Mario Games Have a Timeline?

[RedToonLink]

This question bugs me...i was watching ChuggaConrys SMS walkthrought today and he said many peolpe belive that Sunshine is a prequeal to Lugis Mansion.so is there a timeline theroy?

[chrisbg99]

I dunno if there is a timeline but I think he is referencing that the F.L.U.D.D and Luigi's vacuum in Luigi's Mansion (along with Bowser Jr's paintbrush) were created by Professor E. Gadd.

Whether or not it is a prequel is up to interpretation for the most part.

[Master Kokiri 9]

as far as I knew only Zelda had a timeline but then I learned of the metroid timeline so maybe Mario does have a timeline. But I think if there is one the 3-d games (galaxy, sunshine, 64) and the 2-d games (smb, smb2, smb3, nsmb, and others) are canon to the timeline while the Rpgs (ml series, paper marios, and smrpg) are the true meat of the timeline.

[basement24]

I don't think there is a timeline at all for them. They just sort of... happen. Miyamoto has stated recently (around the time of E3) that there really isn't any story to them, and there would actually be less in the future. He's leaving the stories to the Zelda games.

Also, there's all kinds of nonsense involved with issues like North American SBM2 and the Japanese SMB2. Which one would be canon? Also, there's never been an explanation on how characters like Birdo and the Shy Guys escaped Mario's dream from SMB2 and became real?

Plus then you get into Kart, Tennis, and Sonic at the Olympic Games, Golf, Soccer... It seems unlikely that they would get together socially to play these sports with their arch rivals. Peach is in constant threat of Bowser kidnappings and yet she hangs out with him on the podium after a Kart match? Yeah, that's kind of odd...

So, in the end, I think the Mario games are jsut a bunch of stuff that happens. Each one is their own entity. It's not to say they aren't all happening in the same world or something, it doesn't need to go that deep. It's just a series of fun events that don't really have to be thought about.

[Akiranon]

Thank God no, Mario doesn't need a timeline. There's already enough confusion with the Zelda one, I don't even want to think about another one. Besides, the Mario games don't have enough backstory to form a proper timeline anyways. Where would you place Mario Bros. 2? It could fit anywhere.

In b4 split-timeline theories! :P

EDIT: I couldn't agree more, B-24.

[fredthehylian]

I've been dying to start something like this. Here's my timeline for this.

Yoshi's Island
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong 2
Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros + Super Mario Bros Lost Levels
Super Mario RPG
Super Mario Bros 2
Super Mario 64
Super Mario World
Super Mario Sunshine
New Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Galaxy
Luigi's Mansion
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2
Wario Land series
Mario VS Donkey Kong trilogy
Subspace Emissary
Mario and Luigi RPG trilogy
Paper Mario TTYD
Super Paper Mario
Paper Mario
Super Princess Peach
Tetris Type B
Mario Kart Series
Mario Party Series
Super Mario Bros 3

[MrMosley]

With the Mario games, some are made just to be made. They follow a pattern of the Princess being captured by Bowser, and Mario is sent off to save her. You also have to consider which would be canon, and which would not. This is really left up to the player to consider, as really none have been considered canon or not since there is no definite timeline since the storylines are so vague and unconnecting. There are also some games that are obviously prequels or sequels to others, and those which can be speculated as such. For example:

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
(Prequel to all Mario games)
Obvious prequel to all the other games. This one details what happened to Mario and Luigi while they were still babies. In fact, as early as being delivered to their parents by the stork.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
(Sequel to Super Mario World)
At the beginning of this game, Bowser is seen in his Clown Copter, which he uses to capture Peach. The only other game that he had used this vehicle at the time was Super Mario World. At the end of that one, we see him defeated, spinning off into the sky while still in the copter. Therefore, it can be assumed that sometime shortly after he was defeated in SMW, he found Peach again and recaptured her.

Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japanese)
(Sequel to SMB)
This game, released in America and Europe as "The Lost Levels", was the true sequel to SMB. However, both followed the same exact storyline. SMB2(J) was simply harder levels.

Super Mario Bros 2 (US, PAL)
(Sequel to SMB)
This game was altered from its original version (Doki Doki Panic in Japan) to add mario characters and storylines, while keeping the same gameplay and enemies/bosses. The reason they done this was because they felt that the original SMB2(J) was perhaps too hard for American or European players, and the difficulty might turn them away from the series. Anyway, it is quite obviously a sequel to SMB, but all the game consists of is a dream that Mario is having. So since the title suggest it sequels SMB, one could place it after that game and/or the Japanese SMB2, some night while Mario is asleep.

That's about all the games I will get into. I haven't played most of the other RPG titles, and when it comes to all the Kart, Soccer, Party, etc., games, those could go anywhere. The fact is, Mario is a universally used character, like Sonic is to Sega. But Sonic had somewhat of a timeline in the game's release order. Bottom line: A timeline isn't that important to the Mario series, and other than the obvious "2's and 3's" associated with the titles, as well as obvious prequels such as Yoshi's Island, they can fall about anywhere. I would suggest listing only the main titles in some sort of timeline, while roughly following their release order as a means of placing them.

Yoshi's Island--SMB/SMB2(J)--SMB2(US,PAL)--SMB3--SMW--SM:RPG--SM64, etc.

[RedToonLink]

he says something during the king boo fight about Lugi.
Super Mario Sunshine - Episode 18