Mario, and my feelings towards him and his games as a whole.

With the impending release of Super Mario Galaxy, I feel compelled to let some stuff out about one of gamings greatest creations. Now, I'm only 15, but I grew up in my younger days with Mario, mainly, Super Mario Bros. 3, that game was a huge part of my life. Me and my brother would play co-op through that all the time, and still, it's fun as hell. Not to mention, Mario 64, which also holds a place for filling me with such wonder, vast worlds, grueling levels (I was young, and got pretty mad at certain stars ^^), and that was just because I was little. Now, looking back, those games are very technically, and just all around amazing still! I can still play them and have a good time.

I've known Mario to be one of my favorite games since I was at least 3 years old. My dad had his NES since before I was born, and Mario too, so I have known about him from the get go of my life. He holds a special place, like a best friend or something, things you just can't let go. I know I was WAY too young to be able to comprehend what Mario was, and who he was, but it was just the fact that I had so much fun with him and his games.

I have many asked people (my age of course) "Man, can you wait for Galaxy? I can't!" then the usual response is "Is that that kiddy Mario game? Man screw that have you tried Halo 3?".

:|

My usual response is "I couldn't give a rats ass about Halo 3 when there is a new Mario game coming out." Which usually implies to everyone that I haven't grown up yet and still play kiddy games. How Mario isn't violent, isn't muscular, isn't shouting curses and running people over, how he can't use a gun. I wonder, since when were those things needed to have a good video game? I feel sorry for those people, they will never experience one of gaming's finest. I feel very proud that I'm a Mario player and huge supporter and fan. My excitement for Galaxy knows no bounds. I'm excited to the point of numbness, and shaking. (yes that sounds a bit over the top, but I really want this game.)

Here's to Mario, and Mario Galaxy!

I want to hear other peoples experiences and how gaming's greatest plumber has touched on your lives!

For a 15 years old guy, you're good. At your age, I would think you would say Mario is too much kiddy. I'm 24 and I still like Mario. My first game that I owned was Super Mario Bros on my good old NES.

Next week, I'll download Super Mario Bros 3 on the VC and I'll have Super Mario Galaxy by the end of the year.

As a 22 yr old, I completely agree with you. I was like 4 or 5 when Super Mario Bros. 3 came out and my brother and I played it like there was no tomorrow. And my first console was the SNES and Super Mario World allowed my imiganiation to grow in a new and fantastic way.

Even though I now enjoy games like Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, I refuse to limit myself to M rated games. Those games help blow off steam after a long day of work. But Mario is about inherent fun and imagination. There is nothing "kiddy" about it. It's smart, engaging and above all, fun. I played the demo a bit yesterday and I must say, I felt like I was 4 or 5 again. And that's allright w/ me.

B

Well said and quite mature.

I agree completely.

With the impending release of Super Mario Galaxy, I feel compelled to let some stuff out about one of gamings greatest creations. Now, I'm only 15, but I grew up in my younger days with Mario, mainly, Super Mario Bros. 3, that game was a huge part of my life. Me and my brother would play co-op through that all the time, and still, it's fun as hell. Not to mention, Mario 64, which also holds a place for filling me with such wonder, vast worlds, grueling levels (I was young, and got pretty mad at certain stars ^^), and that was just because I was little. Now, looking back, those games are very technically, and just all around amazing still! I can still play them and have a good time.

I've known Mario to be one of my favorite games since I was at least 3 years old. My dad had his NES since before I was born, and Mario too, so I have known about him from the get go of my life. He holds a special place, like a best friend or something, things you just can't let go. I know I was WAY too young to be able to comprehend what Mario was, and who he was, but it was just the fact that I had so much fun with him and his games.

I have many asked people (my age of course) "Man, can you wait for Galaxy? I can't!" then the usual response is "Is that that kiddy Mario game? Man screw that have you tried Halo 3?".

:|

My usual response is "I couldn't give a rats ass about Halo 3 when there is a new Mario game coming out." Which usually implies to everyone that I haven't grown up yet and still play kiddy games. How Mario isn't violent, isn't muscular, isn't shouting curses and running people over, how he can't use a gun. I wonder, since when were those things needed to have a good video game? I feel sorry for those people, they will never experience one of gaming's finest. I feel very proud that I'm a Mario player and huge supporter and fan. My excitement for Galaxy knows no bounds. I'm excited to the point of numbness, and shaking. (yes that sounds a bit over the top, but I really want this game.)

Here's to Mario, and Mario Galaxy!

I want to hear other peoples experiences and how gaming's greatest plumber has touched on your lives!

Aska49

Amen to that , I Agree 100%

I'm really glad to see that there are people your age who like Mario. I was starting to get worried. I'm 22 myself, so of course Mario has been a part of my life since I can remember. The gaming world, and where it is right now, really worries me. Hopefully some of these kids who think it's too kiddy will change their minds when they get older. They are just really insecure at this point in their lives, and being "manly" to them means that they have to play Halo, and only FPS's. It's sad. It's also ironic that they think they're the mature ones, when clearly they are more immature than us. I mean, listen to what they say online while playing Halo. They use words like "boobs" and gay etc...they're clearly trying to make themselves sound cool in front of everyone else.

The funny thing is, in my adult life I've never been as excited for anything as I am for Galaxy. It reminds me of when I was a kid and my birthday was a month away...I would count down the days waiting for it...same thing here. It's weird, but I'm comfortable with that.:)

i am 15 too, and i love mario just as much as you. me and my friend would spend hours playing mario kart or super paper mario. all the while, are other friend would be making fun of us saying "why dont u guys play a cool game?" we would ask what a cool game is and he would say "like halo or gears of war, not this crap" that just makes me mad, cuz mario kart is my favorite game series. i have a ps3, and mario just might be the reason i get a wii.

Mastery of anything will never be a kiddie trait in my opinion. raahsnavj

That's some real talk, raahsnavj.

I'm 23 and my first game was also Super Mario Bros., and I was a fanatic(though I was more in favor of Sonic) till a while after Super Mario World. I've always been averse to things with overexposure, whether it be Wolverine, Pokemon, or Mario in this case, and the storyline seemed to repeat itself just a little(honestly, the princess should hire some new bodyguards). So I've been turned off on Mario for a few years. This game has definitely rekindled my interest, though.

awwwwww ya .. u cant mess with mario...! im 17 an ya also my first game i ever playd was mario the original for nes with duck hunt! except my first time playing the game i sat beside my older brother who was only 5 at the time an i was like 2 or 3 but i sat there with a controll in my hand thinking i was playing while my bro was playing an everyone was just cheering me on cause my bro was good at it an i was thinking i was playing... yes i was a dumb baby... but i think we all were... lol but that night i woke up really early liek 4 ish i remember cause i was soo excited an i snuck downstairs an turnd on that old knobd tv an started playing.. an i relized it was sooo difficult for me... i was there tell about 8 then my grandma came downstares....( everything took place at my grandmothers house because i was spending the night) when she came down my face was totally red an i had gotten NOWHERE in the game like second lvl maby third... lol still pretty good for my age tho i have to say... lol... but ya first game ever i remember super mario 64 an that game was godly to me i was soo into it i even snuck down to play that early in the morning also.. lol so ya CHEERS TO MARIO GALIXY.... hmm i wonder what he be like wasted.......

i am 16 years old and my first Mario game was super Mario bros i played the game for the first time on my cousins nes and it was *******greattttt i played the game the hole day :P i cant remember how old i was back then :O maybe 4 or 5 years even now the game is really fun to play.

Icant wait to play the new Mario for theWii :D

Im 19 and Im going to be late for my Business class so i'll make this short. Games have been condensed down dramatically. Its all about what game can make their FPS gun view look the very best. I say some of the greatest games have had nothing to do with guns or shooting. Mario, Myst, all the greatest games came around back when we were all marvelling at Mario on the 64. Sonic was my Mario, I still play the games. Todays games are nothing like the good old days. I think the game makers have lost focus on whats truly important. And Halo 3 has nothing, NOTHING, on Mario.LatusItani

Damn strizayt. I downloaded Super Mario Bros. 3 yesterday, and unknowingly spent 4hours playing it. To me, those levels are still the epitome of platforming genius.

i prefer shooting games but when a new Mario game gets announced i dont care about ssbb, halo, cod4, or a million dollars(yes i would give up a million just for Mario).I wa splaying mario games as child like 3 years old, me my uncle and my dad used to play Super MArio World SMB3, ond the SMB and me and my dad played SM64 nsmb yoshi island ds today till this day! Mario has a huge impact on my gaming life.

Super mario galaxy is NOT perfect, it doesn't beat mario 64. But still really good and the best wii game to date. Man i remember when i first played mario 64, that was awesome!xem1900

That's the problem with much of the gaming society. There's this group that I call "gamer sadists" who only care about how much blood and gore is in a game and whether or not you can shoot stuff and see naked women. A game could be mediocre, like Manhunt 2 and they think it's ten times cooler than Mario because it has blood and gore and "huh huh that's cool!" like Bevis and Butthead would say.

Mario games are like Pixar movies. Sure they're inteneded for a family audience but they're enjoyable for all ages if given a chance. It's this obession with realisim and violence that has kept gamers from great games like Psychonauts, Okami, Zack and Wiki, and Viva Pinata (though I know of a few manly Gears of War men who loved Viva Pinata). These were all good games but because they weren't bloody M-rated shoot em ups, they thought they sucked.

Mario is one of those wonderful series that despite its cute exterior, is full of fun and intuitive gameplay. It's lighthearted enough for kids but challenging enough for gamers who buy games based on more than how much blood is in them.

im 17 and im giving mad respect i feel the same way do i been with mario since super mario 3 and i played them all they are truley gaming at its finest
you disrespect mario you disrespect gaming as a whole, mario is where its at its a ****c and never gets old i love SMB 3 and i cant wait for galaxy im sick and tired ofpeople at my schoolsaying oh lets play halo or some other shoot em up, at leastmy friends know where its at we enjoy mario to the fullest, but its sickening to see where gaming is going where all these kids rather have a halo 3 over mario galaxy, at school when we try and have a super smash bros melee tournemnet they like , lets play halo man its better SSBM is too kiddy, but since when was mario kiddy? last time i check it was a challenge tryna find everything and since he went 3D its been a whole new level of challenge you cant mess with that, mario will and always will be the plateau that all games should live up to in challenge and quality anyone who says other wise doesnt know a thing about video games

Mario Galaxy officially got a 9.5 on GS!

http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/supermario128/review.html

Hey man, great post. I'm 19 and been lovin' some Mario since I was 2 or so.

I look forward to your future posts.

With the impending release of Super Mario Galaxy, I feel compelled to let some stuff out about one of gamings greatest creations. Now, I'm only 15, but I grew up in my younger days with Mario, mainly, Super Mario Bros. 3, that game was a huge part of my life. Me and my brother would play co-op through that all the time, and still, it's fun as hell. Not to mention, Mario 64, which also holds a place for filling me with such wonder, vast worlds, grueling levels (I was young, and got pretty mad at certain stars ^^), and that was just because I was little. Now, looking back, those games are very technically, and just all around amazing still! I can still play them and have a good time.

I've known Mario to be one of my favorite games since I was at least 3 years old. My dad had his NES since before I was born, and Mario too, so I have known about him from the get go of my life. He holds a special place, like a best friend or something, things you just can't let go. I know I was WAY too young to be able to comprehend what Mario was, and who he was, but it was just the fact that I had so much fun with him and his games.

I have many asked people (my age of course) "Man, can you wait for Galaxy? I can't!" then the usual response is "Is that that kiddy Mario game? Man screw that have you tried Halo 3?".

:|

My usual response is "I couldn't give a rats ass about Halo 3 when there is a new Mario game coming out." Which usually implies to everyone that I haven't grown up yet and still play kiddy games. How Mario isn't violent, isn't muscular, isn't shouting curses and running people over, how he can't use a gun. I wonder, since when were those things needed to have a good video game? I feel sorry for those people, they will never experience one of gaming's finest. I feel very proud that I'm a Mario player and huge supporter and fan. My excitement for Galaxy knows no bounds. I'm excited to the point of numbness, and shaking. (yes that sounds a bit over the top, but I really want this game.)

Here's to Mario, and Mario Galaxy!

I want to hear other peoples experiences and how gaming's greatest plumber has touched on your lives!

Aska49

man i can totally relate to you. the hours me and my bro spent playing co-op on super mario bros.3. Nowadays i dont get as many mario games, and he doesnt thrill me as much but still he will have a special place in my life.

Master Chief ain't got nothin' on Mario.

Any two bit chump can shoot their enemies, but who stomps them to death? Only Mario.

First of all, I want to say that you should pay no mind to those that wish to ignore quality products because they aren't violent or offensive. Anyone that continues to make such remarks are the ones that are immature. Mario games are usuallydesigned so that people of ALL ages can enjoy. Not that it's bad to play the Halos and GTAs of the world, if that's your thing. However, if someone thinks that playing those games alonemake them better than those that happen to find games like Mario and Pokemon more enjoyable, that's only their loss. I digress.

My experiences with Mario also go back to when I was about 3 years old, and I would be so interested in playing Super Mario Bros. with my cousins. I was probably annoying back then, but every now and then, I would get my gaming fix. :P When I got older (probably about five), I got an NES and Super Mario Bros. 3. That game will forever hold a place in my heart as a gamer, not only because it was my first game, but because it also happens to be my favorite game of all-time. Since I never got a SNES when the 16-bit era was strong, my Mario-playing days at homewere put on hold until I got an N64. That's where Super Mario 64 would prove to me that 3D games can be just as enjoyable as anything I played in 2D. It also told me that it was very possible for a game to make a transition to 3D without compromising anything in gameplay.

As a gamer, I owe a lot to those two games. It's the reason why I have the number 364 in my screenname to begin with (3 for SMB3 and 64 for SM64). I still play a lot of Mario games today, and I can't wait to get my hands on Super Mario Galaxy. As far as 3D Mario titles go, it's the closest thing I've seen to Super Mario Bros. 3, and that gets me super-excited. :D

I'm 20 now...and since my parents didn't like me having too many video games...I didn't have every Mario experience I could have.

Two games that really made an impact on me as a child are SMB, and SMW (I can still play SMW all the way through and not be bored).

Later on I played SMB3 and was blown away (this was much later in life, mind you). I loved it. I just recently bought it on VC, and I'm totally staisfied with the purchase.

I regret to say that I have not had the pleasure of beating Mario 64 yet. I've gotten part of the way through on the DS version, but school and work have taken time from my gaming, and I've been playing other things.

I cannot wait for Mario Galaxy though. I played a bit of the full version at EB Games and it was AWESOME. I have it reserved, and will be picking it up and addicted the first day.

I 100% agree with you. I hate it when people think games are "kiddy". Like for example, when people say that the Gamecube is kiddy, and has no violent games, i just say "Well at least we dont have such favourits as Micky Mouses Movie Making Adventure, and Barbie Dolls Adventure" Which are kiddy games(there intended for KIDS, and kids alone). While Mario is for EVERYONE, anyone can appricate it.

But for people dissing the likers of halo. You are doing what there doing. Its not when they try the game and not like it, its when they dont try it and just assume its bad.

But yeah im 16, and i love Mario, first game i played was Mario Kart 64(then Banjoo Kazooie(great game)) closely followed by Super Mario 64, i lvoed that game to death!