Ashley Posted September 12, 2015 Posted September 12, 2015 (edited) In honour of the portly plumber's 30 years, I asked our staff to think back on their Mario memories. We'll be posting a series of articles over the coming days looking back at different games and memories of Mario's career. I'll update this post with each of the articles as they become available. @Mr\-Paul reflects on the generations where Mario grew a dimension and his CV became much more varied - the N64 & Gamecube eras. Let us know what you think of the games we've discussed and share your own personal Mario memories. Edited September 17, 2015 by Ashley
Ronnie Posted September 12, 2015 Posted September 12, 2015 Great idea! Saved those for future reading....
Dcubed Posted September 12, 2015 Posted September 12, 2015 (edited) Super Mario World was the first time I encountered the portly plumber (and indeed, was also the very first game I ever played; at the humble age of 3!) Unsurprisingly it holds a place very close to my heart; there's a very good reason why I picked that one to be signed by Miyamoto when I saw him many moons ago! (and of course I still have that original cart; no way am I letting it go!) As a kid, it wasn't just a game, it was an adventure! Every single crevice of the map held untold amounts of secrets waiting to be discovered, hundreds of secret stages and worlds that you'd hear about in playground rumours (some real and many not so real!). The amazing thing is that people are still finding out new things that can be done with this game... Pure insanity! Likewise every single Mario game is chock full of surprises, new concepts and new ideas all the way. Even if some of them may look very similar on the surface, when you actually look beyond the visuals, you'll find that they're all bursting with surprises, innovation, secrets and new ideas Be it hopping, bopping and getting bopped in the mainline games, cursing that no good cheating SOB computer player in Mario Kart, laughing at the absurd goals you can pull off in Mario Strikers, wanting to punch the person next to you who just nicked that star off you in Mario Party, celebrating that crazy Hole in One in Mario Golf or guffawing as Fawful proclaims his FURY in the RPG games - each one always comes with many a cherished memory. It would take an eternity to chronicle my experience of all of Mario's various games across the years, so it's probably best to summarise the plummer's outings as a whole by saying that you never really know where he's going next! Here's to another 30 years of surprise and adventure! : peace: Edited September 12, 2015 by Dcubed
Jimbob Posted September 12, 2015 Posted September 12, 2015 Great thread. For me, my Mario memories stretch right back to the late 80's, early 90's. I can't recall the exact year, but for Christmas i got an NES with Super Mario Brothers/Duck Hunt. I loved that game, played it most of my NES days. Used to play 2 player with my Dad, he was always Mario and i was always Luigi. Such memories of a great childhood. I remember all the times me and my Dad used to fail at World 8, usually at the part with the massive jump as we kept falling just as we thought we’d made it over. That was the start of my love of Mario games, which has ranged across all formats. I've played 17 main Mario games, and many spin-offs including many Mario Kart games, Mario Golf and Tennis. Mario Kart has to be my favourite spin-off series, because it's so chaotic. If i was to name my top 3 Mario games, they would be Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario 64 Super Mario World I rank 64 a close 2nd to Galaxy, yes it was revolutionary in terms of being the 1st Mario game to break into the 3D graphical world of gaming. Yes, it allowed multiple visits to the same world to collect stars, something which has been accustom to many Mario games since. But I chose Galaxy as my favourite because I loved it, the controls were great and the level designs were fabulous. So, so many memories of playing Mario games. They are what bought gaming to me, and i can't help but thank that cheeky plumber for that.
Ashley Posted September 13, 2015 Author Posted September 13, 2015 Thanks for all your feedback and sharing so far guys! If you don't mind I think it would be great to include your memories as well. What do you say @Dcubed and @Jimbob ? I've added today's which sees @Kaepora_Gaebora talk about his love for Super Mario Bros 2 (apparently it's not a turnip).
drahkon Posted September 13, 2015 Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) If I may quote you, @D_prOdigy: My first experience of Mario came from one of the less traditional angles – we never had retro Nintendo home consoles; but we did have a Game Boy, thus my formative years were based around a staple diet of the Super Mario Land series. We, too, did not have retro Nintendo home consoles until my Dad bought us a SNES with Super Mario World, one of my favourite games to date. But that was not my first encounter with the little plumber many gamers hold dear to their hearts. Super Mario Land, to me still one of the weirdest and most terrifying games I have ever played, was released in the year 1989. I have been oblivious to its (or any form of video-game's) existence because...well, I was born in the same year. In 1994 my parents bought me a Game Boy. And, oh glory, what a day that was. I do not remember much from my 5th year on earth but this...never will I forget turning on the handheld for the first time, pressing start and then hear the following: Audio It was bliss. For several days the novelty of this experience resulted in an ineptitude to complete the first level. Everything was new. Controlling a man, causing him to die when you make a mistake, kill a freaky jumping fly, become an adult by collecting a mushroom...? Little me was as confused as he was entertained. Months later, after hours of playtime which included killing dragons, running through levels I always associated with aliens, using a submarine to kill more dragons, jumping on jumping Ninjas, and more...I beat the game. With that I found the biggest hobby which I continue to pursue to this day and will probably do so for many years to come. 30 years later I still hold the Mario series very dear to my heart and have to thank Nintendo for being part of my childhood. Edited September 13, 2015 by drahkon
Dcubed Posted September 13, 2015 Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) Super Mario Land as your first game is a hell of a choice @drahkon! No doubt it must've weirded you for life Thanks for all your feedback and sharing so far guys! If you don't mind I think it would be great to include your memories as well. What do you say @Dcubed and @Jimbob ? I've added today's which sees @Kaepora_Gaebora talk about his love for Super Mario Bros 2 (apparently it's not a turnip). Sure. Fine by me And SMB2 rocks and always has rocked! It was always a much better sequel than Lost Levels was : peace: Edited September 13, 2015 by Dcubed
somme Posted September 13, 2015 Posted September 13, 2015 Super Mario Land was also my first, followed by Super Mario Bros. SML is still one of my favourites!
Falcon_BlizZACK Posted September 13, 2015 Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) I grew up with Sega and Sonic, but having a chance to play Mario World on my friend's Snes was always exciting. Mario 64 was the first Mario game I bought and knew it was going to be great from the face pulling title screen. Good times. Edited September 14, 2015 by King_V
Jonnas Posted September 14, 2015 Posted September 14, 2015 Being a Sega boy growing up, I don't have the connection with Mario that others have, here. I did have a Gameboy, though, which was my sole connection to Nintendo (save for a couple of occasional contacts with the NES) until Pokémon convinced me to get an N64, and from there I evolved to the Gamecube and Wii. So, roughly in chronological order, here's what the main Mario games did for me: Super Mario Land 2 - While I did play Super Mario Land 1 back in the day, this is the one I played the most, and I think it might be my favourite out of all 2D Marios. I mean, to simply say that the game is different due to aesthetics is not enough, it actually includes a lot of unconventional level design for Mario, from levels that progress vertically to non-linear labyrinths to extra levels that are actually shortcuts... Plus, the world map makes so much more sense here than in SMW, and Wario is a great final boss (I mean, how long did it take for Bowser to finally use your power-ups against you, huh?) Donkey Kong 1994 - Yeah, not exactly a Mario game in the traditional sense (how is that fall damage treating you, Mario?), but it is responsible for my love of puzzle games. I love the fact that, despite there being an intended solution for each level, the game engine gives you enough freedom to always feel like you're doing something new and unexpected, braving new ground. This is the game that introduced the fancy moves from Super Mario 64, after all. I probably dedicated more time to this than to other non-Pokémon games and I still compare any Puzzle game I play to this game (and Mole Mania, another game from the same director), so that has to count. Super Mario 64 - Yup, this game holds up. I loved every second of this game, and once again, the freedom it gave you was key. Freedom to explore the levels, explore the castle, get the stars in any order you want, break the levels, and do all of that with the myriad of acrobatic moves the game allowed you to do. Super Mario Sunshine - Now, while I was harsh on it back then, I do have to admit that the game is beautiful and absolutely fun to play (come back, FLUDD!). It suffers from incongruent level design (the worlds are huge, but the game refuses to give you the freedom to get stars and blue coins in any order), but it has its qualities, and some truly awe-inspiring moments, like the Pachinko level, the Eel dentist, anything involving the Turbo&Rocket nozzles, and Bowser's Bath. What? That was awesome, don't lie. Super Mario Galaxy - A game that knew what it wanted to be, it's just fantastic level after fantastic level, no illusion of freedom whatsoever, just a rollercoaster of colours, orchestral music and creative level design. I think I might replay it before the year is over. Super Mario Bros. - Shout-out to one of the references of the entire genre. As I pay more and more attention to level design, I appreciate this game more and more. Everything about it is well thought out, and it is still immense fun after nearly 3 decades. The others - Super Mario Bros 2 is unconventional, but fun. Super Mario Bros 3 is very well designed, though not a personal favourite. Super Mario World is meh, can't click with it whatsoever, ditto for the entire New Super Mario Bros line. Super Mario Land 1 feels wonky, but I genuinely like everything different it brings to the table. Super Mario 3D World looks, sounds and plays amazing, but I haven't played it properly, only a handful of levels (I will say that it finally feels like a genuine evolution of the SMB 3 formula, for once).
Ashley Posted September 17, 2015 Author Posted September 17, 2015 (edited) @Mr\-Paul takes us back over the N64 & Gamecube eras where Mario not only jumped, but engaged in sports, brutal fighting and parties. What a time! http://www.n-europe.com/features/my-mario-memories-the-n64-era Edited September 17, 2015 by Ashley
Mr-Paul Posted September 17, 2015 Posted September 17, 2015 It also covers the Gamecube era too, just in case you have no interest in the N64! :p Hope you enjoy
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