In my day we had 2D sprites and side-scrolling action. Our moves consisted of running and jumping, and not much else. Games would happily punish even the slightest mishap.

So in comes Super Mario 64, the first proper 3D game I've ever played. An analogue stick? That alone was a foreign concept. It let me move in all directions, which was a little intimidating. I was being dragged out of my comfort zone.

Then there were the odd changes I was trying to adjust to. Freeform gameplay to collect stars? What happened to linear progression? Instead of running and jumping I now had over 20 different moves to perform. I had a health gauge now. Mario couldn't breath underwater anymore. I could punch things?

My first play of the game didn't fair so well. It was on a machine set up in my local Woolworths. Mario was standing by the painting for Lethal Lava Land, so I took control and jumped right in. Needless to say I quickly discovered that Mario + lava does not make a very good combination.

A few more goes that didn't end in a fast lava bath and I claimed my first star. It was puzzling though. This was clearly a different game, and yet so much of it had the same kind of feel the older titles like Super Mario Bros. 3 did.

That pretty much sums up my first experience with one of the best titles on the N64. SM64 gave me my first taste of 3D, and it tasted good. Favoutites comes and go, but few games have the chance to be so memorable as to be the defining game in the transition into the 3D era, and to do so while retaining the essence that had made the series so strong in the first place was amazing.

Anyone else care to comment on this or their own first taste of SM64?

You pretty much summed it up there, even though I'm 13, I had an NES and an SNES up until the age of 7, that's when I got an n64, and it amazed me, the first games I had were the 2 legend of zelda games, sm64, and mario party, the graphics were so good back then that I honestly could not stop playing until I finished each one. Each level in sm64 was different from the last, with some of the stages making you complete something different that could only be done in that level, which is what I loved about it, you actually had to complete something instead of reaching the end of the stage and you won.

SM 64 was the first game i ever got for N64 and i really liked concept of having more freedom in the game play not just being able to move in 2 directions and only being able to jump. I played it for hours when i first got it and it never got old. Mario party was next then Mario party 2 which was better than the first. But lemme just say after MP 2 they started going down hill two many minigames.

lol my mom says she likes olden games; simple
she gets dizzy watching me play modern day sonic the hedgehog

I remeber when I first played it, I would play for hours. Wake up at 6am and not get off until Noon or later. Those were the days... And the storyline was interesting. Bowser stole Peach, I need to find him and beat him up! Ha.

Nowadays through, I have either no time, or no wanting to play for hours on end. And now Nintendo just seems to keep using the "Bowser stole Peach, find him, beat him up and bring Peach home" sort of theme. Its annoying, I think, and thinking of it, Super Mario Sunshine and even Galaxy used that. Maybe the next Mario game will have something new that will pull me back into it, as I can barely play my Wii for an hour before I get bored.

Yeah, the whole princess in distress got old a while ago. It was already being a little overused when SM64 hit but not to the extent it has been by this point in time.

I think the last time it was "Acceptable" was in SM64 (But hey, with new 3D graphics, the whole thing looked better and had a much more challenging effect then hopping over some turtle thing; you now had to face a "Real" Bowser). After Super Mario 64, BAM, everything went down hill, I have to say.

But, I still enjoy playing Nintendo and even Mario is still awesome, Nintendo just needs either:

A. New writers
B. "A Mario Makeover"
C. All of the above.

But still, SM64 is the last of its kind, I think. After that, it simply went down hill. Galaxy was great, I must admit, but after discovering Bowser once again flew in and stole Peach, I was tempted to stop playing. I ended up with 30 Stars before I "forgot about it" (That being the game, not how Bowser stole Peach ). Maybe some day this Summer I'll pull it and SM64 out and re-beat all three games (Super Mario 64, Super Mario: Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy).

The game used to have a cool storyline and when I was litle I didn't know why when I open the front doors there would be black and then i would walk in a there would be a room. but now I know what "graphics" are and the game doesn't seem as exciting.

That's why I love the old games. 80s music and 80s games are in fact the games and music I like most.

quote Dogsbaby

I think the last time it was "Acceptable" was in SM64 (But hey, with new 3D graphics, the whole thing looked better and had a much more challenging effect then hopping over some turtle thing; you now had to face a "Real" Bowser). After Super Mario 64, BAM, everything went down hill, I have to say.

Yeah, you have a great point there Insanity Prevails, even I wouldn't have cared back when I was like 8 or 9 playing SM64; 3D + Mario = WHOOOOOOA.

I also think Galaxy tried to punch through the storyline thing, but I can't say for sure as I'm still playing it!

And to stay on the topic of the thread, I do miss those days of SM64. Might even download SM64 on my Wii just to have 4 new clean files to beat, #2 thing that keeps me from playing the game; I'd have to delete files. #1 thing? MY N64 HATES ME TO DEATH!

personally i like side scrollers better than 3d but some 3d games i really like, like the super mario 3d series kart series and tennis series the sonic adventures the first 3 crash games and jak and daxter and a couple others but until i was 9 i basically playedonly sidescrollers(even though now i nonly 13 my aunt had an nes and snes)

although this wasnt my firsdt 3d game it was my secondwhic is perty close(purpose mispell)
and this game is the game that taught me 3d mechanics since i wa so used to side scrollers but i dont have an n64 it was my 2nd cousins(who is like 55 ) and she gave it too her grandson waaaah




PS: how can you taste 3d?

quote Quarxyz

PS: how can you taste 3d?

yeah proboably but man do i miss my aunt nes

a kid she watched ripped the thing that plugs the controllers into the system in half which messed up the snes