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What were your impressions of Mario 64 when it was released?
- Thread starter urfe
- Start date
I think its more likely that the people who say crash was better were ps1 owners and did not own a n64 at the time. There was alot of pick your side back then and alot of people could not afford to buy both consoles.
You can like crash more than mario for sure (I love Crash 2 to death), but to compare their tech, achievements, presentation, influence and so on, is madness.
This is one pathetic post. How old are you?
The thing is, Mario 64 doesn't rank very high in any of those areas (except influence, but that doesn't really have anything to do with quality). Mario 64 and Crash focused on very different design philosophies, so in one sense it's a little foolhardy to compare them in the first place, but Mario 64 was littered with problems that seem to get overlooked due to it being the first of its kind, while Crash Bandicoot was executed near-flawlessly. If you want an example of Mario 64 done correctly, look no further than Banjo-Kazooie.
jts
...hate me...
I'm 29, thanks for asking.
Based on your posting history in this thread alone, I don't believe you have the necessary grounds to point out pathetic posts from others.
D.Lo
Member
Possible, but I think those buttons are extremely likely to be ones created by Sega or Sony's marketing departments.
There are certain things naturally self evident about the comparison. Mario 64 is almost universally seen as an absolute masterstroke of game design, that sent the whole medium several years forward and yet did it in an astonishingly confident, varied, polished and yet playful way. It's so confident and refined it's almost like a third or fourth sequel, and yet it was the first of its kind.
Even for someone who doesn't like the actual game, it was an extremely thorough tech and idea demonstration of what was coming in the future.
Goldenroad
Member
"This 3d thing is just a fad. They could have made an amazing 2d mario game instead."
Turns out I was wrong.
Turns out I was wrong.
hymanator
Member
Pretty interesting point. There are not many games that I can think of where I remember exactly where I was when I first played it, but I specifically remember playing a Japanese imported N64 and test driving Mario 64 at a local shop called "Game Trader". My jaw hit the floor when I saw how amazing everything looked. The 3d environment, smooth frame rate, mip mapping and the analog controls made me feel like I was playing a game system from the future.
daninthemix
Member
This thread could be turned into quite an interesting study if every post also included answers to these two questions:
1) How old were you when you played it? (and did you play it on first release?)
2) Was it your first experience of true 3D, or had you extensively played games like Tomb Raider and Jumping Flash before it?
As someone who was 16 when I played it, and did so after playing (and adoring) Tomb Raider, I was as underwhelmed by SM64 as I was annoyed by its many flaws (lack of movement precision, excruciatingly poor camera etc).
1) How old were you when you played it? (and did you play it on first release?)
2) Was it your first experience of true 3D, or had you extensively played games like Tomb Raider and Jumping Flash before it?
As someone who was 16 when I played it, and did so after playing (and adoring) Tomb Raider, I was as underwhelmed by SM64 as I was annoyed by its many flaws (lack of movement precision, excruciatingly poor camera etc).
I like this idea.
1. I was 19 or 20 when the game came out, and I hated it. I had a very difficult time playing the game and adjusting the camera. It didn't help that I just didn't get the N64 controller at the time either.
2. It was my first experience with a 3-D game, and I know that was part of the problem. A couple years later I took another go at it after I'd played Spyro the Dragon and Ocarina of Time, and between those two games I sort of overcame the gap between playing 2-D and 3-D, and I was able to enjoy Mario 64.
1. I was 19 or 20 when the game came out, and I hated it. I had a very difficult time playing the game and adjusting the camera. It didn't help that I just didn't get the N64 controller at the time either.
2. It was my first experience with a 3-D game, and I know that was part of the problem. A couple years later I took another go at it after I'd played Spyro the Dragon and Ocarina of Time, and between those two games I sort of overcame the gap between playing 2-D and 3-D, and I was able to enjoy Mario 64.
HolyBaikal
Banned
I was addicted to the idea of free-flying, more than anything.
The game was a great tech demo for 3D technology. And is still a great 3D game, especially considering how colourful and vibrant and simple it is in comparison to a lot of the games out there today.
The feeling of depth was very new. And was such an experience to me that I often felt disoriented. It was like experiencing the Oculus Rift for the first time.
Flying, for instance, was exhilarating. It actually felt like I was there.
It's still quite enjoyable experience, still. Not as amazing as it was then, because it has been done many times now. But many 3D games still don't really do much impressive with their technology.
For instance, Klonoa 2 on the PlayStaton 2 managed a similar feeling in the waterboarding level. When you jump down from a waterfall it feels a bit like you're actually there, and is reminiscent of Super Mario 64. And was doing something purposely for immersion that a lot of 3D games still aren't doing.
The fact I felt it evoked again in Klonoa 2 several years later, but not so much on most of the Nintendo 64 or PlayStation library, I think shows that. Super Mario 64 was a tech demo for 3D and its purpose was, in many places, to get you to experience depth. In ways that few games since then have done. And often so, only even occasionally. Klonoa 2 certainly succeeds in the Jungle Slider level.
This makes Super Mario 64 a game that stands the test of time.
The game was a great tech demo for 3D technology. And is still a great 3D game, especially considering how colourful and vibrant and simple it is in comparison to a lot of the games out there today.
The feeling of depth was very new. And was such an experience to me that I often felt disoriented. It was like experiencing the Oculus Rift for the first time.
Flying, for instance, was exhilarating. It actually felt like I was there.
It's still quite enjoyable experience, still. Not as amazing as it was then, because it has been done many times now. But many 3D games still don't really do much impressive with their technology.
For instance, Klonoa 2 on the PlayStaton 2 managed a similar feeling in the waterboarding level. When you jump down from a waterfall it feels a bit like you're actually there, and is reminiscent of Super Mario 64. And was doing something purposely for immersion that a lot of 3D games still aren't doing.
The fact I felt it evoked again in Klonoa 2 several years later, but not so much on most of the Nintendo 64 or PlayStation library, I think shows that. Super Mario 64 was a tech demo for 3D and its purpose was, in many places, to get you to experience depth. In ways that few games since then have done. And often so, only even occasionally. Klonoa 2 certainly succeeds in the Jungle Slider level.
This makes Super Mario 64 a game that stands the test of time.
MightyHedgehog
Member
Total fucking awe. Played the hell out of it at E3 '96 and imported it along with the system to play it just a bit earlier than the US release. Sure, there was Jumping Flash on the PSX before that and Tomb Raider the same year, but the analog control was and still is the most immediate differentiator and, along with the laid-back environments and pacing, why it's still my favorite of the 3D Marios. Would happily buy an HD remake on Wii U or, even better, a proper sequel that follows its vibe rather than just another Galaxy.
Then you have taken nothing from this thread.
Plenty of people much prefer the Crash games over Mario 64.
Cotton McKnight
Member
First impression, this game looks awesome.
Game time realizations, I hate you camera, and why is Mario spazzing out and not going where I am instructing him to go? lol
I maybe put 6 hours into this game before I gave up on the pure frustration that was the controls.
Game time realizations, I hate you camera, and why is Mario spazzing out and not going where I am instructing him to go? lol
I maybe put 6 hours into this game before I gave up on the pure frustration that was the controls.
If anything that argument swings the other way, Mario being a staple name in the industry as much as he is now.
From my personal experience I saw no advertisements for either game except for playing the demo units.
Waylon Drums
Member
I was around 14 or 15 I think. I played it at the demo kiosk in Blockbuster and I just ran around in circles marveling at the controls. It was glorious.
MFW:
EDIT: OP, why no Internet? I was on N64.com (now IGN) er'y DAY.
I frigging loved N64.com! Then ign happened...
HolyBaikal
Banned
More stories about flying. I used to beg my parents to let me stay at Target a little bit longer. Just so I could keep playing and try flying.
It was like an amusement park ride. A water slide, in my case. I just wanted to ride it over and over all day.
I always did lover swimming and water amusement rides as a kid. Some of my fondest memories as a kid was going on a water slide ride at a theme park for 6 hours straight. Who needs roller coasters, when water-slides are just as good.
Super Mario 64 was just the same. I didn't get the game until years later, because my family was poor, and could only afford one system for me, and I got a PlayStation. I had to play it at a friend's place, or at stores that had display models for a long time. But the game was still a big deal to me. I kind of wish I could do back in time and give my childhood self the adult experiences I've had. If I was so blown away by Super Mario 64 then, I can't imagine how blown away I would have been by Super Mario Galaxy.
It was like an amusement park ride. A water slide, in my case. I just wanted to ride it over and over all day.
I always did lover swimming and water amusement rides as a kid. Some of my fondest memories as a kid was going on a water slide ride at a theme park for 6 hours straight. Who needs roller coasters, when water-slides are just as good.
Super Mario 64 was just the same. I didn't get the game until years later, because my family was poor, and could only afford one system for me, and I got a PlayStation. I had to play it at a friend's place, or at stores that had display models for a long time. But the game was still a big deal to me. I kind of wish I could do back in time and give my childhood self the adult experiences I've had. If I was so blown away by Super Mario 64 then, I can't imagine how blown away I would have been by Super Mario Galaxy.
H_Prestige
Banned
I first saw it at a demo station at best buy, back when they had the huge jumbotron TV in the middle of the store. The person who was playing it was just running mario around the outside castle area. I was absolutely dumbstruck. My entire concept of games up to that point was just 2d sidescrollers or fighting games.
Well the first N64 game I played was DK64. Needless to say SM64 paled in comparison. To go from a game with huge open worlds, 5 characters to control, new moves and weapons to acquire, a boss fight at the end of every level, and so much shit to collect, SM64 didn't fare well with its simple colour palette, small worlds, and just 5 stars and 8 red coins to collect in each that felt way more linear because you had to choose your star before entering.
You think this is a positive, but it isn't.
DK64 is ass. In general, Rare's platformers aren't fit to lick Mario's polygonal butthole.
Doctor_Thomas
Member
You wouldn't think it given some reactions.
Rare's platformers took the Mario formula and improved them everywhere.
Dion Blaster
Member
Mario 64's arsenal of jumps and moves has still yet to be improved on, and it was the first real 3D platformer. Banjo is great and one of my favorite games ever, but it really just took the Mario 64 formula and stretched it out with collect-a-thons.
They improved nothing, the level design is worse for platforming, and replaced by having to hunt for collectibles.
Not really, no. It exhibits many of the unrefined, rough edges one would expect from what is essentially a proto- 3D game. Labeling it or even expecting it to be flawless out of the gate is crazy.
The game together with the N64 controller comprised several failed solutions for controlling a 3D game: camera control mapped to face buttons, goofy three pronged controllers, and all manner of fixed and non fixed setups - oh god, it was terrible. That's why the dual analog setup would have to come along and save us, and then the 3D revolution could begin in earnest.
I know it was inevitable that this type of thread would become a glorification/celebration thread, but there always seems to be 2 elephants in the room when discussing this game, that despite several people bringing up again and again, are casually ignored: 1) the aforementioned camera/control issues, and 2) the adventure/exploration slant, that has you running across lots of flat, barren ground looking for platforms to jump, which is obviously not going to be to everyone's taste. And still, for some reason, lots of people insist it's this flawless piece of media and that if you enjoy another game more than it, you must be taking crazy pills.
Dion Blaster
Member
The camera was pretty easy to control, and I really don't see what was so confusing about the controller. Just hold the middle prong with your left hand and you have access to 6 face buttons.
But really, I agree with the idea it feels like a sequel. For a game of its kind to come out with such polish and great ideas that all worked is incredible. His moveset, the level layout and order, the castle hub, the secrets, the flying cap, the music and sound effects. It's incredible how well all these came together on the first try. And the game has aged magnificently compared to most 64/PS1 games thanks to its simple use of vibrant colors.
terrisus
Member
Yeah, I don't remember if it was in a Nintendo Power or what (that's probably where it was from), but it absolutely fascinated me.
daninthemix
Member
I agree completely with all of this, and would like to add how some of the inch-thick platforms demanded precision that the controls simply did not facilitate (such as how Mario takes a step forward when you try to turn him left or right), being vomited out of the level after every star was a pointless annoyance (one of many things Banjo-Kazooie corrected in its implementation of 3D platforming), and despite the visage of free, open worlds, many surfaces were sloped or hazardous, making them useless and the worlds much smaller in reality than they appeared.
Nose Master
Member
I rented the import from a local place. My impressions were "oh god fuck that water level that eel is terrifying."
It was a magical experience, but I was also pretty young.
It was a magical experience, but I was also pretty young.
terrisus
Member
People always mention the controller, with comments about the three prongs, but, I can't remember a single game that required you to use the D-pad, Analogue stick, and face buttons all at the same time. Using Mario 64 as an example, all you needed was the middle area and the right area. The left area was just there for 2D games - Mischief Makers, Kirby 64, The New Tetris, etc. It had nothing to do with the control of Mario 64.
One can complain about the lack of a 2nd analogue stick if one wants (but then, aside from the NiGHTS controller, even one analogue stick on a controller was a pretty new idea itself), but, complaining about the 3 prongs has always seemed irrelevant.
It was "mind-blowing" to me, I guess, when I was 19, had been gaming since I was 5, and had a PC which I played some games on.
So while I completely understand that it was not "mind-blowing" for some people, it's not that I am "making it out" to be mind-blowing, it actually was. Maybe I don't really understand the phrase, but "making it out to be mind-blowing" seems to imply to me that there is some fakery or trickery, or dishonesty or something.
It's not from being young or from nostalgia - as an experienced gamer when it was released, it genuinely was so fun to play that I didn't need to fake it or be hyperbolic in the least in order to describe my experience with it this way.
Saw it in 96, was amazed.
Played it - face = melted.
That's how it was.
nkarafo
Member
I loved the freedom of movement, the exploration and the move set. The controls are nearly perfect and you can perform amazing moves that you don't necessarily have to, but they work if you want to take shortcuts (both intended and unintended by the developers), find hidden and out of reach places or do speed runs.
The comparison with Crash is laughable. Crash is a simple platformer that has restricted design and plays like a 2D game. Of course a game like that is much easier to make and the small restricted world allow better graphics because of the fixed perspective. Having said that, I don't consider Mario64 a N64 showcase anyway since Banjo Kazooie proved that the N64 could do big worlds AND pretty graphics/textures. But it was a showcase in gameplay for sure.
The comparison with Crash is laughable. Crash is a simple platformer that has restricted design and plays like a 2D game. Of course a game like that is much easier to make and the small restricted world allow better graphics because of the fixed perspective. Having said that, I don't consider Mario64 a N64 showcase anyway since Banjo Kazooie proved that the N64 could do big worlds AND pretty graphics/textures. But it was a showcase in gameplay for sure.
Have you ever played Jumping Flash! (or its sequel)? The sense of vertigo that that game instilled went unmatched until Mirror's Edge came out.
Sorry, but this is just wrong. I'm not a fan of collectathons, but Banjo-Kazooie was so much more than that. Unlike Mario 64, the levels were thoughtfully laid out and were full of unique setpieces, puzzles, and enemies that weren't completely brainless. Mechanically speaking, Banjo and Kazooie not only had a longer list of moves than Mario in Mario 64 did, but unlike Mario 64, all of the moves were actually necessary at certain parts of the game, while Mario's acrobatics were almost completely superfluous in light of the game's trivial platforming obstacles. I'll admit that there was probably a bit too much trinket collecting, but aside from that BK's design blew Mario 64 away.
RoadHazard
Gold Member
The first time I saw the game running in a game store I was absolutely amazed. It was the most awesome thing I had ever seen. Then I got it, and it was the most awesome thing I had ever played. The Galaxy games are now objectively better, but SM64 was a damn revolution when it was released. Subjectively it had a larger impact on me than any platformer (game?) since.
bodeiseifer
Member
my impressions were it's not 2d, fuck 3d.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
When my crew all got the latest Nintendo Power video tape in the mail pimping out Mario 64 in 3d it was an OMG experience. I remember being at my neighbor's house watching it with some of the crew and I was like "OMG LOOK AT MARIO TURN THE KEY IN 3D!!"
We use to all try and go up the street to our local blockbuster as much as possible to try the game out before launch on the demo station.
Then when I finally got the game it was a mesmerizing experience. That Jolly Roger Bay music! :O
We use to all try and go up the street to our local blockbuster as much as possible to try the game out before launch on the demo station.
Then when I finally got the game it was a mesmerizing experience. That Jolly Roger Bay music! :O
IAmRandom31
Banned
Mine were " holy crap I can run around and climb up trees! Check out the backflip! I'm SWIMMING! " yeah general new to the 3D stuff lol. I probably spent the first hours just running around the Castle and doing various tricks and such
Was an amazing experience, and still one of the best camera systems of a 3D game like that.
Was an amazing experience, and still one of the best camera systems of a 3D game like that.
Perform all the aerobics and mental gymnastics you want, there is no way you can spin Mario 64 as anything less than an industry defining moment. The day they showed Mario 64 was the day many third party and first party games on other systems went straight back to the drawing board. Many have publicly admitted this.
You are also blowing your personal gripes with the N64 controller way out of proportion to help your argument. Even now most games designed for that controller hold up pretty damn well.
The camera in M64 was also controllable with the C-buttons. The perceived jank you see now is the result of years of refining camera systems in games, but M64 paved the way with a solid foundation everyone else built on, with Ocarina introducing other industry standards such as lock-on, re-centering etc...
And short-lived control stick aside, the N64 controller was ergonomically very comfortable, "silly" three pronged design and all.
CerebralTiger
Member
It was among the first two 3D games I played, the second being Tomb Raider. Mario 64 blew me away, Tomb Raider not so much.
Ah jeez. Really?
Reminds me how there's always a bunch of guys showing up in Mario Kart threads going on and on about how much better Crash Team Racing is than any Mario Kart ever created and how that's a fact.
I loved Crash when it came out and bought all 3 of them on release day. Hell, I even had a friend drive us halfway across the country to pick up Crash 1 since it wasn't available anywhere else on release day for whatever reason. Granted, Belgium is tiny, but still.
While looking rather pretty, Crash doesn't have anything on Mario 64 as far as impact or overall quality as a 3D platformer goes.
Heck, Crash 1 isn't even a full 3D platformer, it's basically an on-rails one in the "3D"stages. :-/
And this is even worse.... SMHI think it's a religion thing:
Crazypanda_85
Member
You are not alone. I really wasn't a huge fan of Mario 64 and or the N64. Most of my friends played Goldeneye, South Park and WWE games on the system. When I look back at the N64, there were a few random titles I did like (Pokemon Snap, Smash Bros. and Clayfighter are a few that pop in my mind) but overall, I wasn't a huge fan.. I didn't hate the system but most of the games that I really loved where on other consoles.