Damn guys, can you believe it’s the last day of #MarioWeek already? It’s gone by really quickly and talking of lasts, this is the last Mario & Me interview we’ll be posting as well!
Yes, our mini-series of interviews where developers, Miketendo64 staff and even Friends of Miketendo64 reveal just how much Mario means to all of us, is coming to an end and so to take us out, here’s our very own Mr. Panda and what he had to say when undergoing our Quick Fire round:
Q1. Name and/or Known Alias? Mr. Panda.
Q2. First Mario game you played? Super Mario Bros. (NES)
Q3. Last Mario game you played? Super Mario World (SNES Classic)
Q4. Favourite Power-up? Yoshi.
Q5. Least favourite Power-up? Spring Mushroom.
Q6. Favourite Boss Battle? Bowser from Super Mario World.
Q7. Least favourite Boss Battle? Wart.
Q8. Mario or Luigi? Mario.
Q9. Princess Peach or Princess Daisy? Princess Peach.
Q10. Metal Mario or Rabbid Mario? Metal Mario.
Q11. Frog Suit or Racoon Suit? Frog Suit.
Q12. Goombas or Koopa Troopas? Koopa Troopas.
Q13. Super Mario Odyssey, physical or digital purchase? Physical.
Q14. Playing Mario alone, or with a friend? Alone, unless it’s a party game.
Q15. Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, or Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2? Super Mario 64 and Sunshine.
And from short(ish), yet delightfully sweet answers, it is time we moved on to the longer answers, so here’s the Final Three round:
What does Mario and his associated franchise mean to you?
Mario is one of my favorite series ever, only second to Zelda. Super Mario Bros. was one of the first games I played, Super Mario World was one of the first I’ve ever beaten, and Super Mario 64 introduced me to the future of 3D gaming. The series is important to me, which is why I just had to have it represented at my wedding. Despite an ever-changing gaming climate, the series continues to represent one of my all-time favorite genres, platformers.
What is a Mario moment you will always treasure?
I will always remember my first experience with Super Mario World, one of my first games. SMW taught me how to be a gamer. When I first received the SNES and the game for Christmas one year, I fell in love with it despite not being good at the game. I was scared of the in-game timer, believe it or not. Over the course of several years, I got better at the game and was super happy after completing each world and finding each secret exit. My heart raced when I finally defeated Bowser. At that moment, I celebrated. SMW became one of the very first games I had ever beaten. To this day, I still play the game to 100% completion at least once a year.
What are you most looking forwards to doing in Super Mario Odyssey?
I can’t wait to be a T-rex, along with discovering all the other creatures Mario can take over in the game.
Alex, your answers were the perfect way to end Mario & Me so thank you for getting involved and making your mark on #MarioWeek. But while this door has indeed closed, with today being the final day, we of course have some more Mario content on the way so don’t count us out just yet!
