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Speaking of Super Mario 64, how does the game hold up after 18 years?
- Thread starter Afrocious
- Start date
Retrocore9
Banned
One of the best games ever made. It's only real rival is Super Mario Galaxy.
thisisalan
Member
Still holds up for sure. I don't think I'll ever get tired of quick runs through the first 20 stars or so.
Also, that Mathewmatosis review is delightful. Thanks for the pointer to it!
Also, that Mathewmatosis review is delightful. Thanks for the pointer to it!
Corronchilejano
Member
Mario 64 allowed you to choose your own path to achieve your objective. Its the only game where I consider the player to be truly free. All the power is there from the first moment. All that is required from the player, is to master the skill needed to make the most of it.
as a teenager who expected "project reality" to be the end all be all of gaming, it came up kind of short. but was still an amazing experience. i remember my friend rented a console with the game before it came out in the US and i couldn't stop thinking about it when we took breaks to play outside.
in retrospect i didn't care too much for the star collecting system, it felt like a retread after going through the same levels. and some of the latter stages seemed to kind of repeat themselves. but that's from a solely critical standpoint. still amazing
in retrospect i didn't care too much for the star collecting system, it felt like a retread after going through the same levels. and some of the latter stages seemed to kind of repeat themselves. but that's from a solely critical standpoint. still amazing
dickgumshoe
Member
It was a revolutionary title, paved the way for 3D action games in general, showed how awesome controls in 3D could be, all while being very creative with its level design.
It just wasn't very good at platforming, more of a platformer/adventure hybrid.
It just wasn't very good at platforming, more of a platformer/adventure hybrid.
I'm afraid there will never be a 3D platformer Mario that controls as fast, fluidly, acrobatic and rewarding. I really hope they don't continue 3D World's philosophy of everything being very slow and lumbering over extremely large platforms so grandma and grandpa can survive in 4-player. It takes a lot away from single player.
It still holds up shockingly well, I can agree.
I actually think the visuals hold up pretty nicely as well. It's perhaps the best looking N64 game out there due to the fact that it was designed within the constraints of the system. It delivers a mostly stable frame-rate and they didn't try to push for details the system couldn't handle.
Texture work is especially brilliant - the N64 couldn't handle larger, detailed textures yet many games insisted on trying to present intricate texture detail with a reduced resolution that resulted in ugly surfaces everywhere. Mario 64 stuck with a lot of simple textures and relied on texture filtering to give it a unique look. Many surfaces had smooth colors and simple patterns that looked great when filtered as they weren't attempting to present lots of detail - and when they did go for more detail they usually had enough resources left to actually do it justice. It's a really smart design.
I actually think the visuals hold up pretty nicely as well. It's perhaps the best looking N64 game out there due to the fact that it was designed within the constraints of the system. It delivers a mostly stable frame-rate and they didn't try to push for details the system couldn't handle.
Texture work is especially brilliant - the N64 couldn't handle larger, detailed textures yet many games insisted on trying to present intricate texture detail with a reduced resolution that resulted in ugly surfaces everywhere. Mario 64 stuck with a lot of simple textures and relied on texture filtering to give it a unique look. Many surfaces had smooth colors and simple patterns that looked great when filtered as they weren't attempting to present lots of detail - and when they did go for more detail they usually had enough resources left to actually do it justice. It's a really smart design.
In the last few months I've given it to my six year old daughter to play via the Wii. She absolutely adores it. From saving penguins, to the environment, to saving the princess from the dragon, to the 'Slider' music which makes her laugh a lot.
I will tell you one thing GAF. For a 32 year old whose been gaming for 25 years, my time with a game nigh on 20 years old - cuddling up with my little girl with her swimming around with the Dire Dire Docks music playing is probably my favourite gaming moment ever, and I've lived through most games.
A truly, truly magical game and one of the very few titles deserving of the 'classic' status that gets thrown around too easily.
I will tell you one thing GAF. For a 32 year old whose been gaming for 25 years, my time with a game nigh on 20 years old - cuddling up with my little girl with her swimming around with the Dire Dire Docks music playing is probably my favourite gaming moment ever, and I've lived through most games.
A truly, truly magical game and one of the very few titles deserving of the 'classic' status that gets thrown around too easily.
MisterGrey3000
Member
I'd say it's aged about as badly as Zelda 1; they're both solid games with great mechanics and forward thinking ideas/concepts but they're archaic and shallow.
The courses are just big empty playgrounds devoid of complex, intimidating, or varied platforming challenges and the numerous non-platforming missions (Waiting for the eel to come out of it's hole, fighting the bullies, shooting mario at a wall, freeing chain chomp, etc.) are pretty uninspired to say the least. Also, the missions that involve the power-ups are completely brain dead.
The best thing I can say about the game is the mechanics are pretty solid, but even that's got it's problems...Mario feels kind of slippery and half of the "new" moves are completely useless.
Honestly, the game would be better if the main courses were like the linear Bowser courses; they could have incorporated the missions into the levels as small breaks from continuous platforming like they do now.
Edit: Also, the mission structure is quite repetative.
The courses are just big empty playgrounds devoid of complex, intimidating, or varied platforming challenges and the numerous non-platforming missions (Waiting for the eel to come out of it's hole, fighting the bullies, shooting mario at a wall, freeing chain chomp, etc.) are pretty uninspired to say the least. Also, the missions that involve the power-ups are completely brain dead.
The best thing I can say about the game is the mechanics are pretty solid, but even that's got it's problems...Mario feels kind of slippery and half of the "new" moves are completely useless.
Honestly, the game would be better if the main courses were like the linear Bowser courses; they could have incorporated the missions into the levels as small breaks from continuous platforming like they do now.
Edit: Also, the mission structure is quite repetative.
ãInaba Residentã
Banned
I'd say its still good.
It has aged though and it shows.
It has aged though and it shows.
BumblebeeCody
Member
Ask Siglemic Kappa.
Eh, I think it still holds up pretty well. It's fun which is why.
Eh, I think it still holds up pretty well. It's fun which is why.
DragonGirl
Member
For me, BK didn't hold up to Mario when it was still new. I loved BK to death on the first play but on the second I got quite annoyed with it for various reasons. Mario, meanwhile, has held up just fine after innumerable playthroughs, the most recent one being last year.
Only bad about Mario 64 is the somewhat clunky camera which is understandable and even at that, it still works well enough as you don't need to constantly adjust it.
Cosmic Dreams
Member
Would buy so hard
ThatsMytrunks
Member
Leagues better than Galaxy.
Droopaloop
Banned
Still have my copy. Bought a new 64 cause mine got stolen during college, as well as SSB and all 4 controllers. Still love the art style, still love the music, still love the platforming. Plus the fact you can choose your path is great.
Hours Left
Member
Still amazing.
Agree. But I believe a remaster with modern 3D controls of latest Mario games will make it shine again.
... the hell?
OK, I know the camera has a few issues with respect to positioning but it's a damn fine camera anyway. Nothing else from the era even comes close. Very few dynamic cameras today are better than the one in SM64.
CoolZombie360
Member
They did, but the return of proper analogue controls would be good plus would be an excuse to play through it all over again
Just a thing with the old Nintendo made 64 games. Like they're in Uncanny Canyon. It's a common observation. Would elaborate further but I'm too lazy.
As a 33 year old that played it when he was 15, it's aged like fine wine. I can pick it up and play it just as well as back then. To you young 'uns, you need to tolerate some of the camera woes.
Oh, and the obligatory track.
Oh, and the obligatory track.
Still the only game that makes it fun to just run around in a circle, and part of the reason why that is true is the unpredictability of the combination of the camera's rules for following the level design, rules for following your character, and rules for following your commands. Every other game that made camera movements more predictable made navigation in those games less fun.
Ouch. Zelda 1 is borderline unplayable these days, whereas I'm confident that most players could happily dethrone King Bob-bomb and have a decent time.
I think there are plenty of challenging platform moments, such as the early lava levels, or the later areas with the clocks.
They definitely missed the mark with the non-platforming sections, and any sense of spectacle has been greatly diminished over time. This non-platforming stuff was much of the reason that Mario Sunshine is such an awful Mario game.
I'm new be nice
Member
There's just a certain amount of weight to Mario's movement that has felt lacking in the more recent games. Mario feels heavy without feeling unwieldy. You can still direct his position comfortably in mid-air, but when you commit to a direction you feel a lot more pressure to succeed in hitting your mark.
I think it's still the best implementation of Mario's physics. The way he kind of spins out when going into a run, that feeling of unbridled power and energy bursting out from under his feet, they haven't captured that weight since.
Maybe it's just one of those things where the first thing you try is the one that feels right to you though.
I think it's still the best implementation of Mario's physics. The way he kind of spins out when going into a run, that feeling of unbridled power and energy bursting out from under his feet, they haven't captured that weight since.
Maybe it's just one of those things where the first thing you try is the one that feels right to you though.
Mario is a bit overpowered as far as his moveset is concerned. Now that you've been acclimated to 3D for years, some stars will be laughably easy to get that once seemed difficult. (Or maybe I've just played SM64 way too many times by now).
Other than that, the game has not really aged. I don't even think the camera is an issue when you get accustomed to it. You can switch the settings on the R button to hold the camera steady for difficult sections.
Heck, I still do a run of this game a few times per year because of how beautifully it plays. It's a speed runner's playground. (I'm not a speed runner btw, but I like to try and race through levels in this game by taking alternate routes to some stars).
Other than that, the game has not really aged. I don't even think the camera is an issue when you get accustomed to it. You can switch the settings on the R button to hold the camera steady for difficult sections.
Heck, I still do a run of this game a few times per year because of how beautifully it plays. It's a speed runner's playground. (I'm not a speed runner btw, but I like to try and race through levels in this game by taking alternate routes to some stars).
Stereogatari
Banned
Still holds up for me, I replay it regularly.
Something it has which a lot of new games don't is the spontaneity of going off the track, that is to say you're finding stars that the game isn't pushing you towards. Mario Galaxy didn't really have that.
Wut. It's not pure platforming. Crash Bandicoot, Super Mario Bros/World and 3D games are pure platforming.
Something it has which a lot of new games don't is the spontaneity of going off the track, that is to say you're finding stars that the game isn't pushing you towards. Mario Galaxy didn't really have that.
Wut. It's not pure platforming. Crash Bandicoot, Super Mario Bros/World and 3D games are pure platforming.
On the topic of Mario 64, would you prefer a HD remake for 3DS or for Wii U?
I'd love to see them take the 3D World engine and style and build a fancy Mario 64 HD with this. I think they could take some of the improvements from Mario 64 DS, and they could probably work some extra challenges into those levels.
After a big original Mario game like 3D World it would be nice to get a remake like this.
I'd love to see them take the 3D World engine and style and build a fancy Mario 64 HD with this. I think they could take some of the improvements from Mario 64 DS, and they could probably work some extra challenges into those levels.
After a big original Mario game like 3D World it would be nice to get a remake like this.
Unknown Soldier
Member
It's one of the great classics of all time, but damn that camera is annoying now in 2014.
I still love it, but I agree with the comments about the levels being empty and lifeless. Say in Banjo Kazooie which stands as my all-time favourite, there are characters, even enemies have personalities, each level has its own unique characters and little stories that pop up now and again (e.g. Gobi the camel).
That being said I still think the game is a solid platformer with great mechanics, just a bit devoid of life.
That being said I still think the game is a solid platformer with great mechanics, just a bit devoid of life.
I've played both Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie fairly recently and I'll agree that Banjo-Kazooie has aged much better. It feels more focused and the levels in general are more interesting. I respect Mario 64 a lot, but I just prefer more focused platforming with more verity, like Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Whomp's fortress alone has more challenging platforming than the entirety of Banjo Kazooie lmao
HiredN00bs
Member
I still love The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario 64 and will play them to this day with unbridled joy. For me, mechanics are king. I think it's why I love Destiny so much, and your review here reminds me of the reviews for Destiny.
Jonneh3003
Banned
Whats with all the negativity about the visuals? The frame rates much smoother than a lot of early 3D games, it's not too blocky, it's colourful, I think it holds up really well in the visual department.
Whomp's Fortress has like three missions (King Thwomp, the tower and red coins) with actual platforming lmao...
