3. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

Sequels aren’t always better than the original. And in Mario’s case, they often tend to feel like uneven leftovers doctored up into another night’s dinner; a collection of half-baked ideas, prototypes, and B-sides that didn’t make the first cut but are still ultimately good enough to see the light of day eventually.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is not that. Yes it’s more, but it’s also better, in every way, than its already groundbreaking predecessor. The 2010 Wii game is the definitive 3D Super Mario, complete with gorgeous worlds to explore, ambitious puzzle designs, and one of the most satisfying versions of Mario to control in any game. It somehow has even more planets than the first game, with an even greater level of variation and experimentation. Perhaps buoyed by previous success and the Wii’s blockbuster sales, Nintendo’s designers seemed to take even more chances—and, I suspect, had more fun—making Galaxy 2.

Super Mario has always fundamentally been a series about gravity. You can’t jump if you don’t eventually fall, and Nintendo spent decades exploring that in 2D and 3D. Galaxy explored it from the inside out, using Wii motion controls to help you tease it out and feel it deep in your bones, and Galaxy 2 took that to another level. — Ethan Gach

Read More: Nintendo Just Threw Super Mario Galaxy 2 Down The Memory Hole