Game Debate #16: Super Mario 64

[Reed Rothchild | 9,533]

 

[Space Jockey | 20]

Basically introduced the world to quality 3D gaming.  Probably more nostalgia oriented now, but just like FF7, groundbreaking for its time.  Have to give it 10/10.

[AstralSoul | 502]

10/10. A pure masterpiece. 

In 1995 I had just gotten a SNES so when N64 rolled around a year later I was not ready for it. I saw Mario 64 on display in Blockbuster and couldn't help but feel the blocky graphics were so ugly and I refused to buy an N64. At the time, SNES was All I needed. One day I actually tried Mario 64 and I was absolutely blown away. Blown away by the graphics, by the gameplay, the revolution of Nintendo consoles. At that moment, I needed an N64. I couldn't afford one because I was only 13. So I had to wait. I rented an N64 and Mario 64 for Christmas because my parents refused to let me have one. That week I was on Christmas break playing Mario 64 on my rented N64 console was one of the best weekends of my life. The game changed me as a person and as a gamer. If not for this game I don't know where I'd be today. I might not even be a gamer, honestly. I certainly wouldn't the Nintendo/Mario superfan that I am today. The game was perfect as perfect comes. I still don't know if to this day there is a game out there I'd say is more of a masterpiece than this game..10/10 without question, one of the best games of all time, my 2nd favorite game of all time.

[OptOut | 8,884]

Now we're talking, 10 out of 10, one of my favourite games ever!!! I still regularly play this game through, at least once a year, which is probably the only game I play that religiously... Apart from maybe the original SMB and Dr. Mario, lol!

It's no longer the best 3D Mario game, however, I'd say Galaxy 1/2 are better. But, that by no means diminishes what this game is or has done, it's just incredible how good the game STILL is to play, even to this day. Amazeballs.

[fcgamer | 4,725]

9/10 for me. Would have went with 10/10, but I don't play it enough anyone.

Amazing game, filled with so much nostalgia. Can't go wrong with it 

[Tanooki | 4,934]

I find very few games are worthy of a 10, and even this one is kind of included, until recent times at least where I've been able to not be saddled with the slippery n64 joystick to play the PC and now Switch releases.  This game let's just rip Mario out of the equation entirely to start and just look at the mechanics, stage design, audio and visual quality of the period and even (a/v, more V though) since ...have things really got all that better or still kind of missed the boat?  They set a bar so high with the camera on this one between its behavior and your manipulations none really have matched or surpassed it which is good for it, but sad in general.  The concepts at play making these decent sized worlds, something to revisit and be encouraged to peck away at new spaces and looking at new ways to attack even some re-run spaces too was just ingenious.  Sure it wasn't the Mario we were used to definitely not, but damn did it find itself as the big stand out among many 2D to 3D franchise conversions that didn't stumble at all (other than some who may object to no 2P/Luigi.)

In the day I love hated on it because of the slippery stick syndrome N64 suffered from as it made wall jumps harder, some of the more acrobatic stuff for a lot of people just downright near impossible.  Yet I've known for a time, even with crappy UltraHLE in the later 90s, refined emulation since, and ultimately the PC deconstruction/reconstruction and now the SMAS 3D release just how damn tight the game really was all along.  Being able to use a comfortable well made grippy non-slippy stick surface made the control stunningly far better than ever.  It grew, the first emulators and then some didn't have the best run of it, but as things came along it got apparent.  Super Mario 64 when taken as a whole experience, not jacked up a bit by N64 stick issues, for gameplay, camera, solid control, varied style and stages is just unmatched.  Sure Sunshine and Galaxy did amazing stuff too (and again learning on a better controller with Galaxy recently, plays far quicker/better w/out waggle) ultimately Mario 64 did it first and best, the others just grew outward from it for better or worse.

[Sumez | 2,959]

is good game

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

10. One of my favourite and most nostalgic games. Always enjoy playing it and had a lot of fun the other day going through it again on the 3D collection. Definitely in my top 5 all-time favourite games. The camera would be my only major gripe and I think for the time it was pretty reasonable. Now I just see it as adding a bit more challenge. Great pacing and a good challenge in parts. 

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

9/10. It's an amazing game, but I haven't played it since the 1990s.

[Jeevan | 8,911]

10/10  Played it twice this year!  One of the best Mario games ever.  This needs to replace BOTW

[Jicsan | 589]

Gave it a 10.  An all time favorite for me.  My kids are plying it now and having a blast.  My oldest had played it some before on the Nintendo 64, and has repeatedly stated how much the Switch version is improved just by not having to use the Nintendo 64 controller.  I don't hate playing on the controller though.  It was mindblowingly amazing when it released.  I don't think anything else that generation even came close to surpassing it (maybe Symphony of the Night, but that wasn't made in the new fangled 3D style).  I'm about to replay it again... if I can get the Switch cart away from the kids.

[spacepup | 2,404]

I had to give this one a 10.  Not because it is a perfect game (it isn't).  BUT, there is heavy nostalgia / emotional connection to this one.  When I think about my gaming experiences, I still remember just the pure awe at playing this game through the first time, and it feeling like such a fun and exciting foray into 3d platforming.  

There is no denying the impact it had on gaming and the genre.  It is just a super fun game!

As for whether it stands the test of time --- well, I'm playing the port on switch atm, and I'm still having a great time with it!  This is one of those games that you could pick apart technically or compare others to it that have significant functional / gameplay improvements, but I will always love this game and think it has a pretty cool place in gaming history.

[fox | 1,667]

Pretty alrite for an early 3D game.  Levels feel kind of empty with few enemies, the toughest one being the camera.

[Nintegageo | 582]

10. The camera isn't ideal however the rest compensates easy. It is just so amazing how right Nintendo did their 1st time in 3D as they did 2D.

[MiamiSlice | 3,095]

I gave it a 9, was almost going to say 10. This game was genre defining. It set the standard for how 3D platforming should be. And I don't get a lot of the complaints about it. 

Camera? You learn how to control it and then you appreciate the level of control that you have over it. So many 3D platformers are just a. the camera is behind the player or b. the camera is fixed wherever the devs thought it worked best in the room. I'll take Mario 64 over both those options if I'm playing this kind of game. 

Inertia? Oh so Mario doesn't stop on a dime when you are running in gravel? That's part of the challenge. 

It doesn't hold up today? The game is still a ton of fun to play! The level design has so much variety. 

And collecting all 120 stars felt so rewarding, like I still remember talking to other kids and we were all comparing notes, sharing tips, talking about the last stars we needed to get. It was one of those things that either you had done it and you were cool, or you hadn't and you were not. 

Edit: also the flying hat was so well done, you could actually FLY in 3D, like they made a rock solid platforming game that let you do all kinds of stuff, run, climb, etc. and then you end up finding out you can also FLY and it actually works and feels fun on its own. 

And then the metal hat, man was that cool, honestly cooler than a super star. 

Lastly have to add the soundtrack was awesome, great tunes. 

Edited September 21, 2020 by MiamiSlice

[Hammerfestus | 3,847]

This game is getting way too much smoke blown up its pooper.  Much like the rest of the N64 it was ok sometimes.  6.  

[RH | 4,905]

1 minute ago, Nintegageo said:

10. The camera isn't ideal however the rest compensates easy. It is just so amazing how right Nintendo did their 1st time in 3D as they did 2D.

I had to give it a 9 for this very reason.  I love this game and in my opinion, I think it's the first platform I ever played with a perfect balance of difficulty.  Beating the game took a bit of work but I think I did it in a week or two, maybe three.  It's hard to recall and though that may sound like a long period of time, as a kid I was probably only playing 1-2 hours a day, depending on my homework work load.  Pair that with the fact that I had to get acclimated to an analog stick, which I'd never used before.

Regardless, by the end I felt pretty good about my capabilities and I probably spent twice as long finishing up getting the remaining stars, and though some of those stars were tough, it never felt like a real chore (except maybe 100 coins in either Tick Tock Clock or Rainbow Row).

Overall, it's a great game and replaying it again for the 3rd time on the Switch, it's a great experience.  I really am shocked out how well Nintendo did on this, their first 3D game (well, I'm not counting Star Fox 1 or 2 because they were crude, at best.) I think it really just a fun game, and that's is Nintendo's goal as what they feel truly drives sales. 

But, I did have to dock points for the camera.  I have no clue why they had to make it behave the way it did, and it's often a choice.  My analog controller skills are certainly way better after 20 years of gaming with them but why, ooooooh why, do they make it so you have narrow pathways where you can fall to your death, and as you're moving, the camera pans and you HAVE to adjust your direction on the analog to not fall to your doom!  I mean, this does add an extra layer of skill but man, it's an annoying one.  I want to give this game a 10, but because it feels like they chose to make the camera sometimes suck, I can only give it a 9.  Technically, I feel it's a 9.5, but I can't give it a perfect 10.  I can forgive unavoidable mistakes but their choices on how to handle camera positioning and movement for certain tasks is down right evil.  Half a point docked for that (rounded down) because to me that feels like a cheap trick for extra difficulty.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,533]

I just realized Sundays are supposed to be movie debate day, not games 

I guess we got a two-fer this week.

[RH | 4,905]

Just now, Reed Rothchild said:

I just realized Sundays are supposed to be movie debate day, not games 

I guess we got a two-fer this week.

Yeah, I just thought it was me, but it felt like Xenogears was a bit short changed.  Oh well, it didn't get a lot of traction anyway.  No big loss.

[Gloves | 11,783]

5 minutes ago, RH said:

Yeah, I just thought it was me, but it felt like Xenogears was a bit short changed.  Oh well, it didn't get a lot of traction anyway.  No big loss.

Xenogears only got half the usual time cuz they only delivered half a game.

Ayyyyyy!

[RH | 4,905]

6 minutes ago, Gloves said:

Xenogears only got half the usual time cuz they only delivered half a game.

Ayyyyyy!

I can appreciate a good burn when I see one.  Solid.

[cartman | 195]

It was so long ago that i played it that at this point i'd be shooting from the hip and being swayed by popularity in assessing how good it is. I shall play it again.

[Br81zad | 629]

Banjo Kazooie was better,  

 

I'd give it an 8/10. Was a big positive step for 3D gaming at the time, and it's still fun to play 

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,013]

4 minutes ago, Br81zad said:

Banjo Kazooie was better,  

 

I'd give it an 8/10. Was a big positive step for 3D gaming at the time, and it's still fun to play 

I feel the mis step in banjo was the need to get all the puzzle pieces. Banjo is another 10 for me though. 

[Br81zad | 629]

Just now, RegularGuyGamer said:

I feel the mis step in banjo was the need to get all the puzzle pieces. Banjo is another 10 for me though. 

I agree. Early game it's not such a big deal, but some of the later pieces require some pretty obscure actions.

I really do place BK a good margin above M64 though. The levels seemed more interesting and didn't feel as empty. The dialogue was also better. Grunty's lair could get a little disorienting at times and finding the next level became a slight chore. Still, I think the move set and controls were solid, and better than what M64 offered.