There are a lot of Mario games out there. Though most of these games aren't particularly story heavy, some people have still set out to try to place these games in chronological order in an effort to make a single Mario timeline. Here's the latest crack.
If you include every single Mario game you can think of—including spin-offs, and games that feature other Mario characters are protagonists—things get particularly incredible. As Scorpigator Films tells it, our favorite plumber has led one hell of a life. Though you'll have to watch the video to hear the rationale for this particular timeline, if you're just interested in game order, here you go:
Yoshi's Island,
Yoshi's New Island,
Yoshi's Island DS,
Yoshi's Story,
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time,
Wrecking Crew,
Donkey Kong,
Donkey Kong Junior,
Donkey Kong 3,
DKC Series,
Mario Bros.,
Super Mario Bros.,
Super Mario Bros. 2,
Super Mario 3D Land,
Super Mario Bros. 3,
Super Mario RPG,
Luigi's Mansion,
Super Mario World,
Super Mario Sunshine,
Super Mario Galaxy,
Paper Mario Series and Dr. Mario,
Super Mario Galaxy 2,
Super Mario 3D World,
Super Mario 64,
New Super Mario Bros.,
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga,
Mario Kart DS,
Luigi's Mansion: Darkmoon,
New Super Mario Bros Wii,
New Super Mario Bros. U,
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time,
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story,
Super Princess Peach,
Mario and Luigi: Dream Team,
New Super Mario Bros. 2,
Mario Party,
All the other Mario sports titles,
Mario vs Donkey Kong,
Super Mario Land,
Super Mario Land 2,
Wario Land
What particularly gets me about this crack at the Mario timeline is the attention to detail. It takes certain gameplay aspects of the games, and uses them to explain why things happen in a certain order. Take New Super Mario Bros 2, for example. In the game, there are an absurd number of coins. So Scorpigator Films thinks, hey, what would Mario actually do with that money? Boom, there's the rationale for all the sports spin-off titles: Mario has obviously used his incredible wealth to buy teams, tracks and such.
I'm also a fan of this timeline because it's kind of bleak. Mario ends up all by his lonesome, without his princess or brother—all because he can't give adventure up. And neither can we. Damn.