To celebrate Mario’s thirty-fifth anniversary, Nintendo is releasing a slew of products related to the character, including Super Mario 3D All Stars. The collection comes packed in with remasters of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy, all originally released on the Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Wii, respectively.
All three of these games are masterpieces in their own right, but many older fans are especially excited to journey through Peach’s castle once again on the Nintendo Switch. In preparation for reliving beloved childhood memories, the following ten memes acknowledge the funniest aspects of the iconic Nintendo 64 launch title that defined a generation and laid the groundwork for 3D game design.
10 This Cake Better Be Worth It
The Mushroom Kingdom must be smooth sailing if its princess can just sit back and invite her friend over for cake. Unfortunately, Mario does not get a chance to eat the cake until he rescues Peach from Bowser. Some do not mind high prices or long waits for delicious meals, but that better be the best cake is existence to warrant the journey Mario goes through for a taste.
9 But They Are Birds, Right?
Super Mario 64 is generally aimed at children. Why Nintendo would let players throw a baby penguin into oblivion is beyond us. Perhaps they felt no one could possibly be so cruel, but they should know certain children’s capacity for brutality. One day the penguin or its family will come back for vengeance, either directly against Mario or his loved ones like Peach or Luigi.
8 The Real L Was The Friends We Made Along The Way
One popular myth around Super Mario 64 was Luigi’s inclusion. Fans even thought one fountain in Peach’s castle was inscribed with the words “L is real.” While Luigi is not in the final game, a recent major leak revealed that he was at one point set to be in the adventure, but was ultimately left out. Considering the game’s legacy, it feels disrespectful for him to not even have a mention.
7 Here We Go
This is how millions of players are going to feel when they boot up Super Mario 64 again on their Nintendo Switch as they trot through all their favorite levels and collect the stars once more.
Fortunately, Mario’s platforming adventure is not nearly as arduous or morally conflicting as CJ’s story in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Then again, CJ does not have to deal with ghosts and sentient explosives.
6 We’ve All Been There
This cat’s expression is about the same one players have when they find themselves running low on health or tasked with an underwater level. At least the cat has nine lives, where most games of the era generally started players off with only four. This cat should really have nothing to worry about, however, since it already has one hundred-twenty stars, so it can always go to Yoshi for some more lives.
5 Where Were The Lives When We Needed Them?
After beating Super Mario 64 and collecting all one hundred-twenty stars, it is possible to make it to the top of Peach’s castle and find Yoshi, who will congratulate Mario on his accomplishments and grant him ninety-nine lives. This is all well and good, but why couldn’t Mario’s friend help him out when he was fighting Bowser or struggling to find those stars? What is he gonna do with all those lives after having beaten the game one hundred percent?
4 Sean Bean Knows What’s Up
This is a simple statement, but it rings just as true today as it did in 1996 when Super Mario 64 first hit shelves. It is extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, to present a valid argument as to why Super Mario 64 is not a nearly perfect game. Even the poor aspects of the Nintendo 64, such as its controller, work perfectly with the game.
3 Feel Old Yet
Everybody fondly remembers the Eel from Super Mario 64, and then all the subsequent times they saw it in their nightmares. One does not need to see the above meme to feel old, however.
Even the people just old enough to play Super Mario 64 back in 1996 are now either on the edge or have already past thirty, meaning they potentially have little kids of their own.
2 But At Least We Tried
In the first several years of its existence, many fans were thoroughly convinced that Luigi was accessible in some way. After all, why would Nintendo leave Mario’s brother out of the big adventure? Rumors swirled detailing absolutely absurd ways of seeing or even unlocking him, perpetuated by doctored photographs on the Internet. He only finally became playable in the Nintendo DS port of the classic platformer.
1 You Only Live As Many Live You Have And Earn
Thank goodness Super Mario 64 does not work like real life. Gamers do not question where these extra lives come from when they are so helpful to defeating Bowser and collecting all the stars. Even James Bond is impressed with the amount of times Mario is able to live, since the secret agent can only live twice, or so it seems. One day humans may have the technology to make extra lives.
