During a time when space shooters were all the rage, Shigeru Miyamoto's cartoony platformer Donkey Kong was a bit of a gamble. When the title became an unexpected hit, players were introduced to the character that would later be known as Mario. Nowadays, the Big N has become very protective of their baby face, going as far as to implement a ban on any unique characters from any Paper Mario titles.RELATED: 10 Harsh Realities Of Replaying Nintendo 64 GamesWhile Nintendo has become very prohibitive on what they'll allow other companies to do with their mustachioed mascot, they used to be more willing to experiment with the character, leading to some unforgettable classics and interesting failures.

10 The Brothers Can't Jump In Wrecking Crew

Mario running toward a building in the game, Wrecking Crew

Mario and Luigi have had varied resumes over the years. They've taken up carpentry, plumbing, medicine, painting, professional sports, and even construction. In the obscure Nintendo Entertainment System title, Wrecking Crew, the brothers are tasked with destroying a certain amount of objects on the screen while avoiding anthropomorphic tools and the evil foreman Spike. In one of the biggest deviations from the Mario formula, the brothers are incapable of jumping. The game saw a Japanese exclusive sequel for the Super Nintendo in 1998, and some re-releases through Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online.

9 Super Mario RPG Legend Of The Seven Stars Led To Other Great Titles

Mario overlooking Bowser's castle

This is a case where weird most certainly does not mean bad. This unlikely collaboration between Square Soft and Nintendo flipped the script in the Mario formula by making Princess Peach and Bowser playable characters. They also mixed the plumber's tried and true platforming mechanics with a turn-based JRPG. Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars was simple enough for non-RPG fans to grasp without being too easy for enthusiasts. The game was a massive commercial and critical success, paving the way for other Mario RPG subseries such as the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi titles.

8 Mario Paint Let Players Craft Works Of Art

Mario paints his latest masterpiece.

Mario Paint was an interesting piece of software, which allowed users to draw pictures, make animated movies, and even craft their own musical compositions. The game was one of the few titles to utilize the Super Nintendo's mouse peripheral. It even incorporated a fly-swatting mini-game that took advantage of the device's capabilities. Despite being one of the highest-selling SNES titles, its N64DD sequel, Mario Artist, never made it stateside. However, elements of Mario Paint, such as the fly-swatter mini-game, would be referenced in other titles such as WarioWare.

7 Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix Is An Easy Entry Point To DDR

Mario dances on a boat.

Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix is yet another attempt to mix a winning formula with the Big N's poster boy, and for the most part, it succeeds in providing players with the best of both worlds. Why the Super Mario Bros 2 overworld theme is used to represent the ghost houses is anyone's guess, but the remixes of classic tunes are suitably lighthearted and catchy. The game's lack of challenge will undoubtedly turn off hardcore DDR fans, but it helps make the game a decent entry point in Konami's arcade series.

6 Mario Is Missing And So Is The Fun

Box art of Mario Missing compared to Luigi in Rome

There was a brief period in the early '90s when Nintendo partnered up with The Software Toolworks and Mindscape to commission the development of several educational games featuring the plumbers. One of these titles was the first entry to star Mario's overlooked younger sibling, Luigi. In Mario Is Missing, players take on the role of the eponymous hero's brother who goes on a globetrotting adventure to rescue him. The game is basically a graphic adventure title where players' knowledge of other countries and famous landmarks are tested. Gamers are better off playing the far superior Luigi's Mansion titles.

5 Mario's Picross Floundered Stateside

Nintendo Mario's Picross Puzzle

Known by many other names, Picross is a grid puzzle in which specific squares must be filled in to reveal a picture or letter. Nintendo decided to give this game a Mario twist in the form of a title for the Game Boy Handheld. However, the title's dismal Western sales compelled the company to keep the sequels overseas during their initial release.

RELATED: 10 Classic Video Games That Took Years To Get An English Release

When these games finally saw an international re-release through Nintendo Switch Online, the company actually went out of its way to release instructional videos on how to play through their official YouTube channel.

marios-game-gallery Cropped

Later re-released as Mario's FUNdamentals, Mario's Game Gallery was a collection of activities such as go fish, checkers, backgammon, and more. One of the few Mario entries to be released exclusively for home computers, Gamer Gallery's development was handled by the American-based studio Presage Software rather than Nintendo. Instead of taking control of the aforementioned plumber, players instead played competitively with him in the included mini-games. It's notable for being one of the first titles to feature Charles Martinet as the voice of Mario – a role he's held for three decades.

3 Mario's Time Machine's Premise Is Wasted On Another Edutainment Title

Mario's Time Machine box art compared to Mario in Alexandria

The premise of Mario traveling through different time periods could have made for a great platforming title. However, this setup was squandered on yet another mind-numbingly dull "edutainment" game. Mario's Time Machine was essentially a Carmen Sandigo-style graphic adventure title where players returned objects to their proper era while partaking in thinly disguised history lessons. Rather than taking place in the whimsical fantasy world of the Mushroom Kingdom, players traveled through real historical settings. Gamers who want an enjoyable title where they control an acrobatic Italian and interact with famous historical figures are better off playing Assassin's Creed II.

2 Dr. Mario Was An Addictive Puzzler

Eliminating viruses in Dr Mario - Nintendo

In another example of an odd concept that made for a great title, Dr. Mario was an addictive puzzler on par with other falling block titles such as Tetris. Produced by Game Boy and Metroid creator Gunpei Yokoi, the game tasked players with controlling descending pills and matching their colors with the viruses that inhabited the bottle on the screen. Once 4 colors in a row were matched, both the pills and viruses of that color would disappear with the others remaining. Should the bottle become overflowed with pills, the game is over.

1 Hotel Mario Is A Strange Love Child Between Nintendo And Phillips

Searching for Mario in Hotel Mario game

Hotel Mario is the product of a botched deal between Nintendo, Sony, and Phillips. Dissatisfied with their collaboration with Sony to create a CD add-on for the SNES, Nintendo of America President Howard Lincoln suggested approaching Phillips for a better arrangement. The peripheral was never made, but Phillips managed to get permission to use some of Nintendo's characters for a CD console of their very own. The resulting games have been widely lambasted for their bizarre animated cutscenes, un-intuitive gameplay, and unresponsive controls. Hotel Mario probably fares the best as its ambitions aimed considerably lower.