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It was going to come eventually, and
in 1996 it finally hit - Mario's
first big adventure into a 3-D
world. Bomb-Omb Battlefield to Jolly
Roger Bay, this game had it all and
managed to "Wow" a lot of fans - new
or old, all fans were overjoyed by
the release of Super Mario 64.
Like most Mario games to this point,
the storyline is generic. "Help!
Bowser's captured Princess Peach,
and Mario must save her." Of course,
this was to be expected, seeing as
it's only fitting that Mario's
plunge into the 3-D world has
something that symbolizes how he got
to this point. Unfortunately, there
isn't any other major subplots to go
along with the main story.
For Nintendo's first attempt to make
Mario and his world into a 3-D form,
they mastered it. The game's levels
are incredible and really show what
could be done with 3-D. Each
individual level has it's on allure
and appeal with it's own unique
look. Even everything inside the
levels look good, whether it be
Mario himself or just a lone Goomba.
There's a few glitches here and
there, but for a first attempt at
3-D, it was done brilliantly.
Nintendo's ability to master the 3-D
world also led to a load of fun in
Super Mario 64. With new features
like the triple jump, wall jumping,
etc, the game is great to play. The
controls are also incredibly easy to
learn, so there's no real need to
actually learn anything. Each
level's unique landscapes creates
new challenges for players to
overcome through a variety of
different techniques.
Since the original Super Mario
Bros., most games (if not all games)
in the Mario series has had
tremendous music, and Super Mario 64
is no exception. There are classics
ready to be made in this game, and
most of the music is just
spectacular. It's also very catchy,
and a lot of tracks will be
remembers, such as the brilliance of
the music in Jolly Roger Bay or in
Bomb-Omb Battlefield. The sound
effects are in the places they need
to be and everything is done
incredibly well.
One of the great things about Super
Mario 64 is the replay value. With
120 different Power Stars to obtain,
there's always something different
to do. The levels aren't overly
huge, so you won't be constantly
annoyed by not being able to find
something. Plus, each of the levels
has it's own theme, though there are
a few repeats such as 2 snow-themed
levels. Each Power Star generally
has it's own twist, so there's
always something to do.
Overall, Super Mario 64 is a game
for the ages, as most fans expected
in 1996. It's no surprise that it
kept the same story but excelled in
visuals and audio. A truly great
game.
Overall Score: 9.4/10 |
