Super Mario 64
Reviewed by J.M.Vargas
Happy Birthday! A little over a year has passed since
Nintendo 64 hit store shelves all over North America, and
me and hundreds of thousands of Americans experienced the
thrill of 64-bit gaming with "Super Mario 64". Many felt
tempted to purchase "Pilotwings 64" for variety in the
gaming diet, but that game just didn't look like much fun
to the PSX/Saturn jaded eyes of yours truly. No sir, "SM64"
was one of only two games I purchased for the N64 in 1996
("Wave Race 64" was the other one); I just, for the life of
me, couldn't find another N64 cartridge that could even
remotely compare to the value-for-money ratio of Shigeru
Miyamoto's premier title. But things are a little different
now that N64 and Sony's PSX are at each other's throat.
For most of 1996 N64 owners (not only in the US but in
Japan and all over the world) could count themselves lucky
if one game per month got released. With good/bad/average
games being released for the PSX/Saturn at a dizzy rate,
temptation to pack the machine and call it quits with the
cartridge format were ever present (and if you say you
weren't tempted by Sega and Sony's titles then you're not a
gamer but a Nintendo loyalist...not that there's anything
wrong with that!). Sure, "Mario Kart 64" was released for
February and definitely made it worth the wait. But when
"War Gods" was released as the premier May title for the
N64 in 1997, you felt like a conservative Republican
clinging on to deeply held moral values while the rest of
the world (from the President of the U.S. down to the
average PSX owner) was out having some decadent fun.
But now things are changing and, although there won't be a
"Super Mario 64"-caliber title for the 1997 Christmas
holidays (a first for Nintendo), there will be at least a
variety of games tempting your wallet. Three games got
released on October 1st for the N64 ("Mace: The Dark Ages",
"Top Gear Rally" and "Mischief Makers"), something I don't
think has ever happened before and shows the improving
status of the developer's know-how with the system. What
I'd like to do, before I plunge deep into the sea of great
software available for the 1997 fourth quarter (as a
multi-platform owner, that could mean almost drowning myself
and my bank account into oblivion) is to pay tribute to the
game that started us down the path of 64-bit console gaming.
One more time before people who have played it forgot the
moment, or newbabies just getting acquainted with it post
their new reviews, I'd like to remind readers what it's like
to play "Super Mario 64".
Years in development, million of dollars (yen?) and
countless man hours were spent by Nintendo to make their
mascot character, its world and his sidekicks a vibrant and
interactive gaming world that would serve as the prototype
all other gaming would be compared against. It wasn't the
first next-gen. game with "go anywhere" elements in 3D for
characters (Capcom's "Resident Evil" and Delphine's "Fade
to Black" were early examples). And two other games were
simultaneously being developed that would use an almost
identical gameplay strategy for 3D gameplay: Accolade's
"Bubsy 3D" (PSX) and Eidos' "Tomb Raider" (PSX/Saturn/PC).
What money and man hours can't duplicate or purchase is
addictive gameplay magic, something Dr. Miyamoto is quite
good at; add to that the recognition factor of the Mario
franchise (kids can recognize Mario as easily as other
American icons like Mickey, Bugs, Fred Flintstone, Joe
Camel, Sailor Moon, Fritz the Cat, etc.) and you've got a
winner. "Super Mario 64" is the premier character-driven 3D
"go anywhere" console title (even though they're 3D,
driving games aren't included in this assessment) for the
foreseeable future. It's so good that Rare, second-party
developer-extraordinary for Nintendo, has pretty much
ripped the concept and tweaked into two upcoming games
("Banjo K." and "Conker's Quest"). To be fair, Eidos and
their "Tomb Raider" franchise, although graphically
inferior, went on to achieve huge critical and financial
success for Nintendo's competing consoles (the "Bubsy"
franchise went the opposite way, sending Accolade reeling
and the game into the bargain bins).
"SM64" will have as its legacy the way it taught developers
how to do 3D gaming that wouldn't be a chore for the gamer
to get acquainted with. I see people selling their used
copies and commenting on how boring the game gets after
awhile; true (every one-player game, regardless of how
good, get's tedious after extended play), but now people
are getting used to being bored by 3D gameplay as opposed
to the tried and almost-exhausted 2D gameplay. That can
only be good news for gamers, since they'll be really picky
and expect more from developers with their new games.
Duplicating "SM64" on competing platforms isn't going to
cut it anymore ("Croc" anyone?), since we now not only
expect the clones to do what Mario did but to do it better
("Agent Gex", "Jersey Devil", "One", "Mystical Ninja",
"Tomb Raider 2", "Crash Bandicoot 2"...my head's hurting
now!). Looks like Dr. Miyamoto has his work cut out for
him, since not only must he top himself and his team of
developers, but the teams of developers trying to top
themselves and Nintendo. I'm sure "Super Mario 64 2" will
fix the little flaws that the original had and add more
(Luigi will be included, which takes care of the dearly
missed two-player option), but under his watch Miyamoto let
the cheap Artificial Intelligence almost ruin "Mario Kart
64" (and let's not forget "Stunt Race FX" for the SNES).
All I'm saying is that the man's human, and the task of
duplicating the awe felt when playing "SM64" the first time
is going to be gargantuan...how can you surprise gamers
again when the major ace up your sleeve, the expectation of
the then-unexpected, is no longer at your disposal?
GRAPHICS / VISUALS: A+
There have been newer games which display more graphical
tricks, both from the software and the hardware, than
"SM64". "Final Fantasy VII" on PSX, "Christmas NIGHTS" on
Saturn and Miyamoto's own "Star Fox 64" (to name three). But
the single biggest feature that makes the game's world
comes alive is the casualness with which the graphics
coexist with the gameplay. Let me explain: Mario is an
Italian plumber trying to rescue a blond Princess (named
"Peach"?) from a tyrannical Dinosaur bent on taking over a
world populated by flying turtles, talking mushrooms (Toad)
and boxes suspended in mid-air that can make the hero fly
in the air (with wings attached to his cap, the way flying
ought to be if you ask me!) or morph into a refugee from
James Cameron's "Terminator 2".
See how preposterous and ridiculous the whole Mario world
becomes the more rationale you apply to it? That's why the
design, simplicity and charm (yes, you can also call them
cute) of the graphics do not require an overkill of lens
flares and pretty but unnecessary special effects (PSX
titles, particularly those from Psygnosis, come to mind).
The princess' castle feels and looks rock-solid, the trees
are interactive elements which serve a useful purpose
(climb to the top, do handstand, jump long distances) as
well as a decorative one. The sleeping plant in Whomp's
Fortress has bubbles coming from her nose as /he/she/it
calmly snores...the dark glasses worn by the fish swimming
in the ponds of Tiny-Huge Island...the running shoes worn
by Koopa the Quick before the two footraces...the little
Penguins in Cool, Cool Mountain...etc. All these small
elements add up to a package that, besides looking stunning
(even in low-res.), bring two-dimensional drawings into a
vivid and cartoony world to life.
As a gamer who overdosed with the original "Super Mario
Bros." back in the mid-80's (and skipped the SNES because
of a momentary flirt with the Atari Lynx...forgive me
father, for I have sinned!), all these things were new to
me and shocked me in a positive way. It is hard to draw a
painting or a frame of animation; it is harder to render a
polygon and make of them cohesively resemble anything. But
to render, in hundreds of thousand of polygons, an existing
and well-known two-dimensional world and make it a lively
and enjoyable place to go around exploring! I'll just say
that, soon after beating "SM64" the second time around, I
headed to my local retailer and got me a brand new SNES,
"Super Mario All-Stars", "Yoshi's Island" and (because it
was on sale) "Donkey Kong Country 2". I can't think of a
higher tribute to the artistic vision of "SM64" than
instilling in me the desire to go back and experience the
elements that led to this 64-bit artistic triumph.
The graphics in the game, however, aren't totally flawless.
There is considerable (but bearable) slowdown when bodies
of water, hallway torches (up close) or fiery lava bursts
appear within sight. Oddly enough, when Mario is submerged
under water the slowdown is gone...go figure! Some enemies
and background graphics suddenly "pop up" as you approach
them; this doesn't affect the game because there is enough
distance between our hero and the appearing
enemy/background to react (compare that to the "pop up"
that screwed up the Saturn version of Sega's "Dayotna
U.S.A."). The N64 games have developed a reputation for a
uniform look, the result of the repeating textures needed
to make games fit on cartridges ("Doom 64", "Wave Race 64",
and the biggest culprit of them all, "Turok: Dinosaur
Hunter"); "SM64" has fifteen different levels, with ten
additional levels for hidden surprises. The textures do
repeat themselves frequently throughout the game: the
fences, the trees, the brown rocky mountainsides, the
shades of the grass, the blocks and hallways of the
Princess' Castle, etc. It will be most noticeable when
compared to newer N64 which have learned how to handle the
medium's limitations ("GoldenEye 007" has way more textures
stored in memory, but as a result the mountains and
characters look thin and almost as fake as Hollywood's
one-sided movie sets). But can you honestly say the
repeating textures bothered you the first few times you
played "SM64"?
Overall, these graphics (their visual splendor aside)
convey the most personality and vivid imagination of any
Nintendo title to date; it's the natural evolution from
Mario's two-dimensional heritage taken to the next level
(which used to be occupied by Sega...what went wrong?).
Only "NIGHTS...Into Dreams", by Yuji Naka's Sonic Team,
feature characters and a world that is just as memorable
and/or imaginative as Mario's (I'd say the fresh air is
just a tad better at Nightopia than in Nintendoland).
MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS: A
Many of them recycled from previous Mario titles, which I
wasn't aware of when playing the game the first few times.
The butt-stomp (out of "Yoshi's Island"), the pipe (all
games), etc. But the sound chips are smoking on this one,
since the newer, better sound effects come through with
vibrant resonance. On previous NES/SNES games, whenever
Mario jumped bellow a block to get a flower or mushroom, a
tiny beepy sound effect occurred. On the N64, since there
are fewer boxes and they all provide key power-ups for
Mario (invisibility, invulnerability and the ability to
fly), you'll hear a powerful "Boomp" with echo and what
sound like a cartoon sprin ("Boing") when smashing the
blocks. All the enemies have their own sound effect, like
the spiders that approach Mario, the Koopa Troopa's feet
rapidly tapping, etc. And there are sound effects all over
the cartridge: elevators going up and down, water splashes,
fireballs being thrown, etc. This are cartoon sound effects
folks, so you'll no doubt find them a worthy alternative to
what has been heard from Warner Borthers and MGM cartoons.
New to the Mario World in the N64 is the ability for some
of the characters to have audible speech. Mario yells
"Yippie!", "Yahoo!" (net-surfing Mario? Can't wait for the
TV ad), "Let's-a-go!", etc. The Princess reads a letter at
the beginning of the game and gives a speech at the game's
end rewarding your efforts (cake? Yummy!). Some of these
were new, exclusive features for the American audience not
present in the Japanese version of the game released in the
summer of 1996 (the speech was included, along with Rumble
Pack compatibility, when Nintendo re-released the game in
the summer of 1997). The ambient sound effects by other
living creatures in the world are also cool: Bowser's
menacing laughter, the Big Bird's scream (sort of!), birds
chimping in the background, etc. Buy and play the game for
the great gameplay and not for the sampled speech, because
there's hardly any in this first-generation Nintendo
effort. "Mario Kart 64", on the other hand, took the speech
samples to a new level with some memorable one-liners ("I'm
a Wario...", "I'm a Luigi...", "Peachy!", etc.). The next
evolution in speech came with "Star fox 64" (dialogue
galore, on a cartridge!)...what will "Super Mario 64 2"
speech samples will be like?
Koji Kondo has composed great music for Nintendo games in
the past, and this game truly is in a league of its own
with the tunes of "SM64". The banjo music when going down
the Princess' Slide, the one-minute loop when exploring the
inside of the Castle, the calm and relaxation-inducing mood
of the tunes in Dire, Dire Docks (which vary depending on
your location in the level, inside or outside the water,
etc.), the organ tune for the final showdown with Bowser
(it feels lifted straight from "Phantom of the Opera"),
etc. It loops frequently, but I've found it still enjoyable
after all this months of repeated play. If you're into
Nintendo music, a CD with most of the tunes in the game (as
well as a remix from "Wave Race 64" tunes) is available for
under $8.
[ON AN ASIDE: why are CD's with Nintendo music always
missing one or two tunes from the game? The "SM64" CD
doesn't have the cool tunes from Big Boo's Haunt and Hazy
Maze Cave/Wet-Dry World, but the horrible music from Lethal
Lava Land/Shifting Sand Land is there. The "Mario Kart 64"
music CD doesn't have the cool tune from Chocobo Mountain.
Someone ought to remind Nintendo that, unlike their
cartridges, music CD's have storage room to spare (ouch!).]
This game contains some of the best MIDI-composed tunes on
cartridge, and makes you wonder what Koji Kondo's musical
talents would allow if he had a medium to get better tunes
pumped out. Then we could have a challenge to what I
consider the greatest video game soundtrack of all time,
Sega's "NIGHTS...Into Dreams" (oh really?).
GAMEPLAY / FUN FACTOR: A-
Rather than randomly go on and on about the game's finer
points without a central theme (like we haven't done enough
of that today :), I'd like to go through each of the
world's fifteen levels and briefly describe a couple of key
points from each. Who knows? Maybe they are the building
blocks that Dr. Miyamoto will employ to rebuild the game
into a stunning "I-must-buy-a-64DD-just-to-play-this"
sequel. See if you can relate to any of these memories.
BOB-OMB BATTLEFIELD: the first taste of 64-bit gaming we
all had started in this level, the only accessible without
a single star. It took me a few days to figure out how to
release Chain Chomp and get the star behind the bars, and
to my surprise a friend overseas was having similar
problems with the same obstacle until I bailed him out
(gaming brotherhood through vast distances!). The Bob-omb
boss at the top of the mountain (as well as most of the
initial obstacles) seem too easy and unchallenging; that's
the way Nintendo wanted the player to feel in order to get
used to the 3D gameplay and prepared for the battle ahead.
Shell surfing (or shreddin') becomes available once you
defeat Koopa the Quick in a race to the top, and the first
time you get a hold of the board...ehh...shell, you will
experience a brief moment of gaming nirvana in which you'll
feel this is way too cool! (eh, OK! Move on!).
WHOMP'S FORTRESS: since this is some kind of floating
island, the environment will become your enemy as you
attempt to collect the stars and move around. With the
exception of the star hidden on a corner of a wall (another
overseas friend bailed me out), I would have never found
the darn thing. The owl is cool but hard to control, and
gets you to the star in the cage too easy (getting to it
without the owl...that's da bomb!). One of the few
instances in the game were walking slowly (around the
plants) is a requirement, although it's easier to grab the
block at the bottom of the level and throw it at the plant,
getting yourself a big fat blue coin. Colorful enemies!
JOLLY RANGER BAY: here's where most people will notice (a)
that there will be slowdown when water surrounds Mario
(although it is greatly reduced by the time you reach
Wet-Dry World...a bug?), and (b) the star you choose when
you jump into a portrait will affect the arrangement of
obstacles in that world. Case and point: the ship will be
sunked in the bottom if you choose the challenge of going
inside to get the star, or floating with red coins in all
the other challenges. That darn eel is spooky-looking but
harmless (are there any Mario enemies that seriously maim
the hero?). The first time you get the timing correct for
the Metal Mario jumping into the deep to get the star
surrounded by current...wow! The most relaxing background
cartridge tune you'll ever hear (it kicks the crap out the
music in "Pilotwings 64").
COOL, COOL MOUNTAIN: the rules from 16-bit platforms still
apply, as this snow-covered world has slippery controls. I
got 119 stars on two saved files (and was well on my way to
fill the third file) because I couldn't beat the f*@*\+%
Penguin in the slide, and kept falling off the cliff over
and over again (you should have seen me when I finally beat
the boss...I was jumping up and down, sending the old lady
living in the apartment bellow me running for cover!). Here
is the first time you'll need a wall-bounce (a timing-heavy
move) to access a particularly difficult star. The whole
thing with the little Penguin lost and her worried mother
is classic Nintendo: sickeningly cute but touching.
BIG BOO'S HAUNT: based on the famous levels from the
16-bit "Super Mario World", this game at times resorts to
fixed camera angles (ala "Resident Evil") to keep the
player in touch with the objective. Here is where the
wall-bounce becomes a must, since that's the only way to
access the balcony where the really Big Boo awaits (three
butt stumps and he's a goner? Too easy!). The
Merry-go-round can be confusing but there is definitely
room for more challenge; the whole level approaches a
"Halloween-for-tots" level of cuteness, but is hardly scary
or challenging. Only level where you don't have to jump on
a hole or into a painting (is located inside a ghost that
roams in a fountain outside the Castle's...patio??!!).
HAZY MAZE CAVE: have you ever seen a more friendly, cute
and harmless beast than Bessie the Beast? swimming in the
bottom of the level's pond waiting to give you a lift
towards the Green box switch. I wish she were included in
"Turok: D.H." or Turok would pay her a visit (with the
Grenade Launcher ready). The spiders look rather freaky in
there little shoes and bugged-out eyes (although not as bas
as those seen in "Tenka" for the PSX). The Toxic Maze has
some inconvenient potholes that make navigating it a chore
(and raises the possibility of your chocking to death).
Watch out for them falling rocks! Lara Croft can do most of
Mario's moves, but I sure would like to see her hang from
bars, suspended in mid-air over deep holes.
LETHAL LAVA LAND: a flashback for the meek to the bullies
that harassed them in school. Looking like bowling balls
with horns, eyes and feet, these scumbags push you around
and try to throw Mario into the lava pools surrounding this
Hell-spawn nightmare (whatever!). Some stars are way too
easy again (Red-Hot Log), while others require nerves of
steel and a steady hand (particularly inside the volcano).
Good luck with the shell shreddin', since one obstacle hit
means you're in the lava (or flying over it, grabbing your
butt in extreme pain).
SHIFTING SAND LAND: One of two hidden worlds with a fake
wall as the entrance (the other one's the mirror-trick in
Snowman's Land), this Egyptian-based world has shifting
land as the enemy as well as some weird twisters and a Big
Bird (no, not THE Big Bird; Nintendo's). The elements are
the obstacle, as well as the piercing ear-sore that is the
horrible citar music in the background (same goes for
Lethal Lava Land, which shares the same tunes). Once you
manage to solve both the riddles of the pyramid's exterior
and interior, you duke it out with a boss that resembles
two hands made of stone (Andross' hands?).
DIRE, DIRE DOCKS: available after you collect a certain
number of stars, this water-based level features sharks and
deadly currents as the enemies, and tricky obstacles like
moving poles. You get to hop into Bowser's submarine,
although you can't go inside or explain its vanishing after
you grab the star on it. If you feel tempted to explore the
black hole inside this world (only visible when submarine
is on surface), you'll be sent back to the pond outside the
castle. The relaxing tunes are back, and jumping from pole
to pole can be fun (the first few times at least).
SNOWMAN'S LAND: remember the first time you figured out
the entrance to the level through a mirror reflection? A
one-time wonder trick that made us smile; plenty of timing
needed in order to get to some of the harder-to-reach stars
(a few have to be reached by jumping on enemies and using
the boost to reach them; others require that Mario rides on
top of the head of a Penguin). Not as hard as Cool, Cool
Mountain and with more special effects eye-candy (the
transparent house right at the beginning of the level).
WET-DRY WORLD: there are two worlds in one since two/three
of the red coins can only be reached by shooting Mario into
this "warp". Mario's ability to move the water level up and
down (by jumping higher or lower into the portrait, or
activating the switches inside the world) affects the
tasks, which include finding hidden spots, moving heavy
blocks (another technique "Tomb Raider" was simultaneously
developing) and evading a throwing bully.
TALL, TALL MOUNTAIN: what is it with Nintendo? First they
throw us a Rabbit that Mario has to chase (twice!) for
stars, and then we get a cap-stealing monkey! The slide is
back, well disguised as a mountain side, and it isn't as
punishingly hard as the Princess' or the Penguin's. The
moles can't be killed but they certainly know how to be a
pain, by either throwing rocks at Mario or popping from the
ground unexpectedly ("Mario Kart 64" only). Some stars can
be reached by leap-of-faith jumps, but some will require
common sense; more enemies than usual in this level,
although they're still as dumb as a box of kitty litter.
TINY-HUGE ISLAND: the best example of the hardware's
scaling ability comes when choosing to enter the world as
either a huge or a tiny Mario. Stand between the two
portraits, switch to free camera, and look at both of them:
they seem to be at identical lengths. But run toward them
and the machine will scale them accordingly. It's
unbelievable! Koopa the Quick is back for a rematch (sore
loser!). and you'll need to take huge jumps and hope for
the best in defeating the jealous turtle (it's all in the
wind). Wiggler is so cute, but why is he wearing a flower
on his/her head?. And how come invisible wars prevent the
water from falling? Nothing, however, compares with the
embarrassing prospect of being eaten by a huge fish wearing
sunglasses underwater.
TICK TOCK CLUB: with the exception of the need to stomp
the Thwomp (he, he!), the level is one big, mechanical,
joyless romp through a huge clock tower (an homage to
London's Big Ben?) without a living creature (kinda like a
non-puzzle version of "Tetrsiphere"). A huge bore, with
difficulty adjustability an option by selecting the time
at which to enter the world (slower, faster, or frozen).
RAINBOW RIDE: the mother of all obstacle-based challenges;
a few enemies here and there (located on key locations
where they can do the most damage), but the star of the
level is the rainbow with a magic world cruising through
the floating castle on top of a cloud, or the ship
propelled by feathers (classic Miyamoto). It took me until
5:00 AM Saturday morning to beat the level, and it was
worth every hour, yell and temper tantrum'; you'll die
often, because one false step and it's curtains.
OVERALL: A
The game sure has aged over the past year, and many people
who played it to death fear that the onslaught of clones
will dilute the magic the unexplored genre once had. I got
120 stars on all four save slots, and was pretty much done
finding new or secret stuff. I could have sold it and
gotten a few bucks toward newer, flashier games; I chose to
delete all my saved games and start from scratch. "Super
Mario 64" is a cartoon brought to life which is fully
interactive and, singlehandedly, pushed the hype behind the
Nintendo 64 success for the first half of its existence.
I can only hope the sequel will add some needed boost to
the genre: more speech samples, more tricky puzzles, better
variety of environments (how about adding the same levels
from the original to the sequel: presto!), a two-player
feature (the return of Luigi), and the ability to design
your own obstacles and levels with expansion packs (put the
64DD technology to good use). More options would be nice
(selecting which musical track to hear during play,
letterboxing, etc.), but the three key features that the
sequel has got to have.
Expand Mario's ability to fly with more forgiving controls
and interactive on-air elements. Think of "NIGHTS" control
combined with Mario's universe.
There should be tutorials and/or a training world (like
the original's Castle) for the young people to learn the
tricks of the rope and experience Mario's 3D universe. Many
young kids simply couldn't get a hold of Mario's new
control scheme, and since older, wiser veterans of the
original will be expecting more challenging gameplay, the
young one's enjoyment shouldn't be left unnoticed.
More challenging enemies. Thanks for making "SM64" an easy
introduction into 3D gaming and for providing a forgiving
challenge for newbabies. Now we want the enemies to be
vicious, for Koopa Troopas to attack Mario like demons
sworming all over the Soldier in "Doom 64". We want it
hard, and we want it soon.
The video game world is filled with milestone games that
changed and altered the fruited plane (something Rush would
say). "Centipede", "Pac Man", "Tetris", etc. "SM64" joins
the elite club that has redefined genres in the 1990's
("Doom", "Warcraft II", "Virtua Fighter 2", "NIGHTS",
"Mario Kart", etc.); until someone makes a game that can
match the joy of being a child again ("Tomb Raider" came
close but it was too violent and graphically flawed to
equal Mario), this franchise is the ace up Nintendo's
sleeve in the cut-throat world of video games. And we know
what hunger and thirst of power does to the underdogs. Sega
did it to Nintendo in 1991, and Sony did it to Sega big
time in 1995. Could Nintendo (strong in the US and Europe
but floundering in Japan) withstand the angry comeback of
the once-mighty but hungry Sega and their 64-bit CD-based
monster? Mario still rules until late 1998...then the
gloves are off when the rendered Hedgehog appears.