REVIEW: Mario 64 1996/1997, Nintendo 64
	By: Nintendo Type: 3D -platform Players: 1 Difficulty: Varying

    Well, this is it. The really -really- big one. When Super Mario 64 came thundering in, a lot of critics claimed that this was "the best videogame ever". They said it again when Zelda 64 popped up. Heck, some people even tried to make us believe Bubsy the Bobcat was the best game ever. But this time, just once, you'd almost be right to believe them.
 
    Now, there probably is no point in summarising the game that everyone's been playing to death for the past few years. But I'm too good for this cruel world (and I talk too much) so I'll still do it; Mario must explore 15 different worlds, searching for hidden power stars that will eventually allow him to triumph over Bowser (who ripped them off in the first place, natch) and save his beloved princess Peach. Just another day in the Mushroom Kingdom, but this one's realised in gorgeous, brand-spanking 3-D. Peach's castle functions as a "hub" from which the game's 15 worlds can gradually be reached via paintings on the wall. The castle's actually more than just that, as there are secrets and extra stars to be found around it's hallways, but the meat of the game takes place in those 15 painting worlds. It's there that you're faced with the daunting task of tracking down the missing power stars. It takes 70 of them to "complete" the game , but there's a total of 120 to be discovered.

Mario marvels at the inventive wall-tiling..

     Now this is not just your usual "get from A to B without being killed" platformer. You can roam around at will in the vast and varied landscapes, experiment as much as you like and discover a multitude of different tasks to handle. That's not to say you're -entirely- free. The game gradually unfolds before you and forces a route with a certain structure upon you. See, every door in the castle requires a set number of stars to open, so until you've collected enough stars from the worlds you've unlocked, you can't move on to other challenges. Sounds dull? It's actually very clever; if all of the game's worlds were dumped onto you in one go, you'd die of an overdose. This way, you make your way through the game in a clear and comprehensive fashion, while still enjoying massive freedom for your own initiative.
 
    It's this absolutely genial way that Super Mario 64 is put together that's one of the game's biggest strong points, but it's by far not the only one. Now, everyone who raves about a game starts out by saying that the graphics are great. Idem dito for Super Mario 64. Sure, N64 graphics have come a long way since this game (it was the N64's launch title after all), but it is simply unreasonable to call Super Mario 64's looks dated. It's enormous worlds still manage to look convincing, and some very clever touches add impressive realism (example; Mario's feet leave wet trails and make splosh-splosh noises when he walks out of water). Some of the polygon models may look rather rough compared to later outings, but this still hangs together very well. It's the first time a fully free-roaming 3-D world has been rendered so well. And also the first time that sound has been used to such a strong effect. The beautifully composed music doesn't just doodle along in the background, it actually responds to the on-screen happenings and sometimes changes slightly to fit these. That and the tunes are pretty damn catchy and fit the game's levels very well. You will -never- be able to forget the wonder of the underwater levels' BGM. The same applause goes out to the sounds effects, with Mario himself being especially vocal; every hop, kick and plunge is accompanied by a fitting exclamation. You'll grow to love Mario's little shouts, which will be with you during this huge journey (well okay, -some- people will hate them, but it's an impressive achievement nonetheless).

 
(left) Whoah, a giant Vicks cough-drop, (right) Sure hope my hair looks allright...

    Now for the real deal; the way this plays is just as impressive as the rest. The control system is very complex, since Mario can pull off dozens and dozens of athletic manoeuvres. From slides to backflips to triple jumps; you'd almost think you were controlling a polygonal Bruce Lee sometimes (without the musculature). It's not just the vast amount of moves and abilities that are impressive; it's how they are used. Every single move has it's specific part to play and will at one time be essential to you. Mastering the whole thing will take a while, but you can only marvel at how smoothly so many moves have been squeezed into the control system, which still runs perfectly fluidly and becomes second nature after some getting used to. Actually, make that quite some getting used to; there's some hefty learning to be done here but al the control elements are introduced in a comprehensive way and can be mastered with some fair practise (precision swimming is still tricky, though).
 
    A big snag in 3-D platformers has always been getting the camera right, and Super Mario 64 is pretty much the only game that has achieved this faultlessly. The camera is manned by Lakitu, who follows Mario around and reacts to his movements. It's also possible to toggle the camera angles with the C-buttons, and for the most part, this is a camera system that works very well, and those "I can't see what the heck I'm doing!" agonies are few and far between (though you can get confused once or twice).

Har har har, I crack myself up!

    So it looks good, sounds good and moves well, and best yet; there's loads and loads of it. Miyamoto-sama has once stated that games, to him, should be "like a drawer full of playgrounds", and that's just how SM64 works. The huge worlds are filled with vastly different challenges to tax you. The one moment you're hurtling down an ice slide (with certain death if you slip off), next you're duking it out with a group of snapping piranha plants or soaring through the air, only to end up running through toxic gas-infested tunnels and diving to the depths of the ocean for an encounter with the wet wildlife. An amazing scale of different things to do are contained in here. When they said that variety is the spice of life, Miyamoto-sama was listening. There's always something new and exciting to get into here; Super Mario 64 grips you and keeps you hooked all the way through. You simply cannot put this down until you've discovered the next surprise that lies in store for you. There's never a dull moment.
 
    And it's tough, too. Precision, speed and some solid brainwork are required to locate and obtain all the 120 stars. Some tasks are much easier than others, while a few especially evil challenges will have you eating your joypad in rage (I almost did physically destroy my pad while trying to get 100 coins on Rainbow Ride). The difficulty is well-dosed and never really too unfair, though a few very hard bits, such as the utterly satanic Tick Tock Clock do stand out as very harsh. But the mix works well in the end. Just like everything else in SM64, the difficulty curve gets it -just- right.
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    Now there's tonnes more to say about this piece maitresse of a game. The title screen alone can keep you busy for hours. The battles with Bowser are something to revisit time and time again. The freedom you have to find your own way of doing things never ceases to amaze, and the wonderful variety and just plain -fun- of SM64 have been copied many times, but no-one ever came close to this kind of perfection. Every 32-bit owner that goes on and on about blood and guns has no idea what the real fine art of gaming is all about. After gorging oneself on the genius of SM64, one can only bow to the amazing talent of Miyamoto and co. God does exist, and he works for Nintendo. - Toasty 94%

[Key to the reviewing system]