- Pronouns
- He/Him
Today is a monumental day. We have gathered here to celebrate the anniversary of an industry titan. A true innovator that propelled a console into the limelight and changed the history of games as we know it. Happy Birthday to Super Mario 64!
...what, were you expecting something else?
Even as FamiBoard's resident #1 Super Mario Fan, Super Mario 64 is a game I didn't really appreciate all that much until two years ago. Like, yeah, I liked it, and I played the heck out of the DS version as a kid, but I never got all the stars and I never finished the original, despite having it for most of my life. It felt rough and aged, and I had nostalgia for it, sure, but it was nothing compared to Super Mario Galaxy, for example. But for Mario Day 2020, right when the pandemic lockdown was starting up but before Animal Crossing came out, I was compelled to play 64 again. So I hooked up the N64 and gave it a shot again.
It took some time, but it finally clicked for me. It really comes down to Mario's movement being so fluid. Jumps into double jumps into triple jumps. Backflips and somersaults, wall jumps and long jumps. Everything flows together so nicely and I found myself using all of the different jumps at different points in the game. That inherently fun movement holds the game together. Missions are simple, but the joy of getting to different points on an open map works so well. I also really appreciate Mario 64's open structure. It's linear in that you get sets of levels at a time, but only needing 70 out of 120 stars gives a lot of flexibility. If something isn't working out, try something else. You only need a little over half of the stars, after all. It's a great marriage of good mechanics and a solid structure.
Mario 64's presentation really captures my imagination. There's a lot of charm to the early 3D, low poly graphics that still remains engaging to this day. The levels have this weird vibe to them - Peach's Castle is mostly an art gallery, lots of levels float above voids or feel mysterious - but they don't feel "out of place" weird. Could be the nostalgia talking, but I find a lot of Mario 64's areas very memorable as a result. And we can't forget the soundtrack. All-time great compositions like the main theme, the slider, Dire Dire Docks, the Bowser levels, the Bowser boss, the credits...all so instantly iconic.
It is so impressive how much they nailed on their first attempt at a 3D platformer. And things that didn't can either be adjusted to or mitigated. Yeah, the camera is kinda rough compared to modern standards, but using the different options (Lakitu vs Mario, close vs pulled back) can give you more control. And not every mission is grand by today's standards, but again, moving around with Mario is so much fun.
I ended up playing Mario 64 twice more in 2020, thanks to 3D All-Stars, and I loved it just as much then. And then in 2021 I played the decompilation on my New 3DS - 60 FPS shines in Mario 64. At some point this year, I gotta do a new yearly replay. Mario 64 has earned its place in history and I love it - the Mario franchise being so strong is the main thing keeping it out of the top 5 Mario games. Happy anniversary, Super Mario 64!
oh, uh, and happy birthday to the hedgehog too, hes cool i guess
...what, were you expecting something else?
Even as FamiBoard's resident #1 Super Mario Fan, Super Mario 64 is a game I didn't really appreciate all that much until two years ago. Like, yeah, I liked it, and I played the heck out of the DS version as a kid, but I never got all the stars and I never finished the original, despite having it for most of my life. It felt rough and aged, and I had nostalgia for it, sure, but it was nothing compared to Super Mario Galaxy, for example. But for Mario Day 2020, right when the pandemic lockdown was starting up but before Animal Crossing came out, I was compelled to play 64 again. So I hooked up the N64 and gave it a shot again.
It took some time, but it finally clicked for me. It really comes down to Mario's movement being so fluid. Jumps into double jumps into triple jumps. Backflips and somersaults, wall jumps and long jumps. Everything flows together so nicely and I found myself using all of the different jumps at different points in the game. That inherently fun movement holds the game together. Missions are simple, but the joy of getting to different points on an open map works so well. I also really appreciate Mario 64's open structure. It's linear in that you get sets of levels at a time, but only needing 70 out of 120 stars gives a lot of flexibility. If something isn't working out, try something else. You only need a little over half of the stars, after all. It's a great marriage of good mechanics and a solid structure.
Mario 64's presentation really captures my imagination. There's a lot of charm to the early 3D, low poly graphics that still remains engaging to this day. The levels have this weird vibe to them - Peach's Castle is mostly an art gallery, lots of levels float above voids or feel mysterious - but they don't feel "out of place" weird. Could be the nostalgia talking, but I find a lot of Mario 64's areas very memorable as a result. And we can't forget the soundtrack. All-time great compositions like the main theme, the slider, Dire Dire Docks, the Bowser levels, the Bowser boss, the credits...all so instantly iconic.
It is so impressive how much they nailed on their first attempt at a 3D platformer. And things that didn't can either be adjusted to or mitigated. Yeah, the camera is kinda rough compared to modern standards, but using the different options (Lakitu vs Mario, close vs pulled back) can give you more control. And not every mission is grand by today's standards, but again, moving around with Mario is so much fun.
I ended up playing Mario 64 twice more in 2020, thanks to 3D All-Stars, and I loved it just as much then. And then in 2021 I played the decompilation on my New 3DS - 60 FPS shines in Mario 64. At some point this year, I gotta do a new yearly replay. Mario 64 has earned its place in history and I love it - the Mario franchise being so strong is the main thing keeping it out of the top 5 Mario games. Happy anniversary, Super Mario 64!
oh, uh, and happy birthday to the hedgehog too, hes cool i guess