:

Mario Kart 64 (N64, February 10)
Game & Watch Gallery (Game Boy, May)

1998

Day 14, Monday, September 14, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QLL_bpBz8E

Not a big year for Mario. A new entry in the Wario Land series was released, along with the next evolution of the Yoshi series. I mentioned earlier that I would no longer be covering the Yoshi series in the coming weeks, but I have since reversed that decision. The series does still have a good amount to do with Mario, and it is not that big to begin with.

But instead of focusing on those two games, today a medley from Super Mario RPG is up, a game we unfortunately had to skip as it was released at the same time as Super Mario 64. The medley is nearly 37 minutes long and you can find time stamps for all the songs in the description of the video.

Mario games released in 1998:

Wario Land II (Game Boy Color, March 1)
Yoshi’s Story (N64, March 10)
Game & Watch Gallery 2 (Game Boy)