Super Mario 64

Post by **Ack** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 2:15 am

To be honest, of all the series I really didn't spend much time with, Mario Brothers was one of it. Sure, I played the first few a lot, especially 1 and 2 on the NES, but once they moved up to the Super Nintendo, I just never got around to them. So, when recently picking up a Nintendo 64, I decided to go find a copy of this title since I'd never spent more than five minutes playing it, and actually give it a run through.

So after about a week of playing it, I beat it tonight with 72 of 120 stars collected. All in all, I thought the title was enjoyable, but definitely flawed. I think the game looks beautiful for its age, even with the simple shapes it goes with...in fact, I think that's what makes it work. It's cartoony and bright, and very easy on the eyes. And sure, there are a few little things that irked me(for instance the numbers at the top of the screen were a bit scrambled looking but that might just be my TV), but for the most part it's good stuff.

As for sound, I thought it was ok. I didn't really care for a lot of the spoken dialog. In a game with so little, Princess Peach's speech at the end about cake kinda threw me off. But other than that, never had any issues. I was very impressed by a lot of the music when first starting out in the game, especially in the water based levels. At no point did I think the music detracted from any area.

But then there's the flaws. While I thought the controls were good for the most part, I had a few issues with some of the jumps not always going the direction I wanted, or issues with slipping off platforms I was trying to land on. Situations where I'd land a jump and then bounce right off to my death did irk me a lot. I also had some trouble with climbing and turning on poles, though that really wasn't life-threatening. Also, the flight mechanics of the winged hat just didn't feel right to me. I've spent hours with that hat on and I still don't know how to properly control it. It's made a few stars more difficult to get than I'd prefer. And while I liked the visuals, certain levels I despised for their design almost from the get go. The desert world comes to mind as a level I hated extremely...

All in all though, if there was one thing that really bothered me, it would be the camera. I'd say the camera killed me more often than anything else in that game. While I did have a reasonable amount of control over it(and I appreciate some of the stuff I could do with it), the game had a nasty habit of not allowing me the one angle I really needed in certain situations. Or it would swing behind a barrier, blocking all the action from view. To make matters worse, it tends to do this in situations with extremely narrow walkways. Maybe other folks fared better, but I was definitely bothered by it. Still, it's a negative trait that I feel is all too common in platformers, and one of the reasons I don't often venture into the genre anymore.

All in all though, I enjoyed my time with Super Mario 64. I don't know if I'll be going for all 120 stars, considering a lot of the ones I'm missing come from later levels where I have to deal with the camera having trouble or that winged hat, but we'll see. Maybe I'll at least shoot for 80 stars...

What did you guys think of it? Worth sitting down with for a few hours, or better to avoid it? I thought it was a pretty solid 64 game.

Post by **msimplay** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 3:02 am

yep its worth sitting down to get all 120 stars because you haven't really seen all of Mario64 until you have got them all

Post by **D.D.D.** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 4:08 am

If all you've played is modern platformers, of course it'll be hard to go back to that... Just like it's hard to play 2600 and NES games these days but I say SM64 still holds up better than most 3D platformers of the same generation

And yeah, it's totally worth it. I've played through it at least a dozen times. Great game but yeah, by todays standards, it does need some more polish.

Post by **andymol21** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:21 am

I think you just don't like platformers.

SM64 is one of the best examples of a 3D platformer, I had no troubewith the camera, no trouble with the flight mechanics, no trouble with the voices! I think I have rose tinted glasses but in all honesty if you find Mario 64 a bad game I think it's platformers that are a problem, not Mario!

Post by **Hatta** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:30 am

I've been playing this off and on for a couple weeks. I've got about 40 stars now. I pretty much agree with your analysis. It's very well done for it's time and still fun today. In fact, I might play some here after breakfast.

The controls are a little challenging sometimes, but not too bad. I've made many jumps by the tips of my fingers. There's room for improvement with the camera too. It really should be able to rotate freely around you. But it's been usable so far. For narrow walkways, switch to the behind mario cam. In all, these minor problems are expected when you're playing retro games.

Breakfast is ready now, and then I'll see if I can't find 10 more stars.

Post by **racketboy** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 12:19 pm

andymol21 wrote:I think you just don't like platformers. SM64 is one of the best examples of a 3D platformer, I had no troubewith the camera, no trouble with the flight mechanics, no trouble with the voices! I think I have rose tinted glasses but in all honesty if you find Mario 64 a bad game I think it's platformers that are a problem, not Mario!

I know I'm just much for 3D platformers. I enjoy sidescrollers so much more -- but you probably already knew that...

Post by **andymol21** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 12:24 pm

I know I'm just much for 3D platformers. I enjoy sidescrollers so much more -- but you probably already knew that...

Makes it hard to review games doesn't it.. I know I for one hate all Final Fantasy games, too slow and repetitive. But people go crazy over them so there must be something there. Mario 64 was the game I grew up with, I completed it with 120 stars several times in my childhood and in my eyes it hasn't been bettered. I love 3D platformers and Mario 64 is the pinnicle of that genre for me (shame it was one of the first as well eh?) [/quote]

Post by **Ack** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 12:32 pm

Well, I'd have to agree that I'm not a big fan of 3D platformers...or 2D platformers for that matter. I don't really care for heights much, maybe that has something to do with it...

Anyway, I'm not trying to knock anybody's favorite game, these were just problems I had with it. I suppose it just isn't my style. I've gotten to 80 stars now...have no idea what others stars to go for, as I've completed most of the levels I really like. Perhaps I'll do some more with the Tiny-Huge Island...

Post by **NebachadnezzaR** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 2:39 pm

While I'm a big fan of platformers, I only recently beat SM64 after trying it in the past for just 5 minutes or so and I have the exact same complaints as Ack. The game is fun, no doubt about it, but it's flawed and truly frustrating at times. The camera is horrible. Yeah, I know, 3D was a new thing back then, but they could at least let us control it freely instead of just switching from certain pre-programmed angles. The jumping was also too rigid, once you jump you can't control your trajectory anymore, and due to the horrible camera most times you end up jumping a little off from where you wanted, falling just inches away from the platform ahead. Oh, and the fly controls...fortunately you don't have to fly a lot...

Just as Ack I don't regret spending time with the game, and I also think that it's a great title overall, an enjoyable experience through very unique levels, but definitely flawed.

Post by **lildozer74** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 3:08 pm

I know I for one hate all Final Fantasy games, too slow and repetitive

wow! i thought i was the only one who hated FF. man did i takes hits on that one from my friends, but i just couldnt get into them, personally i thought the super mario sunshine and paper mario 1000 year door were my fav mario games (oh yeah cant forget mario 3).