Super Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy top long-time Mario actor Charles Martinet's list of favorite Mario games, but "Luigi's Mansion just touches my little heart"

Super Mario 64
(Image credit: Nintendo/Dwhatever)

Long-time Mario actor has revealed his personal favorite Mario games, and they include Super Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy.

Charles Martinet, who voiced Mario between 1992 and 2023, recently appeared at Nintendo Live in Sydney, where he took part in an audience Q&A session. In the video replay below, right around the 49-minute mark, Martinet is asked for his personal favorite Mario-led games, and he starts out by revealing that he likes the "sandbox games."

Q&A with Mario Ambassador, Charles Martinet with Celia Pacquola - Nintendo Live 2024 SYDNEY Day 1 - YouTube Q&A with Mario Ambassador, Charles Martinet with Celia Pacquola - Nintendo Live 2024 SYDNEY Day 1 - YouTube
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"You can run around like 'woo!'" Martinet adds, with the final word of that comment obviously being done in-character as Mario. The Mario actor namedrops Super Mario Odyssey as one particular "sandbox" game that he thinks is "fabulous," which is chiefly because of its 3D world and music - at which point he brilliantly mimics Odyssey's score.

"And to start, of course, with Mario Teaches Typing, because that solidified in my heart what I was going to do with that loving character," Martinet continues, referencing the oft-forgotten 1991 game. "But then 64, Sunshine, Galaxy was unbelievable. And Luigi's Mansion just touches my little heart," Martinet concludes of his game selections.

Martinet is receiving a lot of love on social media for his personal favorite Mario games, like Super Mario Galaxy. "This is truly a common Charles Martinet W," reads one tweet reacting to the actor's picks, while another adds, "He’s so real for bringing up Luigi's Mansion." In actual fact, it's arguably Luigi's Mansion that's being praised as Martinet's best selection.

After 39 years, Nintendo's legendary composer put his voice in Super Mario Bros Wonder when his idea for a "live-action" Mario with "human proportions" was rejected.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.