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GoNIntendo 'End of Day' thought - 20 years of Super Mario 64

by rawmeatcowboy
23 June 2016
GN Version 5.0

Man, my allergies are killing me. Or maybe it's a sinus infection. All I wanna do is sleep and blow my nose...and get rid of headaches. It's pretty rough and I can't seem to kick it. Someone give me a home remedy, stat! See you in a few, short hours.

I don't know that I'll ever be as excited for a Mario game as I was with Super Mario 64. Actually, I may never be as excited for a game in general as I was with Super Mario 64! It was just such a hyped event as a Nintendo fan. Not only were we getting a new Mario game, we were getting a new Nintendo console and the platform itself was going to let us play Mario in ways we could have never imagined. That jump from 2D to 3D was absolutely magical for the time, and was mind-blowing from the very first second you put your hands on the controller.

I vividly remember not being able to believe my eyes when I played Super Mario 64. I really couldn't fathom that this is what games were like on the N64 and that Mario was being seen in a completely new dimension. The experience was just so unique, so absolutely brand-new that it boggled the mind. The best part was, it wasn't just 'new' for the sake of being new. This was a revolution for the Mario franchise, as well as video games in general.

I could almost only think about Super Mario 64 once it came out. I was so obsessed with the game that I actually brought the instruction booklet with me to school. I remember sitting in study hall, just looking at all the pictures and reading every single detail I could, over and over again. That excitement sticks with me to this very day. I knew Super Mario 64 was something special back when it launched, but 20 years later it's even more important to the game industry than I could have ever imagined.

When was your first experience with Super Mario 64? Did you play the game when it actually came out or did you not get around to it until later? Did the advancements in games since Super Mario 64 ruin the experience for you when you finally got around to it? Leave a comment and let us know!