User:Flippy Bear
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When I was barely more than a toddler, my cousins introduced me to Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and Super Mario World.
That, of course, would change my life.
Then at some time in 2007, I came across this Wiki while googling stuff to reminisce Super Mario 64.
That, too, would change my life.
Marveled to learn names of creatures I never knew had names, and curiosities that I would never imagine, I would keep coming back to read more.
My Life with Mario
Early Years (the 90s)
Super Mario 64
I will never forget my first memories of watching my cousin play Super Mario 64 in my house. He taught me:
- “
jumps." [jumps a couple of times] "
punches." [punches a couple of times]” - —My cousin
My cousin lived in my house for a while, so we would play it together a lot. He was 7 years my senior, so he was much more skilled than me (I couldn't even do a Wall Kick), but it was fun to watch him. Like the first time he found Eyerok and was so bewildered that he accidentally threw himself in the pit. I cracked up. (We then walked to his friend's house so he would tell him how to defeat them. I also recall said friend coming to check my cousin's progress, and almost instantly going: "You still haven't lowered the water yet??")
Lethal Lava Land was one of my favorite levels to play. I guess it was simply cool to navigate (plus, the painting looked really cool). In Dire, Dire Docks, I liked to dive straight into the whirlpool. As for my least favorite... Well, I didn't dislike Tiny-Huge Island, but it was one of the most difficult levels for me (mostly because just seeing Bubba there was enough to make me quit instantly). I didn't even know Wiggler was there until many years later. I also felt uneasy with the merry-go-round music from Big Boo's Haunt, but that was easy to fix: just mute the television.
I am guilty of certain crime, though. I really liked the sensation of starting a new game. Seeing the first-time dialogues, unlocking doors, turning ! Blocks solid, and all that. So when our file was at like 116 stars, I couldn't resist the impulse to erase it, hoping we would do it all again. I was like 4, so try to cut me some slack.
My parents would eventually buy my own Nintendo 64, and I remember unboxing it. It was a funny feeling - to get a new thing that I was already so familiar with. And I also remember talking about the game with friends that also played it, and hearing rumors like: "you can get a star if you mess with the windup key of one of the Heave-Hos", or "there is a star inside the Big Snowman's mouth, but you need to have 116 stars to enter".
However, as much as I loved the game, I wouldn't get to finish it at the time. When I was 6, my Nintendo 64 broke (mom said the motherboard had burnt, and there was no fixing it). I was heartbroken.
Super Mario World
When I was little, there were 2 Mario games. The one where you got stars (see above), and the one where you didn't get stars (this one). I didn't really own Super Mario World myself, but every time I went to spend vacation at my great-aunt's house, my greatest joy would be to play it with my cousins.
That took quite a few years. Only getting to play it during school vacation, with save files being lost each year, made this a long experience. It was also sad when my cousins grew out of playing with me, but I still have some fond memories. I was overjoyed when I finally got to defeat Bowser, though. Figuring out on my own how to access Soda Lake, and managing to clear Tubular so I could do the rest of Special were also big moments of pride.
I did have a next-door neighbor who had Super Mario World, but alas, he never wanted to play it. He did let me keep his instruction booklet after some time, though. Not only it was completely translated, it also had pretty illustrations, cool descriptions, and a clear picture of the Koopalings, so that was quite a treasure for me.
Mario Kart 64
That was Mario Kart for me. It's funny to remember people who would move their controller around while playing this back then. I liked to play as Peach because her hair looked beautiful from behind. Especially when flashing with the colors of a Super Star.
I didn't understand a lot about how the game worked, so I did stuff like pick engine power at random, and not worry about trophies. I did learn the word "bronze", though.
I liked to believe that each character performed better in tracks themed after them. I also remember not knowing what D.K.'s initials stood for; and that my cousin claimed that Wario was Mario's cousin (a common rumor of the time, I believe).
I have a couple of funny memories. Like when a cousin of mine had her father try to play, but he didn't even know how to start the kart, so she went: "Oh my God. First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eight?!" And once with another cousin playing at my home, thinking she was supposed to outrun the vehicles in Toad's Turnpike. Her brother explained: "Those are just... computer", to which she mocked the word "computer".
After I could no longer play the game, I tried to appease the feeling by reading the instruction booklet (which was in Portuguese, surprisingly). I learned many things, like how the characters had different weight classes with different characteristics, how to throw items forwards and backwards, and words like velocímetro, guardrails, and Kart Mini Bomb. I also remember reading warnings about Thwomps and not even remembering what the hell a Thwomp was supposed to be. In fact, I was so fascinated about reading the booklet that in 2004, when I had to write a creative essay for school, I decided to write a first-person account of Mario explaining the basics of the game (which ended with him slipping on a Banana Peel, but luckily towards the finish line).
Honorable mentions
- Super Mario Kart: I did see it at a relative's house, but it never caught my attention. Maybe I just thought it didn't look as cool as Mario Kart 64.
- Mario Party 2: One day, my best friend's mom told my mom she'd bought this game for him. Funnily enough, I thought she said "Mario Part 2" (as if it was a continuation for Super Mario 64). I didn't even get to play it while my friend was showing me, but this was my introduction to the Party series. In fact, I was quite confused with my friend changing boards over and over, but it was interesting to see the many outfits of Toad. (Him playing the guitar was so cute.)
- Wrecking Crew: I played this at my best friend's house one day. It was cool. Until we got stuck in a drum and had to quit it.
- Super Mario All-Stars: My next-door neighbor had this. It was probably the Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World release, since he also had Super Mario World. But all that he wanted to do was having us play what he called "Mario Contra" (I suppose a proper translation would be "Versus Mario" - as in, a Mario game that is 1-versus-1), which was not really what I wanted. Playing this with him was also how I got to know Super Mario Bros. 2. I didn't believe him when he said "the Princess can fly" (and "Luigi can jump high", and "Toad can run fast"). Not sure we went beyond the second level, though.
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars: My next-door neighbor also had this, but I only saw a little bit of it. He showed me you could sleep in the bed. I tried a few times, but I only got Mario to bounce on the bed.
- Super Mario Bros.: Surely I played the most basic Super Mario game at some point of my life, but I don't know when. I do remember we had a very similar game in my school's computer class (with the filename being simply "mario 2"), but I have a specific memory of there being a large gap near the end of the first level, that you could only jump if you were running. I struggled to figure out how to do it, so it was frustrating when my classmate refused to tell me (I cried).
- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins: I saw a friend play it once, but I never forgot the Carrot that turned Mario into Bunny Mario. The Mario Zone was also a striking sight.
- Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2: Another neighbor of mine had this. Not much to say, but I did like the "Mario! - Luigi!" voice clips that played when you switched back and forth between characters.
- Mario Bros. (Game Boy Advance): I didn't really play this, but there's a very specific reason this left an impression on me. Seeing a screenshot of this game on a box at somebody's house, I noticed the "Blue Mario", and that was the first time I thought about the possibility of a Wario for Luigi.
- Donkey Kong Country: I played very little of it, but I definitely saw it around. I saw the one with Dixie around too, but I don't really know much about this series to tell each game apart. My best friend had the GBA version and I'll never forget how chewed his GBA was. (He had the bad habit of biting controllers and such when games got him frustrated.) When he got his GBA, he also told me it was "imported". I didn't know what that meant, but I assumed it meant his GBA was important somehow. Once I called a Croctopus a "sun" and got flak for not knowing what an urchin was. (Though it's not really an urchin either, so joke's one them, ha.)
Finding New Things (the 2000s)
Super Mario Sunshine
In the early 2000s, I visited a rich friend who showed me a game I had never seen, in a console I had never seen. She warned me: "There's just a really long intro that we can't skip" (no kidding).
The game did look cool. But for whatever reason, I never really wanted it for myself. Only in feb/2019 I would actually get to play a run, when my brother's girlfriend lent her copy. And to be honest, it was probably for the best that I didn't have this in my childhood, because I would probably get really frustrated trying to 100% it.
Mario Party 4
In 2005, I visited another friend who had a GameCube. He played a bit of this, and I was mildly intrigued to hear the name, years after seeing Mario Party 2. (I believe I caught him in the middle of Team Treasure Trek with a friend, and accepting defeat: "It's over, they won".) We also played the multiplayer mode of Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (I remember my friend complaining about hatching Cheese, from Sonic; while his brother kept throwing himself off for the entire duration of the round); the intro of Star Fox Adventures (with Krystal speaking Dino); and I think Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (it didn't really catch my interest, if we did).
Anyway, I told my mom about Mario Party 4, and some time afterwards, she surprised with a GameCube. In the years to come, Mario Party 4 would become the fun to be had with my brothers, and visiting friends. This game was my introduction to Waluigi and Daisy (which also led me to think Daisy was a "bad Peach" - a "Wario Peach", as opposed to a "Peach for Luigi"). Dungeon Duos and Paths of Peril were some of my favorite Minigames.
However, due to having a hard time with memory cards, I only got to 100% the game for the first time in 2019. (Feb/10, to be precise. Still with the very same disc as in 2005.)
Luigi's Mansion
Some months after getting our GameCube, my mom asked what we would want for Christmas. My brothers asked for Sonic (so they got Sonic Heroes). I decided to ask for Luigi's Mansion - a game I had only heard the name, but had no idea what it was like. (I believe I'd seen some stickers of it in my neighbor's bedroom.)
I was happy with my gift. The premise of the game was cool. It just took me a bit to get the hang of the controls. (In fact, in my first try, I died in the first room, because I didn't know the flashlight didn't really kill the ghosts.)
One thing was certain, though. I would need a memory card to play it properly. It was either that, or stay the whole day trying a run, with the risk of getting a game over.
I did end up getting my memory card. The ending was lovely, and I was fascinated by every ghost and room in the mansion. I replayed it many times, and kept learning new things about the mansion.
I also remember checking out the website in 2007 or so, during a time I was very into googling Mario stuff.
Paper Mario
Nope, not Thousand-Year Door. What's the matter, then? Shouldn't we be in the GameCube era?
Something important happened in 2006. A classmate of mine taught me how to get emulators. (It all started with him playing Pokémon Ruby, and me saying I would like to play a Gen 1 game.) But if I could do this for the GBA, could I do it for the Nintendo 64? Could I finally appease my longing for my old Super Mario 64? (And Pokémon Snap, and others?) I could, indeed.
And if all of this was working, why not getting to know new stuff? So I took a look at this game I only knew by name, and oh how beautiful it was.
It took me one month to finish it. I tried to do it all myself, but I needed a walkthrough when I got stuck in the maze to access Rosie. (Then again later for Bowser's castle.)
Mario Tennis
Not much to say here. But a fun fact: I accidentally got the Japanese ROM. So not only I couldn't understand a thing of the text, I was also faced with unexpected names, such as Teresa, Kinopio, Catherine, and all.
Mario Party Advance
My best friend shared with me a big folder of GBA ROMs, and that was awesome. He showed me "Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town"; I tried a few different Pokémon games; and on rare occasions, I tried something new. I'm so happy I gave this one a try, cause it's such a cute entry of Mario Party. Tumble is a cute host, all NPCs are endearing (not to mention they're a list of iconic Mario characters), and doing their quests is as simple as it is adorable.
I cheated the entire time with save states to get convenient dice rolls, naturally. The one thing that kept me was figuring out the Yoshi-specific quest and the Peach-specific quest, because I didn't know I could change characters.
As a footnote on the GBA library thing, I should also mention that I at least tried to play Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Unfortunately I gave up when I got stuck at the first Ankoopa. I did catch a lot of glimpses of my brothers playing it, because they really loved this one.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
I remember going to a Toys "R" Us in 2007, looking for more games for my GameCube, and watching a Paper Mario: TTYD trailer in one of the display televisions. But I think they were all out and I had to settle for a lame Curious George, because I believe I only actually got to play TTYD in 2009.
Absolutely amazing game. It enhanced every aspect of the first title. The story is full of emotions, and the Pit of 100 Trials was a good challenge.
The sad part is, I never got to finish it. I stopped my run before the final boss, because I wanted to do all side-quests first, then our copy went missing in 2012. I was downhearted.
A Break for Cartoons (2007)
One day in 2007, I was probably talking about Mario at school, when a girl in my class said there was a Mario DVD in the newsstand across our school. "There's not!" I replied - I'd never heard of such a thing. She calmly assured there was. Skeptical, I went to check for myself after class. And there it was, right before my eyes. Of course I had to buy it at the same instant. And that's how I came to know The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, a cartoon from before my time.
(Maybe I should also add a prologue stating that, in 2003 maybe, I got a Mario VHS borrowed from my American cousin. But it was in English, so I only understood it in parts. I guess I often forget this was my actual first experience with Mario cartoons.)
It was odd to notice Super Mario Bros. 3 was apparently so important in the history of Mario. It was the answer to one of Melody Pianissima's questions; it was referenced in the SMW manual; but it was a game I had never actually seen in my life. So seeing Mario going after a Super Leaf and become Raccoon Mario in the very first episode of the cartoon was something new for me. But I was happy to see the Koopalings get a lot of focus. I've always liked them as the bosses of SMW though I could barely see them onscreen, and before the cartoon I didn't even know they were called "Koopalings". So the show giving them all a chance to shine was a great way to get me invested.
I believe this show was the first time I heard the Mario Brothers were plumbers. This was actually an eye-opening moment ("Ooohhh! That explains all those pipes!") In fact, the DVD was bundled with a magazine that did teach me several interesting facts. Like, Mario was originally a carpenter named Jumpman; he was named after Nintendo's landlord; he was a villain in Donkey Kong Jr.; in Mario Bros. they were cleaning the sewers of Brooklyn; Mario's look was based on graphical limitation; Toad has a "female version" named Toadette; Daisy is the princess of Sarasaland and is "supposedly very interested" in Luigi. (Yes, all pretty basic stuff. But bear in mind this was before I discovered the Wiki.) The magazine also described Wario and Waluigi as "evil opposites" of Mario and Luigi. So, not cousins, as I was led to think; but to be honest, the descriptor "evil opposite" created more questions than answers. (Do they come from some kind of mirror world or what?)
It was probably the following January when I was visiting my uncle's vacation home, and while we were strolling in a street market I found a third DVD. I had to beg my uncle to buy it for me (it was a measly R$10), but he was suspicious of the counterfeit case (he claimed his player doesn't play pirate DVDs). Thankfully, I got him to concede. This time, though, it had episodes from Super Mario World (the same episodes as this VHS, plus Party Line).
I also later came across a fourth DVD (containing these episodes), but it was in an obviously bootlegged case (as in, it used 3D renders from the videogames. Of Daisy, even). This was my most random finding yet, cause I was in a music shop. But it had all new episodes, so lucky me.
As my closing statement, I'll say I'm glad I got to watch these cartoons right before the rise of the YouTube Poop era. I remember first hearing about "Mama Luigi" from a guy in my class, telling us about a video he saw. Love the memes, but they hit different when you know the source material.
Finding the Wiki (c. 2007)
Maybe emulating got me in a new era of Mario. I remember looking up so much stuff, around this time. I would read forums about fan-translations of Paper Mario and Super Mario 64, that I never saw come through. I would read about the "L is Real" rumor on Wikipedia. I would watch YouTube videos showcasing gamesharks and romhacks using "Toad's Tool 64". I would find strat forums and silly fancomics on Google. And it was probably in doing all of this that I eventually came across the Wiki.
I'm not sure how exactly it happened. I probably opened some Google search result, and soon I was facing the Super Mario 64 Navbox. Thanks to the credits of Super Mario World and the text in Mario Party 4, I already knew some of the more common enemy names, such as Goomba, Shy Guy, Boo, and Koopa Troopa. But learning names like MIPS, Bookend, Bubba, Spindrift, and Unagi? That's what fascinated me here. So then I dove in, reading article after article.
I confess that I foolishly lost the link to the Wiki and had to rediscover it later. But that would mark the beginning of my love for Wikis. As years went by and I had new interests, I would get used to look up the Wiki of whatever I got into. The Happy Tree Friends Wiki, the Phineas and Ferb Wiki, all would keep me reading for hours on end.
In fact, checking so many character names, including different international names, brought up certain subject dear to me. Brazil rarely ever got translated games back then, so would we ever have official names in Portuguese? This dream would only begin to come true many years later, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe introducing Masquito (albeit in European Portuguese), and several Lego sets revealing a name or two, if you were looking for them. Mario Party Superstars' Encyclopedia did a big favor.
Leaving Childhood Behind? (the 2010s)
Around 2009, my family and I visited some wealthy relatives, and we saw something new. Wii Sports on the Nintendo Wii. Mom was fascinated. So some time later, she decided to buy a Nintendo Wii for us, too. However, it wouldn't be long until I'd be moving away from home, leaving all videogames to my brothers. I'd still visit from time to time and play with them, but over time this sort of killed my mood for keeping up with new games.
There is still more story to be told, though.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Of course, with a new console, it was mandatory to also buy the latest big Mario game. New Super Mario Bros. Wii had been on TV commercials at the time, and I don't regret it in the slightest. In fact, I would go as far as saying this game was responsible for my most dear memories of playing in family, because my brothers and I played the whole thing together. Down to the last Star Coin.
Mario Kart Wii
A good evolution from the classic Mario Kart 64. Being able to race on bikes was a cool novelty, and the character roster was pretty sweet too. Perhaps the coolest novelty was being able to race online with players from all over the world. Just looking at that global leaderboard graph was cool.
Rainbow Road without guardrails was pretty brutal, though.
Super Paper Mario
The design shift might have thrown some people off, but this ended up being one of the best installments of the Paper Mario series up to this day. Endearing characters, touching stories, surprising twists, and Bowser joins the hero team and you can play as him. How cool is that?
Having to do the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials twice was absolutely clownish, though.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
My brothers had been fans of Super Smash Bros. ever since they found Super Smash Flash, so getting this game was surely their idea. I never much cared for fighting games, but in October 2010 I finally gave in and accepted their invitation to play. I didn't like the moveset of any of the Mario characters, but after trying several different options, I found what I liked: Fox, Falco, and Wolf, from the Star Fox series. I alternated among the three, since they felt "same but different". (For the record, my brothers' mains were Sonic and Toon Link.) Curiously, I also consider this my "introduction" to Star Fox, since I'd never given the series much thought before. Maybe it was because of this that I decided to buy Star Fox Adventures this late in the game.
Another memory I have about playing with them is of when they showed me the Subspace Emissary mode. I thought the Trophy collecting was a fun thing to do, but they had already done most of it. There was one thing they hadn't considered, though. When we were in the Rayquaza boss fight, I asked: "Do you have to turn him into a Trophy, too?" They said you couldn't. But, after several tries, I proved them wrong. (They then caught the rest of the bosses, but this particular glory is still mine.)
Super Mario Galaxy
I admit I was very sneaky here. In late 2011 - when I had long moved away from home - after trying this game at a friend's house and deciding it was allright, I talked mom into buying it as a birthday gift for my brothers. There were 2 of them, so we could buy Super Mario Galaxy 2 as well, so there would be one for each.
Mom did as I suggested, and every time I visited I could play a little more. My plan only backfired in that it took me so long to 100% the first Mario Galaxy that I never really got around to playing Galaxy 2.
Mario Party 9
Long story short, I don't love the car gameplay. The Minigames were still fine and all, especially with twists like Reverse Minigame, but I missed the aspect of characters spreading across the board. Didn't replay this one much.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
My introduction to WarioWare, and it was a doozy. We got it as a second-hand gift from a friend that didn't enjoy it, so I wasn't expecting much. But once I got the hang of things, I ended up loving the frenzied gameplay. (Even the "Thrilling" mode, when I unlocked it.)
The rest of our Wii collection
As I mentioned, at this point it was rare for me to have the chance to play videogames with my brothers. But here are the other games in our collection that I haven't played much:
- Mario Strikers Charged
- New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
- Mario Sports Mix
We also had, at some point, a hand-me-down Nintendo DS from relatives. I checked at least a little bit of Super Mario 64 DS. I may also have tried Mario Kart DS (I remember racing on Peach Gardens), but that might have been in a friend's house, I'm not sure.
SNES Station
Can you imagine a PS2 disc that not only contains thousands of ROMs and emulators for 5 different consoles, but also includes a myriad of Super Mario World romhacks?
In fact, this disc was how I finally got to play Super Mario Bros. 3.
Giving the Wii U a chance
When the Wii U came out (2012), there was no point for me to insist on keeping up with videogame trends, so I just ignored it. But then Super Mario Maker came out, and my godmother took us on a trip to Disney World in early 2016. So what the heck, let's take the opportunity (less tariffs if we bought it in the USA).
I just really wanted Super Mario Maker because the concept was interesting. But I tried to pick whatever else I found there to make the purchase worth it: New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U, Super Mario 3D World, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and NES Remix Pack.
Out of these, I'd say Super Mario 3D World was the most remarkable. It was the one that got closest to bringing the joy I felt with NSMBW, when playing with my brothers. Only it was somehow quite messier. I blame Toad's running speed, I think.
On a final note, in August 2019, a friend of mine offered me to jailbreak my Wii U, and got Paper Mario: Color Splash for me. The game was fun (in spite of the annoying card mechanic), but that sweet, friendly gesture was everything to me.
Time for a Switch
With the announcement of the Nintendo Switch (2017), I went through a similar cycle as with the Wii U. Though I really wanted to play Super Mario Odyssey, I couldn't in good conscience keep buying new expensive consoles and games. So I forgot about it.
Then in March 2020 (at the very start of the Covid Pandemic), my brother got an offer from a former teacher of his (supposedly, he put his console up for sale because he needed money for his newborn). So we got a good deal, for a Switch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokémon Sword. (I should also point out that at this point, my brothers and I were once again living together.)
Shortly afterwards, we pooled our money to buy both Luigi's Mansion 3 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which were great distractions during the Pandemic time.
At a friend's house, I got to check Mario Party Superstars, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Princess Peach: Showtime!
Later still, I added The Thousand-Year Door remake to my collection so I could play it with a friend (whom I'd spent 2 years making him play the first Paper Mario).
