There are other games that I would rank up there with my favourites, games that I've gone back to more than once through my life (though I don't play nearly as much of anything these days). Final Fantasy VII and Lunar: Silver Star Story were both very influential for me, two of the first RPGs I played. They helped shape my teen-self's ideas of story and character. A Link to the Past and Super Mario World are masterpieces to me, the pinnacles of the lost age of 16-bit gaming. There are other games that I love and played the hell out of, including Final Fantasy Tactics, Dragon Quest VIII, Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid. And then of course there's World of Warcraft, which swept me off my feet and carried me to its love nest and had its way with me for a couple years, and which I still enjoy (in thankfully much smaller doses).

But Mario 64 sits above them all. I first played it at my cousins' place when I would babysit them, shortly after it came out. There was no internet and no help guides, we worked at it until we figured out and obtained all 120 stars. When I got my own N64 a year later I played the game to death. I didn't just beat it, I took to trying to beat it in non-standard ways, over and over. I did speed runs before I knew speed runs were a thing; I learned every nook and cranny of the game. I figured out a dozen different ways to beat the turtle, could tap out the rhythm for fast swimming in my sleep. I could get through the Bowser levels like they weren't even in my way. It was the perfect game to me through my mid to late teens. I could always pick it up and have fun.