Super Mario 64 Review

No game had ever gone into the world of 3D before. But that was before a little man in a red hat and blue overalls traversed through arguably the greatest 3D world ever created, jumping through paintings and pounding his enemies in order to save the one he loves. He is Mario, and this, this is his debut into the world of 3D. Welcome to the world of...

Super Mario 64

First Available: September 26, 1996 for N64
Rereleased: November 19, 2006 for the Wii Virtual Console for 1000 Wii Points ($10)
1 Player Adventure

Our story starts out with a letter. A letter from our hero's lovely lady, Peach. She invites him to her castle for a cake she has baked for him. However, when Mario arrives via pipe, he learns that the Princess had been captured by the evil Bowser. Mario steps foot into Peach's Castle, and thus, the adventure of a lifetime, begins.


Princess Peach's Castle

Before Mario enters the castle, he is greeted by Lakitu. An enemy in past games, this time around, Lakitu assists Mario by providing him with his camera to be able to fully explore the world around him. Unlike in past games, where the game was just a side-scroller, this game allows you to look around freely with no limitations.

As Mario enters the castle, he is greeted by the ominous sound of the evil Bowser's voice. Bowser told him that he would be unable to save his precious princess from his evil grasp. Mario runs from door to door trying to find the Princess's whereabouts, but being denied entry at every door because he doesn't have enough "Power Stars". Mario finally finds an open door, enters, and sees a painting. On this painting is a giant, round king. Unaware what to do now, Mario goes up to the painting and learns that each painting is its own world. He runs back and jumps into the painting, where he is transported into the world known as, "Bomb-omb Battlefield."

This level acts as a tutorial for the game. Here you learn the basics, such as jumps, attacks and more. As you explore the level, you come across Bowser's minions, who attempt to drain your health meter by exploding themselves or just running into you. These enemies are called Bomb-ombs and Goombas respectively, and they are the most simple of enemies. You also collect coins by defeating enemies and finding them throughout the level. These coins come in a variety of colors and each being worth a different amount.
-Yellow are the most basic and are worth 1.
-Red are worth 2 and collecting all 8 gets you a Power Star.
-Blue are worth 5 and are very scarce throughout the level.
As you further explore and reach the top of the mountain, you come across the King of Bomb-ombs. After defeating him, you are awarded with your very first Power Star.

The first level--Bomb-omb Battlefield

You are transported back to the lobby of the castle after you collect your first star. A nearby Toad, who work for the Princess, informs Mario that he is now able to enter any door with a 1 on the door. Mario then enters various worlds ranging from frosty tundras to deep underwater caves to ghost-filled mansions. As he collects more stars, more doors open, until he finally has enough to face his enemy, Bowser. He enters Bowser's Dark World and engages him in battle. He grabs him by the tail and launches him into spike-bombs to defeat him. For his efforts, Mario is rewarded with a key. This key unlocks more levels in the basement of the castle, thus allowing Mario to collect more stars and face Bowser yet again.

Mario's first battle with Bowser.

Mario doesn't obtain much help from others during his adventures in the castle, but he does obtain 3 key power-ups that allow him to collect the needed Power Stars to engage Bowser. The first power-up he obtains is the Wing-Cap. After stepping on the power-up switch located in the "Tower in the Sky" level, anywhere there is a red box within a level, Mario can break it and use the cap to fly. The second cap, allows him to turn invisible anywhere there is a blue box. This cap allows him to walk through walls, as well as enemies. While the third and final cap allows Mario to turn to metal anywhere there is a green box. While in metal form, Mario is impervious to attacks and sinks to the bottom of water levels.

Pictures of Mario's various caps.

There are many moves that Mario does while on his adventures. To play this game, the Nintendo 64 Controller (or Gamecube or Classic Controller if you're playing on Wii) is used, and it is very easy to use as well. The A button is used to jump, while double clicking it performs a double jump, and 3 clicks equals a triple jump. The B button punches and kicks, and the more times you click it the more punches you perform. The Z button allows you to crouch, and pressing A while holding Z allows you to high-jump, and doing that while running performs a long-jump. Movement is performed by using the control stick, and there really is no better way. The control stick allows you to capture the real meaning of this 3D game. The L and R buttons, as well as the C Stick, control the camera, which is practically flawless.

The music in this game is phenominal, and each level has its own music thats blends in perfectly with the nature of the level. Just listen to some of the above videos and you will feel like you're in the level, fighting besides Mario. The music is a big part of this game, and without it wouldn't be as great as it is.

With this being one of the very first 3D games ever, the graphics aren't as great today. But back when this was first released the graphics were the greatest thing to come out of videogames. The graphics of this game paved way for many other great games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

With 15 levels containing 7 stars each, as well as many secret stars hidden throughout the castle, this game has tons of replay value. While only 70 stars are needed to complete the game, you always want to come back and try to collect every star. With that said, the replay value for this game is huge. Even after collecting all 120 stars, you'll still want to come back and play again. With 4 saves files, you can play this game again and again.
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Gameplay: 10
Music:9.5
Graphics:10
Replay Value:9

Overall: 10

This is the game that started the world of 3D gaming. This game is constantly voted in the best video games of all time, and I don't disagree. For only being $10 now, it's a must buy. Great for all ages and will keep you occupied for years.