Sure it was a far tread from Super Mario 64, but in its own right, I thought its differences really made it quite fun. I thought the FLUDD and filth-cleaning elements were really novel and interesting to apply to the Mario world.
Also, the water effects and the beautiful and engaging island/water-based areas were really fun to play in, in my opinion.
It introduced the whole cage-climbing move and Yoshi even played some great parts in it, too.
It was extremely fresh for a Mario game for me, and while the plot was a bit absurd (Peach being Baby Bowser's mama lol!) I thought it was pretty engaging.
The Boo-haunted hotel, the Harbor, and the theme park were really memorable moments for me.
Why does everyone often look at this game like it's some sort of abomination? It's pretty different, of course, and you can't really compare it to SM64 like you can SMG, but I think in it's own right, it's a great Mario game.
What are your thoughts?