Super Mario 64
Nintendo 64
Nostalgia Factor:
Super Mario and I have a long history together. Going back to when I was a small child, I was in love with the Mario series. One of my first games was Super Mario Bros, which came packaged with the Nintendo Entertainment System along with Duck Hunt and Track & Field. Over the years I played and fell in love with that game, as well as Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3, and even the Atari game, which was just Mario Bros, minus the super part.
I had Mario T-shirts. I ate the Mario breakfast cereal. I even loved that horrible Super Mario Bros Super Show that aired in the late 80s. Mario was the quintessential video game character in my mind. Great gaming began and ended with the Mario series.
Which is one of the reasons I was disappointed to get a Sega Genesis rather than a Super Nintendo for Christmas when I was a kid. Not that I didn't like Sonic The Hedgehog, but because I never got the chance to play Super Mario World. It was like the Holy Grail of video games for me. I would stare longingly at it in store displays, but the lines were always too long for me to play it. I didn't have very many friends that I hung out with outside of school, and none of them had this game. There were a few occasions where I was visiting my parents friends (and their kids had this game). I would play like there was no tomorrow, but I had to share and never got close to finishing the game.
I never did get a Super Nintendo. Super Mario, the series that had been with me since my days as a small child, had passed me by. As the 16 bit era came to a close, previews began to pop up for Super Mario 64, which looked AMAZING and unlike any video game I had ever played before. The problem.... I had a Sega Saturn and again was likely to miss out on another great Mario game.
In 1996, I was 14 years old. I frequented a Blockbuster video near my house and rented a game nearly every weekend. With how quickly I burned through each game I played, this was a much cheaper alternative to buying everything that caught my eye. Imagine my surprise when one day I walked in, and there was a Nintendo 64 display set up with Super Mario 64 the featured title.
The N64 hadn't launched yet. This was a Blockbuster exclusive preview of the game which I got to play several weeks before the system even hit the shelves. And it wasn't just a preview either that would reset itself after ten minutes. Or one that only featured a level or two before saying "Thanks! Now buy the game when the full version hits the shelves in three weeks!" This was the full, unaltered, complete version of the game. And I got to play it. It was too good to be true.
This is really pathetic, but a good indication of just how video game obsessed I used to be. I spent hours and hours on end each day at Blockbuster playing this game. I went there every day for weeks. I basically lived at the video store.
In fact, I had this game beaten and all 120 stars collected before the game or the system itself even hit the store shelves. I would always tell my family I was "hanging out with friends", which drew curious glances since I didn't have many friends. I would miss dinner, I would be gone almost the whole day. There I was at the video store, playing this game. Every time I would leave, I would be afraid that someone would delete my saved game. Which luckily never happened. My dad actually came into the store once and caught me, which was embarrassing. Not the proudest moment of my life, but it was what it is.
Story:
The N64 hadn't launched yet. This was a Blockbuster exclusive preview of the game which I got to play several weeks before the system even hit the shelves. And it wasn't just a preview either that would reset itself after ten minutes. Or one that only featured a level or two before saying "Thanks! Now buy the game when the full version hits the shelves in three weeks!" This was the full, unaltered, complete version of the game. And I got to play it. It was too good to be true.
This is really pathetic, but a good indication of just how video game obsessed I used to be. I spent hours and hours on end each day at Blockbuster playing this game. I went there every day for weeks. I basically lived at the video store.
In fact, I had this game beaten and all 120 stars collected before the game or the system itself even hit the store shelves. I would always tell my family I was "hanging out with friends", which drew curious glances since I didn't have many friends. I would miss dinner, I would be gone almost the whole day. There I was at the video store, playing this game. Every time I would leave, I would be afraid that someone would delete my saved game. Which luckily never happened. My dad actually came into the store once and caught me, which was embarrassing. Not the proudest moment of my life, but it was what it is.
Eventually I did end up getting a Nintendo 64 with my hard earned allowance money. While I had beaten the game in the store, I still went out and rented this game twice just for the experience of playing it at home. And it was SUCH a good game.
When the opportunity arose to buy it for dirt cheap at a resale store, I bought it. And I have owned it ever since.
Enough with the history lesson. Let's talk about the game.
When the opportunity arose to buy it for dirt cheap at a resale store, I bought it. And I have owned it ever since.
Enough with the history lesson. Let's talk about the game.
Story:
The game centers around Mario, who has been invited to Peach's castle on a social visit to enjoy some delicious cake. When he gets there he finds that she has been captured by Bowser, who has taken over her castle. He must explore the castle, collecting stars, conquering levels, and taking shots at Bowser and his minions along the way.
When this game came out, it was completely unprecedented. The controls were revolutionary with the analog controller and the full 3D range of motion. You could run, jump, and explore in pretty much every direction. Doesn't sound like much by today's standards, but in the mid-90s this was unheard of. Not only was the game revolutionary, it was fun. Incredibly fun, as a matter of fact.
The castle serves as a central hub. As you collect stars, you can unlock new sections of the castle and more levels. Each level is represented by a painting, which you can leap into. It whisks you away to a unique stage, where 7 stars are hidden. It is not necessary to collect each and every star. You just need to collect a certain number to unlock the next castle door and advance the plot.
Games like this where there is a central hub filled with stages that you must scour for hidden items have become commonplace over the years. But Mario 64 is the godfather of the genre.
These stages are all unique and bursting with personality. There is a version of each stereotypical Mario level, such as the Ice Stage, the Underwater level, the Sand Level, etc etc. There also many new and completely innovative levels as well. No two stages are alike, and each one offers different game play opportunities. Even though there are two snow levels, for example, each one is completely different and fun in its own way.
Classic Mario villains such as Goombas, Boos, and Koopa Troopas are back with 3D face lifts, and look better than ever. There are also different hats Mario can wear, which grant him powers like the ability to fly and phase through walls. One hat even turns him into an indestructible metal menace for 30 seconds or so.
Classic Mario villains such as Goombas, Boos, and Koopa Troopas are back with 3D face lifts, and look better than ever. There are also different hats Mario can wear, which grant him powers like the ability to fly and phase through walls. One hat even turns him into an indestructible metal menace for 30 seconds or so.
Exploring this big 3D world, finding stars, battling enemies, flying through the sky - all of this stuff is incredibly fun and iconic. This game is just bursting with fun. I don't know how anyone could dislike it. It's one of the best and most fun games I have ever played. I plan to someday sit down and rank my favorite games of all time and I can't see Mario 64 not making my top ten.
Graphics:
The graphics for this game were out of this world back in the 1990s. And honestly, they still hold up pretty darn well. The colors are bright. The character models look really nice. The whole game feels like a rich, brought-to-life cartoon Mario world. It's very immersive.
The stage design is fantastic too. So many of these stages seem to take on personalities of their own. And they all look wonderful. A lot of games in the Nintendo 64 library haven't aged very well, but Mario 64 has this crisp and clean feel to it that is timeless.
Sound:
The soundtrack for this game is amazing. Some of the songs are just upgraded renditions of old Mario classics, but for the most part the music is original and completely awesome. Over the years they have become iconic not only to me but the gaming community at large. Just go to YouTube and listen to Dire Dire Docks or the Super Mario 64 Main Theme and tell me they don't sound great.
The sound effects for the game are top notch as well. I guess if one had to nitpick the only bad thing about the sound would be the constant little noises Mario makes, although they don't bother me too much.
Overall:
The great thing about this game is that it has aged very well. I can still pick up this game and be completely engrossed by the graphics, sounds, great controls, intuitive level design, and fun game play of Super Mario 64.
The real challenge of the game is collecting all 120 stars, which takes a while but is very rewarding if you are dedicated enough. Yeah, all you get is Yoshi hanging out on the roof of Peach's castle, but it is still oddly worth it despite the small reward. I collected all 120 stars on multiple playthroughs as a teen back in the 90's. But I am ashamed to admit that I couldn't do it on my most recent attempt at my advanced age of 32. Some of the stars were just too hard for me. But hey I have done it before, so I feel I have nothing to prove. Sue me.
When I would spend hours upon hours playing this game at Blockbuster as a youth... to today when I can pop this in after having not played it for years, Mario 64 has not lost any of its magic for me.
When you take everything into account, the sum of this game's parts is a thing of beauty. You can easily get lost in this game and play it for hours, completely immersed. There is nothing to nitpick about with this game, no obvious flaws. It is amazing.
This is about as close to perfect a game as you can get. The game is beautiful. Take away the graphics, the sound, and everything else that makes this game technically impressive, and the gameplay would still be fun as hell. The level design, the way the game handles, and the tasks you must complete to gain the stars are brilliant.
If I had to make a list for my favorite games of all time, this would definitely be near the top. And I have played a lot of games. Super Mario 64 is a classic for the ages and needs to be played by anyone who even has the smallest interest in video games.
The great thing about this game is that it has aged very well. I can still pick up this game and be completely engrossed by the graphics, sounds, great controls, intuitive level design, and fun game play of Super Mario 64.
The real challenge of the game is collecting all 120 stars, which takes a while but is very rewarding if you are dedicated enough. Yeah, all you get is Yoshi hanging out on the roof of Peach's castle, but it is still oddly worth it despite the small reward. I collected all 120 stars on multiple playthroughs as a teen back in the 90's. But I am ashamed to admit that I couldn't do it on my most recent attempt at my advanced age of 32. Some of the stars were just too hard for me. But hey I have done it before, so I feel I have nothing to prove. Sue me.
When I would spend hours upon hours playing this game at Blockbuster as a youth... to today when I can pop this in after having not played it for years, Mario 64 has not lost any of its magic for me.
When you take everything into account, the sum of this game's parts is a thing of beauty. You can easily get lost in this game and play it for hours, completely immersed. There is nothing to nitpick about with this game, no obvious flaws. It is amazing.
This is about as close to perfect a game as you can get. The game is beautiful. Take away the graphics, the sound, and everything else that makes this game technically impressive, and the gameplay would still be fun as hell. The level design, the way the game handles, and the tasks you must complete to gain the stars are brilliant.
If I had to make a list for my favorite games of all time, this would definitely be near the top. And I have played a lot of games. Super Mario 64 is a classic for the ages and needs to be played by anyone who even has the smallest interest in video games.
THE GRADE:
A+
A complete index of all my game reviews can be found
>HERE<
No comments:
Post a Comment