To celebrate Mario's 35th Anniversary, I want to ask what is your favorite 3D Mario game?

For me it's a tough one, I love every single 3D Mario game in a unique way. I love Mario 64 for the open worlds and exploration with some fun platforming, I love Sunshine for its depth,atmosphere, open worlds, secrets, controls, and challenge. I love Galaxy for the tons of variety of worlds with totally well designed unique missions and its level design that encourages fun platforming. I Love 3D World for the tons of stages, powerups, and overall variety while having multiplayer, and I enjoy the platforming elements. I love odyssey for its huge worlds and tons of secrets and elements in the worlds to explore, making it easy to pick up and play and get addicted.

The only 3D Mario game I haven't played or even tried yet is SMG2, from what I heard may be the best one in the 3D Mario series.

However, if i were to choose one I'll say Super Mario 64, mainly cause it really paved the way for the rest of the 3D Marios and I feel like it has a perfect balance of feeling like all the other ones.

Super Mario Galaxy.

From its endlessly inspired and imaginative level design, to its joyous controls, to its sublime soundtrack, it's about as close to perfection as gaming gets.

Both of the Galaxies, with Galaxy 2 first because it eschewed the boring hub level and got straight to the action. Plus, I loved the thunder cloud power up (that Boomsday Machine boss fight was awesome). Oh, and Yoshi!

I'd pick Mario 64 next for how groundbreaking it was.

The one not in the collection :-/

Odyssey > Galaxy > Galaxy 2 > 64 > 3DW > Sunshine > 3DL

Galaxy 1. Galaxy 2 has better levels in general (although not by much), but it lacks the sense of "adventure", the touch of drama and the scope that the first Galaxy had. When I play Galaxy 1, it feels more than just a platforming game, while Galaxy 2 feels just like another simple platformer with a lo less going for it. (even of it's a glorious one).

Mario 64.

Pretty much a perfect game. Nintendo really knocked it out of the park with that one. A greatly crafted world with big open levels, the tightest of tight control and gameplay, and it became an iconic, groundbreaking game to boot that set the standard for every 3D game that followed. Galaxy isn’t that far behind though. I guess it’s up to personal opinion if you prefer 1 or 2 in that case; personally I’d say 1 because of the hidden Rosalina backstory, the observatory versus the Mario head spaceship and the music that comes with it and the novelty of it. After those three it becomes more blurry. I liked 3D Land on 3DS a lot, one of the best 3DS games, and I was more impressed with it than I was with 3D World. There is the caveat that the 3D.. games are a different series though; main mechanics are quite different from the ‘adventure-style’ 3D Mario games; there’s a single goal instead of multiple collectables and instead of freeroam movement it’s 8-direction based with the leveldesign encouraging you to only move in one direction. I have a bit of a mixed feeling about Odyssey, it’s great on one hand (the gameplay) but rubs me the wrong way on the other (the overal ‘feel’ including the style and graphics). Still haven’t finished it though. Still I’d pit it higher than Sunshine, my least favorite. I’ve always found that FLUDD breaks the game, or better yet, breaks what Mario platforming is all about; instead of cool and clever walljumps and whatnot, you just float to somewhere. Anyway it’s been a very long time, 15+ years, since I last played it, so I’m giving it another chance with the upcoming 3D All Stars.

64 > Galaxy > Galaxy 2 > 3D Land > 3D World > Odyssey > Sunshine

Galaxy is my choice. I remember being up until about 4 am the first day I got that, just absolutely absorbed in it.

Ranking: Galaxy > 64 > Sunshine > Galaxy 2 > Odyssey > 3D World > 3D Land

Galaxy games win this, hands down.
64 at its time, would have been the winner, but by todays standards? I think Galaxy takes it.
Its the best mario game(s) made.

my ranking would probably be like:

Galaxy > Galaxy 2 > 64 > Sunshine + 3D Land > 3D World 

(havnt played Odyssey yet) (sunshine and 3D land, are pretty close, could basically be equal sign there instead)

Overall: Super Mario Galaxy or Odyssey 

For its time: Super Mario 64

Title I'm most itching to play right now: Sunshine

Mario 64 was revolutionary and is still a great game. However, it has aged the most obviously and I've only recently played the (superior) DS version. It's a bit like Ocarina of Time: Amazing game but I've played it so often it's getting a bit old.

Galaxy is an absolutely stellar game, even though I am more of a 2D Mario fan and really wanted a new 2D game back then (which we got a few years later). Galaxy and Galaxy 2 easily have the best soundtrack out of all 3D Mario titles so far. 

Odyssey is great but I've only played through it once and didn't have enough time to process yet how good it truly is.

For some reason I'm itching to play Sunshine the most right now. Probably because of the vacation theme and the fact that I haven't played it in ages.