Super Mario 64

Similar to the relationship between Yoshi's Island / Super Mario World, this game was superceded by Super Mario Sunshine in every way, but there's a dedicated, but neurotic fanbase around this game that has its blinders on when it comes to 3D platformers. It seems like the newer generation of gamers would rather spend endless hours deconstructing a simple platformer rather than playing the platformer and moving on with their lives.

Super Mario 64 is often regarded, nostalgically, as the ultimate classic Mario game. But how does it actually hold up today? I know several people who have gone back to this game and claimed that it just hasn't aged well. Well...I both agree and disagree.

First, the camera. It's absolutely atrocious. It moves around of its own accord at the worst of times, only has particular set angles that aren't always the most ideal for certain situations, and in MANY areas you simply cannot move it past a certain point. If there's one thing that messes you up and kills you more than ANYTHING else, it's the damn camera. While the dynamic 3D camera system was revolutionary for its time, it's also the aspect of the gameplay that's been the most improved upon.

The other biggest issue is the flying with the wing cap, which is the worst part of the game bar none. Thankfully there are only a very few number of times that you absolutely need to use it and usually you can figure how to work it just enough to finish a particular task, but just simply trying to fly around feels totally impossible.

But those two things are honestly my only overall serious complaints. The gameplay itself is still very fun, and once you get used to the older controls after playing for a while you find that they're actually very well designed and take into account the 3D space in an amazing way for Mario's first 3D game. The varied, multi-directional jumping is extremely dynamic and fun to play around with, and I think it may still be probably the best jumping system Mario's ever had. It's also always a thrilling feeling when you manage to pull off a crazy jump trick somewhere, especially on the cusp of death.

The levels themselves are also super creative, varied in their environments and gameplay styles, and have an almost light surrealistic feel at times partly due to the creative design approach required by the N64 cartridge limitations as well as with the obvious experimenting with the new 3D gamespace. No other Mario game before or since has quite the same lively and quirky feel as this one does, and I love it.

Also the soundtrack is absolutely fantastic and probably the best and most memorable that the entire franchise has ever had. Ever since playing the game for the first time 20-ish years ago I've had songs from the game pop into my head semi-regularly.

So in the end, while there are particular aspects that have definitely been improved and expanded upon in the years since, Super Mario 64 is very much an excellent game that deserves the classic status that it continues to uphold. It really is a very unique entry in the series in a number of ways, and while it's certainly arguable whether or not it's the BEST, I think I can confidently say that it's still one of my very favorite Mario games.

A seminal platformer that has aged well when it comes to its more revolutionary aspects, many of which are still seen in games today. The controls and camera can be infuriating, and some of the level design feels tentative and rudimentary in hindsight.