Imagine being the birth of a new genre and then for 24 years never being topped. How embarrassing for every other single 3D platformer out there. You already know the deal. Mario 64 singlehandedly and simultaneously created and revolutionized the 3D collect-a-thon genre and drew the blueprints by which every subsequent 3D videogame would follow from then on.
Controlling Mario in 64 is one of the biggest joys you can have in a videogame, with so many movement options that allow you to chain numerous jumps, somersaults, and acrobatics in a split second, creating an unmatched free form decision making experience for the player.
There's a magic to this game that I simply can't describe. Maybe it's the hub area, a mysterious castle filled with secrets and paintings that lead to other fantastical worlds. Or maybe it's the actual levels that reveal themselves the more you play around in them, with many of their stars requiring curiosity and insight from the player.
Moments like finding a portal on a wall that leads to a desert world with a pyramid, discovering a hidden submersed town inside a cave, or realizing that you can change the size of a world depending on which painting you jump into, are some of the greatest memories you can have with a game. The levels are filled with paths, platforms and secrets that fully take advantage of Mario's controls, and each one manages to differentiate itself from the others with their own unique premises, be it a mountain with gusts of wind that push you around, a underwater level with a sunken ship and a giant scary eel, or the inside of a clock, that changes its platforms speed according to the time.
Even if subsequent sequels would improve on the foundation built by 64, with more complex and detailed level design, a better camera, and more unique gimmicks and obstacles, 64 still manages to surpass them in many aspects, like it's unrivaled kinesthetics and movement options, and it's no wonder it is still seen in such high regards to this day.
There's really nothing else to say, it's one of the best games ever made. You know it, and I know it.
Controlling Mario in 64 is one of the biggest joys you can have in a videogame, with so many movement options that allow you to chain numerous jumps, somersaults, and acrobatics in a split second, creating an unmatched free form decision making experience for the player.
There's a magic to this game that I simply can't describe. Maybe it's the hub area, a mysterious castle filled with secrets and paintings that lead to other fantastical worlds. Or maybe it's the actual levels that reveal themselves the more you play around in them, with many of their stars requiring curiosity and insight from the player.
Moments like finding a portal on a wall that leads to a desert world with a pyramid, discovering a hidden submersed town inside a cave, or realizing that you can change the size of a world depending on which painting you jump into, are some of the greatest memories you can have with a game. The levels are filled with paths, platforms and secrets that fully take advantage of Mario's controls, and each one manages to differentiate itself from the others with their own unique premises, be it a mountain with gusts of wind that push you around, a underwater level with a sunken ship and a giant scary eel, or the inside of a clock, that changes its platforms speed according to the time.
Even if subsequent sequels would improve on the foundation built by 64, with more complex and detailed level design, a better camera, and more unique gimmicks and obstacles, 64 still manages to surpass them in many aspects, like it's unrivaled kinesthetics and movement options, and it's no wonder it is still seen in such high regards to this day.
There's really nothing else to say, it's one of the best games ever made. You know it, and I know it.
QuiB
9 days ago
Gosh, I miss when Nintendo was so experimental.