Everybody has their own defining moment in videogame history, but the arrival of the N64 and its focus on groundbreaking new control ideas married with solid, 3D visuals was my moment.
I’d been perfectly happy with my Amiga 1200 prior, but after seeing Miyamoto’s Super Mario 64, an amazing, brave new game running in the local branch of HMV I had to have one of these incredible new consoles and see for myself what this game was all about.
I distinctly remember the first time I sat down to play Super Mario 64 – seeing the plumber’s giant head on my TV with the game inviting me to play with it, spinning it around and pulling at various parts of his face – even before the game had started I knew I was in for something special. Nintendo had always innovated, but this was a step beyond anything I’d seen before and I happily messed around with the iconic image for a good 10 minutes, utterly engrossed.
The trick with Super Mario 64 is that you improve at the game at precisely the same rate the game expects you to. The first section you come across, a (at that time, at least) huge expanse of open land in the form of Princess Peach’s castle gardens. You’re left without a specific goal save for the looming castle ahead, but more importantly you’re given free reign of the grounds to explore and experiment at your own pace.
For a console that introduced analog control as standard, Mario 64 had to find some way to ease players in, and this initial area, with trees to climb (and leap off), water to swim in and plenty of space to just get used to the way a single stick could make you creep, walk and run was essential.
It was also one of the best, unguided introductions to a game I’ve come across, and once you’re ready for the castle, you already know about 50% of the moves.
The castle, split into three main floors and a back area, opens up gradually based on how many stars you’ve collected from the levels. This means that the player is never overwhelmed, keeping the aim focused but simultaneously, and slowly, offering multiple paths through the game. Each of the game’s worlds are accessed via paintings around the castle, and each level itself can be played multiple times with slight variations.
This highly structured mechanic means that it’s always clear what you need to do next, and a tap of the Start button lists each world you’ve visited alongside the number of stars you’ve collected from that particular world. All too often games get bogged down in trying to do much and the player is left scratching their head – not so with Mario 64, in fact I found the handy list of levels a bonus when trying to 100% the game.
The levels themselves are, for the most part, genius, and easily the best courses ever created in a platform game in the history of the genre.
From the opening grassy plains of Bom-omb Battlefield to the game’s mid-section of Lethal Lava Land and Shifting Sand Land right through the climactic (and devilishly difficult) Tick Tock Clock and Rainbow Ride, Super Mario 64’s level design is pure genius.
Rarely a means to an end, these are levels that you want to explore – each one different from the last in terms of locale, enemies, technique and scale but each one part of a consistent approach to ensuring maximum playability. Each world’s distinctive music (Jolly Roger Bay being a personal favourite) fitted perfectly and the gameplay ideas behind some of the later levels, such as Tiny-Huge Island, literally broke all the rules.
They’re the reason I go back to Super Mario 64 on a regular basis – playing through the game is a pure pleasure from start to finish and never grows old, despite its age. The game is full of stand out, memorable moments like the first time you long-jumped the gap in Hazy Maze Cave, or figured out the water puzzles in Wet-Dry World, but it’s also humble enough to afford some simple delights, like the subtle splashing underfoot in the castle’s basement or the way the final staircase never ended if you weren’t quite ready…
Super Mario 64’s legacy lives on, and will continue to do so, in most genre games created since. Of course, analog control is now standard but the blend of puzzling and platforming can be seen anywhere you look, but you’d struggle to find a game of this ilk so carefully crafted, so wonderfully fluid and so utterly replayable from any other developer. Nintendo, back in 1996, were so far ahead of the game that just thinking about it makes my head spin.
Sublime, and absolutely a masterpiece.
lokiy2j
Mario 64 was THE momement of my teenage gaming years, though my mates and MGS eventually turned me onto Playstation, this was the ONE! for sooo many reasons.
Mikiyaru
Mario 64 is one of my favorite games of all time. Considering my top 5 also includes Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid 4, Professor Layton and Uncharted 2 :P
Dan Lee
100% agree – this was my defining moment in gaming. Awesome piece, and a fitting tribute for Mario’s 25th birthday :op
teflon
Ha! The cake was a lie a decade before Portal came out. XD
Mario 64 was through and through one of the most revolutionary games. It just got almost everything completely perfect, much like Mario Galaxy a decade later.
I agree with you it was a masterpiece, but it’s stretching “modern” a bit thin, don’t you think?
mynameisblair
N64 was brilliant.
Agree with the level design – some were absolutely fantastic. Loved finding out all of the castle’s secrets, too.
bajere
N64 was great!! Diddy Kong racing, wave race, and zelda are another fav’s of mine on the N64! I never completed Mario 64, but maybe i will one day. sure i can pick up a console and the game for £20
bajere
o and mario kart, how did i for get that o_O
baska
the colours were stunning, and what i loved about the game ws it for me was the only game that had come from a 2d side scrolling background and completely smashed expectations when it went 3d. amazing game that i still play from time to time!! :)
Apnomis
I never played Mario 64 in full as I eventually went the PlayStation path and couldn’t afford two consoles (ultimately a certain busty female archaeologist won out over a fat middle-aged plumber!). But I remember playing it in a store display machine and being quite in awe at the smooth colourful graphics and the feeling of fluidity in the controls – being able to walk around where ever you wanted in the castle gardens and even jump into the water for a swim. It just felt right, and given that it made a lasting impression on me from a 10 minute play in a shop it’s little wonder it’s made it into TSA’s hall of fame…
NotALegend
Heh, I was only maybe 7 when I got this game. It was pretty good, but the defining moment of my gaming history was probably Ocarina of Time. (I hadn’t discovered Final Fantasy at the time ^.^)
BrendanCalls
Goldeneye defined my teenage years with the N64. The year that game was released I had what I like to call my “Stand By Me” summer. 6 weeks of summer holidays at this house or that house playing football or Goldeneye alternately, searching for a dead body along the railways tracks. Brilliant days
Anyway, i digress, Goldeneye and MGS are the games that define my formative years as a gamer
sigerzx
did u find many bodies? :P