Where to start. The world’s most popular mascot finally gets his own 3D game. Eyes were on this one, and it doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. Where older platform games were often full of monotomy, Mario was the one that stood above the others. Where most platformers copied Mario, Mario was the one to revolutionize platformers time and time again. In the N64, Mario did it with a bang.
The N64’s 3D capabilities almost felt inferior to many 3D games found on PCs. Doom almost feels better and sharper than most N64 games. Super Mario 64 is one of the exceptions. Most jaggies and pointed triangular objects feel like Star Fox from the SNES. Roundedness is found in many of the objects, and polygons are all over the place. The music is varied, but very colorful, as is this game. There are also many environments to explore.
The one thing Mario 64 did that many N64 games did, was trying to go for the 3D look, while throwing in lots of pixelated textures. This of course looks very tacky on older consoles, especially with lower rendering capabilities and the constant zoom in and out effect. While graphics don’t make the game, there’s no excuse for half assing it. The N64 can’t be compared to a modern console in terms of graphics, but at the same time, systems like the SNES and Genesis had superior rendering capabilities when polygons were faked, or actually rendered. Shading was also excellent on these inferior consoles. So why didn’t the N64 have it?
Mario 64 has an control scheme with a long learning curve. Mario can jump poles, do a hand stand on them, jump off them and any other object imaginable. He can jump off of walls, kick in midair, do a triple jump, a low ride jump, crawl on the ground, fly with hats, do backwards somersaults, and pound the ground with his huge butt. One will certainly not get bored with the amount of things Mario can do at any given time. Oh yeah, if he is left to stand there, he’ll fall asleep.
This is one of the graphically better games for the N64. It relies heavily on shading. The thing I don’t like, as I mentioned, was bad texturing in some areas. It possibly can’t be helped. Roundedness is common in this game, there aren’t many angles, but many of the characters do look a little funny. They often look fat and suffer from the bubble look many newer games do. My only real complaint about the graphics is there is not any consistency with them. You’ll have to see it to know what I mean.
Sound effects are very sharp, and loud at times. I don’t mind them, but some people might. Music on the other hand is nice. Twinkles and background sound effects, combined with many wind instruments make for a game that sounds like it came from an SNES cart pumped up on steroids. Mario also has voice acting for the first time in the game. This is the first game he gets his “It’sa me, Mario!” quote.
Environments are very diverse. A standard first level field, a fire field, Halloween (one of the first games in 3D to use it!), a snow level, various mini games within levels, etc. Unless it is a bonus or special level, each level has about six objectives. Most of the time they are quest type items, with the exception of collecting 100 coins and collecting eight red coins, the latter which are easy to find except for a few good hidden ones.
The plot is actually very short and to the point. This was acceptable on older consoles, but the larger the plot on them the better. Bowser is back again, he’s taken over the castle and locked every one of the castle’s servants, including Princess Peach (name changed from Toadstool?!) into the walls of the castle using the power of the castle’s Power Stars. It’s up to Mario to enter the paintings and use the Power Stars to bring the castle back to order.
I do have a few complaints about this game. Due to the way the N64 managed polygons, as well as the consoles power at the time, it is very hard to see where Mario is moving. The camera is weird, it is swung around by clicking, rather than fluidly. Mario has a habit of knocking into objects and will get stuck. His swimming is a bit weird. His jumping also has a few quirks. I don’t like the flying cap. I never did quite learn how to get Mario to fly higher with it.
What I didn’t like at all in this game, the frustration that slowly built. Unlike Mario Kart 64, where it appeared the minute I started playing, this game slowly built it up. It’s almost as if the earlier levels had more time on them. The later levels feel… weird. I don’t think there was a rush or a deadline. The amount of time it took to find one little hidden item gets tedious. Just as I think I’m getting close to completing the game, I have to open another door. There isn’t much freedom in this game when it comes to unlocking levels. The difficulty level isn’t high, but many of the platforms leave you plummeting to your death. This was new 3D technology, so maybe Nintendo wasn’t ready yet?
This game may be revolutionary for its time, but compared to many modern games, it pales in comparison. Compared to Super Mario Bros 3, it actually could rank as the second best Super Mario game of all time. It is a flagship title and a console seller, but the N64 wasn’t that good. I’d personally rent it or add it to my collection, but it isn’t exactly a keeper.
Yozuki’s Drive - 7.5
