Super Mario Bros. 3 vs. Super Mario World

[Prowler]

That's right, I went there. I'm asking something that, to many, is of the toughest questions ever in gaming history. Which game do you think is better: Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES or Super Mario World for the SNES?

Let's break it down:

Graphics: ...well SMB 3 is a slightly older game and it's for the NES, an 8-bit console, so ofc SMW is gonna have better graphics than it. That being said, SMB3 has pretty great graphics for an NES game.

Gameplay: Well, Mario games always have good control, but I find SMW to have more polished gameplay overall. The control just feels perfect in that game. As for the powerups, SMB 3 was more creative in that regard and had a wide variety of powerups such as the frog and the Tanuki suits. But SMW, on the other hand, compensated a lot for having Yoshi and the cape.

Challenge/Difficulty: SMB 3 is a harder game overall and I think everyone agrees with me on this one. Super Mario World is a fairly accessible game. The hardest levels in Super Mario World are in the Star World and Special World. I've beaten SMW countless times and haven't been able to beat SMB 3 after all these years yet.

Mini-games: Mario 3 wins by a landslide. World didn't have mini-games asides the switch palaces. Mario 3 had mini-games in every world where you could gain 1UPs, and it also had a Hammer Bros. stage or two per each world.

Boss fights: Super Mario World has better boss fights overall, imo.

Haunted houses: Introduced in SMW. SMB 3 didn't have them.

Secrets: World wins here. I mean, the game was built around finding every single secret exit. That's the most challenging aspect of the game, actually, and not beating it per se. You can skip the final "world" if you beat the star world early on and jump right onto Bowser.

Replay value: Well, Super Mario World is arguably my most played game of all time, but considering how much more I die in SMB 3 and have to go all the way back(without save states obviously...) once it's game over, that means SMB3 also has very high replay value. Both have equally high replay value in different ways: Super Mario World for the sheer fun of the game itself and Super Mario Bros. 3 for the challenge/difficulty of the game. The sense of accomplishment when you beat a world in SMB3 is higher than in SMW.

Level design: Well this one is difficult. Mario games tend to be equal as far as great level design goes. Although I think SMB3 has some genius levels latter on in the game while World seems to focus more on detailed backgrounds and adding more enemies to make levels harder. It seems to me developers used their creativity mostly in the star and special worlds.

So, overall, I think SMB3 is more challenging and has more variety than Super Mario World does. However, World is arguably my favourite game ever, so I can't help but go back to it more often. But I ask you in this thread which game do you think is better overall. And I'm undecided but leaning more towards SMB3. Super Mario World is considered the greatest Mario adventure ever by many... but SMB 3 was also a pretty damn large adventure/game, don't you think? World's world(hah funny!) does win on graphics and presentation, which definitely adds to the experience, but SMB 3 makes you work harder to beat levels.

So, what about you? What's your pick?