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Veknoid_Outcast 1 day ago
Edit Thread
To me, The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario are the top two video game franchises. I think only Final Fantasy is in the same rarefied air.
 
These two have been duking it out for forty years now, constantly jockeying for first place. I'm going to steal @Salnax ' idea and go generation by generation:

  • NES: The Legend of Zelda is superior to Super Mario Bros., but Super Mario Bros. 3 tops them all [Mario wins]
  • GB: I think Link's Awakening is slightly better than Super Mario Land 2, the best of the Super Mario Land sub-series, but it's three games versus one [Tie]
  • SNES: A Link to the Past and Super Mario World are essentially equals. The margin is razor thin. However, if you count Yoshi's Island as a part of the Yoshi series and the Super Mario series and (which I do), then Super Mario takes the win [Mario wins]
  • N64: Having recently replayed both Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, I firmly believe SM64 is the superior game. However, I'd argue Ocarina + Majora's Mask matches the brilliance of SM64 [Tie]
  • GBC: this isn't close, even if the Oracle games aren't the peak of the Zelda series. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe just isn't essential [Zelda wins]
  • GBA: More ports from Super Mario, more new games from Zelda. Minish Cap remains a great adventure [Zelda wins]
  • GCN: the weakest 3D Super Mario versus one of the best of the entire Zelda series in Wind Waker [Zelda wins]
  • DS: this is similar to the N64 match-up. I think New Super Mario Bros. is the best individual game, but it's two games versus one. And Spirit Tracks, in my mind, is the single most underrated game in the Zelda franchise [Tie]
  • Wii: I love Twilight Princess, but Skyward Sword is relatively weak. Meanwhile, Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel are two of the best games ever made. Plus New Super Mario Bros. Wii [Mario wins]
  • 3DS: A Link Between Worlds is a masterpiece. The Mario games simply can't compete [Zelda wins]
  • WiiU: New Super Mario Bros. U is the best of that sub-series and Super Mario 3D World is one of the top Super Mario games ever. Plus Super Mario Maker. Since I'm pushing Breath of the Wild to NS...[Mario wins]
  • NS: this one is tight. Super Mario Odyssey + Bowser's Fury + Wonder + Super Mario Maker 2 vs. Breath of the Wild + Tears of the Kingdom + Echoes of Wisdom. I think the greatness of the BotW/TotK duology is just enough to emerge victorious [Zelda wins]

So, that's five wins for Zelda and four wins for Super Mario. I acknowledge this isn't the perfect way to arrive at a conclusion, since some wins are bigger and more meaningful than others. If, instead, we go by my top 50 list, I have seven Super Mario games and seven Zelda games. That shows a closer contest. For me, these two franchises really are 1a and 1b. However, since Breath of the Wild is my #1 game, I will use that as the tiebreaker. Zelda is the victor.