[REPLAY] Super Mario 64 is one of the quintessential 3D platformers. It set the stage for a myriad of fantastic game design practices that are still used to this day. It's a game that almost effortlessly brought an already established legend into new axes. There are almost no other 3D platformers that match or surpass this. While I don't think Mario 64 is flawless, I recognize it as one of the founding pillars of video history. It's a game as important as the Super Mario Bros. of 11 years before it. From it's wide range of movement options with Mario, to it's dynamic environments that change from moment to moment, to it's sand-boxy progression that almost allow to progress as if wading through water, Super Mario 64 is extremely fun and satisfying.
---------That being said, I've seen there has been a backlash against it. Part of that backlash I can agree with. Mario's movement is more momentum based then I remember, and can cause some frustration. The camera system can show it's age, especially in the later levels of the game. Finally, some stars can be outright headache inducing to get. However, to say that Mario 64 is “bad” or that it has “aged like milk” is to exercise insanity. Super Mario 64 is a triumph of 3D gaming, and it still plays like it. So long-jump to your nearest store, and pick up this Nintendo classic. - [08/10]