Super Mario 64

The Good
The jump from Super Nintendo to Nintendo 64 really upped the graphics and when Mario 64 it impressed all Mario fans as well as other gamers. Mario 64 was changed alot from the other Mario brothers, namely the original where you just have to try and get through the level without dying or having your time run out (which rarely happend.) You didn't just have to just get through the level and fight a fake bowser (or a real one) at the end. You actually had to use your brain and collect stars to try and bring the princes back and save the castle. Though obviously the graphics are not anything special today, they were a huge surprise back when the game first came out.

The Bad
It might seem like a complaint not worth saying but even though there were alot of Oomba goomba's in Mario 64 there were not many Koopa Troopas and they were pretty much what made up the original Mario (which is what I compare it to.)

The Bottom Line
It is definetly worth playing and I dare say that it could be classed as a classic.

The Good
It's Super Mario in 3D and as open-ended as gaming can be. IT brought the character into the modern era of polygonal gaming adventures. It came right off the success of Tomb Raider and Resident Evil in 1996 and soon became the best-selling game of the fifth generation: selling 11.62 million copies, beating the Playstation's best-sellers Gran Turismo (10.85 million) and Final Fantasy VII (9.72 million). The game's still impressive on a technical level: here was an open-world game where no loading screens were present jumping from painting to painting, world to world, and still Mario's an absolute blast to control.

The Bad
The speed of the PAL version of the game can mess up the timing of certain 'glitches' in the game which is a little annoying for speed-running purposes. Oh: and of course the camera is still a bit clunky, even for the standards of the time, but it doesn't cripple the experience of the platforming.

The Bottom Line
I'd call this game Super Mario's Greatest Leap: they took a 2D side-scrolling character and made him a seamlessly playable character on a then-brand-new 3D system. Super Mario 64 is a slice of the gaming pie you must try out as soon as possible.

The Good
This game was a release title for the N64. One of the most anticipated games of all time, the game boasted graphics ahead of its time, along with superb gameplay.

Honestly, I can say that it lives up to its name. The game features Mario, in his first 3D adventure, facing Bowser, who has trapped everyone in the castle and stolen all of the castle's star power. He has hid them in worlds behind secret paintings. Its up to Mario to take back the stars Bowser stole and free the Princess and the rest of the castle.

The game leaves you off in front of Peach's castle. After you venture in, Bowser explains what he has done, and the game gets going. Mario must find 7 stars in each of the 15 levels (6 objectives, 1 for collecting 100 coins), as well as 15 other "secret" stars (for a total of 120).

The game style is platforming, but most of the game varies in challenge and type. One level you will be racing a Koopa to the top of the mountain, and another time you will be helping a snowman find his body. Its stuff like this that make the game interesting.

Mario now has health, instead of his traditional one hit kill. Mario will take damage by getting attacked by enemies, touching them, falling from tall heights, touching lava, etc. There are also a number of one hit kills in the game such as drowning or falling in an endless pit.

One problem of the game is its lack of twists in the story. Its pretty much the same throughout the game: "Collect enough stars to rescue Princess Peach". However, the game makes up for this hugely by added sub-quests and side-stories to each individual world. Other than that, the game is very straight-forward.

Bosses and enemies, are, different. They pretty much don't stray much from "Kill Mario regardless of personal safety" theory. However, bosses vary nicely, each with different weaknesses. While enemies are mindless, it would have been nice if they put some thought into their actions.

The game is very open. If you do not feel like getting one star on a certain level, you can leave the world, go to another painting in the castle, and get stars there. This leaves a very open-ended gameplay feel to the game, because you do not have to get all of the stars to face Bowser (only about half is needed), however a reward is given to those who collect all of them. Levels are no-longer straightforward. Levels are literally massive, expansive areas, where all of the stars can be acquired. Even though you usually choose the star you are aiming for before the level starts on a select screen, this rule can, and is usually, broken.

Controls are done exceptionally well. They can be mastered fairly easy. All of Mario's moves are given from the start, so there is no backtracking to get stars you missed. The exception is the caps, which are generally gained less than a quarter length through the game. Besides that, they are not used in levels before they were discovered.

Sound is one of the best features of the game. Mario does not talk much, however this is the first time in history where he yells "Ouch!" or "Woah!" when damaged. The sound effects are nice, but pretty basic. The main feature is the brilliantly composed music, ranging from fast paced to slow and sober. They become part of the game itself.

The Bad
The story line did not stray much from the typical "rescue princess peach" storyline. However, varying challenge types and sub-quests help to break the monotony.

Another annoying feature was jumping. This really got on your nerves when you had to time the jump JUST RIGHT, or else you would fall back down to restart, or worse, die.

Finally, the enemy AI is mediocre. The AI is perfect for an adventure, but you will find that the enemies are more annoying....than challenging. However, variety and numbers make up for this.

The Bottom Line
Super Mario 64 is a classic platformer, adventure game that will never die out. In my opinion, this is one of the best games ever made because it is innovative in so many ways. I think it is worth buying an N64 over, especially since they are so cheap. An updated version has recently come out for the DS, however, This will always be the game that kicked off the 3D platformer series.

The Good
Great controls and levels

The Bad
The camera is not nice to use.

The Bottom Line
Starting off with a bang, one of the Nintendo 64’s launch titles just happens to be a revolutionary game that’s one of the best games on the system. It didn’t just show the world how platform games could work in 3D, but it set the standard for movement in 3D as well. Despite it’s legendary status, Nintendo have never given us the port that this game deserves. Super Mario 64 doesn’t need a full remake, just a little bit of sprucing, widescreen and an updated camera.

The movement of Mario still feels amazing all these years later. His move set is brilliant with all of his moves (minus the special hats) available form the get-go, it’s just a case of learning it and figuring out the best way do move. Most people will start off ding taller jumps by doing the backflip, but then transition to the quick turn jump to get up to the tall platforms. Even now, it’s an absolute joy to control.

The camera from the original game is the main part of the game that now feels clunky. It was pretty amazing when the game came out, but it’s one aspect of games that has improved over time.

The levels are small, but it’s a style that really suits the game. They’re packed full of secrets, with six stars to find in each one (plus an extra star for collecting 100 coins). Once you collect a star, you’re thrown out of the level, which does mean you have to re-do parts of levels multiple times, but there are sometimes changed to the level depending on which star you collect. There is a mod that lets you remain in levels, but I feel like this alters the game too much, and is itself fiddly as you need to work out when you need to manually leave the level.

Each level has a very distinct feel to it and I enjoyed every level in the game, with the exception of two of the water levels. While some have generic themes (lava, water and ice), the levels are still built in unique ways, and even matching themes (like the two snow levels) don’t feel like a reuse due to the level design.

Other than a couple of stars that include the wing, metal and invisible caps, you can also complete levels before moving on, or just do a couple of stars and try somewhere else. You only need 70 out of 120 stars to complete the game (far fewer if you choose to do glitches), but it’s enjoyable collecting them all.

To unlock different sections of the castle (and access more levels), you need to complete Bowser’s levels. There are three in total (the last one being to save Peach) and these are much more linear platform challenges, which creates a nice change of pace. At the end of these you have to face off against Bowser, grabbing his tail and spinning him to throw him into bombs, and I’m still absolutely dreadful at aiming my throws.

The final section of the game has some outstanding levels.

Wet-Dry World is the third water level of the game, but this one stands out much more due to the mechanic of raising and lowering the water levels. There are different ways to move upwards depending on the water level, and you’ll need to make use of these to collect all the stars.

Tiny-Huge Island has you using pipes to swap between a giant Mario and a mini Mario. You get to see cute tiny goombas or have to fight ones that are much larger than Mario. It’s not Mario’s size that actually changes, but the level itself. It’s an absolutely adorable level full of joy.

Tick Tock Clock is actually a lot smaller than I remember, but is focused on well timed jumps. The unique aspect of this level is that the level entrance is itself a clockface, and where the minute hand points alters the speed of the objects in the level, or even stops them completely. I have quite strong memories of trying to figure out what was happening when this happened as a kid.

The final main level, Rainbow Ride, is more linear than most levels, with different segments connected via magic carpets. You’ll need to jump off the carpets to avoid obstacles, but if you take too long, the carpets will vanish. This level requires you to have learnt how to master Mario’s moveset.

Super Mario 64 is still an absolute joy to play, especially so with an updated camera. I think a full remake would alter the game too much, as the level design and movement is integral to its identity. It just needs a bit of sprucing up, and I really hope we get an official version that does this at some point.

This was an amazing start for the Nintendo 64. Not only was this game integral to the development of 3D games as a whole, but the gameplay and levels still hold up today. Games keep trying to be bigger and better, but smaller and varies levels are also a great approach.

The Good
Running, jumping, flying, all went through buttery smooth. Fun worlds, clever puzzles, and killer bosses make up this game. amazingly clever sequences like the mirror had me in awe. And for some reason I just couldn't stop playing.

The Bad
The graphics were decidedly first-generation. Sometimes, due to unusual draw-distance routines, secrets are revealed before you should know about them. Aside from bosse enemies are mostly complete morons and more often than not inconsequential. occasionally the clipping does some wonky things that'll leave you wondering what just happened. And the camera is not always very responsive to player control.

The Bottom Line
Mario took the next logical step. It's like the other Mario games before, only better, and in 3D, and withmore to do than just get to the end. this time you also get to solve puzzles and do things like foot-races. fit all of that into 15 worlds and a handful of mini-worlds and you have super mario 64.

The Good
Mario for the Nintendo was probably played by the more people than any other game. This game is also widely played and for a good reason. It is an awesome game. The graphics are beautiful, the sound is awesome. The levels have the same songs from the original except better. It has the same monsters and, of course, Bowser. It has an enormous amount of levels and plenty of things to explore.

The Bad
There was no Luigi! The least they could have done would have been to have him give Mario a star every once in a while. But they didn't even do that.

The Bottom Line
A great Mario game in 3D.

The Good
The controls are very fluent, something I find quite odd for one of the first 3D games of this size and with so much freedom. Even more amazing than the fact that it works so well is that it goes so far that the controls also allow various acrobatic tricks such as backflips, long jumps and even flying and swimming. All of this happens with almost no glitches or graphical errors, so I really do have to admit that the first 3D game for the system also perfected the practice of 3D game-design.

Now that we can move around, it is of course also important to have something to move around in. Super Mario 64. Features a total of 15 stages (I believe the Bowser stages and switch-levels do not count here) and each and every single one of them is filled with brilliance. The developers tried to not to go for levels that made sense or even had a tiny bit of realism in them and instead created maps that are memorable and full of interesting places to see. My favorite level is by far the lava level that also features a slider puzzle with a picture of Bowser on it (and moves out of itself for that matter) as one of the many obstacles that can lead to a fiery death.

Mario games used to be about reaching the end of a level within a given time limit because that was what 2D platformers were good at, however the switch to 3D changed all that. It was very hard to make a "race to the finish" entertaining to play in a 3D environment, so instead Nintendo changed things up. Whenever you enter a level you will be shown a number of stars and by selecting one the level will be altered slightly to allow you to get that specific star. It is not so much about doing something fast as it is about figuring out how to actually do it (most objectives require you to explore the world and discover the secrets it harbors).

It's also nice that you get a hint for each objective (which is hidden in the name of the star you chose). Going into a level blind would have been very hard and while exploration will get you so far, it would be near impossible to get a 100% completion if it wasn't for the hints you are provided with. One mission was called "Stand tall on the four pillars", so I knew that whatever I had to do, it would involve four pillars. I really liked that hint because it gave me a direction without telling me precisely what to do.

At first it looked like Mario was going up against the standard enemies again; goombas, koopas, thwomps and Bowser just to name a few. However, the game does add some new enemies for you to fight, my favorite of which are the bullies. These enemies run up to you and shove you out of the way in an attempt to drop you into hazards. They are harmless when caught alone, but when grouped together they can be a real pain. Aside from that there are also monkeys, moles and blowing clouds that will try to hurt Mario one way or another.

Boss-battles, while very rare, are very spectacular and memorable. I am not talking about fights with Big Bullies or other enemies like that, I am talking exclusively about Bowser here. You face him several times throughout the game and he has one hell of an imposing entrance accompanied by one of the best theme songs in the game. Everything about these fights look awesome and they get pretty tough very fast.

It is pretty nostalgic that Mario 64 still has some of the franchise's classic elements in it. I already mentioned that the switches make an appearance again, as well as some of the enemies and good old Bowser, but there is certainly more. One of the levels might use certain mechanics that will be very familiar to fans of Super Mario Bros. 3 for example and there are some very awesome secrets to find that I just don't want to spoil for anybody.

While the graphics are up for debate now that we are in 2012 and photo-realism is very popular, but the soundtrack is just awesome and everybody knows it. The tunes are so memorable and their cheerful nature also fits very well with the overall (lighthearted) tone of the game. Looking at the series' very long lineage, I do have to say that this is my favorite soundtrack of all the games I have played or watched so far.

The Bad
While the controls are your best friends throughout this game, the camera can be considered to be a second villain. The problem is that you can't center the camera behind Mario like you could in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, creating the problem that most of the time you are going to have to do precision-platforming while watching the action from an angle. One of the most memorable moments was when I was in the second Bowser-stage and went up using an elevator, but the camera just stayed down there. I reacted to this by running around a bit and jumping, but this resulted in me dropping into the lava.

I have never been a big fan of collecting items, especially when you have to find a certain number of them. There are two stars in each course that you only get when you have collected 8 red coins and a 100 gold coins. I simply don't like to collect coins, I always end up not been able to find one or two and if you die or leave the stage you have to do it all over again. Also nice are the stages where you can enter certain areas, but not leave them again afterwards (or at least not easily), like the volcano in the aforementioned lava stage.

One of the most common problems with this game is putting it down for a while and then coming back to discover your cap was stolen or lost and you have no idea where it is now. Several enemies can steal your cap and numerous hazards can cause it to fly off Mario's head, but there is no way to know where you left it when you last played it. Why is this such a big deal? Well because Mario takes more damage when he has no cap and he is already not very durable.

The Bottom Line
Super Mario 64 was the first game I ever played and I will always cherish it for that very reason. I like the game a lot and the few flaws I can nitpick are not enough to change my (or anybody's) mind about this title. It is one of the greatest game ever (according to IGN "the best" even) and it will be remembered for generations to come, thanks in part for a number of remakes or releases on different systems.

Mario 64 will appeal to all kinds of people, but I personally found it is best played with the whole family. Nobody was able to resist the charm of Mario and his "yahoo!!!" and everybody wanted to play or suggest something to try (often resulting in a star). For solo play it is pretty good for children and teenagers. A parent might find it funny for a while, but without company they might start to feel lost at one point or another.

The Good
I like the creativity of the worlds and enemies within the game. You get to see how many classic Mario enemies for the first time in 3D, including,Goombas,Koopas, and even Bowser. In the levels you don't have to get the stars in any order, you can choose which one you wanna get first. Charles Martinet's voice brings life into the character of Mario, even if it is just a few sound clips that are played when he's jumping or hurt.

The Bad
Sometimes if you go into the water, it can be a challenge to jump out and get back to land. Besides that there's not much else wrong with the game, other than sometimes the camera isn't in a convenient position.

The Bottom Line
Super Mario 64 is Mario's first 3D game for Nintendo 64 and it's a lot of fun. There are a lot of levels to explore and secrets to find. It's a great game for any Mario fan to play.

The Good
Another save Princess Toadstool game, but this time in 3-D, much longer and much more challenging. With terrific music and extremely hard, but still fun, this game delivers! Go around and jump in paintings to collect Stars. There are 6 stars in each painting. There are four floors in the game and you must fight Bowser a total of three times. Very exciting, with lots of fun challenge's and tricky areas.

The Bad
The majority of the enemies were really easy to kill. At places it gets really frustrating when you must to something absolutely perfect or you die or have to try again. And, mainly, the camera sucked. Like, sometimes, like on the second Bowser level, it showed a box that you were in instead of you and it doesn't move all the way around, only 180 degrees, so sometimes you can't get the angle that you want, which is dumb. Also, the graphics are good but nothing compared to Mario Kart, which was released 6 months later.

The Bottom Line
A fun Mario Game, despite the bad camera work.

The Good
The N64 was the last console to join the fray in the previous “Console War”. As it had a lot of ground to gain it came out and hit the market hard. And with great games like Super Mario 64, is it a wonder that they quickly caught up with the Playstation? The first 3D game in the series, it is also one of the best.

In Mario 64, the diabolical Bowser, King Of The Koopas, has once more abducted Princess Toadstool, or Peach whatever the hell her name is now. This time to free her Mario must collect 100 stars. Only then will he be able to face Bowser in final combat.

This means that you will have to play a level repeatedly, in order to collect all of the stars. Which can be tedious. Yet it is not too bad as most of the levels are well designed, and fun to play. Furthermore, the objectives of each return to the level is different. From fighting a boss, to collecting red coins.

Mario basics, remain the same. Collect coins, 100 gain a 1-up. Grab power ups. There is new stuff as well. All power ups are new, from Wing Caps, to Metal Mario. There is also the addition of red and blue coins. And of course the new 3D.

New Graphics add new challenges. From precise game controls, to camera views. Thankfully these work quite well. You occasionally get a bad view. But the controls are tight and responsive. You would think that this was not the first 3D Mario game.

The Graphics are good. A little dated now. But amazing for the time. It blew the Playstation’s graphic prowess away.

Another first for the franchise, now Mario talks! The sounds are classic Mario, and Mario’s voice is good. The music is also classic Mario, so no complaints here.

The Bad
As I mentioned above the gameplay can get tedious. More so when the level is one that you dislike.

The game does not pose a challenge until, about the tenth level or so. It could have been a more gradual change.

The occasional bad camera view. Can put a damper of the gameplay.

The Bottom Line
This is a solid game. As well as the basis for all other 3D Mario games, as well as all 3D platformers in general. If you missed it the first time you can try it now on the Nintendo DS.

The Good
Sony’s Playstation and the now-infamous “Tomb Raider” franchise made 1996 the year that 3D gaming came of age. Well, maybe or maybe not, but that’s how gaming history is usually written, at least. Nintendo jumped back into the fray with its Nintendo 64 system in the fall of that year, and it surprised no one that the marvelous Mario was to appear in the new system’s flagship title. The hype and the hope were both there. But did Nintendo actually come through with a great game?

There is no question, the 3D graphics of Super Mario 64 (SM64) are good, especially considering the technological limitations of the time. They are still very polygonal-looking, suggesting that 3D art wasn’t (isn’t?) yet ready for primetime. While not as smooth or charming as the sprites of the 8- and 16-bit Mario titles, the 3D characters are impressive. The environments, however, are a little less impressive. Sometimes you feel like you are walking on a bunch of colored, inclined planes slapped together at somewhat random angles, rather than on earth covered with grass, snow, sand, etc. Oh well, I guess 3D terrain had to start somewhere. The music/sound is good overall, although it’s curious that it doesn’t sound much different in quality from what the Super Nintendo would put out.

I give the endlessly resourceful designers at Nintendo credit for squeezing some new gimmicks in to complement the standard Mario conventions of running, jumping, coin-collecting, yadda-yadda. Shooting yourself out of a cannon takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a real blast (so to speak). I imagine some gamers will fault the designers of SM64 for not innovating enough, “settling” for the human cannonball and other tricks like that. I respectfully disagree. Mario is an established character from an established milieu. The real danger was that they would try to change too much – a danger that they did not entirely escape, as it happens.

The Bad
I’ll admit to being a child of the 80s who grew up on 2D side-scrollers. Perhaps this colors my judgment a bit. Nevertheless, I don’t think anyone can plausibly deny that the 3D camera system in SM64 is aggravating almost to the point of being broken. You are severely limited in terms of the different angles you can use, and the camera has the very annoying habit of shifting back to the angle of its choice when the action resumes. There may be some kind of underlying logic to it, but I sure haven’t figured it out yet.

Mario’s movement repertoire has been expanded considerably, but somehow it doesn’t add up to much. The design of the game doesn’t lend itself to the kind of fun that previous Mario titles did. One problem is that there just isn’t much combat (if that’s the right word to use in discussing a Mario game). It’s actually easier for Mario to punch or kick – yeah, you heard me right, Mario actually does some kung-fu fighting in this title! – his enemies than it is for him to run-jump-stomp on them. Call me a traditionalist, but that just doesn’t seem right. The classic enemy-stomping action seems to have been replaced by Tomb Raider-style platform-jumping-for-its-own-sake, making this the most puzzle-ish Mario game to date. As for the ramp-sliding sequences, they are simply not that much fun, and there are too many of them.

Overall, the game world feels surprisingly sterile and empty. Previous Mario titles crammed so much stuff into those 2D levels, you never had time to get lost or bored. It’s not too hard to get lost and bored in SM64. The game tries to help the player out, since there is a lot of in-game advice about how to play and where to go, and the countdown timer has also been eliminated to further decrease the pressure. This, of course, is a double-edged sword. By encouraging a slower, easier, more exploration-oriented game style, Nintendo has further distanced this Mario title from the beloved SMBs of the past. Which leads to my final complaint: SM64 takes advantage of the gamer goodwill built up from previous Super Mario titles. I don’t care how many of the people who made SM64 also worked on Super Mario Bros. 1-3 and Super Mario World. SM64 is in many ways inferior to its predecessors, but Nintendo knew we would buy it anyway simply because it was a Mario game. You can certainly argue that Nintendo earned that capital with its earlier titles, fair and square, and was entitled to spend it later. Still, I can’t help feeling a little bit…exploited.

The Bottom Line
SM64 was by most accounts innovative, attractive, and well-designed. But if that’s the case, then why does playing it make me want to cry? SM64 took platforming where it had never gone before. Maybe I’m just a nostalgic old man, but I’m not sure Mario really needed to make the move to 3D. It made for good marketing, but it failed to deliver the same level of classic gaming experience that the NES and SNES Mario games did.

The Good
The first N64 game we ever bought! Great game. Our chubby plumber with the Italian accent is back and now in 3D! Mario has a lot of moves (he looks like a damn ninja) which look very smooth. A lot of different levels, every level different and original in it's own way.

The Bad
Every boss is Bowser! altough he gets harder to beat, it would be a lot cooler if the old Bowser gang got back in this game (mouser, birdo, maye even some koopa kids!), but sadly it was just Bowser. The graphics are a little bright, all the HAPPY COLOURS tend to hurt your eyes after a while. =)

The Bottom Line
A cool game, long, challenging and fun! A must have, and it's a bargain for the price it's sold now!

The Good
The graphics really shone out for the N64, and although choppy and uncertain at times, it was still enjoying. The color use is excellent, and new worlds look amazing. The characters are back, from your Koopas to plain old Bowser. Another great aspect of this game was the sound, the sfx and music were excellent. The camera angle also always seemed to be where you wanted.

The Bad
SM64 did something I hate. It made you go back to levels to get different stars. This bored me easily, as I hated having to go back to the same old levels, over and over.

The Bottom Line
Still, SM64 was a well designed and almost flawless game, which deserves a ( 4 / 5 )