The first video game console I bought was a PlayStation one, and I continued buying Sony games for many years. It wasn't until the Wii came out that I moved on to Nintendo, and only then did I discover Mario.
Of course I knew who Mario was; the plumber in his famous red hat and blue dungarees has been a household hero since his first appearance in
Donkey Kong in 1981. But I didn't know what all the fuss was about. Why was he so great? To be honest, I still don't know the answer to that question, but just like everyone else who has played a
Mario game, I have fallen in love with him.
If you are a mega fan of Mario, then you will want to be at Oxford Street's John Lewis this weekend on the 7th & 8th September. Between 9.30am - 8pm on Saturday you will have the chance to meet Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario and Luigi. He will be signing autographs, doing photo shoots, and joining his costumed counterparts.
Although Martinet won't be there on Sunday, there will be lots of new Mario video games to play, including a
Mario Kart 7 competition. Other games available are
New Super Mario Bros. U,
New Super Luigi U,
Super Mario 3D Land,
Mario Kart 7,
Luigi's Mansion 2,
New Super Mario Bros. 2.