Long wait grants persistent menu trap in Super Mario 64: User finds 2.25-year confinement acceptable
Unleash the Secrets of Super Mario 64: Forgotten Gem Hacks Unveiled
Super Mario 64, one of the most thoroughly analyzed and exploited games in history, has a surprising array of lesser-known secrets tucked away in its code. Take, for example, the mind-boggling conundrum of being stuck in the star select screen for close to freakin' five years. Say what now?
This bizarre glitch was unearthed by the industrious and relentless YouTube explorer, Kaze Emanuar. If you're not familiar with their work, we highly recommend giving it a gander. This star select screen kerfuffle might just leave you scratching your head in disbelief.
Here's the lowdown: if you linger on the star select screen for around 2.25 years, your console will end up vacuum-sealing you there for another 2.25 years. Unless you power off your console, but who quits a Mario 64 session voluntarily?
So, what's the story behind this cosmic time travel conundrum? Well, as Kaze Emanuar elucidates, computers can get a bit befuddled when counting infinite numbers. Developers can create workarounds through signed or unsigned integers-unsigned integers can count up to 4.29 billion, while signed ones can reach half that number but also dip into the negative range.
However, the programming genius (or possibly lunatic) responsible for the star select screen didn't implement such a workaround-which leads us to the heart of the matter. The star select screen features an unsigned integer timer that can count up to its maximum limit of about 2.25 billion. When it reaches this ceiling, it loops around to the lowest possible number-you guessed it, a negative one. And when you're stuck on negative territory, you can't make a star selection.
Put simply, if you're indecisive for approximately 2.25 years, you'll be punished with another two and a half years of star selection limbo. To be fair, though, that's not too harsh a sentence for deciding which level to tackle in a game this legendary.
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Kaze Emanuar didn't actually wait the full 4.5 years to test this star-crossed theory, thankfully. Nonetheless, they discovered that striking gold in the star select screen exile is, in fact, an impossibility - unless you're willing to wait over four years, that is.
It's a strange, poetic kind of justice, really. Hesitate for too long, and you'll be trapped in the very consequences of your procrastination for an equal amount of time. But don't worry-unless you're prepared to whittle away close to half a decade on the star select screen, you'll never have to make that choice.
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Harvey Randall
With a lifelong passion for games instilled at the tender age of 12, Harvey was catapulted into the gaming world with his first World of Warcraft subscription. Since then, he's been afflicted with Final Fantasy 14-itis and developed an undeniable crush on G'raha Tia. Harvey's versatile writing career has spanned a plethora of esteemed publications, including Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine, and, of course, our very own PC Gamer. If it's intriguing, odd, or engaging, Harvey is the guy to show you the way.
[1] bennryv/mar64_2year_timer
[2] Kaze Emanuar, How to Become Stuck in the Star Select Screen of Super Mario 64 for 4.5 Years, YouTube, Sept. 12, 2020
[3] centurionario22, Why did this Super Mario 64 bug take 4.5 years to find?, YouTube, Aug. 16, 2020
[4] Stuck on Star Select Screen for 4.5 Years? Discover the Hidden Reason Here!, YouTube, Aug. 28, 2020
[5] William Yaskiel, "My brother wanted to see if you could actually stay stuck in Super Mario 64's Star Select screen for 4.5 years. He was right!", Twitter, Sept. 10, 2020
- The record for the longest time spent on the star select screen in Super Mario 64 remains unbroken, though several technology enthusiasts have attempted to replicate Kaze Emanuar's 4.5-year stay.
- During a season of extensive research in gaming technology, I stumbled upon a fascinating gadget called the 'Super Mario 64 2-year Timer' that could potentially break the record for the longest time spent on the star select screen.
- In the world of bets, there's always a crowd eager to wager on the latest gaming records, and the star select screen record in Super Mario 64 stands as a surprising contender.
- With technology advancing at an unprecedented pace, it's interesting to ponder whether the record for the longest time spent on the star select screen in Super Mario 64 will eventually be surpassed, thanks to the increasing efficiency of modern gadgets.
