Spring Into This Week's Features

Sunday means it’s time to update our weekly features. Which reminds me, I need to look into recruiting some more people to help me with this blog so that using the plural in reference to myself does not seem quite so…how do you say…insane.

Now that it’s officially Spring, I’ve begun looking forward to the myriad of things that this Spring and Summer have to offer. Iron Man 2 and Mario Galaxy 2 are both due out in May, and with March already on its heals, I’m beginning to look completely past April. So, to curb my enthusiasm a bit, I’ve decided to whet my appetite by making this week’s top five the five best Mario games of all time. I’ve also decided to work from fifth to first in my description which I should have done in previous weeks. Welcome to the inner workings of my thinking process. Moving on…

At the fifth spot, we have Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story for the DS. My sons wanted this game badly and I ended up playing it all the way through. Not your typical Mario game, it plays more like an RPG, like the Pokemon games, but the fight sequences are challenging. Furthermore, it’s funny and lasts for quite a while. It reminded me of a Legend of Zelda game.

Number four goes to the latest release, New Super Mario Brothers Wii. The old two dimensional, left to right, eight world format comes back with a vengeance. It’s added to by being able to play four players at once. While at times, this proves incredibly frustrating because you will push a teammate or two off a cliff, or get pushed off yourself, it’s so much fun to play as a group.

In third place, we have Super Mario Galaxy, also for the Wii. The sprawling, three dimensional world, or worlds with planet after planet of challenges and the ever-precarious gravity makes this game a completely immersive experience.

Second place is Super Mario World for the N64. The first three dimensional title of the Mario franchise christened the N64 and made it one of my favorite game systems of all time.

But number one has to go to the original Super Mario Brothers for the NES. Despite all the bells and whistles that have been added to the Mario games since, the original 16-bit masterpiece still is the best. I’ll still take Mario in his old orange and brown garb over his new flashy red duds.

This week’s sign you are a nerd is that you have a toy of some kind (most likely an action figure) that you keep in its box on purpose. I have one, so you’re not alone. I’m only admitting to one, don’t push it.

This week’s lesson learned is not to build up anticipation regarding the first day of Spring. It just leads to disappointment. Remember, it comes immediately after the last day of winter. Chew on that.

This week’s nemesis is David Stern. No, not Daniel Stern, famed narrator of The Wonder Years and one of the burglars from Home Alone, he’s awesome. David Stern, NBA Commissioner, can eat it. He took a league with amazing potential and broke it down into match-ups. LeBron vs. Kobe is exciting, but do something to promote the team aspect of the game. After watching the Magic & Bird documentary on HBO and remembering how great those guys were, but how great they also made those around them, broke my heart. I thought of what the NBA used to mean and how the game used to be played. I hate you, Commissioner Stern.

The cool ass thing you will never own this week is your own private island. I know you have aspirations of being able to begin your own government, free from the constraints you’re currently under (who doesn’t?!) but just face it, this is never going to happen. Plus, as soon as you acquire one, I will send troops from my island to undermine and overthrow (I call that the old over under) your feeble government and usurp your throne.

Also, please notice there is a new survey regarding March Madness. I’m disappointed to see at the time of writing this, that I have not received an overwhelming vote of confidence in my bracket selections.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading. Regular posts resume tomorrow.