Mario and Sonic have been duking it out since the early '90s, but it wasn't until the release of 2007's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl that their console war fueled rivalry was truly squashed in favour of a more economically beneficial rivalry following Nintendo and Sega's ongoing partnership.
Given the enduring popularity of both characters, it's no surprise that these recognisable mascots have found their way into several different genres of games - but what is surprising is how many of these titles seem to almost be carbon copies of o🐬ne another. So whether it be edutainment games or golf 🌱games (or a third, less boring genre), which console idol comes out on top in their respective genres?
8 Mar꧙io Party v🀅s Sonic Shuffle
Here's a nice easy one to start with: Mario Party obviously wins. This isn't even marginally up for debate. Sonic's foray into the world of party games was laughably mediocre at best, and painfully slow at its worst. Sonic Shuffle is also probably the most egregious clone on this list, something critics picked up on immediately when the game was universally panned on release.
The numbers also speak for themselves. Whilst Sega only released one Sonic themed party game, the Mario Party series has seen 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:eighteen different entries since the release of the first Mario Party game back in 1998. Keep your chin up though Sonic, as whileﷺ you may not be down to party, your time to shine will come.
7 🔥 🤡 Mario Pinball Land vs Sonic Spinball
It's hard to think of a genre more perfect for a spherical hedgehog who loves to go fast than one that requires you to smash a ball-shaped object against stuff at high speeds. The 1993 release of Sonic Spinball just ticked every box for Sonic fans, boasting great music, cool (albeit slightly creepy) visuals, and charming, yet somewhat standard, pinball fun.
Mario Pinball Land on the other hand, whilst not poorly received, is just a bizarre concept on paper. Mario, the plumber, voluntarily shoots himself out of a cannon in a desperate bid to save the freshly kidnaped Princess Peach. Yes, that is the actual plot of the game. Let's be real, pinball is just more Sonic's vibe. After all, Sonic Spinball was so influential that a ride based on it opened in Alton Towers in 2010. Is Mario cool enough to have his own theme park ride? Oh, right, yeah - 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:nevermind.
6 Dr Mario vs Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Dr Mario and Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine are basically the same game, which is funny considering Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is just a reskin of Puyo Puyo - which also is essentially just a clone of Dr Mario. That being said, all three games are just Tetris ripoffs so lets not split hairs.
Dr Robotnik wins this one, because, after a quick Google, it turns out (if the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog movie is to be believed) he has a whopping five PHDs, whereas Dr Mario is an unlicensed quack who accidentally releases the virus you hav꧙e to combat in his own game. What next, has Luigi been moonlighting as a school teacher?
5 ༺ Mario Is Missing vs Sonic Schoolhouඣse
Asking someone to pick between their two favourite edutainment games is like asking someone which method of capital punishment they'd prefer, but, unfortunately for us, Mario and Sonic's levels of fame is so massive that they've both managed to find their way into two titles in the second-worst genre of video games (right behind whatever genre Football Manager simulators fall under).
Sonic's Schoolhouse wins this one for one very simple reason: considering Mario is Missing is supposed to be an "educational" game, the "" section on its wiki is somehow longer than the list you're reading right now. One of the longest sections is about Rome - you know, the capital of Italy? Where Mario and Luigi are from? Maybe it's best you just stick to the plumbing, fellas.
4 Mario Kart vs Sonic Team Racing 🎶
Sonic the Hedgehog, the supersonic demon who can break the sound barrier by running, has found himself in several racing games over the past few decades. Sonic R, admittedly, made a lot of sense given that the superfast animals use their feet to race, but the subsequent car based entries in Sonic's racing library just seem silly by comparison.
That isn't to say that titles like Sonic Team Racing 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:are terrible, but Mario going go-karting with his friends (and that one guy who keeps kidnapping his girlfriend) just makes way more sense. That wouldn't stop Mario from challenging Sonic to a race in several different Olympic Games, but he was never exactly famous for his intellect. How exactly did Mario get that doctorate anyway?
3 𒆙 Mario Tennis Aces ⛄vs Sega Superstars Tennis
Now this is kind of a tough one, because in the grand scheme of things it's kind of difficult to mess up making a tennis game. No offense to tennis game aficionados, all three of which are surely livid, but it's a pretty straightforward sport that easily translates into a video game.
So why does Sonic take this one over Mario? Well, whilst the Mario Tennis series does ce🌼rtainly have several different, arguably superior tennis titles to choose from, Mario loses points for his sadly lackluster recent entry, Mario Tennis Aces. The wealth of content in Sega Superstars Tennis more than makes up for what it lacks in hardcore tennis action, something that Mario Tennis Aces was extremely light on when it first released.
2 𒀰 Mario Golf vs Sonic Golf
Ah, golf; that sport that every middle-aged, middle-class man seems magnetically drawn to play the second they start getting grey hairs. In Mario's case, it seems like a forgone conclusion that a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:man of his age would be chipping shots out of the bunker on a bi-monthly basis. In Sonic's case, less so, but then again, hedgehogs live for about five years maximum so, maybe Sonic is four and already retired in hedgehog years.
Mario wins this one pretty soundly, not due to the aforementioned hedgehog discrimination but rather due to the fact that the Sonic golf games are basic💙 mobile games, whereas the Mario golf games are... basic golf games, but on consoles! The newest Mario golf game, Mario Golf: Super Rush, also introduced a "Speed Golf" mode, which me🤡ans now you can spend even LESS time playing golf, which is obviously ideal.
1 🤡 Paper Mario v🐓s Sonic Battle
This one kind of hurts to admit but, when it comes to RPGS, Mario well and truly has Sonic beat. Some might be surprised to learn that there have been quite a few Sonic RPGs, even if they're a bit light on the "roleplaying" element of the genre. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood definitely counts, and it wouldn't be untrue to say that Sonic 06 technically has some light RPG elements? Sort of in the same way it's "technically" a "playable game."
Whilst I will argue until my last breath that Sonic Battle is an underappreciated game, there really is just no comparison between it and the Paper Mario series. Whilst the quality of the Paper Mario series has certainly 📖waned with the past couple of entires, the first two are certified bangers and soundly wi🌟n Mario this round.