MARIO 64

Mario 64 is one of the best examples of a 3D Platform Action game at it's absolute best. Everything from the graphics to the gameplay was ground breaking when it was originally released. It was one of the first games to utilize full analog control. In otherwords, you can move your characer more realistically. Push on the stick a little & Mario casually walks. Jam on the stick all the way & Mario shoots off into a full sprint. This level of easy, smooth control was never releazied in a game before. Each stage is huge & holds several stars that Mario is looking for. First you have to find each star & figure out a way to reach it. Which usually involved lots of jumping & other platform antics to accomplish. The more stars you collect the more stages that open. And when you collect all 180 you get to meet an old friend who gives you a handsome reward. Though by the time you get it the reward is useless (you'll see what I mean when you play the game). Every couple of stages you encounter Bowser or another mini-boss & go off into a 3D duel that has you tossing them about. You can fully control the camera so getting the right viewpoint is usually easy. It's definitely a fun & refreshing game so any gamer should be happy. The graphics are bright & colorful almost like a cartoon. Each stage is filled a load of whacky characters such as the Goombas & Koopas among some other new entries. And believe me, there's quite a bit of surprises to be had in each level. Some of the themes include underwater cities, sunken ships, crossing a rainbow on a flying carpet & more. My only disappointment was the lack of a real story which made for a pretty goofy ending. Come on, baking a cake? Oh well, what can you do? At least you finally get to hear how Mario & the rest of the cast sounds. Too bad Luigi was completely left out. Otherwise you'll find an enjoyable game with excellent gameplay. Enjoy you N64-heads!

Overall 9.2