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 and Week 2 here!

1999

Day 15, Tuesday, September 15, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1qIk3W9ubc

It was 1999 when we got our very first Mario Party game. It was the start of a beloved franchise for many of us, and it was also the starting foundations of Mario Party Legacy itself. The game that was released over a decade ago was what put our entire website and community in motion. And for that reason, we are celebrating with a remix of several Mario Party themes in the video above!

1999 was not only known for Mario Party. This was also the year Mario Golf made it to both the Nintendo 64 and the Game Boy Color, but the biggest game would have to go to the release of the original Smash Bros. Two huge franchises were born this year!

Mario games released in 1998:

Mario Party (N64, February 8)
Super Smash Bros. (N64, April 26)
Mario Golf (N64, July 26)
Mario Golf (Game Boy Color, October 5)
Game & Watch Gallery 3 (Game Boy Color, December 1)

2000

Day 16, Wednesday, September 16, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt4f_72-KZU

And now we get Mario Party 2! This one is a personal favorite as this was the very first Mario Party game that I played. It’s considered to be one of the best entries in the entire series by most fans of the series, and it’s definitely justified by all the improvements in the board gameplay, the minigames, and the items! Enjoy the orchestrated medley above!

2000 also saw the birth of Waluigi in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64. Wario Land 3 made its way onto the Game Boy Color and the Nintendo 64DD got its first Mario game with Mario Artist!

Mario games released in 2000:

Mario Party 2 (N64, January 24)
Wario Land 3 (Game Boy Color, May 30)
Mario Tennis (N64, August 28)
Mario Artist (N64DD)

2001

Day 17, Thursday, September 17, 2015

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

The final year for the Nintendo 64! To give the classic console one last hurrah, Nintendo released several Mario titles that have since become favorites in the Mario fan community. We saw the very first entry in the Paper Mario series, as well as what many consider the pinnacle of the Mario Party series, Mario Party 3.

2001 also saw the release of two Nintendo GameCube titles. Luigi’s Mansion made its mark this year, along with Super Smash Bros. Melee. Today’s music clip features a remix of the battle theme from Paper Mario. Check it out!

Mario games released in 2001:

Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color, January 16)
Paper Mario (N64, February 5)
Dr. Mario 64 (N64, April 9)
Mario Party 3 (N64, May 6)
Super Mario Advance (GBA, June 11)
Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA, August 27)
Luigi’s Mansion (GCN, November 18)
Wario Land 4 (GBA, November 19)
Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN, December 3)

2002

Day 18, Friday, September 18, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDR3fm3hUwg

Not the biggest year for Mario, but this is the year that Super Mario Sunshine was released! As the sequel to the revolutionary Super Mario 64, this game had a lot to live up to. While it was not important as impactful as its predecessor, it did bring a lot of new ideas and concepts to the table that makes stand out, even among newer games today. The clip for today gives the nostalgic Delfino Plaza theme a more relaxed and jazzy vibe, all while staying true to the original theme.

Mario games released in 2002:

Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (GBA, February 11)
Super Mario Sunshine (GCN, August 26)
Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (GBA, September 24)
Mario Party 4 (GCN, October 21)

2003

Day 19, Saturday, September 19, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cagcdZ1mb6M

2003 saw the start of two new series that would go on to create many more entries in their respective series. First off, the WarioWare series made its debut with its Game Boy Advance release, while the first entry in the Mario & Luigi series was released with Superstar Saga.

But the biggest release has to go to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! at the end of the year. Any Mario Kart release is worth celebrating, but this Mario Kart was so different and so special that it stands out a little more than the rest. Listen to the Rainbow Road medley included today to hear every theme released thus far, including Mario Kart 8 and, of course, Double Dash!

Mario games released in 2003:

Wario World (GCN, June 23)
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (GBA, May 26)
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GCN, July 29)
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA, October 21)
Mario Party 5 (GCN, November 10)
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN, November 17)
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA, November 17)

2004

Day 20, Sunday, September 20, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg7Vcqrbx3o

People LOVE Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It’s frequently referenced as one of the best Mario games to date, at least outside the main Super Mario series. It’s loved for its incredible characters, its beautiful art, its intriguing story, its humorous tone, and so much more. Take a listen to this remix of the battle theme and bring yourself back to the land of Rogueport and the land of The Thousand-Year Door!

Mario games released in 2004:

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! (GCN, April 24)
Mario Golf: Advance Tour (GBA, June 22)
Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA, May 24)
Mario Pinball Land (GBA, October 4)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GCN, October 11)
Mario Power Tennis (GCN, November 8)
Super Mario 64 DS (DS, November 21)
Mario Party 6 (GCN, December 6)

2005

Day 21, Monday, September 21, 2015

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIYJ4rqqrQ4

2005 was a BIG year for Mario. Just take a look at the holiday lineup alone. In the span of one month, a new Mario Party, a new Mario Kart, and a new Mario & Luigi game were all released. If there was ever a time to be sick of Mario, this might have been it!

The remix for today takes the energetic battle theme from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii and gives it an even bigger boost of energy. Enjoy!

Mario games released in 2005:

WarioWare: Touched! (DS, February 14)
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GCN, March 14)
Yoshi Touch & Go (DS, March 14)
Mario Party Advance (GBA, March 28)
WarioWare: Twisted! (GBA, May 23)
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (GBA, June 13)
Mario Superstar Baseball (GCN, August 29)
DK: King of Swing (GBA, September 19)
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (GCN, October 24)
Mario Party 7 (GCN, November 7)
Mario Kart DS (DS, November 14)
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (DS, November 28)
Super Mario Strikers (GCN, December 5)
Mario Tennis: Power Tour (GBA, December 5)