Super Mario 64 - 10 years on.

[Flinty]

Just over ten years ago Super Mario 64 was released along side the Nintendo 64 in the UK, So I thought with Super Mario Galaxy crash landing here next week it would be a good time to replay Super Mario 64 not only remember good time but also to see how SM64 stands up to todays gaming standards.

So dust of your Nintendo 64 or Wii's because there's 120 stars out there with you name on!

I think the game is still fantastic, plays great, has a wonderful (and I mean WONDERFUL!) soundtrack and is still one of the best games ever made.

Btw I understand if this thread seems like it should be in the retro fourm, but come on! it's Super Mario 64!

[Roddie]

I never really got into Mario 64, always much preferred Banjo-Kazooie. Was thinking about going back and giving it another shot having just finished Galaxy.

[rmoxon]

Yeah its amazing to think that a big part of what made the game seem so special 10 years ago were that the controls were so reolutionary, yet today it still plays as well as any new game, not sure wether thats becuase its so good or if the way games in its genre play has hardly moved on since.

Also cant think of many other games with such wonderfuly inventive worlds too, I liked Super Mario Sunshine alot but that games levels didnt really compare to be honest.

[MattyD]

Well since my LCD blew up I've resorted to getting my old 4:3 CRT out and playing some retro games, and I actually played this for a bit tonight, getting three more stars... The thing I think has stood the test of time - as opposed to say the graphics or controls, which have been surpassed or become the norm respectively - is the way the levels are set out and structured.

The stages funnel you along almost without your noticing, yet if you look beyond the obvious path, there's so much else you can go find. Miyamoto's design ethos of making games for everyone really shines out here - it's accessible to virtually anyone but there's plenty more going on behind the scenes for those inclined to look.

It's great how the levels unfold according to how deeply you play the game too, with new areas or features opening once you complete certain star quests or unlock the coloured switches.

It says a lot that I can still go back to this game ten years after I first played it and find something new to do.

[MarioMark]

Super Mario 64 is the 5 star business! Been playing Mario Galaxy for past few days, it's very VERY good, but still doesn't match up next to Mario 64, the game is and always will be my favourite game of all time.

[Flinty]

For those who have played Super Mario Galaxy, what is the music like? Super Mario 64 music was wonderful!

I think they should remake SM64 with the SMG engine, but only enhance the graphics and music with a making of video of course......

[DeathAdder]

Despite buying it three times (Wii, DS and Nintendo 64, the latter ten years ago), I have never been able to get into Mario 64.

SMG, on the other hand, I've enjoyed every time I've played it. By far the better game.

[Vince]

I must admit i loved Mario 64 when i very first played it back when it was released, but i only ever played it a friends and didn't own it myself. Later on a good few years later i bought an N64 to play it and just found it a bit annoying and frustrating to be honest, plus going back to the same levels to get the extra stars was pretty boring. Its a stylish game with some good ideas and its influenced every 3d platformer since but i don't think its the 5 star game most people think it is, in fact its a disapointing follow up to Marioworld.

[babs]

TEN years?? Gah, time flies.

I remember vividly getting what was for me, the last couple of stars from the clock level.

[Brats]

The thing that strikes me about Mario 64 is how relatively complex the controls are by modern platformer standards. For a start you have so many types of jump, all of them useful:

Standard jump
Triple jump
Long jump
Backward flip
Wall jump

And then you can skid, crawl, punch, kick, pull this kind of breakdance move, climb, hang and spin.

And on top of that there are the three types of cap.

It all works beautifully though and it's like riding a bike going back to it - you never forget. I believe that's why it's such a great game. Even though it was the first of its type, it didn't molly-coddle the player and gave a really deep experience.

It could have all gone horribly and been too complex. Amazing when you think about it how right they got it.

[sadat]

The controller is PERFECT for this. It works so well BECAUSE of the now-superceded analogue buttons, that just aren't there any more on newer joysticks.

The digital C-buttons control the camera so much better than the analogue C-stick on the Gamecube / Classic Controller on the Wii VC version. And the touch screen on DS is just clumsy in comparison.

Also having the trigger where it is, below the controller stick, and with a digital button rather than the boggy shoulder button in Mario Sunshine makes control seem that little bit more responsive.

The levels also strike a balance between jumping - wandering - fighting within tight confined levels. Mario Sunshine's warp worlds distilled the essence of this, and I'd LOVE to see more of the same in a future game.

[no spoilers for Galaxy please - hope there's something similar in it though - really looking forward to playing it, and I haven't had that feeling for a while!]

[kernow]

I remember seeing a pull-out in edge magazine showing all the moves and I was just amazed at the time. It really seemed you could do whatever you wanted, and go wherever you wanted to some extent. a classic no doubt.

The thing that strikes me about Mario 64 is how relatively complex the controls are by modern platformer standards. For a start you have so many types of jump, all of them useful:

Standard jump
Triple jump
Long jump
Backward flip
Wall jump

And then you can skid, crawl, punch, kick, pull this kind of breakdance move, climb, hang and spin.

And on top of that there are the three types of cap.

It all works beautifully though and it's like riding a bike going back to it - you never forget. I believe that's why it's such a great game. Even though it was the first of its type, it didn't molly-coddle the player and gave a really deep experience.

It could have all gone horribly and been too complex. Amazing when you think about it how right they got it.

[moonwhistle]

The major drawback of Mario 64 for me was the level structure. I really hated having to navigate the castle in order to access levels. It's confusing enough when you play from the start but if you pick it up after a long absense is almsot impossible to find where you left off, leaving you wandering the stupid castle for hours. Why non-linearity is considered a good thing in games is beyond me, gimme easy access any day.

Other than that I couldn't really fault the game, it's just a shame the such minor issue ruins it for me.

[kernow]

!

I love running around that castle!

[elkatas]

For those who have played Super Mario Galaxy, what is the music like? Super Mario 64 music was wonderful! .

Few relatively poor quality rips:

EDIT: Link deleted due requests

Pretty ace, I guess. Perhaps not very Mario, but still give sense of great adventure.