Mario or football?

I was only joshing when I declared that, with Super Mario Galaxy 2 on the horizon, the World Cup meant nothing to me. Because it does: I like following my team, the troughs and peaks of a season; I like the hysterical reactions to our national side, however tragic the final diagnosis might be. And the World Cup is almost as rare an event as a new Mario game anyway. I should savour it. But there's one problem. I'm all about the aesthetics me, so when something fails to entertain, I'm ruthlessly disloyal.

The first round of this World Cup was especially hopeless. Negative tactics, star players failing to ignite; all capped off, of course, by a painfully mediocre first turn-out from England. It was pretty tirgid stuff. Meanwhile Mario had grabbed me by the coat-tails. He wouldn't let go, the bastard. Controlling Yoshi, rendered in 3D properly for the first time, was wonderful; the levels were packed with new ideas; and the music was suitably foot-tapping - witness Puzzle Plank Galaxy if you don't believe me. It was perfection. I wasn't ashamed to shout my love from the rooftops. Well, kinda: Mario-love at 23 years of age isn't the coolest thing in the world. Anyway, two weeks ago Mario was giving the World Cup a right kicking.

Thankfully, though, its entertainment value has since picked up. Even England vs. Germany had a sort of sadistic joy: the first goal, in particular, was one in a million. An assist direct from the 'keeper - laughable. Terrible and wretched too, of course, but that's the obvious, all-too easy reaction. It's always better to laugh than cry.

So thanks to England's shameful exit, Brazil's continuing improvement, and Argentina's resurgence under Maradona, the World Cup is back in my good books. But it's still no match for Mario.