Debut: Super Mario Galaxy
When you come across a signpost in a video game, what do you expect? Some kind of tutorial, maybe... but when the sign says “Hey!”, and starts speaking in the first-person... well that’s just plain silliness! And I love nothing more than some good old-fashioned silliness!
I mean, do I even need to explain why this is so funny? It’s a talking billboard! Named Bill Board! Amazing!
Bill up there teaches you how to ride a ball, but he isn’t alone! There are actually four different sign-people in this game. Gil is the first one you meet, and he specialises in wall-jumping. He also claims to be famous, and I wouldn’t doubt it... I mean, how many signs have you seen in games? Any one of them could be Gil!
Phil gives advice about the bubble levels in this game... Say, how do they know these things, despite being stuck to the ground? And how do they travel from galaxy to galaxy? It’s never explained! It’s just pure nonsense. I love it.
And finally, there’s Jill! She reminds you how to play as Boo Mario. Hm... she? Jill is the only one of the boards with a feminine name, but who says signs have to subscribe to a gender binary? A signary, if you will... Given the similar names, do you think these boards are siblings? Or is Board just a title?
I’m not really sure what to say about all this, other than... wow! This is so absurd! You all agree, right? Appreciate them, please!