8. Mario in Luigi’s Mansion
Before Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Mario Sunshine, Nintendo fans were rewarded with Mario’s GameCube debut at the end of Luigi’s first grand adventure. In a game with Luigi as the star, I was surprised to see the red plumber appear in the flesh. Although his appearance is brief, seeing Luigi point and laugh at Mario is one of those feel-good moments which make Nintendo so special.
Appearing slightly chubbier than his fighting self in in the Smash Bros. series, Mario’s knocked out as Luigi bursts out laughing, and one cannot help but imagine how cool it would have been to play through the game again, this time with Mario out to save Luigi. Nonetheless, it was Luigi’s time to shine and the nod to his brother was the icing on the cake.
Star Fox … I miss you … you were so cool … Retro, please tell me that’s what you have been working on with such fervor….
Maybe not quite a cameo, but I loved seeing E Gadd’s inventions play a role in Super Mario Sunshine. At one point, Bowser Junior refers to him as “the strange old man with the white coat”. Plus, FLUDD kinda sounds like the ole professor.