Nintendo: Vacation for Bowser, no more kidnappings & return old characters/places.

The Super Mario series is indeed the highest-selling in the world, but with each passing year, these games have suffered a severe lack of variety in plotlines and main antagonists. Many people gladly play these games for the unique gameplay features offered. I however, played them also for the plots, believing those to be the major tie-in; the reason the game should be played, and for years the majority of these games have been kidnapping. Most people honestly think that having the same fire-breathing turtle-dragon hybrid (who I believe practically DOES rule the world, with all these castles, armies, armadas, statues and pictures of himself. Nowadays especially, there isn't a single Mario level that doesn't have Bowser's emblem somewhere) taking the same princess each time equals a reason to play the adventure. This plot has become so cliché (in any game these days in fact), that they’re not just beating a dead horse, they’re beating an undead horse. They’ve made Bowser so much an egoistic loser that almost any character can beat him and it would be nice to just give the guy a well-deserved break from the spotlight, not just as an antagonist but as a character in general, just for a few years or so. After all, it's been working for the Zelda series; they haven't used Ganon/Ganondorf for many sequels (not counting remakes) without anyone giving much (if any) complaint.

For starters, here is why most of the other Nintendo series are better than the Mario series:

•Zelda: out of the current 16 games in the main series (not counting remakes), the four spinoffs, the three CD-i and two of the BS-X Broadcasting System games, although 16 out of the 25 involved kidnapping in at least one point, 12 of them did not have the player fight Ganon/Ganondorf (unless you count Oracle of Seasons and Ages linked). In fact, the series as a whole so far has 10 different antagonists as final bosses (unless you count Oracle of Seasons and Ages linked), making this series a decent source of antagonist variety.

•Kirby: 19 have been made with at least one boss fight, not counting remakes (except Super Star Ultra) or Kirby Slide and Kirby’s Toy Box. Out of those, King DeDeDe has served as a boss at least once in each except Amazing Mirror, Canvas Curse, (who was a fake as a boss) and Return to Dream Land. However, there are 19 different final bosses in the series (7 alone in Super Star Ultra, not counting DeDeDe or Masked DeDeDe, who is one and the same).

•Pokémon: in the main series (not counting remakes), the trading card video games, Trozei! and Ranger series (but not the Mystery Dungeon series because the team villains there reform), there have been 12 different antagonist groups, each with their own unique features and goal methods.

•Wario: although each game of the main series had to do with getting a vast amount of treasure, whether by finding it, stealing it, or getting it back, 8 out of the 9 games (9 out of 10 if you count Dr. Mario 64) had him fighting a different antagonist group and 8 different final bosses.

•Metroid: counting the Metroid Prime Hunters demo and the remake Zero Mission, not the 1986 original, Metroid Prime Pinball or the Wii’s Metroid Prime Trilogy, 9 of those 10 games had a different final boss and each had a different plotline.

Secondly, do you know how many times you’ve let Mario and Co. beat Bowser and used kidnapping plots in your games? It’s probably true that Dr. “Eggman” Robotnik has more losses than any other video game character as far as I know right now, but that’s just for the Sonic series. So far, Bowser’s losing streak is 211: Super Mario Bros. (not counting remakes but will count Hard Mode, +2), Super Mario Bros. Special (+1=3), Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (+1=4), All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. (because of the different set of captives, +1=5), Super Mario Bros. 3 (+1=6), Super Mario World (+1=7), Mario is Missing! (all three version because each one is different, including the “fights” with Bowser; +3=10), Yoshi's Safari (counting Hard Mode, +2=12), Mario’s Time Machine (NES & SNES because of the slight plot changes, +2=14), Hotel Mario (+1=15), Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (+1=16), Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (+1=17), Super Mario 64 (+3=21), Tetris Attack (vs., and the special stage & final stage in Round Clear; +3=24), Yoshi’s Story (+1=25), Wrecking Crew '98 (+1=26), Mario Party (6 possible players×2 boards where Bowser is defeated; +12=38), Mario Party 2 (6 possible players×6 boards where Bowser is defeated; 36=74), Paper Mario (the preliminary battle & final battle; +2=76), Mario Party 3 (getting slapped by Daisy and kicked down by Waluigi; +2=78), Super Mario Sunshine (+1=79), Mario Party 4 (8 possible characters because Bowser gives a present to each of them, so each one had to have defeated him, and the final battle in Beach Volley Folly; +9=87), Nintendo Puzzle Collection’s Yoshi’s Cookie (+1=88), Mario Party 5 (7 possible characters in Story Mode; +7=95), Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (the tutorial battle and the 2 fights as Rookie; +3=98), Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (+2=100), Mario Pinball Land (+1=101), Mario Power Tennis (the intro movie; +1=102), Super Mario 64 DS (+3=105. Although this is considered a remake by most, there are simply too many changes and additions for me to accept that, and therefore must be a follow-up), Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (+1=107), Mario Party Advance (beating all his challenges in the quests, not counting the Bowser Lab because the player fights Naval Piranha instead; +8=115), Yakuman DS (rank mode; +1=116), Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (+1=117), Mario Superstar Baseball (5 possible playable team captains×4 difficulty levels; +20=137), Mario Tennis: Power Tour (singles finals match at the Peach Dome; +1=138), Super Princess Peach (+1=139), Mario Party 7 (12 possible playable characters in Solo Mode; +12=151), Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (as Baby Bowser and adult Bowser; +4=155), New Super Mario Bros. (including as Dry Bowser because he was one and the same in this game; +3=158), Yoshi's Island DS (as a baby and adult; +2=160), Super Paper Mario (+2=162), Mario Party 8 (14 possible characters in Star Battles; +14=176), Super Mario Galaxy (+3=179), Mario Party DS (8 possible players for Story Mode; +8=187), Mario Super Sluggers (it doesn’t matter who beats Bowser here, but it must be done twice to get the true ending; +2=189) Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (the tutorial battles against Mario & then Midbus, the second battle at Dr. Toadley’s and the end credits; +4=193), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (the final three Dream Events as a whole; +1=191), New Super Mario Bros. Wii (+1=192), Super Mario Galaxy 2 (+3=195), Super Mario 3D Land (+3=200), Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, (+1=201) Mario Party 9 (10 possible playable characters in Solo Mode; +10=211), New Super Mario Bros. 2 (+1=212), Paper Mario: Sticker Star (+1=213), New Super Mario Bros. U (+1=214).

How many Mario games involve kidnapping/stealing something as the primary plot (not counting remakes) and how many times have these specific characters in these games have gotten kidnapped?

1. Donkey Kong (Pauline: +1=1)

2. Donkey Kong Game & Watch version (which is not exactly like the arcade version and therefore different gameplay entirely) (Pauline: +1=2)

3. Donkey Kong Jr. (DK: +1=1)

4. Donkey Kong Jr. Game & Watch version (same reason) (DK: +1=2)

5. Donkey Kong II (DK: +1=3)

6. Super Mario Bros. (Toads and Peach: once in normal mode and again in hard mode; +2=2)

7. Super Mario Bros. Special (Toads and Peach: +1=3) 5. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Toads and Peach: +1=4)

8. Vs. Super Mario Bros. (Toads and Peach: +1=5) 7. All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. (Peach: +1=6)

9. Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch version (same reason as for the other G&W games) (Peach: +1=7)

10. Super Mario Bros. 2 (Sucons: +1=1)

11. Super Mario Bros. 3 (Peach: +1=8)

12. Super Mario Land (Daisy: +1=1)

13. Super Mario World (Peach: +1=9, Yoshi: +1=1)

14. Mario is Missing! DOS version (Mario: +1=1)

15. Mario is Missing! NES version (Mario: +1=2)

16. Mario is Missing! SNES version (Mario: +1=3)

17. Yoshi’s Safari (King Fret and Prince Pine: for normal mode and again in hard mode; +2=2)

18. Mario’s Time Machine NES version (Yoshi: +1=2)

19. Donkey Kong Game Boy version (Pauline: +1=3)

20. Hotel Mario (Peach: she was kidnapped after each hotel went under except for when she went to Lemmy's High-ate Regency Hotel because she was blasted off there instead; +6=15)

21. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (Luigi: +1=1)

22. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (DK: +1=4)

23. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Peach: +1=16)

24. Super Mario 64 (Peach: +1=17)

25. Donkey Kong Land 2 (DK: +1=5)

26. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (DK: +1=6, Diddy: +1=1)

27. Donkey Kong 64 (Diddy: +1=2, Lanky: +1=1, Tiny: +1=1, Chunky: +1=1)

28. Paper Mario (Peach: +1=18, Star Spirits)

29. Luigi’s Mansion (Mario: +1=4)

30. Super Mario Sunshine (Peach: +1=18)

31. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Peach: (only counting the Gritty Gooma’s success once because it is possible for players to get Peach through Teehee Valley without her getting caught again) +2=20)

32. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Toads: +1=4, Mini Marios)

33. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year-Door (Peach: +1=21)

34. Mario Pinball Land (Peach: +1=22)

35. Super Mario 64 DS (Peach: +1=23, Mario: +1=5, Luigi: +1=2, Wario: +1=1)

35. Yoshi Touch & Go (Luigi: +1=3)

36. Super Princess Peach (Toads +1=5, Mario: +1=6, Luigi: +1=4)

37. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (Peach: +1=24)

38. New Super Mario Bros. (Peach: +1=25)

39. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (Pauline: +1=4)

40. Yoshi’s Island DS (Peach: kidnapped successfully by Grinder monkeys, not the Koopa Troop; +1=26, Luigi: +1=5, Bowser: as a baby; +1=1, DK’s and Wario’s kidnappings were unsuccessful; +0)

41. Super Paper Mario (Peach: +1=27, Luigi: +1=6, Bowser: +1=2)

42. Super Mario Galaxy (Peach: +1=28)

43. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (though Peach and Zelda were “kidnapped” in this game, they are Trophies, and will not be counted towards the real characters)

44. Super Mario Sluggers (Peach: +1=29, Tiny: +1=2)

45. WarioLand: Shake It! (Merelda: +1=1)

46. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Peach: once by Bowser, again by Fawful and a third time by Dark Bowser. Alpha Kretin’s attempt went unsuccessful; +3=32)

47. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (Pauline: +1=5)

48. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games DS version (Snow Spirits)

49. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Peach: +1=33 (or 2 if you count Kamek taking her away in World 8-Airship), Toads: +1=5)

50. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Peach: +1=34)

51. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (Pauline: +1=6)

52. Super Mario 3D Land (Peach: +2=36, Toads: +1=6, Luigi: +1=7)

53. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Peach: +1=37)

54. Paper Mario: Sticker Star (Peach: +1=38)

Dishonorable Mention: New Super Mario Bros. U (Peach being a prisoner in her own castle is different from being a prisoner in her own castle that has also been stolen with her, but still lame on her part)

Furthermore, has it occurred to any of you as to why they keep doing this? Their Mario and Bowser’s power struggle over Peach and/or lands almost caused the inhalation of multiple worlds in Super Paper Mario and did cause the destruction of their entire universe in Super Mario Galaxy; hundreds of Lumas sacrificed themselves to reincarnate the whole universe just to have the useless tug-of-war over a princess continue. What’s the point in kidnapping and rescuing this poor woman anymore, especially after the cataclysms made by them in those two specific games?

Another thing that bothers me is where all these places are. Even though staples like Peach’s Castle, Toad Town and Bowser’s castle are regularly seen, others like Nimbus Land, Beanbean Kingdom, Rougeport, Sarasaland, Flipside and all those different World levels only appear in one game and are never heard of again. Where and how are all these places fit in the Mushroom Kingdom as a whole? My theory is that they’re all divided into separate “regions”, with multiple Toad Towns, Peach Castles, Mario Circuits, etc;

Then there are the characters/enemies that appear in practically 1-2 Mario games and are never heard from again, despite their uniqueness. How many of you would like to face off with Tatanga the Spaceman, or Wart, the Smithy Gang, the X-Nauts, the Shroobs, Cackletta, Fawful or even Dimentio, instead of the same old Bowser and his staple minions (Goombas, Koopas, Shy Guys, etc;)? How many of you want to have something else be the second to last track in a Mario Kart Special Cup other than a Bowser's Castle? Then again, how many of you would like to see another Wario Land game? Or how about F-Zero, Ice Climbers, Starfox, Metroid, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and others? Perhaps even let characters like Waluigi, Daisy, or even Rosalina star in their own official games instead of just fan-made ones?

For those of you who want such a change in the Mario series and Nintendo's franchises in general as much as I do, please help out as much as you can. Thank you for your time.