Staff Blog: Mario Day - My Eternal Side Scrolling Shame

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Mario Day - My Eternal Side Scrolling Shame

On 03/11/2020 at 12:31 AM by Matt Snee

I meant to blog this during my unfinished game series during BaD, but since it's Mario Day, I figure that will do.

Truth - I have never beaten a side scrolling 2D Mario game. From playing the original Super Mario Bros on NES, to Super Mario Maker 2 on the Switch, I have never gotten to the end. The Princess has been stuck in another castle for three decades.

As I've said before, I love 2D Mario, I really do, but I'm just not good at it. I don't have those skills. I usually get about halfway through the game, and even with level warps, I don't ever make it to Bowser. It's just a fact of life.

Do I feel shame? I do, a little. I do enjoy playing these games, but they frustrate me, and I don't enjoy doing the same thing over and over.

I respect the shit out of people who can kick these games' asses, but I just can't do it.

But like I said, I still love them.

Comments

mothman

03/11/2020 at 01:10 PM

Don't feel bad, neither have I. When the games were first released I'd play until my wife or son commandeered the game and then watch them finish it.

My wife doesn't play anymore but she was great at the 2D and 3D Marios, Crash Bandicoot etc.

KnightDriver

03/11/2020 at 08:31 PM

I think my personality doesn't mesh well with platformers. I seek new experiences and having to toil away on one task in a game until perfected is not how I think.

Ranger1

03/12/2020 at 04:30 PM

I never have, either. Mostly because my first Nintendo system was a Game Cube. I beat one and only one Sonic game on the Genesis, and that was Sonic 3, because it had saves after every level so I didn't have to play the whole game all over again to get back to that point.

Cary Woodham

03/12/2020 at 08:26 PM

Hey Mario games are hard! I get a lot of people asking me which games they should get for their kids, and they always ask if Mario is a good choice to start out on. And I always say no. Start them on Kirby or classic arcade games that are easy to understand. Mario is too frustrating.

While I've beaten most every Mario game, I've only beaten two to 100 percent: Super Mario World and Super Mario 64. And even classics like the first and third Super Mario Bros. games, I can't remember if I beat them by myself or if I had a friend or cheat codes to help me.

I do like Mario, but there are SO many other game franchises that I like way more. Stuff like Zelda, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Kirby, Pac-Man, Mega Man...I like them all way more than Mario.