Top 5 Mario Spin-offs

5. Mario Hoops 3 on 3

It may only be one game and not a series, but Mario Hoops 3 on 3 surprised a lot of people with how good it really was. Square-Enix's first sports title was a big hit, and Mario playing basketball was nice to see after all the Mario Tennis/Gold games out there. Unfortunately, there's no longevity with it.

4. Mario Golf Series

When Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64 hit, and when Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color hit, fans got a new taste of Mario: Sports games. Both games themselves were great, including having actual golf properties. A bunch of new characters were also introduced in the games.

3. Mario Tennis Series

After Mario Golf hit the scene, Mario Tennis soon followed with a Nintendo 64 game and a Game Boy Color game. Mario Tennis was a step up from Mario Golf - faster paces with great gameplay. The Game Boy Color game was very good, better than a lot expected. A lot of Mario characters made their appearance in this game, including Daisy.

2. Mario Party Series

1999 was the start of a big year for Mario and friends: Mario Party hit the scene. Since then, there's been 6 more released, giving the series incredible longevity. Mario Party games are great fun and unlike most Mario games before it, are great games for multiplayer. With a ton of mini-games and maps, there's always fun to go around.

1. Mario Kart Series

This leaves no doubt. The Mario Kart series isn't just the best Mario spinoff, it's one of the best series out there in gaming today! Mario Kart offers great gameplay, now including WiFi. Nintendo hit it big when combining numerous Mario characters and putting them on go-karts with insane items flying around - no one can just get that when playing any other racing game, can they?