Eric Gallegos (Contributor)– In honor of Nintendo’s 125th anniversary, I’m heading back to 1996 when I was finally able to play Super Mario 64. I remember being so terrified when I saw commercials for it. I remember vividly the moment that purple eel swam across the screen. I thought to myself, “Holy crap!” I was just struck in awe by the transition from 2D to 3D platforming.
I was lucky enough to be gifted with it that Christmas, and I just could not put it down. The feeling of putting on the wing cap and flying everywhere was astonishing. Swinging Bowser by his tail and hoping he flew into that spiked bomb was too much for my little brain to comprehend. I had a freaking blast with it and that’s when I really knew I would forever play every Mario game after that.
Nintendo has played a huge part in my life growing up. I can’t even begin to count the number of sleepovers I had with friends playing Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, and Mario Party. As much fun as all that was, it will forever be Super Mario 64 that really opened my eyes to what I had to look forward to in gaming.
