Nintendo has brought back three of the most popular Mario games for the Switch console on Sept. 18. “Super Mario 3-D AllStars” includes “Super Mario 64,” “Super Mario Sunshine” and “Super Mario Galaxy.” All three of these games in one bundle! Two out of three games I grew up on; I even remember “Super Mario Galaxy” being released for the first time on the Wii in 2007.
Growing up, I played video games because they were all the rage during the 2000s and 2010s. My friends were all playing them, so I had to, too. I don’t remember much from playing “Super Mario 64,” but I do know I played it a couple times in the basement of a friend’s house. My family owned a GameCube console on which I played “Super Mario Sunshine” religiously every day after school. As far as “Super Mario Galaxy” goes, I remember it being released for Wii, but I didn’t have the console until 2010. By then, they had released “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” which my siblings and I got for Christmas. So, with the release on Nintendo Switch, I was able to relive moments of my childhood, as well as make new memories of playing a game for the first time.
“Super Mario 64,” originally released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64 console. Mario travels through Princess Peach’s castle, jumping into paintings and defeating Bowser. I don’t remember a lot from playing this game in my youth, but playing it on the Switch is quite different. The controls are super awkward, and it takes some time to get used to them.
“Super Mario Sunshine” was released in 2002 on the Nintendo GameCube. As I said, I played this game religiously. It was, and still is, so much fun. Mario must collect all the Shine Sprites for Isle Delfino after Bowser Jr. stole them. I was thrown off with the controls at first because I am used to using the controls from the GameCube controller. But, after a few trial runs, I was able to get the controls down. Although I do feel as if I am going to break my controller from frustration, the game takes me back to a much simpler time in my life.
“Super Mario Galaxy” came out in 2007 for the Wii console. I never played this particular one, but I played the second one that was released in 2010. Mario must travel the galaxy, collecting power stars, and once again, saving Princess Peach from Bowser. This game is very similar to the second one, and the controls were easy to understand and get used too.
When I was younger, playing games was just a fun pastime as a reward for getting all my homework done or doing all of my chores for the day. But now, nearly 13 years later, video games are a way to escape the stresses of college life for a little while. When I turn on my Switch, I am able to escape from this world and enter a new one for a couple hours. Playing “Super Mario Sunshine” again brings back a lot of memories of me trying to beat my brother at his score. These games are all very nostalgic for me, and I am really glad that Nintendo decided to release them all together for the price of one game.