I'm starting to think Zelda might actually be Nintendo's best franchise in some ways; I'm finding it increasingly impossible to care about New Super Mario Bros. now that Nintendo has made Super Mario (and Luigi) U, and although I haven't really played a Zelda game in forever, I think Zelda might have actually had a greater industry impact (more important innovations) than Mario. Zelda was a brilliant exploration game where you fought monsters, discovered new areas, solved puzzles, and became progressively stronger as you went, serving as inspiration for other great games (like Metroid, for example). Mario was just the beginning of the overdone platformer craze, inspiring people to try to make a buck out of making overrated knock-offs, usually starring cartoony animal mascots and the like. Sega's Sonic was probably one of the only remotely successful long-term examples of this trend, and even some of the best of Sonic's games are nowhere near as good as they should be when you think about it, even though quite a few of them are actually fairly well-made for the type of game that they are. A huge part of the reason why Mario is (or maybe was, at the rate things are going) better than Sonic was because, unlike most other 2D franchises, Mario actually had an entirely successful evolution into 3D platformers right from the start (aside from having WAY too many reproduced games and spin-offs), and, or course, Nintendo is the best games developer of all time. The problem with Nintendo is that their new consoles suck, and they are putting way too much effort into making money off of spoiled little brats. I'm actually losing faith in them. I would like to see them do something other than Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda. Maybe they could even bring back Metroid, for all I care. (In fact, I actually really wish Nintendo would bring back Metroid.) SIDE NOTE: The Pokemon franchise needs to die.

This is a really hard choice because both character's are very big for Nintendo, but if I have to pick, I have to say Mario, because I play more Mario games than Link games.

Zelda is way better in my opinion. I never really got into the mario games. 

If I had to choose, it'd be Zelda. It just has a lot more to show, and isn't quite stricted to only the kids and stays rated E for 100% of their games. Zelda just shows that it can go farther than that.

Mario games always gotten my attention , zelda is a great game but Mario is more recognizable in my childhood plus Mario seems a bit more better to me (sorry if that offended some zelda  fan, its a good game).

Zelda is a great franchise that I sometimes play. However I grew up with Mario, so I'd have to say Mario is better. The characters and story and gameplay seem to have a connection to me. Sorry, Hyrule.

This one is very easy to choose for me. Mario. He has all those power-ups and he is not an ELF. He is invincible sometimes, very powerful, and defeated Bowser easily. Only Zelda as a choice?

It's hard to choose. But I'd say Mario. Mario was one of the first games I played, and over-all, I've played Mario more than I've played Zelda.

I would say Mario. I have played a lot more Mario games than I have played Zelda games. 

And that is hilarious. You did not put up an option to vote for Mario. XD

I would say mario
zelda games are also good but I like mario more

please zelda no contest, mario is always the same kind of thing but zelda is always a fun experience and has better storylines and gameplay   

  Diffidently Mario. Mario is alot more entertaining than Zelda and it has alot more fans. To me Mario holds my attention where Zelda just bores me and I find the stages in Mario to be alot more creative and entertain than any stage in Zelda.

Personally I find Mario to be a way better series. Better games and better characters. Zelda has a better story but I can never make myself get into it like I can Mario. 

malkin77 : I actually did play a lot more Mario...LOL I barely even finished Link to the Past

Wow tough one. I think I have to pick Mario because I have played it since I was a kid. I didn't get into Legend of Zelda until I was older.

I like Mario better, but that may be because I've only played Zelda: Twilight Princess.

I go with Mario, because I am not into high fantasy adventures such as Legend of Zelda. Although I do think Link is braver than Mario. 

As a mascot, Mario has been and always will be the Nintendo mascot. As a game, both have been very, very influential, however Mario games have been getting very repetitive lately, not very inventive. Zelda, on the other hand, continues to innovate and add different art styles, stories, and gameplay mechanics into the games.

xandermartin98 :  as a mascot is considered, The top dog is mario, but as for games  I choose zelda,  For good reasons: 1 zelda has a unique different plot, 2 Each game always feels different from one another, in a good way, were Mario games intend to feel sort of the same in my opinion, and also were is mario on the poll?