I Left My Cloud In My Other Pants
Last night I wrestled with annoying turtles and evil, carnovirous mushroom-thingies. (You know: the kind of mushrooms you meet in a dark, empty alley with not a badger in sight.) I also had to contend with fireball-spitting plants and some sort of wrench-flinging raccoon. The only way to defeat them was to dress up as a frog, and sometimes a tanuki.
Yes, you guess it: I've regressed. A few days ago, Kevin loaned me out his old Super NES, complete with the Mario All Stars game (containing Mario 1-3) as well as Super Mario World. I've been having this Mario 3 craving for almost 6 months now, waking up at night from vivid childhood recollections of playing the game, unable to get back to sleep at night because I've become haunted by those images of Mario bouncing around in that big giant, green boot and stomping on things. Which, incidentally, is why World 5-3 remains my favourite level, period.
I've spent a number of evenings sitting back and playing Mario 3, which hads delighted me to no end. I've been reminded of how much I adored the game when I was a kid. I've also been astounded by how much I remember, even the tiny little cheats and things, courtesy of me practically memorizing the Gamepro guide to M3 I bought years upon years ago. Between rounds of playing the matching game, choosing which treasure chest for me to open, and trying to earn me extra lives in the slots game, Mel's been boggled by how much I've been acting like a little 11 year-old version of myself.
"You're like a little kid all of a sudden," she informed me last night.
"Because I'm grinning like an idiot from playing this game?" I said.
Whereupon Mel shook her head and said, "No, mostly because you can't beat World 6 and have spent the last ten minutes constantly swearing and hurling childish insults & threats at the TV."
She's right too. Damned Ice World. Sure, when I was a kid, it was World 7: Plant World that always gave me trouble. This time around, I conquered Plant World in one go, to my surprise. But Ice World? Noooo, I just have to keep falling down holes or running into enemies who kill me on contact. Stupid monkey-bastard, rassafrassing game...kick it in the nuts....
*Ahem!* Excuse me, I don't know what came over me for a moment there.
Today's Lesson: the holidays are only as enjoyable as the customers you serve, or the cynicism you serve back to them.
posted by Phillip at 8:16 AM
