Review of: Super Mario 64

Reviewer: Dan McDonough

Title: Super Mario 64

System: Nintendo 64

Genre: Platforming

Here’s the story in a koopa shell: Mario gets a note from Princess Peach inviting him over , but when Mario arrives the castle is deserted, and re-decorated with pictures that act as the portal to the different levels of the game. Your goal is to Collect all the “power stars” to free the castle of Bowser’s evil rule. Throughout the game you play as Mario doing tasks for bomb-ombs, snowmen, fighting various enemies such as goombas, boos, and the occasional Bowser fight. Every level has 6 stars, which are needed to open other levels. There are a total of 15 main levels, and several other hidden levels. The levels range from Slippery ice slopes, a lava land, a haunted mansion, lagoons, and islands. This is a significantly long game for an N64 game. An average gamer would take about 6-8 hours to completely finish the game.
 The Gameplay and graphics of Super Mario 64 are considerably good for such an old game. Even after playing New Vegas, this game is not painful to look at or play. It is actually very fun and addicting. After getting ten stars you want twenty, then thirty, to get to the next level. This game was really revolutionary for its time, setting the standard for sandbox games. Exploration is only limited to how many stars you have, and missions do not have to be done in order. SM64 blew gamers away when it came out, especially for those who played the NES, this put Mario into 3d, and opened up a whole new world.

The thing I found most amazing about this game is the controls of Mario. During the making of it, he must have been training with the Olympic team, because he is in top shape, and can maneuver in about anyway imaginable. He can jump extremely high, swim, kick, punch, crawl, spin, backflip, long jump, and there are even cap blocks spread around the levels. These cap blocks come in green- metal suit Mario, blue-invisible Mario, and red- flying Mario. This game leaves the gamer pushing Mario, and their gaming abilities to their limit. Although very simple, some levels are challenging, but not impossible. After fourteen years, I can still play this game as much as any new 360 game. It is a true classic, buy it. And if you don’t have an N64 buy one, for 50-60$ they are well worth it.

Graphics: B+
Game play: A
Sound: B
Lasting Appeal: A
Overall: A