Game of the Week #8

Metal Mario · 09-05-2009, 11:26 PM

Super Mario 64 (N64, 1996)

Acclaimed by many as one of the most revolutionary video games of all time, Super Mario 64 set the defining precedent for 3-D platformers to come, just as Super Mario Bros. had done for 2-D platformers. Notable for its implementation of analog control and its dynamic camera system (it was the first game to feature a "free" camera that could be controlled independently of the player character), as well as its vast sense of freedom, huge worlds, and non-linear gameplay, it captured the hearts and imaginations of Mario fans the world over, and was a big part of getting the N64 system off the ground in its earliest days. For the first time, Mario seemed almost alive. He was no longer just a sprite on a screen. Now he talked to you! He performed agile backflips, wall kicks, and midair somersaults with the greatest of ease! And if you left the animated little guy standing in one spot for too long, he got bored and fell asleep! And how awesome was grabbing that big bum Bowser by the tail and swinging him around? That's what we always wanted to do to the scaly jerk!

Hugely innovative and hugely fun, Super Mario 64 was a great way to start off the 64-bit era!

Mario271 · 09-06-2009, 01:51 AM

I have so many great memories of SM64 that it isn't even funny...I loved everything about it. The music was catchy, the stages were very creative, and the game overall was very addicting. I never got to 120 stars though...I ended somewhere around 116 (I'd have to check on this...but all I had left to do were those stages where you have to get coins for stars. BAH). I definitely pick it back up today, if I could find my cartridge...

09-05-2009, 11:26 PM	#1
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	Game of the Week #8 Super Mario 64 (N64, 1996) Acclaimed by many as one of the most revolutionary video games of all time, Super Mario 64 set the defining precedent for 3-D platformers to come, just as Super Mario Bros. had done for 2-D platformers. Notable for its implementation of analog control and its dynamic camera system (it was the first game to feature a "free" camera that could be controlled independently of the player character), as well as its vast sense of freedom, huge worlds, and non-linear gameplay, it captured the hearts and imaginations of Mario fans the world over, and was a big part of getting the N64 system off the ground in its earliest days. For the first time, Mario seemed almost alive. He was no longer just a sprite on a screen. Now he talked to you! He performed agile backflips, wall kicks, and midair somersaults with the greatest of ease! And if you left the animated little guy standing in one spot for too long, he got bored and fell asleep! And how awesome was grabbing that big bum Bowser by the tail and swinging him around? That's what we always wanted to do to the scaly jerk! Hugely innovative and hugely fun, Super Mario 64 was a great way to start off the 64-bit era! Last edited by Metal Mario; 12-15-2009 at 11:47 PM.

09-06-2009, 01:51 AM	#2
Mario271 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Ohio Gender: Posts: 2,743 Thanks: 57 Thanked 12 Times in 9 Posts	I have so many great memories of SM64 that it isn't even funny...I loved everything about it. The music was catchy, the stages were very creative, and the game overall was very addicting. I never got to 120 stars though...I ended somewhere around 116 (I'd have to check on this...but all I had left to do were those stages where you have to get coins for stars. BAH). I definitely pick it back up today, if I could find my cartridge...