Mario is the main character of the Super Mario franchise. Therefore, he is featured in almost every single Mario game.
History[]
Arcade[]
Mario debuted in Donkey Kong, but he was named Jumpman. He had to fight against an evil, barrel-throwing ape named Donkey Kong to save his girlfriend Pauline. He then appeared in Mario Bros., fighting Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers alongside his brother Luigi. In the sequel Donkey Kong Jr., Mario is actually the antagonist as you are instead playing as DK Junior.
NES[]
Super Mario Bros. had Mario battling the troops of Bowser to save Princess Peach. It introduced many famous things in modern-day Mario games, such as Goombas, Fire Flowers and Toads. Super Mario Bros. 2 was the sequel, where Mario and his friends go into the dreamlike realm of Subcon to fight strange villains such as Birdo, Mouser and Wart. Super Mario Bros. 3 is thought by many to be one of the greatest games ever because it expanded on the first game, rather than attempting to be different like in the previous game. It also introduced the Koopalings. Larry, Ludwig, Roy, Morton, Lemmy, Iggy and Wendy. In Japan, there was an exclusive Mario game called Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. This was very similar to a modern ROM hack of Super Mario Bros., with enhanced difficulty, odd level design and not a lot of new sprites. On the SNES, The Lost Levels was ported to the US and other countries through Super Mario All-Stars.
SNES[]
Super Mario World was released as the first game on SNES. It involved Bowser kidnapping Peach on Dino Island, and Mario gaining a new ally named Yoshi. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (better known as Yoshi's Island) was a prequel to all Mario games where it reveals that Yoshi has had past experience with Mario, even as a child.
GameBoy[]
Mario's first adventure on the GameBoy is a game titled Super Mario Land, where he has to traverse a kingdom called Sarasaland to save the monarch, Princess Daisy from an evil alien named Tatanga. In the sequel, Super Mario Bros. 2: Six Golden Coins, Mario returns to the Mushroom Kingdom to find that his personal castle was stolen by an odd villain named Wario. To unlock his castle, he must go to six different areas, beat the strongest monsters in said areas, obtain six Golden Coins with one belonging to each monster and then come back. After entering his invaded castle, he puts an end to Wario's malevolent hijinks.
N64 and GameCube[]
Super Mario 64 is one of the most famous games of all time. Mario is sent to Princess Peach's castle to eat cake but soon finds out that Bowser kidnapped her and all 120 Power Stars. Mario must collect 120 stars and defeat Bowser to save the princess and get his deserved cake, through entering portals disguised as paintings. In Luigi's Mansion, a spin-off game, Mario is captured by King Boo and imprisoned in a painting. After King Boo is defeated, Mario falls asleep and is released by Luigi and Prof E. Gadd. In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario goes to Delfino Island for a vacation alongside Peach and Toadsworth but is mistaken for a criminal named Shadow Mario. He must defeat him and Bowser with the help of the mechanical FLUDD to get back Peach.
Nintendo DS[]
In a remake of Super Mario 64 titled Super Mario 64 DS, Mario is captured by Bowser (alongside Luigi and Wario). After being rescued by Yoshi, he becomes a playable character. But even if Mario isn't unlocked yet, you can still play as him by grabbing a Mario Cap that magically transforms you into him. Next is New Super Mario Bros., which resurrected the classic 2D style of platforming seen in the first five main games, including the basic plot of Mario reclaiming Peach from Bowser.
Wii[]
Mario had his first Wii game in 2007 called Super Mario Galaxy. Mario is given Luma by Peach before she is captured by Bowser and Mario is knocked out by a Magikoopa. He is brought to a grassy planet in which other Lumas are inhabiting. After the ability of spinning is gifted upon him by Princess Rosalina, he sets out to find a Grand Star. He is then brought to the Comet Observatory after he collects a Grand Star. He then gets stars to power the observatory so that he can go to the centre of the universe to defeat Bowser. After that, the universe restarts. His next game was New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a sequel to New Super Mario Bros.. The game involved Bowser up to his old tricks again, sneaking into Peach's Castle alongside the Koopalings to kidnap Peach and bring her to his castle of evil. Mario, of course, stops Bowser alongside Luigi, Yellow Toad and Blue Toad. In the sequel to Super Mario Galaxy appropriately titled Super Mario Galaxy 2, (which takes place in a fictional story book) he is brought to Starship Mario after he finds Luma. He then has to find and defeat Bowser who has kidnapped Peach yet again.
Wii U[]
First off was New Super Mario Bros. U, the fourth game in the NSMB series. It had the same style as the previous two games, with the mandatory inclusion of new Power-Ups (this time being the Super Acorn and the P-Acorn). Mario is having a tea party with Peach, alongside Luigi and the two Toads, when Bowser swiftly captures Peach with his machinery. Then there was Super Mario 3D World, a sequel to Super Mario 3D Land. Mario is walking with Luigi, Peach and Blue Toad when they notice a clear Warp Pipe on their path. Using their plumber skills, Mario and Luigi fix the pipe, as a small being shoots out of it. This is a Sprixie Princess, who has come to request help, for the other seven princesses of a kingdom called the Sprixie Kingdom have been captured by Bowser for plot-convenient reasons.