Month completed: August 2007

WARNING: This post may be considered extremely nerdy by non-Mario fans.

Mario 1 (the original Mario game) came out in 1987. I have finally beaten it 20 years later. This was a sweet victory (although Nat couldn’t quite understand why I was so excited when I defeated the last Bowser).

For those who don’t remember playing this game, there are 8 worlds, and a few warp zones that allow you to skip worlds. You have to defeat the entire game to save the Princess, and then you have to defeat it again in difficult mode in order to say that you have really clocked the whole game.

The main thing that has stopped me from clocking the game over these years is the Hammer Brothers, who constantly throw hammers and are near impossible to beat without mushroom or flower power. I have always considered them my arch-nemisis.

Below is a photo of the screen that shows when you clock the game. If you look closely, you will see a reflection of me in the TV, jumping up and down with excitement after years and years of frustrating effort. You will also noticed I won it with Luigi, who I consider the better of the two Mario brothers, because of his superior jumping ability.

Bad luck Hammer Brothers – I am having the last laugh (albeit a very nerdy laugh).