Mario in Polygons! ("Games that changed the world WO")

SUPER MARIO 64 (Nintendo, September 30, 1996)

"Games that will change the world" Write-Off"

If there is one video game that changed the gaming world as we know it, it was Nintendo's first N64 game ever! Super Mario 64 introduced us to a whole new way to video games with the games unique controls by Nintendo's new Analog stick, the game's stunning new 3D graphics which was a first for this popular series, and it's brand new non linear game play that took the world by storm.

The story starts off when Mario gets invited to Princess Peach's castle because she she just finished baking a cake (I think though that it's really a Booty call though) but as soon as Mario enters the castle he then finds out that the entire castle as a spell on it by his old nemesis Bowser: King of the Koopas. Now Mario must recover the lost golden Stars to gain entry to some of castle doors but it won't be easy because the Stars are lost in several strange worlds filled with monsters, traps, and pitfalls.

Mario can only be controlled by the new Analog stick found on the then new N64 controller. What makes the Analog stick different than the standard Cross Dpad on older Nintendo systems like Super Nintendo or NES? With the Analog you can make Mario tip toe, walk, or run just by the pressure you place on it thus making the game very innovative. Mario can also do some more tricks like triple jumps, somersaults, wall jumps, butt slams, and lots more! You can even change the view of the Koopa camera with the new yellow C buttons just encase you need to help Mario out in an awkward perspective (this is a 3D game after all).

The game play is almost nothing like past Mario games like Super Mario World because most things like Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and even Mario's younger brother Luigi are not in the game. To unlock sections of the cursed castle you need to finds Stars that are secretly hidden in the castle and the 15 worlds, some are easier to find while others are nearly impossible to get. The game will drop a few hints now and again and you can find a Star by collecting 100 coins in a world will automatically get you a star too but that's easier said than done. Peach's Castle has 3 floors and each floor as a Bowser to fight. Bowser can only be beaten by grabbing his tail, spin him like crazy with the Analog stick, and then throwing him off the battle area into a near by bomb. If you manage to beat Bowser 3 (the final Bowser) you'll finish the game and save Princess Peach, you only need about 70 stars if you want to this, but Bowser 3 will give you a special message if you have all 120 of them.

The game still looks very smooth thanks to the high frame rate and there is very little slowdown or glitches when the game gets too busy. I was amazed the first time I seen the castle, everything looked so real like the trees, the water, and even the bricks too! This game really showed the new powers of the Nintendo64 like smooth textures, and the new power up to make the awesome looking Chrome Mario. Although other 3D games like Banjo Tooie, Luigi's Mansion, and Donkey Kong 64 have better graphics, Super Mario 64 still looks fairly decent today.

The in game music fits this cartoon-ish 3D platform game well enough with bouncy new stuff to some classic remixed music as well. The music can also help sometimes, for example; by letting you know that there is a sleeping man eating plant near by thanks to the sleepy music. The best music by far is when you face Bowser 3 in the final showdown. The sound effects are right on with realistic bricks breaking, monster sounds, and even Mario will talk now as well.

Unfortunately, Super Mario isn't without it's problems. The biggest problem is the major lack of replay value after you found all the 120 stars. There's little to no reason to play it again and the game is bound to collect a lot of dust after that just to warn you ahead of time. Plus the camera can be a pain at times especially when you have to make that difficult jump in World 8 (Small-Big world) or when you're flying and swimming too. Sure it's a great game but you experience some headaches thanks to the new controls, cameras, and lack of multi-player modes.

Bottomline
Super Mario 64 is a long and challenging 64 meg game in a fully interactive 3D universe with 15 different worlds to explore and master. Unlike Nintendo's launch GameCube game; Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario 64 will take a good solid month to get everything and not just a couple of days. It's still a great game even today and if you never played it yet then you owe it to yourself to try it.

*Battery back up game saves up to 4 files, no gamepak needed!

Super Mario 64 overall rating: 95/100

For 1 player only
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 8/10
sound: 7/10
gameplay: 9/10

This is part of the "Games that will change the world" Write-Off"
Participants are:

antsteverpgs
ChromeKiller(the host)
DCAST35
Gerper
jeremy1456
nscanuck
paulyoungotti
Pavona21
Pika312
Rock_On
The_Wood
xeno3998
xxxxer
Yarrick
plus StarSoldier1(me of course)

-StarSoldier1
www.videogames101.com