It's remarkable that a game as old as Super Mario 64 remains at the pinnacle of '3D movement' in the game design pantheon. This was Nintendo's first attempt at making 3D movement and it is so very expressive. It's just a shame not much else here sticks out to me as all that fun or impressive.

The recency of 3D movement meant that not many challenges could be constructed around pure-platforming. Most great parts of 64 I look back on were the Bowser Assault Courses and the odd fantastic mission. The movement is the star of the show, but the show doesn't seem to have many (mechanically) interesting set-pieces.

I live for everything about this game's aesthetic though. Definitely a must play even with the problems I have with it.