RR Week: Super Mario 64

[Double]

Intro: In 1996 Nintendo's platform the Nintendo 64 came out with Super Mario 64 as one of its launch titles. Super Mario 64 is still considered to be one of the best games ever designed... but is it really? This is of the original N64 version, not the shitty DS port.

Gameplay: The basic gameplay of Mario 64 (and to an extent, most 3d platformers especially N64 ones) is this:
-Get star/shine/jiggy/golden banana/etc.
-Go to level
-Perform random task
-Get another star/shine/jiggy/golden banana/etc.
-Repeat the above until you have enough for a new area.

Whether or not that's good design, is a completely different discussion all together. One thing that could be considered a weakness of the game is that Mario leaves the level after collecting a star, later 3d platformers based on this premise would not do this. To Mario 64's credit it occasionally changes the level after a star, not as much as it could though. Mario manages to get away with it, without being obnoxious by being fairly conservative in the amount of shit in each of the main courses:
-5 stars acquired through various tasks
-1 star acquired by collecting 8 red coins
-8 red coins
-1 star acquired by collecting 100 regular coins
-At least 100 regular coins
Remember this list; it's going to be important later this week.

Mario has ditched his older powers in favor of, at the time, more (at the time) edgy ones such as turning invisible and into metal. He also has an obligatory flying power up, but these powers are all fairly underutilized. You'll really only see Metal Mario in areas with water and poison caves, Invisible around wire meshing, and the flying one in a few instances. Amazingly the obvious idea of using invisible for stealth is not used in the game...

In addition to jumping Mario has a wide variety of attacks now, punches kicks, slides etc. Most of these are fairly useful, save the sweep kick that one is fucking pointless. Mario has also augmented his jumping, by having several new ways to jump, somersaults, a triple jump and a long jump to name a few.
17 out of 20

Music: Tolerable, nothing really bad to speak of. Also,

13 out of 15

Translation: I'll give Nintendo credit for finally getting rid of the name "Toadstool". Besides that there's really nothing to talk about.
10 out of 10

Length: The game is fairly long, with 15 regular levels, which is actually a lot for a 3d platformer as most seem to average eight. However, if one doesn't go for 100 % completion one could beat the game fairly quickly. Even with 100 % completion the game shouldn't take you more than six hours if you don't totally suck*.
12 out of 15

*I actually did this once in one sitting on a bet. Yes, I know I'm retarded.

Rehash Factor: The game gets through here with little to no scrapes because of the dimension changes. Even the ideas from previous games that are reused are reused differently here because the game is now 3d.
15 out of 15

Plot: THE PRINCESS HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BY KOOPAS ARE YOU A BAD ENOUGH PLUMBER TO SAVE HER? Also cake is involved. If any of you so much as even think about replying with "The cake is a lie", I will rip your intestines and use them as a jump rope.
1 out of 10

Difficulty: The game is actually fairly easy throughout. However the game's difficulty does take a noticeable spike upwards when you get to the last two courses, and thats only because the 100 coin star in those levels tend to be a pain.
12 out of 15

Total: 80/100 = 80 %

Mario 64 will always have easy for being the first major 3d platformer. Normally I'd argue the game is now rather primitive. What could they really improve, adding more moves wouldn't really make a difference and adding more items would just cause the game to become cumbersome and tedious?

Positive: Messing with Mario's face in the games start up is fun.

Negative: The success of this game would flood the N64 with half assed Mario 64 clones.

Negative II?!: Yeah that's right bitches this game has two negative quips. Didn't see that coming did you?! Anyways, this game technically also led to Super Mario Sunshine, and oh boy do I have an axe to grind with that game.

[Claws]

On the other hand, when it comes to Sunshine, they didn't entirely hold your hands almost the whole way through (I'll give the same threat to the silly people who don't use the double jump for 8-bit Luigi, slow down you dunderheads with swoopdeloop), the city hub is a hell of a lot better then the space station (though you should have been able to redo city events), and while some disliked the whole cleaning mechanic, it gave a greater feel of accomplishment compared to some of the relatively easy portions of the other two. Plus, Galaxy failed at the whole full-game version of the jetpack levels, and Manta Storm > any 64 or Galaxy boss besides Bowser.

Sure, camera problems, blue coins, and some bugs, but at the same properly massive levels, for once a good sense of going up, and the water-jetpack accepting how far platforming can go and adding good control unto the player makes the game go pretty dang far.