Which game to play first
Super Mario 3D All-Stars combines three big names of all time: Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. Each offers their own unique strengths and issues, but there are distinct reasons why you might want to play a specific game first. Of course, most of this will be determined by your own history with the games and the franchise. If you come to this as your first introduction to Mario or these games in particular, you'll want to play them in different orders from a seasoned veteran.
If this is your first introduction to these games, or Mario as a concept, going through them in order of 64 to Sunshine and finishing with Galaxy would be really ideal. Games build and work on top of each other in interesting ways, adding mechanics and expanding the universe while improving gameplay. But this last element is also important.
Each game improves on its predecessor in many ways, so reverting to Super Mario 64 can be shocking, especially if you've played other 3D platforms and expect more modern mechanics like autosave. So what you need to avoid is exhausting yourself on the old games and missing out on the new ones. With that in mind, I would recommend new players to try Super Mario 64 as a first step, but keeping in mind that they may want to move on at any time.
And that leap could take them all the way to Galaxy, surpassing Sunshine. In fact, it might be a good idea if Super Mario 64 isn't clicking well for you. Sunshine was somewhat experimental at the time, and parts of it felt rushed. It leans on 64 but also fails in some areas that other Mario games haven't. So while this is a leap forward in many ways, it can also feel outdated depending on your level of experience. Galaxy was experimental too, but all of its experiments paid off pretty well, which brings us to the next question.
Which game is the best
There is no simple answer as to which game is the best in Super Mario 3D All-Stars, because each has its own charm. Super Mario 64 is the origin of the 3D platform (at least a good 3D platform), but that also means that it is very rough around the edges. Super Mario Sunshine has tons of cool changes and improvements, and the setting is quite unique for the series, but it also shows its age more than it should. However, he was also improved a lot more than 64 when switching to 3D All-Stars. Super Mario Galaxy though… that's really the answer. It's the newest in the collection, got the most improvements in the transition with better resolution and better frame rate, and it still looks amazing to this day. If you are wondering which game will give you the most fun, without the nostalgia, Super Mario Galaxy is probably the right choice.
So that's what we think of the game to play first and the best game in Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Whichever way you choose, you can't go wrong here. These are three of the best games ever.
