Oy™ - a daily comic

Almost done! The second to last…

#2 - Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)

Released: 1996; Publisher: Nintendo; Rating: E

What it is

3D Mario!

Why I like it

In 1998 I decided to buy a Nintendo 64. The first game I got to go with it was Super Mario 64. And boy, what a game! I had played 3D games before on the PC, but this was something else. The worlds were large and colorful, and the control scheme was top-notch. Even camera problems were few and far between. The best part, I still play it every so often to this day nearly ten years later. I at one time had all 120 stars, but I started over a few months ago and it’s still just as fun.

Is it still available?

Yes, in several formats: the original N64 cartridge and on the Wii Virtual Console. There’s also a modified version for the Nintendo DS which features Luigi, Wario and Yoshi as playable characters in addition to Mario.

Sequels?

Yes, two. Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube, which features technically improved graphics, but the game play isn’t quite as fun, and the levels get visually redundant (they’re all island-based.) It’s still a great game in general. And then there’s Super Mario Galaxy for Wii, which comes out in the next couple weeks, so I have yet to play it. Early impressions from other people point to it being the best Mario game ever, so we shall see…