Looking back, how is Mario 64?

[goatdan]

Just as I did when I played through Sonic Adventure and Luigi's Mansion, looking back, how is Mario 64 really?

Maybe I don't get it... I played it for a while once on the N64 and I thought it was good, but not great. I bought it recently for the DS and decided that I was going to really force myself to play it for a long time, preferably to beat it... and I now have 30ish coins and I find it good, but definitely not great.

Truthfully, I much more enjoyed Sonic Adventure (*gasp*). For me, Mario 64 falls into the category of a good game, but not great.

So I'm wondering, seeing as how Mario 64 is often one of the games brought up as the best of all time, do you agree? Why or why not?

[pacmanhat]

I still see it as nothing short of revolutionary. One of the best games I've ever played...I think a lot of games to come out since (even recently) are still expanding on that exact formula and always seem to fall short. A true classic.

[davepesc]

Mr. Hat has it right. You have to forget all the 3D games you have played and think of it as something completely new.

I didn't play it until last year, but even comparing it to the latest Ratchet and Clank, I think Mario 64 holds up well.

Personally, I got tired of glitching through fences and dying in Sonic Adventure, so I would say that couldn't compare to Mario 64.

[NE146]

Definitely revolutionary. It's pretty much impossible to dispute that.

That being said, I played it when the N64 launched and once I finished it I pretty much just left it. When games like Banjo Kazooie came out however, now THAT game enthralled me. Although it was obviously 100% inspired by SM64, I think it just did things a lot better and thus was a lot more fun.

But there's no denying SM64 is the "one". :) I'd just rather play Banjo Kazooie :P

[Vectorman0]

I never owned the game up until a few years ago, and the within 24 hours of beating it, I had all of the stars. I enjoyed it so much I skipped sleeping one night. I think it set a high bar for 3D platforming games and I still love the game to this day. And not only do I think the gameplay aged well, but everything else has too. The graphics were simple and not overdone, so it's easy on the eyes compared to other games such as perfect dark. The music and sound effects although maybe not up to par with todays standards, are still good enough to keep up with the rest of the game. It will always be up there on my list of favorite games.

[Ackman]

I tried to replay it again recently and I just couldn't muster the strength :(

It's a good game.

[Daltone]

I only really got into it after I'd played the DS version! I think it's rather amazing, possibly even too amazing as Sunshine just seemed like utter pants after playing it.

[ubersaurus]

It's one of the best games I've ever played. If I could count the number of times I restarted it just to go back and play through it over again, each time getting all 120 stars...

Still so good, I haven't felt the need to get into many other 3D platformers.

[VG_Maniac]

I never get tired of Mario 64. I still consider it to be one of the best (if not the best) 3D platformers ever made.

[Haoie]

It put a lot of existing PS platformers to shame, actually.

But then again, the N64 was always better at handling certain graphical aspects than the PS. Maybe it's a hardware thing.

[Kim Possible]

Love it. Never tire of it. Revolutionary and always will be. I hadn't played a modern game before Mario 64 (my most recent gaming experience had been NES), and it blew me away. It was my "welcome to the future" game.

I have beaten it a million times and will continue to do so into the future, getting all 120 stars of course!

A wonderful game. Timeless classic.

[CreamSoda]

Back when the N64 was released, I thought Super Mario 64 was mind blowing. And to be honest I still think it's one of the greatest(if not the greatest) 3D platformer ever!!! 8-)

This game is the stuff of legends, HUGE worlds, High replay value(even today look at all the glitches people try on it and stuff), Great graphics(for the time nothing came close IMO), Tight control, Very atmospheric music, Tight gameplay. This game has it all, and then some!

10/10, Maybe it's part nostalgia, but this game will always be one of the best of the best to me! :)

Super Mario 64DS, is like a "directors cut" to me, more characters/levels/stars/added minigames. Although the lack of analog hurt it abit, once I got used to it I was sucked into SM64 all over again. So needless to say it was a great way to kick off the DS and definetly one of my top five greatest handheld titles(I know it's just an enhanced port, but it's A HANDHELD SUPER MARIO 64!!!).

Please exscuse my rant, but Super Mario 64 rules! :D

[Rob of the Sky]

Super Mario 64 was the game that defined 3-D platforming. So it is revolutionary in that respect. It is an awesome game, too. I would say that it is one of my favorite Mario games. I was amazed by the graphics of the game when I first played it. Since my most resent gaming experience had been the SNES, it was a major improvement in graphics and gameplay. I haven't played it on the DS (as I do not have one), so I don't know how that version compares to the N64 version. I hope to play the DS version one day, though.

[CosmicMonkey]

Amazing then, and it still is.

The 3D camera is amazing, you can near enough put it where you want it. It's still the best, most useful 3D cam ever, along with the Zelda cam from OoT/MM.

And yes, it is still better than Sunshine. And most other 3D adventure games released since.

[Ed Oscuro]

Still revolutionary. The concept of having a directional system - where you push the joystick in the direction you want your character to run, and he just goes - hadn't really hit the console market, and the way the game switches seamlessly between various animations for different speeds of running was also something of a first.

For my part, the level design wasn't always incredible (anybody who claims the graphics weren't that good is probably thinking of some of the goofier looking stuff such as platform windmills in the area leading to Bowser); now that I've played some of it I'd say that I like Klonoa's better on the whole, but there are still some great areas (snowy places in particular).

Great graphics. Mario's eyes blink and the textures are great. My favorite spot, working from memory, is probably the indoor clock :)

And yeah, it's funny how the game that defined the 3D platformer still has one of the best cameras ever. Today, the C-buttons would be snatched for item use, of course.

[AMG]

When Mario 64 was released it set the standard by which all 3D platformers would be measured. The controls were unmatched and the 3D graphics were amazing too.

Mario 64 is still my favorite "main
series" Mario game. It holds up well even by today's standards.

[klausien]

It remains the first console platformer that had worlds that truly felt epic in scope. It also was the first game to do platforming correctly in 3D. It was so good that many who either played it for the first time, or replayed it, when the DS launched were reminded of how truly transcendental an experience it truly is. Revolutionary then and now. Not necessarily the "Greatest Game of All Time", but a true benchmark by which all others are still judged, even today.

[smokehouse]

*Puts on armor in anticipation of thrown rocks*

I hated it then and I still hate it now. I bought the N64 and Mario 64 on launch and I immediately did not have any love for the game. To me everything seemed like a step backwards simply to make it 3D. The finely tuned graphics in SMW and SMW2 on the SNES were replaced blurry, blocky polygons. Also gone were the finely tuned controls of the SNES title. I have always found the game to be clunky and spent more time fighting the terrain then I did the enemies/puzzles.

“Oops…fell off the rotating platform again, I guess I’ll adjust the camera angle for the 100th time and try again. After that I can fight another spinning, rotating platform, and another, and another.”

The controls and camera were frustrating to no end and going into the same world again, and again, and again, and again, and again to collect stars was extremely repetitive (as well as the Bowser fights, again and again and again). To this day I cannot play that title. To me it was a step backwards. I understand that that is normal birthing pains when going to refined 2D to a new world of 3D so that is why I don’t completely slam Mario 64. To me, Sunshine is what 64 should have been.



By the way, I did complete Mario 64. I did play it all the way through so yes, I know the entire game and fully understand what it was. I’m really not closed minded. To those of you who love it, I wish I could join you but I just can't.

[Amy Rose]

*Puts on armor in anticipation of thrown rocks*

I hated it then and I still hate it now. I bought the N64 and Mario 64 on launch and I immediately did not have any love for the game. To me everything seemed like a step backwards simply to make it 3D. The finely tuned graphics in SMW and SMW2 on the SNES were replaced blurry, blocky polygons. Also gone were the finely tuned controls of the SNES title. I have always found the game to be clunky and spent more time fighting the terrain then I did the enemies/puzzles.

“Oops…fell off the rotating platform again, I guess I’ll adjust the camera angle for the 100th time and try again. After that I can fight another spinning, rotating platform, and another, and another.”

The controls and camera were frustrating to no end and going into the same world again, and again, and again, and again, and again to collect stars was extremely repetitive (as well as the Bowser fights, again and again and again). To this day I cannot play that title. To me it was a step backwards. I understand that that is normal birthing pains when going to refined 2D to a new world of 3D so that is why I don’t completely slam Mario 64. To me, Sunshine is what 64 should have been.
YES. People always say to me "WELL OBVIOUSLY YOU DIDN'T PLAY IT WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT." I did and I found it to be a terrible game. I liked the original NES Mario and (I don't like admitting this :P) I played many hours of Super Mario World. Heck, one of my favourite games of all time is Yoshi's Island. But I NEVER understood why the hell Mario 64 was so acclaimed. Back then the graphics hurt my eyes and I could never get the hang of the controller, and this is coming from someone that actually finished Croc: Legend of the Gobbos!

I didn't finish it, however. I found it really tedious, and bought Zelda: OoT as soon as it came out. That is a game that I can play over and over and over.

I tried it again recently on the DS and still found it annoying. The mini games rocked, but... I guess the whole greatness of the game went over my head. :)

[FantasiaWHT]

Where's the option for "Yeah it's revolutionary but it sucks!"

I've tried to get into it 3 or 4 times and each time I've gotten a few levels in and just couldn't stand it anymore.

[syd]

Where's the option for "Yeah it's revolutionary but it sucks!"

I've tried to get into it 3 or 4 times and each time I've gotten a few levels in and just couldn't stand it anymore.

It's along the same lines for me. I definitely think it was revolutionary for its time, there was nothing like a 3D platformer before this game came around. I wouldn't say the game sucks, but I get around 40-50 coins and get bored of it.

[Snapple]

I lurv Mario 64.

[Ackman]

Where's the option for "Yeah it's revolutionary but it sucks!"

I've tried to get into it 3 or 4 times and each time I've gotten a few levels in and just couldn't stand it anymore.

It's along the same lines for me. I definitely think it was revolutionary for its time, there was nothing like a 3D platformer before this game came around. I wouldn't say the game sucks, but I get around 40-50 coins and get bored of it.

I kinda feel the same way I finshed it ... but it's still good but I never want to play it again.... it's nothing exceptional... I love replaying allot of classic 2d games.... and I enjoyed playing Conker again thrice but mainly for character.....

meh

no 3d platformer has started a real fire in my underwear yet

[Lothars]

I really like mario 64, I mean it's not the greatest game but it's good

i don't mind it at all :D

it's all good though.

[n8littlefield]

I've only played the original for about 5 minutes. I didn't have an N64, and have never actually played one, except for about 5 minutes each of Mario 64 and Pilotwings.

However, I have played it for the DS now, and have to say I really enjoy it. I assume the graphics are similar between the two versions, and they have stood up well to time, and the gameplay is really fun. I get frustrated really easily (mostly with falling off the maps so often), but otherwise I think it's a great game.

Sometime I'll have to try playing an N64...

[le geek]

I still love Mario 64. Compare it to Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider for some historical context.

Super Mario Sunshine is good, but not great, and SMB64DS, while adding all the extra content, is broken without an analogue stick. But Mario 64 is still great.

Cheers,
Ben

[Yam]

This is the game that (temporarily) killed gaming for me. I was a huge fan of the NES and SNES but the early 3D games looked like complete garbage. I liked the new DS version, but I recently tried the original Mario 64 again, and I hated it. Something about the early 3D games just gives me a huge headache.

[Aswald]

Revolutionary.

Up until that point, the 32-Bit generation seemed destined to just give us souped-up versions of what came before in the 16-Bit era, which was just souped-up versions of the 8-Bit era.

But this was the first game to give us something new- to say "HERE'S reason for the new generation! Ever see anything like THIS before?"

There's a lot of debate over which is the "game of the 1980s." But there can be little doubt that this and this alone is the game of the 1990s.

[darknut101]

Simply amazing. I've played through it a dozen times and it's still fun. Not a big fan of the DS version though. It was a cool port but without an analog stick it's just not mario 64.

[smokehouse]

Revolutionary.

Up until that point, the 32-Bit generation seemed destined to just give us souped-up versions of what came before in the 16-Bit era, which was just souped-up versions of the 8-Bit era.

But this was the first game to give us something new- to say "HERE'S reason for the new generation! Ever see anything like THIS before?"

There's a lot of debate over which is the "game of the 1980s." But there can be little doubt that this and this alone is the game of the 1990s.

Although not adventure titles, the PS1 already had titles like Ridge Racer and Wipeout that were VERY revolutionary at their time. They might have been racing but the quality AUDIO (that’s a big one to me, the music on Mario 64 sucked) and the 3D action was simply amazing for it being 1995. It was almost a year later that the N64 came out.

To me Mario 64 was a necessary step; it’s kind of the “Mario Bros” of the 3D generation. Very basic, very repetitive.

[YoshiM]

Ahhh, good ol' Mario 64. Revolutionary then and still holds up pretty well gameplay wise now.

It was the game that knocked my socks off. At the time the Playstation was just ass to me (uncomfortable controls, the concept of a memory card and the games didn't "do it" for me) and the Saturn's line up didn't start my engine either (and I was a pretty hard core Sega fan at the time). When I saw Mario 64 at Wal-Mart my jaw dropped. Large, imaginative 3D worlds. Solid control and a camera that was pretty dang good for first generation 3D.

It's the concept of Mario (engaging, easy to pick up and play) brought to the next level.

[kevin_psx]

Maybe I don't get it... I played it for a while once on the N64 and I thought it was good, but not great. I bought it recently for the DS and decided that I was going to really force myself to play it for a long time, preferably to beat it... and I now have 30ish coins and I find it good, but definitely not great.

I think other 3D platformers suck. Mario 64 & Banjo-Kazooie are the only ones I still play. Great mini-games. Great music. And Banjo has great humor.

Others like Spyro or Jak Sucks are inferior & frankly not fun. Pointless collectothons. "Go out and find 100 gems - whee! Wasn't that fun?" Hell no. Boring crap. Never finished them.


Mario 64 is great for the music and the fun mini-games.

[smokehouse]

Maybe I don't get it... I played it for a while once on the N64 and I thought it was good, but not great. I bought it recently for the DS and decided that I was going to really force myself to play it for a long time, preferably to beat it... and I now have 30ish coins and I find it good, but definitely not great.

I think other 3D platformers suck. Mario 64 & Banjo-Kazooie are the only ones I still play. Great mini-games. Great music. And Banjo has great humor.

Others like Spyro or Jak Sucks are inferior & frankly not fun. Pointless collectothons. "Go out and find 100 gems - whee! Wasn't that fun?" Hell no. Boring crap. Never finished them.


Mario 64 is great for the music and the fun mini-games.


I agree with the fact that many, many 3D platformers suck but just because Mario 64 sucked less than the rest does not make it revolutionary.

[kevin_psx]

Where did I say "mario 64 is revolutionary"? Did not make the claim. Said it was great game.


Perhaps some think 2D>>>3D platformers? Prefer Mario World or SMB? Not I. Never liked them either. Boring pointless collectothons.

[Ackman]

Maybe I don't get it... I played it for a while once on the N64 and I thought it was good, but not great. I bought it recently for the DS and decided that I was going to really force myself to play it for a long time, preferably to beat it... and I now have 30ish coins and I find it good, but definitely not great.

I think other 3D platformers suck. Mario 64 & Banjo-Kazooie are the only ones I still play. Great mini-games. Great music. And Banjo has great humor.

Others like Spyro or Jak Sucks are inferior & frankly not fun. Pointless collectothons. "Go out and find 100 gems - whee! Wasn't that fun?" Hell no. Boring crap. Never finished them.


Mario 64 is great for the music and the fun mini-games.


I agree with the fact that many, many 3D platformers suck but just because Mario 64 sucked less than the rest does not make it revolutionary.

AMEN :cheers:

[sharp]

I didn't like it on N64, I missed the good old Maro feeling and so for me it sucked (just like the N64 and GC Zelda's). I really tried to enjoy the game, but I never liked it. I even bought the DS version to give it a new try and it still don't get any attention.

[Kamino]

I honestly thought it sucked on toast when I got it back then.
I still hate it now. I hate how every shitty 3d platformer since sm64 has copied it. It's a virtual collecting quest. I already cleaned my apartment this week, thanks, I don't want to find all the coins in the ice world.

~~Old Man Kamino

[kevin_psx]

Except Mario 64's not a collect-fest.

- You race some turtle - win a star.
- Beat down a boss on a mountaintop - win a star.
- Hop in a cannon & grab a floating star.
- Free chomp-chomp from his bondage - win a star.
- Race down a snow-covered mountain - win a star.
- Climb to top of a clock - win a star.

Most time is spent doing those types of mini-games. That's why Mario64 is fun - it's not a boring collect-fest.

[Kamino]

Except Mario 64's not a collect-fest.

- You race some turtle - win a star.
- Beat down a boss on a mountaintop - win a star.
- Hop in a cannon & grab a floating star.
- Free chomp-chomp from his bondage - win a star.
- Race down a snow-covered mountain - win a star.
- Climb to top of a clock - win a star.

Most time is spent doing those types of mini-games. That's why Mario64 is fun - it's not a boring collect-fest.
That part of the game pisses me off too. "Collect a star - start level over!!!"
YAWN. So much time wasted when I could just zoom on through and snag all six in a row.

[Hep038]

So much time wasted when I could just zoom on through and snag all six in a row

THANK YOU! That was my big problem with Mario64. If I could have just stayed in the world and collected the stars without having to leave and come back I might have liked it a little more. My beef with Mario64 is 1. Going through a level and realizing that if I had the camera adjusted at a different angle I might not have jumped off a cliff. 2. Starting worlds over after I got a star 3. And collecting stars just to open doors to collect more stars.

I think by letting me play through a level until I am ready to leave would eliminate problems # 2 and 3 for me. I loved the game when I played it, but for playing it for the second go around, I lost interest.

[kevin_psx]

dang

[kevin_psx]

My beef with Mario64 is 1. Going through a level and realizing that if I had the camera adjusted at a different angle I might not have jumped off a cliff. 2. Starting worlds over after I got a star 3. And collecting stars just to open doors to collect more stars.

What 3D platformers - without those flaws - do you like?

[darknut101]

I didn't like it on N64, I missed the good old Maro feeling and so for me it sucked (just like the N64 and GC Zelda's). I really tried to enjoy the game, but I never liked it. I even bought the DS version to give it a new try and it still don't get any attention.

I liked Mario 64 but I hated the 3D zeldas. Never even finished them. Just can't bring myself too it.

[Pantechnicon]

This post brought to you by the letters "M" and "M".

I have never played Mario 64 but I must admit that this poll has piqued my interest. So I've been shopping around and I can't seem to find a copy anywhere, or at least not a reasonable price. Should it be fairly easy (and cheap) to obtain or is this cart suffering from what I call "Tetris Syndrome*"?

* - Despite 100 bazillion Gameboys being sold worldwide with Tetris as the pack-in, Tetris carts are hard to find both loose and cheap. I don't think I've ever seen a loose one for less than $15. Why? Because people generally kept their Tetris carts whenever trading in their old gray Gameboy for the GBC/GBA/SP etc. Best.pack-in.ever.

[kevin_psx]

I bought my Mario 64 off amazon for about $5. It was used & needed cleaning but worked great afterwards.