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Sonic Adventure or Mario 64, which 3D mascot platformer was the best?

Best 3D mascot platforming game?

  • Sonic Adventure

    Votes: 73 10.5%
  • Mario 64

    Votes: 588 84.7%
  • I preferred the Sony mascot platformer: Crash Bandicoot.

    Votes: 33 4.8%

  • Total voters
    694

blacktout

Member
This picture is very small but what is this?
51vN8jNZa6L._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg

It's not the same image, but I think this is the same bundle:


ZDdjMjc0YzU1NGE3ZTU1MDIyMGRhOWQxYWMwMmJlNmaTpOJ4QK_aG_3lx7d-X4wkaHR0cDovL21lZGlhLmFkc2ltZy5jb20vM2VkZDUzNzI4YzRkY2Q0YWNkNzdiOGU3ZTRiNzA1OWM4OWNiNmVmODA3MTg0Yzc1NWE5NmE2MmY4ZDg1YWZlMS5qcGd8fHx8fHw3MDB4NTI1fGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYWR2ZXJ0cy5pZS9zdGF0aWMvaS93YXRlcm1hcmsucG5nfHx8.jpg


It says "PAL VERSION" on the lower left, below the N64 logo. So maybe there was a Mario 64 bundle in Europe, but not in the US? I'm just speculating here, because google isn't being helpful.

I can say that I got an N64 for Christmas in 1996, and it didn't come bundled with any games. (I live in the US.) I'm pretty sure that was standard at the time, but it doesn't rule out the existence of a more expensive deluxe bundle, or the (probably very likely) possibility than Mario 64 was bundled with the N64 in North America later in the console's life. It's also possible that the PAL bundle above is from a few years after launch. Who knows.

Edit:
Now that is interesting! So I googled around trying to explain that and seems it's a PAL console that is a bit rare -it's estimated that no more than 50k were made.

Mystery solved! That's wild.
 
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Impotaku

Member
Zero contest at all, when mario 64 first came out there was NOTHING like it on any platform, you had shit like croc on PS1 that was the closest thing or jumping flash. There was no console or hell even PC at that time that released a 3D platform game of that quality. It literally defined the start of what proper 3D platform games were going to be like. The hype around nintendo 64 and mario was unreal i remember everyone of my friends totally floored by it when we saw an import machine running in a shop that had managed to get hold of one waaay before the uk launch..
 

Ozzie666

Member
This is a very good point. I have always wished that we could have 3D Sonic but with the very direct 2D design philosophy that is very "gamey" (levels, tilesets, bosses, repeat with little cruft or filler in between.) I never thought of what a good example Crash was of that, though. The camera style/corridor type design is perfect. Sega could have wiped the floor with that shit.

This is the Sonic that should have been on Saturn. Really, I think the world was ready and waiting for more SEGA awesomeness but they just dropped the ball.

Sonic Adventure (and 2) gets a bit better if you can just beat the game and then use the level select to play straight through Sonic's levels from the beginning. It feels a bit closer to the gameplay experience of a Genesis game because it's just straight on action and grabbing rings all the time. No cutscenes, no VA, no hub world puzzles. But a title that was designed like that from the get-go would be way better lol. Damn HOW many years later and we're still sour Saturn Sonic didn't happen?

One of Mario's great strengths is that they smartly avoided getting over ambitious with intense storyline, cast of characters, voice acting, superfluous gameplay modes (fishing in Sonic? WTF) and all that over the top cruft that ages poorly. Mario just focused on pure gameplay. Had Sonic retained that focus with a Crash-inspired formula it could have been like another SNES vs. Genesis fight.

Sonic-R was the closet thing to a tease for this. I also feel the 2d side view levels sprinkled in like in Sonic Colors and Crash 4 would of helped transition people to the game, something for everyone. I just don't know how they could have created that speed associated with Sonic and if the Saturn could keep up with minimal pop-in.
 
Both games are great, i agree Mario 64 is objectively more polished and have more streamlined gameplay, but i think people also underestimate the ambition SA1 had, varied gameplay styles, a larger focus on story, NPC's that react to what happens in said story, a fullfledged tamagotchi minigame for example and also being more true to the 2D Sonic games by being mostly a linear platformer, while Mario 64 was a collect-a-thon closer to the Treasure Hunting stages. if anything Mario 64 is closer to a 2D Sonic game with skilfull players being able to exploit Mario's momentum and wide array of abiltiies to speedrun trough stages and reach stars as fast as possible.

and even with how good SM64 is, Sonic Adventure had more charm, weither it was the cheesy cutscenes that told an actual plot beyond "Mario rescues Princess" or the NPC's with their own little side stories that reacted to what happened as said plot progressed, Mario didn't implement that any of that until Sunshine and maybe Odyssey. SA1 also has a more varied and underrated soundtrack.
This is completely bollocks for Super Mario 64. It is an amazing game, a one in a kind achievement and it has no "aging" issues (outside of the fact of course, that the particular artistic achievement is only appreciable if you know the historical context, but even on its own it is still an incredibly well designed game. Sonic Adventure is a good game with some shit elements (Chao, Big, Amy, overworld). It is not even close to the league of Super Mario 64 though.
dude fuck off Chao were the best. and Amy wasn't that bad either it played like a normal platformer. same with the overworld wich had more charm than 64's
We appreciate great games. That's all it is.
acting like it's objective, like i said SM64 might of been better but a lot of people including me find SA1 to be a very enjoyable experience even outside of people's Nostalgia. if people gave it a chance it's a very solid and fun game.
 
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TLZ

Banned
acting like it's objective, like i said SM64 might of been better but a lot of people including me find SA1 to be a very enjoyable experience even outside of people's Nostalgia. if people gave it a chance it's a very solid and fun game.
I really tried numerous times but couldn't. It has nothing on the previous 2D Sonic games. Let alone Mario 64.
 
I really tried numerous times but couldn't. It has nothing on the previous 2D Sonic games. Let alone Mario 64.
again, just because people you didn't enjoy it doesn't mean nobody can enjoy it, SA1 had arguably as much influence as Mario 64 when it came to the 3D platformers later on like Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter. and i find it just as enjoyable if not so than most 2D Sonic Games with maybe Sonic 3 & Knuckles coming close.
 

TLZ

Banned
again, just because people you didn't enjoy it doesn't mean nobody can enjoy it, SA1 had arguably as much influence as Mario 64 when it came to the 3D platformers later on like Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter. and i find it just as enjoyable if not so than most 2D Sonic Games with maybe Sonic 3 & Knuckles coming close.
Never said no one can enjoy it. But Sonic Adventure doesn't come close to it at all imo. Also, where'd you get info that SA had an influence on platformers?
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
dude fuck off Chao were the best.
Absolutely not. They are fucking busywork, a task that is repetitive right from the start in a mind numbing way. Worst of all, they are required to unlock Metal Sonic in SADX and Green Hill in SA2, so I was forced to waste my time on these abominations.
and Amy wasn't that bad either it played like a normal platformer.
She was slow, clumsy, her level segements weren't very fun and the camera did not support the Amy playstyle very well.
same with the overworld wich had more charm than 64's
Whether it had more or less charme when compared Mario 64's is of course a matter of taste, but it stood in the way of the arcady gameplay of Sonic and was sometimes pretty obtuse. Mario 64's overworld made much more sense from a gameplay perspective, because it matched the core mechanics of Mario better, it was more compact and thus a lot more fun in my opinion.
 

nkarafo

Member
Could use better cameras and controller imo.
The camera is still better than most 3D platform games and definitely better than Sonic's awful, glitchy one.

Also, you seem to be talking about the controller itself, not the game's actual controls. Because we both know Mario 64's controls are pretty much perfect. I never played any other 3D platform with better ones, even later 3D Mario games had worse controls overall. Though, i still haven't played Odyssey.

Which reminds me, it used to be the opposite with the 2D games. Mario games had great controls and physics, so much so that Mario Bros 1 was groundbraking for this. But when Sonic came out, it was the first game for me that managed to better Mario when it comes to control and physics. Sonic was just more enjoyable to control and the physics were so good, they could even make proper pinball levels out of them. But with the 3D games, Sonic regressed a lot. Sonic Adventure can't even come close to Mario 64 even on that aspect.

Also Mario 64 was given with a lot of N64s, Crash mostly sold on its own.
Bullshit. Mario 64 was sold as a standalone.
 
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Meicyn

Gold Member
again, just because people you didn't enjoy it doesn't mean nobody can enjoy it, SA1 had arguably as much influence as Mario 64 when it came to the 3D platformers later on like Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter. and i find it just as enjoyable if not so than most 2D Sonic Games with maybe Sonic 3 & Knuckles coming close.
JrudI3Z.jpg
 
Both haven't aged too well but both of these games were the first time Sonic and Mario transitioned to 3D platforming. Each are also often said to be the best 3D entries in each franchise, though Galaxy 2 gets many nods often.

So which mascot had a better transition to 3D title, Sonic or Mario?
Mario 64 is one of the best games ever and Sonic Adventure isn't.
 

Marvel14

Banned
Super Mario 64 plays incredibly well to this day. The gameplay mechanics and/or game structure may not be as varied as current iterations - Galaxy in particular makes Super Mario 64 feel positively simple in comparison - but make no mistake, it's still a great game that plays very well. Sonic Adventure was outdated about a week after launch.

Not a question worth asking, in my opinion.

/thread.


On another note, why are we getting so many threads like this right now with questions that are either obvious or impossibleto answer? I'm thinking of starting a few:

"The NES is better than the PS5"
" The moon is more important than the sun"
"Which is better Bioshock or Tetris?"
"Skyrim is the Gauntlet for the new millennium"

What do people think...or maybe I should start a thread asking why we are getting so many of these threads. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
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I think Mario 64 is actually quite boring by today's standards, whereas Sonic Adventure's Sonic levels are still fun and exciting to play through, despite being less polished.
 

rubenburgt

Member
Bullshit. Mario 64 was sold as a standalone.

Not true. It was bundled with the console in the PAL region.

I know this as a fact because that's how my family got this game.

*Sigh* I remember starting this game for the first time and being in awe after seeing the very first Goomba being flattened.
 

TheContact

Member
Both are great but the feelings I still have of jumping around just outside the castle will never be replicated again I don’t think. Mario 64 is objectively a much better game too but I also love sonic adventure. Hell I booted it up on my Dreamcast a couple weeks ago
 

nkarafo

Member
Not true. It was bundled with the console in the PAL region.

I know this as a fact because that's how my family got this game.

*Sigh* I remember starting this game for the first time and being in awe after seeing the very first Goomba being flattened.
I'm also in PAL territory and there was no bundle with Mario 64, at least not for a while. I got both the N64 and the game separately, in 1997.
 

BlackTron

Member
Both games are great, i agree Mario 64 is objectively more polished and have more streamlined gameplay, but i think people also underestimate the ambition SA1 had, varied gameplay styles, a larger focus on story, NPC's that react to what happens in said story, a fullfledged tamagotchi minigame for example and also being more true to the 2D Sonic games by being mostly a linear platformer, while Mario 64 was a collect-a-thon closer to the Treasure Hunting stages. if anything Mario 64 is closer to a 2D Sonic game with skilfull players being able to exploit Mario's momentum and wide array of abiltiies to speedrun trough stages and reach stars as fast as possible.

and even with how good SM64 is, Sonic Adventure had more charm, weither it was the cheesy cutscenes that told an actual plot beyond "Mario rescues Princess" or the NPC's with their own little side stories that reacted to what happened as said plot progressed, Mario didn't implement that any of that until Sunshine and maybe Odyssey. SA1 also has a more varied and underrated soundtrack.

dude fuck off Chao were the best. and Amy wasn't that bad either it played like a normal platformer. same with the overworld wich had more charm than 64's

acting like it's objective, like i said SM64 might of been better but a lot of people including me find SA1 to be a very enjoyable experience even outside of people's Nostalgia. if people gave it a chance it's a very solid and fun game.

Hey Sonic Adventure is in my top ten most played games ever. I spent a ludicrous number of hours playing this title. It was over 100 hours even before I double dipped on the GCN version.

Just saying, it was a lot more impressive in 99 than it is now. Most of the additional features not found in Mario 64 such as npcs and hub worlds aren't something that I think is critical for a Sonic game. I don't find the cheesy cutscenes to be a feature, just a nuisance. The game was certainly ambitious which is admirable, but as I said in my other post it was over ambitious. Sometimes it's better to focus on what you can do well than to spread things thin with lots of half baked additions. It did get other critical aspects right where future titles failed, notably control and physics. Also it has the GOAT ost.

I have tried to play the PS3 and PC versions of the game and they just look and feel horrible. Not a good way to try it.
But I agree Sonic Adventure is a legitimately great Sonic game with a lot of extra shit attached to it. Mario 64 simply gave you the Mario game while skipping all that extra crap. So while the two games may be a toss up based on preference of their core gameplay, Mario does not add much to the equation but that gameplay. Sonic Team spent so much time on various ambitious features that the gameplay could have used a bit more tightening up, but was still a successful transition of Sonic to 3D and worth playing.
 

Bragr

Banned
600 years ago, this thread would have been burned on the stake for heresy. There is more quality in the wall jump mechanics in Mario 64 than the entire game of Sonic Adventure.
 
Bullshit. Mario 64 was sold as a standalone.
I didn't say it didn't, I said there were times it was given away with the console, pay attention.

Also, you seem to be talking about the controller itself, not the game's actual controls. Because we both know Mario 64's controls are pretty much perfect.
If the controls were perfect than the controller it was designed to play on wouldn't be bad. The bad controller makes Mario's 64's controls bad by default, it plays bad even with a DS controller it plays bad on the DS too.

The camera is still better than most 3D platform games and definitely better than Sonic's awful, glitchy one.

I never mentioned Sonics camera.
 

mcjmetroid

Member
Not true. It was bundled with the console in the PAL region.

I know this as a fact because that's how my family got this game.

*Sigh* I remember starting this game for the first time and being in awe after seeing the very first Goomba being flattened.
I'm also in PAL territory and there was no bundle with Mario 64, at least not for a while. I got both the N64 and the game separately, in 1997.
Why is this even a discussion though? Even if mario 64 sold 500 copies and Sonic Adventure sold 5,000,000.... It doesn't matter...... which is the game people remember more fondly now?
 
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Not true. It was bundled with the console in the PAL region.

I know this as a fact because that's how my family got this game.
There you go.

SA1 had arguably as much influence as Mario 64 when it came to the 3D platformers later on like Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter.
Crash Bandicoot can actually make this claim, even on Mario itself, not sure about Sonic.

You had shit like croc on PS1 that was the closest thing or jumping flash.
What became Croc influenced M64, and Croc sold a lot and has a very loyal and attack ready fanbase, but lucky for you I don't think they are on this site.

or hell even PC at that time that released a 3D platform game of that quality.
Console gamers projecting. Do you actually know there wasn't a quality 3D platformer on PC (or other) or do you just want to believe there wasn't because you aren't familiar with what came out on it?
 
Why is this even a discussion though? Even if mario 64 sold 500 copies and Sonic Adventure sold 5,000,000.... It doesn't matter...... which is the game people remember more fondly now?
The bundle thing was part of Blacktrons Mario game Crash sales argument, it wasn't about Sonic.

He didn't take into account multiple Mario pack-ins later in N64s life, and Crash 2 and 3 being things while M64 was the only main Mario title on the N64.

Including estimated Pal sales Crash 2 sold 8 million which was more than Crash 1's rounded 7, it makes a good case of splitting the userbase, as does Crash 3. If Crash 1 was the only game or it Crash 2 didn't release until 98 or 99 It probably would have sold as well as GT if not more.

But that's a different topic.
 

nkarafo

Member
The bad controller makes Mario's 64's controls bad by default, it plays bad even with a DS controller it plays bad on the DS too.
N64 controller isn't that bad, i played the game there perfectly. And it plays even better with the XBOX one controller, which proves the actual controls aren't really tied to a single controler.

Saying Mario 64 controls are bad is a new level of crazy. Modern Sonic fanboys once again true to their reputation.


What became Croc influenced M64
Incredible.

Croc was released more than a year after Mario 64.

Did you actually posted that Croc influenced Mario 64? Or did i read that wrong?
 
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N64 controller isn't that bad, i played the game there perfectly. And it plays even better with the XBOX one controller, which proves the actual controls aren't really tied to a single controler.

Saying Mario 64 controls are bad is a new level of crazy. Modern Sonic fanboys once again true to their reputation.
Where did Sonic come from? You seem to be desperately trying to find a way to defend the bad controls and controller.

Incredible.

Croc was released more than a year after Mario 64.

Did you actually posted that Croc influenced Mario 64? Or did i read that wrong?
Actually yes, you did read that wrong and considering how simple the post is I didn't know how.

It doesn't say Croc influenced M64, it says WHAT BECAME CROC influenced M64. It started as a Yoshi game and Nintendo broke off with the developers without paying for the work that was done
 
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nkarafo

Member
You seem to be desperately trying to find a way to defend the bad controls and controller.
First time i see someone say Mario 64 has bad controls. You are either a troll or you never played it and lie about it.

It doesn't say Croc influenced M64, it says WHAT BECAME CROC influenced M64. It started as a Yoshi game and Nintendo broke off with the developers without paying for the work that was done
And where exactly the "influenced M64" comes from? Is there any official info or you just assume that? Mario 64 started development in 1994, pretty sure there wasn't much around to base the whole final game. Also that early tech demo you probably talk about isn't Croc. It's an early super FX demo. Croc was a mediocre game compared to Mario 64, despite being released a full+ year later. So i highly doubt Mario 64 was based on an early demo that became an inferior game anyway. Unless the "inspiration" was "let's make Mario 3D". Well, yeah, Mario 64 wasn't the first 3D game anyway.
 

AJUMP23

Gold Member
Both haven't aged too well but both of these games were the first time Sonic and Mario transitioned to 3D platforming. Each are also often said to be the best 3D entries in each franchise, though Galaxy 2 gets many nods often.

So which mascot had a better transition to 3D title, Sonic or Mario?
Mario 64 has aged fine.....It is also one of the greatest games ever made, this isn't even a contest.
 

Kholinar

Banned
Sonic Adventure has better music, fully fledged story, better levels, better hub world, longer, etc.

I seriously struggle to think of anything that 64 does better than it.

Edit: Hilarious to see people confront me with reaction images instead of actual arguments. I'm seeing lots of one-sentence answers in this thread with no elaboration as to why 64 is particularly better than Adventure. INB4 people parrot IGN's 'hurr durr it aged badly' ad infinitum without giving any due deliberation to that wrongful sentiment.
 
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SoulTas

Neo Member
Console gamers projecting. Do you actually know there wasn't a quality 3D platformer on PC (or other) or do you just want to believe there wasn't because you aren't familiar with what came out on it?
Everyone who was alive in the mid or late 90's knows there was nothing nearly as good on PC. If you are too young to know these things you can do some research before doubting someone.

PC gamers went bonkers for Ultra HLE because they could have a taste of Mario 64 pretty early.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
Sonic Adventure has better music, fully fledged story, better levels, better hub world, longer, etc.

I seriously struggle to think of anything that 64 does better than it.

Edit: Hilarious to see people confront me with reaction images instead of actual arguments. I'm seeing lots of one-sentence answers in this thread with no elaboration as to why 64 is particularly better than Adventure. INB4 people parrot IGN's 'hurr durr it aged badly' ad infinitum without giving any due deliberation to that wrongful sentiment.
sonic the hedgehog GIF


Also sonic had the better movie fact.
I do like sonic adventure. I love it on the Dreamcast and the GC.

I’m just messing.
Tbh the Dreamcast killing sega off was a sad day.
 
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Aldynes

Member
First time i see someone say Mario 64 has bad controls. You are either a troll or you never played it and lie about it.


And where exactly the "influenced M64" comes from? Is there any official info or you just assume that? Mario 64 started development in 1994, pretty sure there wasn't much around to base the whole final game. Also that early tech demo you probably talk about isn't Croc. It's an early super FX demo. Croc was a mediocre game compared to Mario 64, despite being released a full+ year later. So i highly doubt Mario 64 was based on an early demo that became an inferior game anyway. Unless the "inspiration" was "let's make Mario 3D". Well, yeah, Mario 64 wasn't the first 3D game anyway.
Argonaut Software did pitch a game to Nintendo for a Yoshi themed game with a demo " It was first pitched to Nintendo as a prototype for a 3D platform game in which the player controlled Yoshi from Nintendo's Super Mario series, but was ultimately rejected by Nintendo, ending the relationship and prompting Argonaut to retool the game as an original property. The game's characters and game mechanics were designed by Simon Keating in his first-ever video game project. " source wikipedia

And if you still don't believe it :
 

nkarafo

Member
Argonaut Software did pitch a game to Nintendo for a Yoshi themed game with a demo " It was first pitched to Nintendo as a prototype for a 3D platform game in which the player controlled Yoshi from Nintendo's Super Mario series, but was ultimately rejected by Nintendo, ending the relationship and prompting Argonaut to retool the game as an original property. The game's characters and game mechanics were designed by Simon Keating in his first-ever video game project. " source wikipedia
Still, the final game is a lot more things than a single tech demo/prototype it might took the initial idea from. You can't just take every single thing about Mario 64 and credit that supposed demo for it. Did that demo have similar levels and level design? The same controls? It was a Super FX demo, i doubt it had anything more than a flat surface and a box to jump onto.
 

Impotaku

Member
Console gamers projecting. Do you actually know there wasn't a quality 3D platformer on PC (or other) or do you just want to believe there wasn't because you aren't familiar with what came out on it?
Please go ahead & show me a PC 3D platform game that was on the quality level of mario 64 before mario 64 came along. Lol yeah i'll wait, i'm not projecting i was around at that time mario 64 was released, i was in my 20's and i know exactly what it was like in the 90's.
 

Aldynes

Member
Still, the final game is a lot more things than a single tech demo/prototype it might took the initial idea from. You can't just take every single thing about Mario 64 and credit that supposed demo for it. Did that demo have similar levels and level design? The same controls? It was a Super FX demo, i doubt it had anything more than a flat surface and a box to jump onto.
You are right, even if Nintendo took their tech and ideas for a 3D platformer it wouldn't have turned into Mario 64 by luck or just following some pitch, what is wrong though is to either deny it by omission or intentionally that Nintendo screwed Argonaut and based of the concept for Mario 64 initially from that Argonaut tech demo about a 3D platformer featuring Yoshi, that's what happened you can't RE-write history to fit your opinions, facts are facts.

And YES Mario 64 deserves every praise it got
Super Mario 64 is one of the most important game of all time and it's well deserved, the enormous obstacles it had to overcome were the most frightening in the short history of the medium as a whole :

The jump from 2D to 3D, it was the far west, the technology was capable enough but the tools were lacking, the experienced programmers in 3D a rarity and every studios struggled during the transition, the temptation of going the easy route by transposing 2D gameplay into a 3D world, building a controller that allow 360° freedom of motions and camera controls.

Succeeding to Super Mario bros 1, (3) and world, each were crowning achievements at their time, 1 and world were launch titles too and system sellers, these games re invented platforming games and video games.

The cartridge format was a huge problem, not only cartridge data space was expensive and thus resulted in early games being 4MB to 8MB, the textures, sound were vastly impacted due to the lack of space available, considering SEGA and SONY had the CD format with 700MB available for their games NINTENDO were loosing the battle of 3rd party devs (SQUARESOFT) and their motives for keeping this old format was viewed as a desperate attempt to keep their high royalties fees and control.
SPOILER: SEE THIS REDDITOR ANECDOTE

The NINTENDO 64 took way too long, from it's "ULTRA 64" teasing in arcades with far better specs, the prospect of a SILICON GRAPHICS workstation power in a home console for just 249$ (then 199$ !) , the various delays, the hype from the various magazines, speculations... the PLAYSTATION and SATURN were months old at that point, with incredible leaps from their early titles to what they got in 1996, VIRTUA FIGHTER 2, PANZER DRAGOON ZWEI, WIPEOUT 2097(XL) RESIDENT EVIL !

SUPER MARIO 64 took 3 years to develop, an absurd amount of time for 1996, it was unheard of, the N64 controller was conceived around it (the analogue stick and C-buttons.)

The entire NINTENDO 64 plan was : SUPER MARIO 64, the success and future of the company was put behind it, from early as Nintendo Space World '95 when they decided to delay the system to '96 to have the game ready at launch, to the declaration of then Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi that "it would be the best video game ever created", it had massive expectations, even more when considering the Virtual Boy fiasco and the aging Super Nintendo, the CD-add-on debacle with SONY and PHILIPS.

And then, the game released, I remember at that time seeing on news at TV kids playing it, the fascination for the controller and what Mario could do, then seeing it in action at a friend house, the hub world castle with the paintings, the stars to collect, the objectives, the different effects from metal Mario to the weird ripples effect of the entry to hazy maze cave, the brilliant game design for each "puzzles" it was a revolution and the template for every game since, hell TOMB RAIDER came a few week after, but it was too late history had been made and everyone had Mario 64 to thank for it.

If you want to capture this particular era in great details I highly suggest you to read EDGE magazines from November '95 to July '96 or if you want to make it shorter just the preview and review of Mario 64 in EDGE 34 and EDGE 35, EDGE was THE magazine at the time, nothing like EDGE of today, and Super Mario 64 earned the first 10/10 from the magazine, truly a time capsule and thankfully we had plenty of scans of it archived in the website I linked from 1993 to 2002 every issue is available.
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
You guys just aren’t taking Sonic seriously enough. There’s a lot of depth and nuance to the Sonic universe. It taught me so much about how to believe in myself, and about cross-species sexual relationships.
 

rubenburgt

Member
Sonic Adventure has better music, fully fledged story, better levels, better hub world, longer, etc.
Visually and story wise is it indeed better than Mario 64, but definitely not the music. The levels and hub world are designed for the playstyle of the characters so I don't think there can be good comparison.

But you miss something in that list of yours. Gameplay.

seriously struggle to think of anything that 64 does better than it.
And gameplay is something Mario 64 does better in my opinion. I mean, does anyone remember the knuckles gameplay? Yikes.

Mario 64 was THE game that is paired other 3d games. This is very impressive in my opinion because they managed to make a 3d game without having any references and managed to fit it on a cartridge with a small storage capacity. This was not the case for sonic. That game was released a couple years later and on a CD.
 

RetroAV

Member
I know Mario 64 is definitely more polished, but I've never felt the motivation to finish the game. Sonic was always more appealing to me. Sonic Adventure, in particular, was the first game that truly gave me that playable animated movie type of vibe with its cast of characters and their personalities brought to life through the voice actors who did great for the most part (except Big). Add to that the hub worlds/npc's which added to the whole "adventure" aspect of the game (please bring it back) and the kickass, epic soundtrack (especially at the end...goosebumps!) and you have a recipe for an unforgettable classic!

Could Sonic Adventure have been more polished? Sure, but I will NEVER forget the things it did right! The positives outweighed the negatives for me on this one and Sonic Adventure still stands as my favorite 3D Sonic to this day!
 
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