MARIO GOLF: SUPER RUSH

I affectionately refer to the summer of 2001 as the summer of 64, as in Nintendo 64. For those three months, my college friends and I largely avoided the steamy Kentucky days in favour of a dimly lit off-campus apartment where we spent most of our waking hours playing Mario Golf. We had our own language for every play: “Nestle!” being our favourite, for a ball that’s rolling a little too fast on the green. And when I closed my eyes at night, I’d see those rippling grids guiding me to the pin.

When Mario Golf: Super Rush was released on the Switch this summer (exactly 20 years later), I was transported back, a welcome anchor to less chaotic times. Thankfully, my wife also loves the game and doesn’t get too irritated as I repeatedly implore the ball to “nestle”. Most surprising was my muscle memory, which, despite the decades, was as keen as ever. I’m pretty sure you still couldn’t beat me. — MAYA SALAM, senior staff editor, Culture desk