Mario games have benchmark games across the ages:
Super Mario Bros took videogaming from Atari style games to the next level.
Super Mario Bros 3 was the masterpiece of the 8-bit generation, and remains fun to play even today.
Mario 64 again took 3D gaming to the next level from simple racers and FPS games to full roaming 3D Platformers,
Mario Galaxy took things to another level once again, and Mario Galaxy 2 2 was a 3D masterpiece.
Mario is THE flagship Nintendo franchise, it is the defining franchise and appeals very strongly to the core Nintendo audience. Metroid appeals very little to the core Nintendo audience, it is more the game that attempts to attract dark room Xbox/PC gaming fans to Nintendo consoles. It will never sell as well as Mario unless the Xbox brand dies and PC gaming goes completely to ADHD Facebook games.
I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
