Nintendo 64

Super Mario 64

You'd be needlessly disciplining yourself if you didn't take the time to at least try this extraordinary game. Around The Electric Playground it has quickly grown to become the standard by which almost all other games are measured.

Faults? Problems? These, it seems, aren't in Miyamoto's vocabulary. As the first true 3D platform game, the game does everything right. Super Mario 64 is a masterpiece in the truest sense of the word.

As a whole, the flagship N64 game more than makes up for any painful delay (or delays) imposed upon the unit's release. SM64 is complete in every way, and the challenging experience of working toward each new level is far greater than the game's minimal flaws. Nintendo's craftsmanship and zeal for creating fantastically enjoyable games has never shown through more than in Super Mario 64.

It's not perfect but it's darn close... If you haven't played Super Mario 64 yet, you're missing the most ground-breaking game since that strange little first-person shooter called "Doom" hit the PC market. Next Generation Magazine recently crowned Mario 64 the best game ever, ahead of Final Fantasy, Elite, Warcraft II and Quake! 'nuff said.

Now there's tonnes more to say about this piece maitresse of a game. The title screen alone can keep you busy for hours. The battles with Bowser are something to revisit time and time again. The freedom you have to find your own way of doing things never ceases to amaze, and the wonderful variety and just plain -fun- of SM64 have been copied many times, but no-one ever came close to this kind of perfection. Every 32-bit owner that goes on and on about blood and guns has no idea what the real fine art of gaming is all about. After gorging oneself on the genius of SM64, one can only bow to the amazing talent of Miyamoto and co. God does exist, and he works for Nintendo.

Was I satisfied? Definitely. The game shows the 3-D environment of Mario World with very little glitches such as the camera angles. With Mario 64 being Nintendo's first N64 game. I have to say I am quite impressed.

If Mario 64 is even a rough indication of what's to be expected from Nintendo, or from games in general, then we just might have a revolution of sorts in our very hands.

This game was Miyamoto at his finest and it became a legend for the N64. Only a few games have been able to topple its mastery. The whole experience is so unique and exhilirating that it really is hard to put down, and that makes it one of the best games ever.

Believe the hype - Super Mario 64 has set the standard for videogames right into the 21st Century. Even if you complete the game in a few weeks you'll always come back to replay your favourite levels. A title every true games fan should own.

Overall, this game was one of, if not the most important game of it's generation. Updated for the DS launch, it is still playable in both forms and a great game by all standards. A sure thing for the Virtual Console, and if we didn't already have it twice, it'd be our first purchase. If you're a bit cautious, picking the game up for DS will satisfy your higher graphical and character model needs.

Super Mario 64, in the tradition of Nintendo launch titles, was an instant classic, just like Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. before it. Again, a game of this stature had people wondering if Nintendo didn't offer us too much too soon. Because for 1996, it certainly was ahead of its time.

Still, Super Mario 64's well-designed stages, imaginative puzzles, gradual ramping difficulty, and numerous save points make it hard to put down. Even if you prefer the 2D incarnations, you can't deny that Mario 64 is a solid title for the N64.

Super Mario 64 is the first showpiece for the N64, and the graphics will impress you (they impressed the hell out of me). The game itself is appealing, is less linear, and has more emphasis on puzzle solving than its predicessors. It has enough worlds to satisfy you for many hours while you figure them out. If you're really sick of Mario, you probably shouldn't get this game, since its full of even more goofy Italian stereotyping than before. But if you still have room in your belly for another Italian meatball, Super Mario 64 is a worthy game.

In conclusion, Super Mario 64 is, all and all, a decent title. It gives more of that great adventure game experience fans have come to expect, it has fairly decent graphics, and the sound is o.k. I would recommend that if you plan on completing this game, you buy or borrow it from a friend because it can be very time consuming, especially if you are trying to collect all the stars and secrets.