“It’s a me, Mario!” – Mario
Back in the early 1990s, Japanese video game developer, Shigeru Miyamoto pitched an idea to make a three-dimensional Mario game comparing the concept as miniature trains coming to life. In 1993, the year I was born, Nintendo showed a demonstration of a talking 3D polygon of Mario’s head at the Consumer Electronics Show. Production of 3D Mario took a whopping total of two years. Prior to Super Mario 64’s release, the game was shown at E3 1996 in its prototype stage.
Released in 1996, (same year Jamiroqui’s third studio album Traveling Without Moving came out) the game earned universal acclaim from critics, fans and gamers alike. In addition to praise, it was also a commercial hit. Super Mario 64’s groundbreaking three-dimensional gameplay/mechanics changed video games forever inspiring game developers to make their own three-dimensional game. You can tell they wanted to capitalize Super Mario 64’s critical and commercial success.
- Rare – Banjo-Kazooie
- Insomniac Games – Spyro the Dragon
- Sony – Ape Escape
- Neversoft – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
- Rockstar Games – Grand Theft Auto
- Naughty Dog – Jak and Daxter
- Square Enix – Kingdom Hearts
- Valve Corporation – Half-Life
In honor of Super Mario 64’s 30th anniversary, I wanna share my thoughts on this groundbreaking game.
Powerful & Weak Aspects
Powerful: Charles Martinet did a decent job for his voiceover performance as the titular character.
Shigeru Miyamoto and his developing team did a magnificent job transitioning Mario into 3D territory. They definitely earn Bonus Points for pushing technical boundaries.
Graphics for a Nintendo 64 really holds up. Aged like fine wine.
Koji Kondo orchestrated the soundtrack.
Gameplay/Mechanics
- Presented as a third-person action-adventure platformer, you play as Mario navigating in worlds within paintings. They represent stages. Your job is to obtain power stars. You’re gonna need ’em to progress areas within the hub world, Princess Peach’s Castle.
- Turn the camera around left, right, up and down.
- Combat allows you to hop on top on enemies. Squash one like a pancake. Pushing the B button thrice enables an attack combo. You can also jump kick, wall kick, dive and slide kick. Ride on Koopa shells to run over enemies.
- Interact with the environment like pounding a block, a purple switch changes the environment, climb on a pole or wire net. Warp pipes transfer you to a new area.
- Jump from one platform to another. Instead of a single jump, you can press the A button two-three times. Double and triple jump. You can also crouch jump and backflip.
- Swim underwater with a limited amount of oxygen. You’ll need to resurface from the water before you drown.
- Enemy variety features unique baddies including Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Ghosts, Chain Chomps etc. Each one has a strength and weakness. Exploit your opponent one at a time.
- Boss Battles are fun. Especially a one-on-one battle with Bowser himself.
- Color-Coded Power-Ups Blocks temporary transform Mario. Red’s for wings, Blue’s for invisibility and green’s for metal form.
- Mario’s health represents eight pieces of a pipe.
- Collecting coins restore your health. Finishing a stage heals him. Spinning hearts heal him as well.
- Mushrooms represent an extra life. Keep your eyes peeled for one.
Fun Facts
- Christian Bale mentioned Super Mario 64 is his all-time favorite game.
- In 2012, the game along with “Final Fantasy VII” & “Metal Gear Solid” were selected as 80 entries in the Smithsonian. Meaning, these games made an impact on pop culture.
Random Thoughts
- Only Mario games I played were Super Mario 64, “Super Mario Galaxy” “Mario Kart 64,” “Mario Party” 1-2, & “Super Smash Bros Brawl.” I’m not a big Nintendo fan, I’m a PlayStation gamer.
- My favorite power-up is probably the Metal form via green block.
- I think this game is a precursor to open world games. Rockstar Games’ GTA III took the concept to another level. No pun intended.
- If I ever get a Nintendo Switch 2, maybe someday I’ll play and post further reviews on The Legend of Zelda games. Expand a little bit.
Weak: It took me 18 hours to beat the game. Oddly short for a game that costs $59.99 at time of its release.
Like its predecessors and successors, this one recycles rescue Princess Peach story. Can we give it a rest, Nintendo?
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Hear me out. I’m aware of the short length and recycled rescue Princess Peach story, but what Nintendo did changed video games forever. They pushed technical boundaries perfecting a three-dimensional game. Back then, Super Mario 64 blew people’s minds. It deserves my highest grade. A pretty good reason it’s my arguably my favorite game of 1996. If you wanna relive the good old days or introduce your kids to Super Mario 64, subscribe to Nintendo eShop’s classic service online subscription expansion pack on Nintendo Switch 1 or 2.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 