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PlanetWooD
Bringing
you the best in texts and video games
Since 1999
VIDEO GAME CENTRE REVIEWS
(N64)
Review of
Super Mario 64
By Adam808
Okay, here it is folks the review of what has been hailed
by both critics and
fans as the single greatest game ever made. Are
they both right, or is a
sick form of idol worship for the one known as Miyamoto
fooling everyone?
Read on to find out. . .
Gameplay-
This one is all about gameplay. Only one word can
describe this game's gameplay. Perfect. It's
been said over and over that perfection in video games is
impossible, but just as Final Fantasy 6 proved that
theory wrong in the areas of art and story, Super Mario
64 proves it wrong in the case of gameplay.
Controlling Mario, everyone's favorite overweight plumber
protagonist, is easy to pick up, but tough to
master. Navigating Mario with the ingenious analog
stick is as natural as the need to eat brains is to a RE
zombie. Every button has some function that you
will use. There are no useless moves. A
complete working knowledge of every one of Mario's many
skills is necessary to get all 120 stars, the objects
which are hidden throughout the 15 paintings which make
up the castle world you are thrown into. One goal
is to find stars that are hidden in the castle, but not
in the paintings. This is one of the most fun parts
of the game, because it Metal Hat; these are video game
memories you won't soon forget. But these are just
the primary goals. Endless amounts of fun can be
had just running around the beautiful world that Miyamoto
has slaved years over for you. Stop moving and
Mario will snore and mutter about is favorite Italian
dishes. Fall too far down and Mario will be
severely injured and stagger. Become too injured, and he
will pant. This game is filled with little nuances
that will keep you coming back for more. And trust
me, once you play the 15th world, Rainbow Ride, you will
be Miaymoto's for the rest of your life.
Score - -
10+
Graphics-
When I first played this game, about three, four months
after it had come out, one thing came to my mind.
"Wow, this kicks ass!" I couldn't believe
something like that could be happening on my TV screen (I
didn't get a computer until this summer). I spent
my first hours with this game just being in awe.
Everything is smooth and perfect. Blurry, yes, but
if you can't get over that, then I don't need to be
talking to you. Some objects are cookie cutter,
like the trees and coins, which doesn't make them as full
of life as the polygonal objects in the game, which move
and function differently and amazingly each. Every
object that can move does, and with an
AI only rivaled by Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid.
But unlike Kojima's
pixelated, gray Solid, Super Mario 64 is rife with color
and personality. Every painting world has it's own
unique personality and color scheme. The graphics
of this game fit it perfectly. It is Mario in every
sense, and it is wonderful.
Score - - 9
Sound-
The sounds in this game are simply amazing. SFX
like echoes and footsteps perfectly match the
action. Every action has an equal sound that makes
everything you do seem more real. Stomping,
running, and of course, the one sound that will make you
forget how miserable your life is; capturing a star.
Familiar sounds such as capturing coins and Bowser's yell
remind you, "…Mario…".
The music, while by itself is mediocre, coincides with
the game and scores every area to perfection. You
will begin to familiarize certain areas with certain
themes, and your actions will change accordingly.
Hear the water music, and you will swim. The second
you leave the water, and the sound changes, you don't
even think and you return more easily to dry walking
because the music reminds you, "Hey, you're out of
the water now." Also, when the action gets
more hectic, the music, ever so slightly, changes as
well. A few more drums here and an added
enthusiastic synth there tell you, "Hey!
Hey! Shit's goin' down!" and you react
accordingly. And the Metal Hat theme, ahh,
bliss. It, while not bypassing, but subtly
changing, the old power star theme, turns it into
something new and wonderful. Yet another memorable
Mario theme to enter your mind and never leave. And
let's not forget to mention the classic Mario theme,
which, while not in the main game, appears at the
beginning, the moment the system boots up, telling you,
"Hey! You're playing Mario! You are in
for a very fun, fun time."
Score - - 10
Story-
Well, I will not use story to rate a game like
this. This is my first review, and I will only rate
a game's story when it is an RPG or RPG hybrid (SPRG,
action RPG, adventure games, etc.). And as a side
note, I will not rate a story on whether or not I like
it, but on if it is balanced, coherent, and
appropriate. You can't rate a game with opinion
when it comes to story; that would be misleading
people. A game's story is a personal thing to
everyone, such as with FF7's ending, which has no
definite explanation; it is left up to your
interpretation (I'll be getting emails about that one. .
.).
Overall-
This game is perfect. Anyone that tells you
different is wrong. It is both a technical fact
that this game is perfect and my opinion that this game
is absolutely perfect. Every aspect of the game
comes together like a Beethoven symphony; sound,
graphics, gameplay, control, feeling; you will love this
game for the rest of your life. I have played this
game numerous times, and I have never once gotten tired
of it. Like a classic novel or movie, this game
stays with you forever, and never goes away; and that is
not a good thing. I look at this game like I look
at my first love; I've never felt this way before about a
game, I never want to feel this way about any other game,
and I never will. Final Fantasy 6 is a close
sentimental second to me, but Super Mario 64 is the
single greatest entertainment product ever made.
Forget the lava lamp, what we got here is something far
more special.
Score - - 10
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