I guess it technically started with Mario Kart Wii, and whilst that was a little bit of fun it's to this day my least favourite Mario game just because it didn't have as much for me to like as the Mario games that I played afterwards.
Really it was Galaxy 2 that pulled me in (I don't remember the exact order of my first Mario games but this was definitely one of my first) - I guess this game played a similar role to me that SM64 did to
@Wicked Clown-nak in that even though it wasn't my first Mario game it was my first 3D platformer and in addition to the excellent gameplay, level design, and music, the scale of the adventure and exploring all the different galaxies was frankly incredible. I played Galaxy 1 later which I've always liked basically to the same degree - past me would have just put Galaxy 2 on top but nowadays I slightly prefer the first because it just has a more powerful atmosphere I find. Though really I more see them as one, with Galaxy 1 being the base game and Galaxy 2 being an expansion pack, and together they form a masterpiece.
Anyway so yeah that was incredible so I started playing a few more Mario games like the first two NSMB games (I didn't have either a Wii U or a 3DS until 2019 and I still lack the Switch). But at this point I still didn't have an enormous interest in Mario.
Then came the RPGs. I got SPM at the same time as NSMBW and while the latter had me hooked for a few days, I eventually saw my brother playing SPM and at that very second my mind was blown and I put the SPM disc in first thing the next day and my mind was even more blown than before. I'd always like how Mario was seen as a famous gaming icon for kids with his silliness and shallowness but this was on a whole new multiverse. I actually got to see characters and story have feel truly moving for once and get Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi to suddenly actually have their personalities and roles mean something rather than just a speechless Bowser being shown for a few seconds kidnapping Peach and Mario and Luigi going off to save her. Even Galaxy 1 (which if you ask me is by far the best Mario game story wise besides the RPGs, though I've not played them all) is paper thin next to this game. The gameplay and presentation were awesome too, the flip mechanic was so creative and for once I actually got to carry items around, have HP, and be able to interchange abilities by swapping characters and pixls, but at the same time it wasn't this hugely complex battle system that some RPGs have - even TTYD I think would have been overwhelming for me at that age. It still kind of felt like a Super Mario game but also unique. So that game was awesome, and I got to play BIS a few months later which was also awesome, though SPM has consistently been at the top of my list since my first playthrough.
SPM, SMG1, SMG2, NSMBW, NSMBDS, MP9, DKCR, and BIS, were great games that built part of my childhood for the next few years.
@Princess of Tennis was right in that it's amazing to have a fully original universe that can be tonnes of fun with MP9 yet also really powerful with the RPGs.
Mario was a way for me to experience awe as a child without getting too caught up in really adult stuff or working my brain too hard. Many people grow up and become different people when they're older, and I'm a very different person to who I was age 7, but Mario always brings out the child in me and not only gives me huge nostalgia, with very well composed gameplay, presentation, and ocassionally story elements, but also has this undeniable charm that I can't get out of anything else. That's why the story in MaRPGs matters to me so much even though there are other forms of media, or other video games out there, which have much fuller stories, because whilst they're perfectly great ways to enjoy stories on their own, they aren't the same.
2017 was a major turn for my Mario life since it's basically when I took it to the internet. I started watching YouTube, reading Mario Wiki, and getting a grasp on the community and their views on games. Obviously not everyone's opinions were the same as mine but I didn't mind, because it was great to feel like there are other gamers out there just like me, and it's interesting to understand people's perspectives as well as my own even if they don't agree.
2017 also brought me to discover the rest of the MaRPGs. In 2018 I got my GC and in 2019 I got my Wii U and 3DS and since then my love for Mario has gotten even greater, with me using my new consoles to play some great new games such as TTYD, PM64, SSS, SM64, SM3DW, and SM3DL. Particularly, TTYD and PM64 are also two of my favourite games of all time because they reminded me of a lot of the stuff I liked in SPM (aside from the gameplay, though I enjoy TTYD's gameplay in its own way - PM64's gameplay I don't really like but at the very least I can tolerate it to enjoy the great parts of this game) and they too felt like unique and awesome adventures in the Marioverse and simultaneously felt too good to be Mario whilst not sacrificing the charm that I'd found in most of the other Mario games I've played. SPM is still just about first but TTYD and PM64 are very much close rivals. SSS is amazing as well though I like BIS a bit better. I'd given SPM a break for a while but in 2017 I finally came back to it and whilst I didn't like the gameplay quite as much this time, I appreciated the story and presentation elements a lot more, so I don't like it any less.
As I child I'd always loved creating my own levels in Lego Indiana Jones 2 and in the next few days my delivery to Mario Maker 1 is on its way and whilst I don't want to overhype such as to dissappoint myself, this truly could be the start of a new era for my Mario life as the fun I can have with the game is literally endless. That and all the other Mario games I anticipate
here have a great future of gaming awaiting me.
So yeah. I've had an invaluable history with Mario, and every time I boot up my N consoles I almost always play one of his games. It always brings a smile to my face to turn on the console and see the plumber's face smiling back at me. Past, present, and future, the Mario franchise has not only been a way to have fun, but a way to feel inspired. To feel a million times younger than I am, and in a good way. To remember all the great times I've had with him. To enjoy the amazing worlds before me and feel how polished the gameplay feels. To listen to the music even more than I listen to my favourite band, because it's that well made. To look into the future at all the awesome levels I'm going to be able to design on the Wii U GamePad. To truly feel within me why I love Mario.
Don't thank us, Mario, for playing your games - I thank
you for all of the happiness you've given me.
