I think SSBB's Mario should have won. SMB3's sprite doesn't really have anything going for it. I think you guys are being optimistic because it was a great game. "defined facial features"? There's nothing defined about them. He also looks nothing like a "cartoon". On the other hand, Brawl's Mario is defined, with lighting and...and... well, LOOK AT THOSE OVERALLS!!!
The first thing that came to my mind was Paper Mario and Galaxy, those two are my favorite, and it looks like I was right about them being the best! ^^
I was under the impression that it wasn't raccoon ears and tail. It was in fact a Tanuki ears and tail. This would obviously translated to raccoon because many Americans (for it was translated for an American audience) wouldn't know what a Tanuki is (obviously spell check doesn't either).
Although, this being Games Radar, you're all highly sophisticated gamers well versed in Japanese mythology, I still feel I should explain what a Tanuki is. For those that don't know a Tanuki is a small Japanese animal that lives in the woods. It is similar in appearance to a raccoon. But unlike the American raccoon the Tanuki exists in Japanese mythology to have large genitalia.
The second most pompous comment I have posted on anything ever.