Mario 64 - initial thoughts

[BogusMeatFactory]

Did some more playing today. Got the red wing cap. Flying is a frustrating mechanic. No sir, I don't like it.

Yeah I did not like it in the redcap redcoin stage.

In the desert world though, a lot of fun. It works great when in an open area, not when accuracy is necessary.

[ZeroAX]

I only found it fun in Bob-Omb field cause of the cannons and plethora of caps (plus you don't get killed if you crash land like in the desert area)

[Violent By Design]

I totally forgot about the flying mechanic. Yeah...it takes a while to get used too.

[ZeroAX]

At least it did something special. I never got why the Metal and Invisibility cap existed. I mean yes, they are there to solve puzzles, but they don't add any "fun" to the game, no new ways to interact with it, and they are pretty much the same power up outside their use to solze puzzles (though I don't remember does the invisibility cap make you kill enemies when you touch them?)

[Violent By Design]

Power ups certainly are not a strong point to Mario 64.

[Ziggy]

WTF! Metal Mario was the coolest thing ever when that game came out!

Have you tried Super Mario Sunshine, marurun?

I have not. Mario 64 is my first foray into 3D with Mario. All the GC and Wii Mario titles hold their value VERY well, meaning I tend to pass over them for cheaper fare.

Although my personal opinion rates SM64 higher than some just because of fond memories, I can say that they do improve with each game. Sunshine was a little smoother, but if one of your complaints was too many moves then you might not like the addition of the water pump. Galaxy 1 was amazing, but Galaxy 2 was a lot more fun IMO. You go back to basic SM64 moves (no water pump) but you have to wrap your head around the whole gravity thing going on. Solid, solid gameplay though. A lot of fun, if you like 3D platformers.

Did some more playing today. Got the red wing cap. Flying is a frustrating mechanic. No sir, I don't like it.

Yeah, flying is the most frustrating part of the game by far. The camera never bothered me, though I'm aware of it's problems, but flying is just a pain in the ass.

[Violent By Design]

The idea of Metal Mario in itself was cool, but the way 64 handled power ups made everything feel so limited. I mean in that game, you really were just Mario. It wasn't like the 2D ones where you had power ups all over the place, and you did not always necessarily need a power up for a specific level.

Galaxy 1 is a well made game, but I think I still like 64 better. 64 just seemed to have more variety to me, as soon as I beat Galaxy 1 I didn't bother getting any more stars after. Galaxy 2 looks like a blast, I have it but haven't tried it out yet.

[ZeroAX]

Power ups certainly are not a strong point to Mario 64.

I think it's a problem with 3D mario games in general. In sunshine the "power" ups are e pathetic. Yoshi turns from an asset to a pain in the ass to keep alive (good idea nintendo, to make yoshi dissolve when he touches water, in a game themed around water), and the nozzles for the jetpack are hardly anything revolutionary or fun.

SMG almost does it right but it makes 2 mistakes imo:

1) The power ups are only given to you when you need them to solve a puzzle, which means you can't use them to just mess around in various situations (though this probably is caused by the much more linear level design compared to past 3D mario entries)

and

2) The freaking timer. Why do the Fire and Ice flowers have freaking timers on them? I want to use them to kill shit, not solve a puzzle and then lose it.



BUT Mario galaxy had amazing flight controls for the flying around the hub area portion of the game. If only you could use it in real levels.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Power ups certainly are not a strong point to Mario 64.

I think it's a problem with 3D mario games in general. In sunshine the "power" ups are e pathetic. Yoshi turns from an asset to a pain in the ass to keep alive (good idea nintendo, to make yoshi dissolve when he touches water, in a game themed around water), and the nozzles for the jetpack are hardly anything revolutionary or fun.

SMG almost does it right but it makes 2 mistakes imo:

1) The power ups are only given to you when you need them to solve a puzzle, which means you can't use them to just mess around in various situations (though this probably is caused by the much more linear level design compared to past 3D mario entries)

and

2) The freaking timer. Why do the Fire and Ice flowers have freaking timers on them? I want to use them to kill shit, not solve a puzzle and then lose it.



BUT Mario galaxy had amazing flight controls for the flying around the hub area portion of the game. If only you could use it in real levels.

With the power up debate. I really think it is a game design issue in the transition from 2D to 3D. Power ups in 2D mario wasn't necessary to continue in the game, but were fun additions that could either help or hinder your journey through the levels.

With 3D levels, it isn't about getting to the end of the level. It isn't just an obstacle course. There are puzzles and exploration involved. This changes the purpose of power ups. They are still tools, but tools that serve a different end and in 3D game's instances, they are used to solve puzzles.

I don't have gripes with how the powerups changed between 2D and 3D mario games, because I feel it is necessary.

[ZeroAX]

Maybe so for some power ups, but is there really a reason the fire flower should be timed? I mean it isn't like the spring which totally changes the gameplay. Plus I could see the cloud power up being used for just random messing around.

The boulder power up on the other hand I can understand that it would mess up some levels.