"The god of all Platformers"

Ah, the N64. This is my personal favorite system. Maybe because of its awesome graphics. Maybe its because of the excellent sound tracks. It could be the easy control. But I believe that it is some of its awesome games. I would like to point out, that the very first of these games, was Mario 64. This game was so darn fun, that I have decided to dedicate an extra long review, dedicated to the remote few that have not played this gem...


The Introduction:
Ah, Croc, Banjo-Kazooie, and Donkey Kong 64. These games were truly wonderful. But, what about the game that started it all, a game entitled Mario 64. The first game on the Nintendo 64, was also one of the most vast, one of the most colorful, and one of the most fun that anyone has ever played. Hmm, I am repeating myself. Anyway, who would of thought that Nintendo could have turned the same old plot, ''Bowser kidnapped Peach! Go rescue!'' plot interesting? They truly are ingenious as this game proves...

Note: In case you are wondering why this a mammoth review, its because of the fact that this game has more than twenty reviews, so I gotta do my best!


Story: 8/10
Princess ''Peach'' Toadstool was in the baking mood, so she baked a delicious cake. It didn't feel right to eat it all herself. She wondered what to do, and then a thought struck her: ''Mario will be delighted to come over and eat this cake. So she wrote him a letter, ''Dear Mario, Please come to my castle. I have baked a cake for you. Yours Truly, Princess Toadstool. Peach.''Mario got the letter a little latter, and as the Princess had predicted, Mario was overjoyed. He made his way toward the castle.

King Bowser, had nothing to do. So, he warped himself to the Peaches' castle, and took her completely by surprise. Bowser kidnapped her. But that wasn't good enough for him this time around. He also imprisoned all the Toads inside the castle, and stole all the castles Power Stars. He then, trapped Peach in an unknown place.

Mario finally arrived at the castle, via warp pipe. He was quite surprised to find the castle yard absolutely deserted. Puzzle, Mario walked into the castle. As he did, a voice boomed out: ''Welcome! Nobody's home. Scram! And don't come back!'' Then an evil laugh boomed over the lobby. As the sound ceased, Mario was sure he heard a tiny voice calling ''Help!'' It seemed to be coming from behind a door with a star on it. He opened the door and went into the room. There was a huge painting of a Bob-omb that he had not known was there before. The voices grew louder, and seemed to be actually coming from inside the painting. So, Mario tried jumping in...

A huge green meadow spread out before him. Then he saw a pink Bob-omb, and he asked it what was going on. The little guy answered by telling them that all the Power Stars had been stolen, and various troops had marched in and took over. Mario answered: ''A plan this maniacal, this cunning, it has to be the work of Bowser!'' Right then and there, Mario vowed he would recover the stars, free the Toads, defeat Bowser, and find Peach, wherever she was. You, of course have to help him (i.e. do it all yourself).

Graphics: 9/10
As, the first game on the Nintendo 64, and as the first N64 game that the most people had ever played, they pledged these the absolute best graphics they have ever seen. They are now fawning over Goldeneye, and Banjo-Kazooie and assorted other games, but oh well, these were really good for its time. Mario looks almost real, and so do the worlds. My personal favorite world graphic wise would have to be Bob-omb Battlefield. They've got so much detail and variety! There's field, canyons and a mountain. There's also little details like flower beds, brick walls with cracking cement, and so on.

As for the character design, it is truly a winner. I talked about Mario earlier. Don't get me wrong, I love all the designs, but here are my favorites. The Koopa Troopa. He looked really good. He has those big cute eyes, wears shoes for some reason, and his shell looks really good. There is also Unagi the Eel to think about. He is really long eel, and looks really cool. I love the way he slithers at you. Last, but not least, Bowser himself. In Mario RPG, he was comical, not intimidating, but that is more than can be said for him in this game. He is HUGE with that really evil grin on his face.

Sound and Music: 9/10
The music in this game is pretty good. Nintendo has taken some original tunes, and made them so they sound much better. For example, you know the music that plays when you had an invincible star in the NES and SNES games? No? Oh well, think about it for a second. Well, they have taken the song, and made it into one of my favorite songs in Mario 64!! There is also two versions of it, the regular one, and the Metal Cap music. Oh yeah! They did the same thing with the classic underground music. As always, here are my favorite songs

-Invincible music
-Metal Cap music
-Underground music
-Obstacle course music
-Jolly Roger Bay music
-Bowser theme

The sound is just okay. When a person talks, the sound that they make is sounded before it, just to confirm who is talking. You must play the game to find out what I'm talking about. As for Mario, I'm afraid he has an annoying sound for every occasion...

Control: 10/10
The following paragraph will be told in first person:

A few days after the N64 was released one of my friends called me up. He claimed that he got a N64, and Super Mario 64. He said that he was going into it cold, and would I like to come over and watch? I said sure, and jumped on my bike, and went over. My friend was anxiously waiting, and we ran inside, and switched on the Nintendo 64. My friend began to read the instruction book, and started saying to himself: ''Okay, so I hold the controller like so,'' he looked up and said to me, ''says here that you can become familiar with the controller on the opening screen.'' So, after Mario said ''Hello!'' we patiently sat through a rather humorous cinema, and when it was done, my friend pushed the ''A'' button, and a hand appeared. It seemed you could stretch out Mario's face! Seriously, we spent 10 minutes on this screen, having loads of fun. Try making Mario's mustache pointy and saying ''May I take your order sir?'' Fun! My friend became used to his controller that very day. Very useful, especially if you are new to the N64.

Now, we will step out of first person. They stick you with all your moves, right at the very start of the game. This is different from games such as Banjo-Kazooie, and Donkey Kong 64. I enjoy there move system more, where you find/buy their moves, but oh well. Some of the moves are so obscure (run, immediately press Z, then B), the good people of Nintendo has stuck a lot of little signs around, so we could read them, and learn the moves. The ones near the beginning are simple, but they work there way up, to very advanced moves such as the Wall Kick.

As for the moves themselves, they are excellent. You have all sorts of attacks, from punches, to kicks, to dives, even tripping. You can easily move around with the analog stick, and once you are familiar with the controller, this is a breeze.

However, the control isn't perfect. There is one area where everyone, ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE hates. That is the camera control. At the start, Lakitu shows up, and says that he will be your cameraman, and will be shooting from the recommended angles. But you wind up controlling it yourself all the time. Half the time, a buzzer will sound, signifying that it cannot be pushed any further. And for 25% of the time, you will move it, and it will be moved back to its original spot. You will LOVE the vast outdoor worlds, where camera control is a breeze. Also, you know how most 3-D platformers have first person views? Mario 64 does not have a very good one. Technically, its not even first person, the camera simply moves behind him. In this position, your vision is obscured by Mario, and you can't even turn around. I tell you this, dear reader, for one reason. Have tolerance for the camera!

Gameplay: 9/10
You know how I mentioned Bowser stealing the Power Stars? This time, collecting these are the main plot, not rescuing Peach. Mario's castle serves as the overworld. At the beginning, only the first world is unlocked. You enter it, and try to collect as many Power Stars as you can. There are seven per world, and you can win them by winning races, completing objectives, or maybe you have to take them from a boss, or evil guy. Whatever is in that world decides what will happen. On the first floor, you must collect eight power stars to fight Bowser. You will fight him to a draw, to earn a key, open one of the two locked doors in the castle.

In the basement, you collect thirty power stars, to fight the next Bowser. Another draw, he leaves you the next key. Behind the locked door, the hardest worlds in the game await you, and so does a star that requires seventy stars...no more mini walkthroughs!

I do have one solitary complaint. The ending. In Banjo-Kazooie, you get previews of Banjo-Tooie. In Mario RPG, you see what happened to everyone, and get an awesome parade. In Mario 64...well I'm not going to spoil it, even if it ain't star class material.

In the castle itself, there are fifteen power stars that Bowser missed. You must collect the eight red coins, recieve them from Toad, or just find them. Wherever you are, whether it be overworld, or world, everything is fun, with the occasional challenge.

Yes, there's more. You can find three special courses, all of which are very, um, well hidden. There are several obstacles to overcome, and if you can make it to end, you can stomp a special switch. This will fill in colored blocks. Switch palace anyone? But this time, the blocks that appear are a lot cooler. It could a Wing Cap, Metal Cap, or Invisible Cap, all of which are very fun.

Difficulty: 8/10
Now, collecting stars can be a tricky experience at times. Some are rather easy, while others are near impossible. It really all depends are your skill level and experience. Don't be deceived by the what everyone in the game says, with Power Stars increasing your speed and and such. They do nothing except open doors, and don't affect the difficulty. But, there are 120 Power Stars in all, and you only require 70 to beat the game. I would have liked a 110 star door.

However, collecting all 120 stars is no easy feat. You will have to get the extremely tough stars, like the ones in Tick Tock Clock, and Rainbow Ride. It will take you a while to accomplish this 120 star goal. But, it will be very rewarding if you do. Several changes are made in the game, such as the Yoshi cameo, BIG penguin race, and the ending...

Originality: 10/10
Like I said before, this is the ROOT of 3-D platformers tree, not the bark, leaves or fruit. There is no games that I know of that are like this in the <deep breath> Gameboy, NES, Genesis, Saturn, SNES, or Playstation that I know of <collapse on the floor, not breathing.>

Replay Value: 6/10
This is the problem with all Platformers. Once you collect all the items, you do not want to erase your file and start from scratch because you worked so hard. There is nothing to do really when you are done. I am constantly entertaining myself of Mysterious Mountain side, but even that is wearing a bit thin.

Buy or Rent? I would suggest buying. But, as I always do, I rent the game first to see if I like it, and take it from there. You may be that kind of person too.


The Final Words:
Summer up...

Story: 8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music and Sound: 9/10
Control: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Difficulty: 8/10
Originality: 10/10
Replay Value: 6/10
Buy or Rent: Buy
Overall: 9/10

A 5/10? A 3/10?! A 1/10?!!!!!!! Clearly, you people have not played this game and enjoyed it to its fullest extent! Sheesh.

Hmm, I don't have much to say anymore, nothing to do but start my Goldeneye review...

Signed: j_ohanley (j_ohanley92@hotmail.com)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/24/00, Updated 07/24/00