Why do you love Mario games?

gio

gio

Goomba
Hello world! 🙂

I have a question about Mario games, especially about the classics 2D platformers. 😌

A simple question. Not so simple maybe.

Why do you love Mario games? 🤔

What in particular do you love in Mario games? In what respect is it better to you?

Thank you in advance for your answer. 🤗
 
The Mario series has been with me throughout my entire life, first starting with the BD&A Mario plushies (and I still own them to this very day). Remember that image of Miyamoto with those guys? Yeah, it's the same one.

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Anyway, I think it's their characters that got me in. Me and my sister would often play with these guys, building personalities and our own interpretations of the characters where there was otherwise a vacuum in them. I love the amount of allowed creativity and expressiveness you can put into them, so we eventually got emotionally attached to these plushies and the associated characters. Wario and Donkey Kong became our defacto punching bags, especially Wario, because he's funny and satisfying to get in Mario Party, Mario Kart, and Mario Tennis. Keep in mind, we grew attached to the spin-offs much more than the platformers. It wasn't until much later that we got in; when we were born, Yoshi's Island got released and Super Mario 64 was already in our lives, but we didn't pay too much attention to them until the DS era of games. We preferred games where we played together and had teams, we did not like competition. Mario Tennis provided that, and Mario Kart does let you team up and be at least second as a good place.

Mario games can make me laugh. Mario games have this light-hearted nature to them. Mario games are childish. Mario games are goofy. And that's what I love about them.

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I'm obsessed with Baby Luigi today because it stemmed from my obsession with Luigi in my early ages.

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Also, Baby Luigi being playable in a racing game is utter genius. Not only is he a baby who isn't supposed to drive nor play baseball, not only does he race at the same time as his adult self which is stupid, not only is his voice cute and charming ("Baby Weegee number not one") he wields a chain ball of death that bowls people over, AND his personal race-track is a chaotic hellscape? Seriously, these ingredients were just right into making him my absolute favorite. So forgive me if I constantly think it's criminal he does not get much playable roles in games.
 
Don't forget that my question, as specified, is about the classics 2D platformers, such as Super Mario Bros 1, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario Land, Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island...
 
I don't have any special emotional attachments to any of the classics 2D platformers except maybe Super Mario Advance (Super Mario Bros. 2), which is a very fun game in its own right, I love the exploration of the timerless levels, playing as Toad, the voices, and whatnot. I also like Super Mario World too, but again, no special emotional attachment to it in particular.
 
I have discovered I have a lot of reasons for it and I'm getting back into touch with a lot of those after a long break from it, Mostly I like the happy and cheerful nature of it and the fact that even when it is dark it is still somehow cheerful about it. I do love the absurdity of the world and the story too. It was also the one constant I had as a kid that occupied my idle time and allowed me to bond and establish friendships with many a schoolmate over it and the subject matter. Finding the secrets was always the big playground header and exchanging that information. Of course, this was way back in the early-mid 90s when the Internet wasn't really a thing then. Heh.

Definitely, the cheerful nature of it though is the big thing that brought me back. I'm someone that struggles with depression so I found the need to revisit that world in order to bring something positive to me and also myself out of simply just treading water with that.
 
I love Mario games as far as I remember, but a reason I've stuck to Mario is most likely the characters, the setting, and the gameplay. I'm not 100% sure why I developed an attachment for Mario, probably because he was the first character I picked back when I was like 5 or 4 playing video games and he just became a friend. Or I played with the toy of him (the toys, which my sister brought up earlier, weren't even supposed to be "meant" for us; it was bought for my brother but we loved the toys more than he does especially when they pair so well with Beanie Babies). Could be a combination. But he was a really easy friend, and Luigi was an easy fit for my sister too, as he looks similar to Mario and he's next to him.

I avoided platformers because I was scared of dying/losing. If it was like Super Mario Odyssey I think I would've been less scared, especially with aids and stuff for younger and more timid players. Definitely didn't enjoy Mario Party until Mario Party 5 as Mario Party 5 had actual team battles and free for all just didn't jive.

I was more into Mario Kart 64 (which I hate today lol), Diddy Kong Racing, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Tennis, which I've played for ends (though Mario Tennis was rented and was a copy that didn't stick for long) but it was the toys that really got me hooked into the series. I really liked Mario Kart Double Dash and Super Smash Bros. Melee going into the GCN years. I eventually eased myself playing single player games including Super Mario 64 DS (I think that one was the first step into the unfamiliar single player Mario game), New Super Mario Bros. DS, and Super Mario Galaxy (I still remember in Galaxy being not 100% comfortable with all challenges).

Going on today, I'm still more of a stickler for Mario spinoffs and I tend to look forward to new Mario Sports barring the Olympics (as disappointing they seem to be getting every new installment) and Mario Party the most, but a lot of my Mario needs are usually fulfilled by weirdly nonMario games including Super Smash Bros. and modded games including Rivals of Aether, Garry's Mod, Left 4 Dead 2, Spore, and The Sims (but I also get fulfillment with a bit of roleplay and just talking about Mario). I'm not sure when was the last "true" Mario game I played, except I did play some Mario games over on emulator including Power Tennis, Super Mario Sunshine, and Double Dash. But as of recent, I don't have access to many Mario games legally as I have only a Switch and a really good desktop with an Intel Xeon W-2295 and a GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, and that just seems to be a perfect setup for emulation. I've also skipped on a fair few recent Mario titles including Mario Tennis Aces, both Super Mario Makers, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, and I'm not wholly enthusiastic about Mario Golf Super Rush; and I didn't complete Luigi's Mansion 3 or Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and didn't even start Origami King before I moved out.

I hoard Mario plushies, so I don't think my fondness for Mario is really going away even if I'm not playing the video games as religiously as I used to. I still certainly interact with the Mario content like a Mario acolyte, just not through the Mario video games.

I haven't played much of the literal classics. Most of my exposure to the older games were from the Advance series and I believe just the voice acting alone makes it a better experience than the classics. That being said, Super Mario Advance (Super Mario Bros. 2) I enjoyed the most out of the series and as for the older games, and even factoring the fan favorite Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3, I didn't enjoy them as much as New Super Mario Bros. or New Super Mario Bros. Wii or Super Mario 3D World or Super Mario 3D Land BUT they're still solid games.

I know the topic is supposed to center on the platformers, but I feel leaving out kart, party, sports, smash bros., merchandise in the discussion leaves a HUGE gap about my time spent with the Mario series; it's the reason I started and stuck with the Mario series in the first place. As I said, I wouldn't have played the platformers and probably would be less likely to play Mario, much less love the guy, if my opportunities were stuck to just playing Super Mario World in SNES rather than playing as Mario in Smash Bros., driving as Mario in Mario Kart 64, playing as Mario in Mario Party, and developing an emotional attachment to a Mario doll.
 
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Sorry, I'm going to have to disregard your wish, for everything I love about the 2D platformers carries over to the spinoffs and 3d platformers as well.

Personality,
It's the right amount of touch to a fairy tale fantasy theme, warped by silly tropes from old anime for children, in a unique harmonious blend. From our cheerful hero and his courageous allies, to the loud mouth villain and his grumpy and other personality minions.

Gameplay,
With expertly crafted smooth paced physics seen in almost no other videogame, it's friendly to beginners (easy to learn, easy to play) while simultaneously giving fun feel-good challenges for veterans (hard to master). All the while making sure novices can access all content, so no one's missing out on the fun. It's almost like having a living toyset to mess around with.

Multiplayer,
No matter what group of people I'm with, there's one thing for certain, if videogames are on the table, Mario's a hot pick. With its style of working together on game completion while also butting heads over treasure and items, is sure to bring laughs and a good time to the group.

Fin
 
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