This game is definitely not for me.

My first "3D" mario game was SM3DW and I'd say my first proper one (that isn't a hybrid of 2d and 3d) was Odyssey. It's still one of my favorites of of all time and one of the best things about it is its fluid and fun movement. When I got 3D all-stars for christmas in 2020 I was looking forward to a game that from what I heard had the second best movement in the series behind odyssey.

What I was greeted with is one of the worst cameras I've ever seen in a game (not the game's fault necessarily as it is an N64 issue but definitely something Nintendo could have fixed porting this game to the switch) and an extreme hands off approach when getting stars. This hands off approach is definitely in theory a neat idea, as It makes me more incentivized to go out and explore the maps which for their time were definitely impressive, but after beating galaxy and sunshine, it's simply done LEAGUES better in those games compared to this. A text prompt on how I might be able to get the star is fucking evil considering some of the bullshit you have to go through to get some of these stars. Sure odyssey didn't tell you shit, but at least in that game when I got a moon in that game I COULD STAY IN THE FUCKING LEVEL, SOMETHING THAT (was definitely a limitation from the N64 era) GETS REALLY FUCKING ANNOYING AFTER IDK 3 OR 4 OF THE 70 STARS YOU NEED TO BEAT THIS GAME?!

The fact the levels are so open also hurts me even more, as I can do some shit to get one star, see one in the distance that is marginally easier to get, get that one, and then have to do the exact same fucking setup to get the other star I was going for in the beginning. At least in the other 3D mario games I can only get one collectible so I can just get it over with one at a time, but kicking me out of the level and having me redo the same shit I did just got annoying, and led to me playing the game for a couple of hours, then dropping it for 6 months, until today where I finally decided to lock in, watch some youtube videos to tell me where to find the remaining stars I needed, and put this game behind me.

SM64 is definitely an important game. It was incredibly crucial for nintendo's and the entire video game industry as a whole's success, and it's impact can definitely be felt even today, and it also has spawned some of my favorite games of all time. However, as a game, I just can't bring myself to enjoy it as much as the other 3D Mario games I have played, which hurts, but is just a fact I've come to accept. This is a game you should definitely play if you haven't, but just not one that was made for me

Needed to take a break from Granblue Relink and mashing attack as Narmaya so I went and played this where I will be tapping A a lot instead. Still holds up pretty well after all these years. Last played it maybe 15 years ago and after a quick refresher I figured out how Mario controls again, but for real tho having to constantly tap A with where it's at on the Switch controllers wears thin quick as hell. Also this game is much shorter than I remember it being as a kid. Using the BLJ definitely helped in that too. Still a classic, and probably the best "baby's first video game" with how easily and intuitively it eases you into playing in a 3D space.

Cannot listen to the end credits theme anymore without thinking about Fesh Pince of Blair.

A controversial limited release, the classic 3D Mario game that started it all sees a Nintendo Switch release in a three pack. Although this title is revered by many; the controls are dated as the Nintendo 64 controller is rather one of the worst designs. Even though I used the Switch Pro controller, it's because I didn't use the original intended controller that I found it frustrating to control Mario. Call it skill issue, but future titles just perfected Mario's movement that playing 64 feels dated.

While aged in some ways (namely in camera control) it is still mostly a joy to play and something everyone should experience at least once. However, the final few stages, namely Tiny-Huge Island, Snowman's Land, Tall Tall Mountain and especially Rainbow Ride, feel almost unfinished with poor level design and questionable collision, with Rainbow Ride being painful with how awful it is. Also, the final boss sucks. But still, the rest is near flawless and having one of the best soundtracks in the whole franchise.

This game is the reason 3D platformers are the way they are. The first of it's kind, Super Mario 64, got so much right when there was no blueprint to work from. For that reason alone does it deserve legend status. The movement (for its time) is crazy for what you're able to do and chain together, let alone in a 3D space. The worlds all have such a unique feel to them making you want to go explore every corner for a red coin or a star. The puzzles are doable, yet when you get one you've been trying to figure out it fills you with accomplishment rather than facepalming that you missed it. The last 10 or so stars for me, I personally found very challenging to scrape together which added to the accomplishment of clearing the game. While the first half of the courses are indeed very iconic, the latter half are much more difficult and choosing to engage with the harder courses surprised me by how difficult and frustrating the ending of this game could be. I think it did reveal a few flaws in the movement towards the end for me. Trying to move the other direction often had Mario move in a circle to get to that direction, causing him to fall off many platforms a substantial amount of times. In a modern game, this probably wouldn't be an issue, but you also can't blame the clunky controls because it really was the first time something of this scale was done in a 3D space - they got it right for the most part. Hard to not give this one a 5 star rating from me, even if parts were frustrating due to the controls.

I enjoyed my time enough to collect all 120 stars. However, the process of getting there would have been much better if not for some issues. As expected for an early 3D game like this, the controls are wonky, and the camera is often frustrating. Concerning the levels, Hazy Maze Cave, Tick Tock Clock, and Rainbow Ride are all tedious to some degree. These stages are far from being awful, but they aren't stages I'm looking forward to replaying either. Some levels also kick Mario back to the castle grounds upon failure, which can get pretty annoying. But, the castle isn't big enough to make this a major problem. All things considered though, this is an important game with an iconic soundtrack that has left a huge positive impact on the industry.