Super Mario 64

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a game by Nintendo, and Inland Productions
Genre: Action
Platform: Nintendo 64Nintendo 64
Mode Single-player
Setting Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach's Castle
Gameplay 3D platforming, exploration, and collecting Power Stars
Graphics 3D polygonal graphics
Soundtrack Original soundtrack composed by Koji Kondo
Editor Rating: 7.4/10, based on 12 reviews, 13 reviews are shown
User Rating: 6.9/10 - 239 votes
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See also: 3D Platformer Games, High Score Games, Retro Games, Mario Games, Games Like Sonic Frontiers
Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64

Mario, after jumping from the 8-Bit to the 16-Bit platform now makes his appearance on the Ultra 64. As you can see, this is a real 3-D world. The shadows are realistic, and check out the smoke from the giant Bullet Bill. Imagine what the Piranha Flower would look like in 3-D as it comes at you!

Using the powers of the Ultra 64, Mario's little personality quirks and animations are really brought to life. For example, Mario can toast his butt on the little fires in order to propel himself across chasms and fire pits.

The 3-D world forces you to cope with threats from all directions with enemies that can now completely surround Mario. Think what some of the end Bosses would look like and what type of battles you will get into. For example, there are fabulous screens of Mario going up against a giant rendered Bowser.

The levels from Mario are themed much like the rest of the series with levels composed of lava, grassy plains and everyone's favorite: underwater scenes. This new game gives Mario an exciting quest with lots of plot elements.

Another interesting change from the original Mario games is that he can no longer breathe underwater. He has to surface every once in a while. This is much more realistic than anything seen before.

The graphics are composed of rendered texture-mapped polygons, which allows for the 3-D world. One particularly interesting level has an area where Mario must slide down a mountain to collect bonus coins. The Ultra 64 controller is really put to the test here in order to keep our hero on course. Every button is used for some cool effect. Also new is the fact that for the first time ever, Mario can look up and down to see dangers from above and below. Remember that this game is just like real life now.

Mario's new adventure pits him against his age-old adversary Bowser. It seems like the evil turtle king has taken over yet another domain in the Mushroom Kingdom. As the levels progress, Mario finds out more about what Bowser's up to. His henchmen are all over, with some interesting new opponents, like vicious penguins in the Ice World. Mario will find clues inside a submarine sunk deep beneath the ocean's waves, making for a challenging aquatic adventure. Each level contains its own unique traps and pitfalls. Think the Thom blocks are deadly now? Just wait until you see one hovering over your head about to strike. Fortunately, Mario will acquire power-ups as well. Mario may get some of his older powers back like fireballs, but expect to find neat new tricks, like picking up enemies including Bowser. Yes, that is how you defeat him--pick him up, twirl him by the tail and throw him off the platform.

Check out the water screens on this page. Look carefully. Not only is the water translucent but you can see the Mario-eating fish starting to circle him.

Mario's come a long way since his first appearance in Donkey Kong. This version of the game will bring excitement to the players in the same way the very first Mario adventure did--with spectacular animation, challenging gameplay and most important of all...lots of just-plain fun. We can't wait to see more!

Download Super Mario 64

Nintendo 64

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

In the three years since Mario made his first appearance as a polygon hero, a dayglo 3-D render dropped into an SGI urban cityscape, Miyamoto and friends have demolished architectural reality and built a whole new Mario World around him. Previous Mario games have been extraordinary enough, Super Mario World's title betray its ambitions, but despite its 100 levels, varied levels and innovative game design it remains plainly stuck within a highly artificial, 2-D environment. Only now, with revolutionary 64-bit hardware, has Miyamoto's ambitions as a creator of worlds truly come true. Even before it's a game, Super Mario 64 is a breathtaking, entirely 3-D environment of astonishing imagination.

The game begins, instantly in true cart fashion, with the Super Mario 64 logo springing onto the screen accompanied by a rare speech sample: "It's me, Mario!" We then see Mario's face, in full 3-D, light-sourced, Gouraud-shaded - the business. As a star circles around his head, Mario's eyes follow, his whole face mobile with varying expressions. It's a demo truly worthy of an SGI workstation.

Press Start and you get a choice of four save game slots, all on the cart itself- not the joypad memory system. Click past this and an intro begins with a 3-D rendered close-up of Princess 'Peach' Toadstool, again unhappily awaiting rescue by her Italian chum. She then fades away into the sky, replaced by Lakitu floating atop a cloud with camera in hand. He whizzes about the castle ahead, swooping under the bridge and over the beautifully translucent water, pulling you into the game without wasting any memory on FMV - the graphics are all real-time, even if they do look workstation quality.Lakitu's final pass ends with a familiar green pipe emerging from the ground, out of which springs Mario. Lakitu now becomes simply a game option: there are two basic views:Mario (which basically follows behind our hero) and Lakitu (which is more free floating). You can switch between these views using the controller's shoulder buttons, while the four yellow buttons rotate the camera angle left/right and zoom in/out.

The freedom of choice is initially overwhelming, but at this early stage you can go with almost anything - the intelligent camera usually provides a usable perspective.

Wherever you look in Mario, the game looks good, and sounds good.Although initially there's no musk, woodland sound effects are crystal clear and brilliantly create an involving atmosphere. As Mario stares ahead at the castle which, Tardis-like contains all the game's huge levels, butterflies flutter around his head with dreamlike realism. Standing still, Mario's head turns from side to side and his body heaves as if slightly breathless. To move Mario, you use the central analogue joystick. Although this moves freely in all directions, an octagonal surround provides a familiar eight-position template. Most of the time, you simply push as far and as fast as possible, making Mario sprint with surprising speed -especially considering how this huge Gouraud-shaded, mip-mapped 3-D environment moves in perfect lockstep. Almost instinctively, you'll set Mario running in huge looping circles, spinning the world around with breath-taking ease, powder puffs of dust rising at Mario's feet.

If you push more gently, Mario simply walks, by pressing the trigger button you can even make him crawl. The two main action buttons, green and blue make him punch and leap - use the trigger button while leaping and he does a bottom bounce. You can also use the green button to turn a leap into an Olympic dive if you're really desperate to get somewhere. This is, of course,just scratching the surface of Mario's abilities.

Walk off to the right and you'll see a line of trees. As you approach, a flock of birds fly off the trees, their plaintive tweets proving far more evocative than any CD rock soundtrack.

Accompanying the bird song, there's the sound of rushing water which intensifies as you approach a nicely animated waterfall. Leap over the guard-rail and you dive into the the water.Simply lying in the water gives you an opportunity to admire the blue, semi- transparent water which gently undulates as the current gently carries you forward. What other software house would bother with such fine detail?

Dive down and the surface of the water pans up, then disappears. While losing the blue overlay Is a little bizarre, it neatly denotes the transition between swimming on the surface and diving into the underwater environment. Pressing the jump button gives a small, slow stroke while the punch button provides more energetic movement. The moat proves to be as full of life as the trees, with schools of fish scooting about. Everything outside the castle is harmless, but it serves to generate a sense of being in a surreal world, complete with its own ecosystem, rather than simply another banal gamescape, where everything is locked into a rigid game design.

While there's plenty of hatches and even a door underwater, there doesn't seem any easy way to open them. Moreover, the more observant will notice the appearance of a Power Dial at the top of the screen. This monitors Mario's air supply - stay down too long and the plumber drowns. This dial also appears when Mario gets hit or caught in an explosion, warning of draining energy - which can be restored by collecting coins.

After climbing out of the water, you can walk around and finally enter the castle. A toadstool stands in a comer, one of a legion of friends, signposts and framed message providing advice in short, bite-sized chunks of text. Initially, all but one of the game's courses are locked. The one exception is up on the left Walk though the door and you enter a boring grey room with a picture of a bomb. What do you do now? Why leap through, with the picture's surface rippling In a way previously only possible on workstation demos. A screen appears, showing how many stars you can collect, but you can press by that and be, instantly, in a new world...

Friendly pink bombs amble around a lush green plateau with a cannon. A wooden bridge stretches off into the distance, virtually harmless lump-like creatures, called Goombahs, wander about to let you practice bottom - bouncing - rather more difficult in 3-D than 2-D, but to compensate the collision detection has been set on the generous side.

On every level, the objective is to recover stars - there are a 120 in all - and one star is quickly found, locked behind bars! To reach it, you must free Chain Chomp - a huge black ball with snapping steel teeth. Chained to a wooden post he's furious and will attack as you try to rescue him. Bottom-bouncing the post into the ground sounds easy, but with Chain Chomp circling about and the all intricacies of a 3-D perspective it's tricky. The control system which makes such a hugely ambitious 3-D landscape so much fun isn't, initially, as instinctive as you'd like under pressure to be quick and accurate.

If you quickly try the game in a shop, even walking across a bridge can seem difficult with the panning camera angles, the diagonal motion and Mario's speed when running. With practice, however, it soon becomes instinctive and beyond Chain Chomp, Nintendo have thoughtfully arranged a field packed with wooden posts and Goombahs for you to practice with. If that seems a bit boring, carry on and you'll find yourself at the foot of a mountain with huge cannonballs merrily rolling down the track which circles up to the top. Running up the mountain, while leaping over the cannonballs is excellent fun. Typical of the thoughtfulness of the design, the cannonballs don't simply follow a groove but randomly roll about to complicate things further. Reach the top of the hill and the King of Ka-Boom awaits. After a brief text message, battle begins. Combat is a form of 3-D wrestling, your objective is to circle around behind King Bob-omb, grab a leg and throw him: three times to finish him off. His objective Is to grab you leg, flinging you off the mountain top to reset his energy and drain yours - although there is an energy star nearby.

Defeating the Bomb King gives you a star and ends the level, bringing up a save option. You can now try another door, or leap back through the picture to find the landscape subtly changed with a new level of challenge. There are 15 exceptionally varied game worlds in all, each with seven stars, plus a wealth of secret levels and three dramatically different confrontations with Bowser. Although there are 120 stars in total, you can rescue Princess Toadstool with just 70 - bypassing entire worlds if you want Freedom is the principal characteristic of the game, the structure is incredibly nonlinear, giving players a huge choice of how and where they collect stars. Although some levels resemble a 2-D platformer stretched out into 3-D, most are fully formed world-lets which you can freely explore in any direction, the various leaps and hazards perfectly integrated into realistic landscapes. This freedom of movement is matched by the camera - In this game setting your camera angle can be as important as timing a leap.

Compared to 2-D Mario games, this is a markedly more sophisticated game. Mastering the controls (and camera system) is more complicated, but the environment is so much more realistic and involving it's unlikely anyone will lament the change. Nintendo embrace of 3-D gaming is so comprehensive, so well thought-out that it marks the biggest advance in game design since the business began. Moreover, the variety and scale of this ground-breaking title - all crammed into a mere 12MB cart - dwarves anything yet seen on the CD superconsoles. The sheer scale of the achievement, in originality; variety and technological muscle earns it a 'Best Game Ever' acclamation through sheer muscle, almost regardless of Its undoubted and typically Nintendo artistry.

To give you some idea of just how magnificent Super Mario 64 is, we've provided a complete solution to Course One, a partial solution to the first Bowser confrontation, plus mini-descriptions of all the major courses up to fifteen. There's also a full description of the first power-up location, and brief descriptions of the remaining two power-ups. Even this wealth of information only scratches the surface of this immense game: remember, there's seven Stars to find on each Course, with progressively more sophisticated puzzles to test Mario's hugely varied abilities. There's also numerous secrets (Including bonus levels) with a further 15 Stars.

Bob-omb Battlefield: Course One

Entry Requirement: None

Location: First door on left in Main Hallway of Princess Toadstool's Castle.

Description: This course is dominated by Big Bob-omb's mountain, a large, squat peak at the western tip of a large green field. A spiralling track to its summit is distinguished by huge cannonballs rolling down it. Big Bob-omb stands on the summit.

Big Bob-omb on the Summit

Star 1 - Course One

Objective: Vanquish Big Bob-omb on the summit of his mountain.

Guide: You begin the Course on a dirt track which should be followed over two wooden bridges (the second acts like a see-saw!). Climb up the stone steps, then turn right and go through a gap in a metal fence. Watch out for rolling cannonballs and gaps in the track. If you do get hit, there's a transparent heart half-way up the mountain which will restore full energy.

At the top of the mountain, you'll find Big Bob-omb, wearing a little gold crown. To defeat him, you must grab him from behind, and then throw him. This must be done three times before he is defeated. The first time you grab Big Bob-omb he's very slow, but he gets faster with each throw and is particularly quick to grab you while sitting down. The easiest way to defeat him is to stand with your back to him, crouch down using the Z-button and press B to backflip over him - ideally positioned to grab him.

NEXT: Now you have one Star, Whomp's Fortress can be entered as well as the princess's room!

According to the pink Bob-omb Buddies, all was peaceful until Bowser gave Big Bob-omb a Power Star. From that moment, their peaceful land was transformed into a battlefield. If you can defeat Big Bob-omb, the Bob-omb Buddies might be able to help you...

FootRace with Koopa the Quick

Star 2 - Course 1

Objective: Get to the Mountain summit first!

Guide: Koopa is waiting for you at the start of the dirt track. Talk to him and accept his challenge, Instantly beginning the race. Koopa The Quick Is actually slower than Mario, but he uses a short-cut too steep for Mario. Don't follow him, but instead use the same route to the mountain top as for Star 1. If you get to the summit first, wait for Koopa to arrive and present you with a Star.

Shoot to the Island in the Sky

Star 3 - Course 1

Objective: Collect Star from Yellow Exclamation Box on Island in the Sky.

Guide: Activate the cannons by talking to a pink Bob-omb Buddy at the start of the course. Follow the dirt track over the first wooden bridge, now run up the side of a large stone block and jump into the cannon concealed within. Aim the cross-hairs carefully above the island and then fire, be careful not to overshoot. Now simply jump into the Yellow Exclamation Block to make a Star number three appear!

Next: Now you have three Stars, Course 4: Cool, Cool Mountain and Course 3: Jolly Roger Bay are available.

Find The 8 Red Coins

Star 4-Course 1

Objective: Find and collect every Red Coin.

Guide: Coins can be collected in any order, but if you die then every coin you've collected is lost and must be collected again.

Red Coin 1: Above checkboard platforms between the two wooden bridges.

Red Coin 2: Above green rock before Chain Chomp.

Red Coin 3: Above wooden post by Chain Chomp.

Red Coin 4: Underneath stone bridge near steel fence at bottom of mountain.

Red Coin 5: At base of mountain. (Go through gap in steel fence and turn left. Run up grassy slope to collect coin.)

Red Coin 6: Above tree on Island in the Sky.

Red Coin 7: Training Post Ground -turn left after crossing See-Saw Bridge.

Red Coin 8: Training Post Ground -turn left after crossing See-Saw Bridge.

When you've got all 8 coins, the Star will appear between Coins 7 & 8.

NEXT: Since you really need the Wing Cap for the Star S, Course 1, why not visit course 2: wmomp's Fortress or one or the other courses until you get it?

Mario Wings to the Sky

Star 5 - Course 1

Objective: Collect five Special Coins floating by the Island in the Sky.

Guide: Although it is possible to use the cannons alone to collect all the coins, it is considerably easier if Mario can fly using his Wing Cap (see Red Switch Palace). Conveniently, there is both a cannon and a Red Exclamation Box on the Island in the Sky, so you can launch from there, pick up a few Coins and then land before the Wing Cap runs out. Each Special Coin is surrounded by a circle of eight, identical-looking Yellow Coins.

Next: If you've got the Wing Cap, you will also be able òo visit Bowser Course 1.

Behind Chain Chomp's Gate

Star 6 - Course 1

Objective: Free Big Chomp.

Guide: Big Chomp is chained to a wooden post which must be pounded into the ground to free him. To do this, you must jump onto the post and then bottom bounce it three times. If you get hit, retreat and collect coins to boost your energy before continuing. Once you succeed. Chain Chomp will smash in the bars protecting the Star and then head off to the hills. The Star is too high to be reached with a normal jump, so stand with your back to it and press Z to crouch, then press B to backflip and collect the Star.

Collect 100 Coins

Course 1: Star 7

Objective: Find and collect 100 Coins (or equivalent).

Guide: Since so many of the Coins are floating in the sky, you really need the Wing Cap to have a chance.

Maximum Coin Score:

  1. 117 Yellow Coins (or equivalent)
  2. 23 Yellow Coins on the ground.
  3. 45 Yellow Coins in the sky.
  4. 6 Yellow Coins hidden inside Crates.
  5. 22 Yellow Coins won by defeating enemies.
  6. 1 Blue Coin (5 Yellow Coins) won by defeating Small Koopa.
  7. 8 Red Coins (16 Yellow Coins) located as above (Star 4).

Tower of Wing Cap

Entry Requirement: 10 Stars

Location: When you collect 10 Stars, a ray of sunshine will fall on the star emblem on the floor. Stand on the emblem, then look up at where light's coming from. Mario will be magically transported into the sky above the castle, wearing his Wing Cap.

Description: Consists of three rainbows above one of the castle turrets, with two tall towers either side of it. The Red Switch itself is on top of the turret.

Power Up: Once the Red Switch has been activated, any red exclamation box will give Mario a Wing Cap. Wearing it, he can fly either by being shot from a Cannon or from doing a double jump.

Extra Lives

Underneath Stone Bridge. Collect all eight Yellow Coins around flower patch by Stone Bridge.

Secrets

  1. After beating Quick Koopa to the Mountain Top, Small Koopa appears just before Big Chomp. He will run away from you, but if you successfully bottom bounce him you can surf on his green shell. If you then run over Small Koopa, you earn a Blue Coin.
  2. Throughout the game, if Mario runs around a wooden post three times, five coins will magically appear.

Warps

  1. After crossing the first brown bridge, leap over the fence on the right and walk into the centre of the yellow flowers.
  2. After crossing the See-Saw Bridge, walk straight on to the first yellow flower bed in this area between a sign post and red exclamation box.
  3. On the sides of the Mountain there are small caves from which appear large cannonballs. In the centre of the first one is a warp (don't worry about taking your time, when you enter the cave cannonballs automatically stop appearing).
  4. As above, but in the second cave near the Mountain's Summit.

First Bowser Confrontation

Damage Potential: 2 Units on Contact. Up to three Units on being caught by Bowser's fire Breath.

Attack Pattern: When Mario is relatively close, Bowser will slowly move toward him and use his flame breath. Individual flames will keep burning even after Bowser stops, so watch out for that. (When these flames die out. Yellow Coins often appear which are vital for restoring lost energy.) When Mario is further away, Bowser will leap toward him. His objective isn't too land on Mario, but the shock waves in the immediate vicinity of his landing drain 3 Energy Units (Mario can avoid this by either running away or jumping into the air as Bowser lands).

Guide: The instant Bowser ends his warning speech, Mario should run behind him and grab his tail using the B button. Rotate the joystick to spin Bowser around and then press B to release him. To defeat Bowser, Mario must throw him into one of the four spiked bombs which surround the circular battlefield. If you miss a bomb with your first effort (under normal circumstances, the nearest bomb at the start is just to the left), then one useful tip is to stand near a bomb so when he attacks, you can grab him and more easily hurl him against it.

Reward: After being defeated, Bowser will grudgingly hand over the Big Basement Key.

First Bowser Course

There are three Bowser Confrontations, each preceded by increasingly tough worlds.

Entry Requirement: 8 Stars

Location: Behind the Big Star Door on the left of the main hallway's staircase.

Description: The Dark World consists of a long, elaborate course which doubles back on itself with moving platforms, see-saw platforms and some nasty traps.

Objectives: Defeat Bowser and win the Big Basement Key: (There's also a Star to win by collecting all eight Red Coins.)

Guide: Walk forward, either leap over or tiptoe along narrow bridge. Watch out for ftamejet. Step on moving blue tile and let it carry you around. Walk up and around stone path - watch out for flame jet again. Drop down onto blue ledge and then jump onto rotating blue platforms. lump onto grey platform. Bottom bounce three Goombahs if you need extra energy. A Yellow Exclamation Box contains an extra life. Walk up the wooden bridge. The Blue Stone bridge is studded with blue crystals, around which rotate electric bombs. There's a Red Coin hidden here, by the third crystal, which you should watch out for if you need Energy. lump onto the yellow platform as it comes toward you and then onto the stone platform. Drop onto the yellow platform as it's moving away from you and jump onto the stone platform. Step onto the moving blue tiles, moving off onto the right moving tiles and then the blue stone platform. You will now see two see-saw platforms. Jump onto the nearest one and stand in the middle of its nearest half. Wait until it has see- sawed downwards, then run upwards and jump onto the second, higher see-saw platform. Jump onto the blue stone platform. Drop down onto the Purple Exclamation Switch and go up the staircase it forms. Read the sign and jump into the Green Pipe.

Vanish Cap

Power Up: Once the Blue Switch has been activated, any blue exclamation box will give Mario a Vanish Cap. Wearing it, he can walk through wire mesh fences and enemies won't see him.

Course 2: Whomp's Fortress

Entry Requirement: 1 Star

Description: A large grey and brown fortress floating in the sky, surrounded by three rotating green platforms. It's all a monument to paving stones; those boring grey slabs which are used to build houses, car parks and even roads, yet no-one ever says thanks. Giant Whomp, and his buddies, are out for revenge and will squish Mario flat If they can.

Jolly Roger Bay: Course 3

Entry Requirement: 3 Stars

Description: Despite the fact the Bay Is entirely enclosed within a large cavern, there's a Sunken Ship at the bottom of the Bay. Perhaps the exit was sealed off after the Cap'n scuttled his ship and set-up numerous booby-traps. Although the Cap'n never makes an appearance, there's a beautifully animated Moray Eel with spooky green eyes and a very nasty bite!

Cool, Cool Mountain: Course 4

Entry Requirement: 3 Star

Description: A large snow-covered mountain suspended in the air with a broad, fun snowslide spiraling from top to bottom. A long, narrow ice slide provides a narrower, trickier decent - connecting log cabins at the summit and foot of Cool, Cool Mountain. As with real mountains, getting down Is a lot easier than getting to the top - careful exploration is needed to find a way back to the start.

Snowy climes also provide a bizarre cast of new characters, including three different types of snowmen, but the most impressive creatures are a family of penguins! For the first time, a Course's main characters are friendly to Mario with snowy conditions, hidden areas and tricky jumps providing the main hazards.

Big Boo's Haunt: Course 5

Entry Requirement: 14 Stars

Description: A superbly atmospheric and very weird ghost house fitted out with all manner of hidden passages, a waterlogged celler, haunted attic, and even a house of fun complete with fairground music and rotating floors. Beside ghosts, watch out for attacks from toothy pianos and flying books!

Hazy Maze Cave: Course 6

Entry Requirement: The Big Key.

Description: A sprawling challenge which includes a maze filled with poison gas, a construction area and an underground lake contains a Loch Ness Monster. There's even a huge boulder to recreate that scene from Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

Lethal Lava Land: Course 7

Entry Requirement: The Big Key

Description: This daunting world is composed of a sea of lava with all manner of strange structures including a floating eyeball and two rotating circular paths (one around an erupting volcano and one around spitting flamethrowers. You can, of course, enter the volcano and even play a Bowser sliding block puzzle.

Shifting Sand Land: Course 8

Entry Requirement: The Big Key

Description: A gorgeous desert landscape surrounds a huge Egyptian pyramid. Notable features are swirling quicksand, a huge tornado and a flat stone maze with huge, tumbling blocks. Inside the pyramid, there's a whole other set of challenges!

Dire, Dire Docks: Course 9

Entry Requirement: 30 Stars

Description: This second aquatic world includes Bowser's submarine, a whirlpool, manta ray and shark. There's also some overhead poles which provide a very sweaty test of your timing and jumping accuracy.

Snowman's World: Course 10

Entry Requirement: 2nd Big Key

Description: Another beautiful snow world with a bizarre ice cube, a snow wave machine (0 and a huge snowman-type building. The water is freezing cold and there's vicious winds, but you can have great fun surfing with a green shell!

Wet-dry World: Course 11

Entry Requirement: 2nd Big Key.

Description: While some people write entire games about flippin' switches (c.f. Doom, Tomb Raider etc.), Miyamoto thankfully limits his switch fetish to just one level, and with an imaginative twist at that. Here a huge, box-shaped room plays host to watery antics with diamond-shaped switches allowing you to vary the water level. Enemies include Water Spiders and clockwork Pink Mice which hurl you into the air.

Tall, Tall Mountain: Course 12

Entry Requirement: 2nd Big Key.

Description: This is another huge, floating mountain with a track winding around to the top with giant mushrooms flowering beside it. There's plenty of gaps in the track requiring diving leaps. Watch out for moles and a monkey which steals Mario's cap!

Tiny-huge Island: Course 13

Entry Requirement: 2nd Big Key.

Description: This whimsical world sees the return of Mario's famous pipes, the difference being that this time they don't transport him anywhere - they either shrink or enlarge him! Watch as a tiny Venus flytrap is transformed into a monster and a minute minnow becomes capable of swallowing Mario In a single gulp!

Tick Tock Clock: Course 14

Entry Requirement: 2nd Big Key & 50 Stars.

Description: The inside of the grandfather clock is a daunting collection of cogs, gears and pendulums. Fortunately, if you enter at 12:00, or three hour intervals thereafter (don't worry, it's not realtime!) then the gears pause.

Metal Cap

Power Up: Once the Green Switch has been activated, any green exclamation box will give Mario a Metal Cap. Wearing it, he becomes heavier and can walk -on the bottom of rivers, as fr well as being Invulnerable to A most enemies.

Rainbow Ride: Course 15

Entry Requirement: 2nd Big Key & 50 Stars.

Description: This extravagantly tough level is set among the clouds, with various floating buildings and Viking Ship linked by magic carpets which ride along rippling rainbows.

Bowser World Three

Although there are 120 Stars In all, you only need 70 to enter the final Bowser World. As you'd expect this is the most formidable challenge of all, with a devilish level preceding a final confrontation with Bowser at his most fiendish. Hot tip: Look around before you enter that final green pipe!

People say:

9.5

So this is the game everyone has been drooling about? Hmmm. can see why! Mario 64 is just incredible. I tried and succeeded in not letting the hype get to me. Now I've been able to play it first hand, and I am happy to report that It is everything Nintendo has said it would be and more. The beautiful thing is that it's as fun to play as the originals on the NES and Super NES, but now it's in the 3-D world with mind-boggling graphic. My only gripes are the minor polygon break-up problems and the switching views in the middle of the action, but these are minor problems that are eventually overlooked.

9.5

How fun can a game get? I couldn't put the controller down, nor did I want to. Every day, I long to play this game after a day's worth of work That's how you tell it's a great game. The graphics were, can you say, "WOW?" When I went back to other 32-Bit games, I realized how Impressive anti-aliasing could be. Do you want replay value? You got it. It will take you forever to find all the secrets here. So what kept this game from a perfect 10? Occasional polygon breakup and some goofy camera angles that made it hard to tell where you were exactly. Otherwise, Mario 64 is perfect and completely addictive. It will impress you.

9.5

The world of video games is seeing a revolution, and SM64 is leading it This is a totally new kind of game-the first true 3-0 game-and it packs a ton of jaw-dropping innovations Mario may not be able to shoot fireballs anymore, but now he can pull off nearly 30 distinct moves. The game's huge levels (there are more than 25) are beautiful, difficult and dynamic; they offer new challenges when Mario revisits them SM64 does suffer from a few minor but frustrating flaws You can't always aim the camera where you need to, and control becomes awkward when the camera angle shifts rapidly. Still, it's an instant classic.

9.5

Finally a playable version of one of the most hyped games to hit the shelves this last year. Seeing that there are very few other titles to compare this one against for the same system, this title's merits are 80 percent earned by the game and 20 percent inspired by the outstanding technology in the Nintendo 64. With better than arcade quality graphics and sound along with near perfection in control and free roaming views, players can expect only the best from SM64. If the rest of the N64 titles are half as good as this release, the control of the video game market may once again return to the folks at Nintendo.

There was a time when the plunger-tottin' plumber, Mario, was living in a simple 2-D world. Life was good, but that was back in the olden days of video games.

Now it's the middle of the '90s and times have changed! Mario 64 for the N64 converts the flat world into a 3-D one that everyone knows and loves.

Is it safe to say that gamers are dealing with the same Mario from before? No. Mario is totally 3-D with a rendered hat and all! What else makes him new are the enemies and special effects surrounding him at all times.

The adventure starts at a huge castle, which is rendered and isn't flat like the old NES Mario castle. The enemies, also in 3-D. are badder than before.

Speaking of enemies, all of the originals are back to make their debut in Mario 64. This time they're huge! We're talking screen-size Koopas here!

Being a completely three-dimensional world, you can jump into a wall, or finish a puzzle to open up a portal without simply going left or right. Now you can go up. down or diagonally--whatever it takes to make your way through the game. This makes it feel like you're actually in the Mario world.

So how can big "M" lift up a B-bomb or swing King Koopa by his tail when he's so much smaller than his evil adversaries? Little Mario throwing these giant monsters around adds the element of exaggeration which makes getting rid of the enemies more fun. At least this way we know Mario is super!

There are many camera angles that switch from view to view depending on where Mario is at. In one instance, you may see him from a distant view while another view will be right behind him, looking up at a giant cactus.

There are various rooms and tasks you have to work your way through to venture on to the next one. With the impressive graphics and effects that the N64 can produce, the adventure is bound to be spectacular.

Find yourself in a mirror room filled with dozens of tricks and traps or on rainbow paths that have you running for your life, trying not to fall to the ground far below. Another scene throws Mario on a raised platform. He has to work his way down the path, dodging giant boxes and other enemies just to get to the pyramid that has even more fun inside. While you're fighting your way to the next challenge, you sometimes are able to see your next destination.

With the enhanced 3-D effects, Mario 64 has a feeling of depth never felt in a platform-type game. When you walk on a bridge above snow-capped mountains, it seems like you could actually fall a good 300 feet!

This special feature wouldn't be complete without mentioning the bad guy himself: King Koopa! You thought his fireballs were tricky in the earlier versions, wait until you see them in startling 3-D--you'll think your arm hair got singed!

The game that started it all! Although it is technically eclipsed by Banjo-Kazooie, Mario 64 still offers plenty for gamers to discover.

Everything that's made previous Mario titles great, fleshed out into 3D. Without doubt, this has to be the world's greatest videogame.

Mario has been at the head of the game-cartridge pack for every new Nintendo system, so it's no surprise the mustachioed hero will usher in the powerful Nintendo 64 system (called the Ultra 64 in the U.S.). This game is great!

Texture-Mapped Heaven

Mario's a fully rendered 3D figure composed of texturemapped polygons in a full 3D world inhabited by Bowser, all his evil hench-creatures, and traps from the classic 2D series. By going 3D, Mario's repertoire of cartoonish movements is more lifelike than before. Besides the usual running and jumping, Mario has new abilities like creeping along walls, hanging off ledges, climbing flag poles, walking on tip-toes, sliding down slopes on his rear end (with speed control), and more.

The innovations aren't just confined to voluntary actions either-Mario has new pain reactions, too. For example, Mario can be stomped flat by Thwomp. And when he's hit by a fireball, he rockets straight up into the air, leaving a smoking trail from his smoldering butt.

Something Old, Something New

You put Mario through the paces in a variety of settings inside Bowser's castle, including a mountainous zone, ice field, lava-filled cavern, and an underwater world. In each of these worlds, Mario faces a variety of old and new challenges that are the hallmarks of the ground breaking action series.

The game is precisely controlled by using the center 3D stick and Buttons A and B on the right side of the pad. The four yellow C buttons are used to switch viewpoints roughly 360 degrees. The version at the show was tricky to maneuver at first because the viewpoint kept shifting, making it feel as if you were driving a radio-controlled Mario. However, 3D Mario has an incredible range of motions. This should be a spectacular new chapter in Mario's history.

It's a whole new world and an awesome new look for Mario on the Nintendo 64! This time the plucky plumber's rendered in 3D, and his adventure-filled environment is composed entirely of texture-mapped polygons. Mario explores 360 degrees in any direction, and the gameplay view swings 360 degrees around Mario at your command.

Mario's world is massive, and it's packed with traps, obstacles, and creatures, including old favorites. Bowser is huge (practically Godzilla-sized), and he blows fire, too.

Even the half-completed version at Nintendo's Shoshin-kai Show in Japan looked like a classic waiting to happen.

Nintendo's reputation for merging state-of-the-art graphics and engaging gameplay has never been more tested than It will be for Super Mario 64. Fortunately, the game lives up to all the hype!

Graphics

You won't see faster, smoother, or more lifelike images on any other system this year. The way Mario jumps, stomps, and flies seemingly defies the laws of video game physics. Gorgeous, lush backgrounds and screenfilling enemies also contribute to this game. You want variety? Try the underseas levels where Mario does the breaststroke, the back-stroke, and more.

Control

Mario moves in a complete 3D environment. The new joystick contributes to how this works: A slight push makes Mario walk, a harder push makes him run. There is virtually no end to the areas Mario can explore. Tons of hidden power-ups, countless secret areas, and even Yoshi-in-hiding guarantee hours of gameplay.

Gameplay & Fun

The whole game takes place in a castle. Every room in the castle leads to one of the game's 25 worlds (such as undersea, the desert, the mountains, and a haunted mansion), and at the end of the game, you meet up with everyone's favorite villain Bowser!

We played for hours at the show (until we were finally kicked off), and we think you'll play for hours at home. Get ready for Mario-he's gonna rock your world!

Mario has arrived in Tokyo, and this time he's faster, funnier, and more imaginative than ever. For those of you awed by Super Mario World when the SNES debuted, Super Mario 64 will rock your world again!

Graphics

You won't believe what the N64 can do. Large enemies move in close without becoming pixelated, there's virtually no slowdown, and any breakup that occurs happens only when you get to the physical boundary of an area. Mario's moves are impressively realistic as he spins, jumps, and swims his way through the gorgeous, imaginative backgrounds.

Control and Gameplay

Working the controller's analog thumbstick takes some practice. It's extremely sensitive, and the slightest touch sends Mario sliding off a snowbank. An hour of practice, however, should turn novices into Mario maniacs.

Mario 64 is seriously addicting, and it has so many hidden areas and secret levels that you'll play in excess of BOO hours before you beat it, according to a Team Nintendo representative. Mario is super any way you look at it!

Sound

The music changes dramatically for each area, with a full symphonic score accompanying Mario's heroic deeds. There's also a nice blend of background sounds, including waterfalls, bird songs, and eerie carnival music.

The world's best-known plumber is back in action, and he's bigger, badder, and bolder than ever. It's the mack-daddy Mario man himself, and this time he's luggin' 64 bits of real power behind him.

Once again, the mustached one has lost his dear Princess Toadstool, and Bowser is behind it all. Mario runs, jumps, climbs, tiptoes, and flies through 15 worlds (each with numerous subworlds) that you must visit over and over again to unlock a total of 120 stars. Guarding these stars are the strangest creatures: Big Boo, Bobombs, giant penguins, and more. After a few worlds, you'll take on Bowser, who shows up in three different areas.

Without a doubt, this game sports the best in graphics, sound, and gameplay. With the new compression technology of the N64 and the supersmooth anti-aliasing, mip mapping, and the Z-Buffer (don't ask me--it's Bruised Lee's term), nothing gets blurry, even at low resolution. Although it looks like it's running at 60 frames per second, it's running at only 30!

Like the original Mario for the NES and Super Mario World for the SNES, this is a groundbreaking, fascinating, and totally enjoyable game. You'll play this one over and over again. Crash, Nights, and Sonic can all take a back seat now that Mario's in town.

ProTips:

  • Mario will find three switch markers that lead to three different hats. The first is the flying hat, activated with the red switch.
  • The second is the chrome hat, which allows you to walk underwater. The green switch activates it.
  • The third is the invincible hat, which lets you take on tough enemies and walk through certain walls. The blue switch activates it.
  • After ten stars, stand on the sunburst in the main hallway and look up to be transported to a flying level. Land on the platform and activate the red switch.
  • The only way to eliminate the piranha plants Is to creep up while they're sleeping, then bop them.
  • You confront Bowser three times. The trick to eliminating him is to run behind him and grab his tail, then change the camera views while he's captive. Line him up with the nearest spiked ball, then aim and throw. One hit will do him in, but for the third and final confrontation you need to hit Bowser three times.
  • To get your very first star, enter the doorway at the far left of the castle (marked with a plain star). Butt Blast the post that Chomp is chained to, and he breaks the fence and releases the star.
  • After getting two stars in the Mountain level (behind the first door with the star that's to the right on the first floor of the castle), go to the first tree. Climb up the tree, and an owl shoots out. Grab on to the owl to fly high above the level. Let go when you see an errant star.
  • When racing In the Snow world, leap off the slide as soon as you start. If you can catch one of the lower slides, you can reach the you can reach the bottom well ahead of the time limit. Also, look for a hidden area near the walls of this area.
  • Whenever you find yourself low on power, look for the nearest large body of water. It acts as a restorative.
  • When racing the turtle, walk Into the first cave to warp to the top of the mountain.
  • After completing most of the Sea world, try coaxing the giant eel out of the cave. It has a star attached to its tail.
  • The first time you enter this race (the door Is In the top hallway, on the right side of the castle), you get a star just for making It to the end. You get another one If you complete the race In under 20 seconds.

Graphics

Gorgeous scenery, imaginative (and huge) enemies, and delightful effects (like when you become the Chrome Mario) add up to the most visually impressive game of all time.

Sound

Audio delights abound! Mario has some pretty funny voice clips (like "lt's- me, Mario!" and "Mama mia!"). The genuinely cool effects include birds chirping, wings flapping, and rocks breaking.

Control

You must get used to the analog controller venture far Into the fith more than 30 moves disposal, you'll do a lot ring before you get into ir hunting.

Fun Factor

Let's face it: This is the game that will power sales of the Nintendo 64 for the first few months. And the replay value is immense. Super Mario 64 is definitely super!

Mario is back and in a very big way. Super Mario 64 is the temporary title of Nintendo's first 64-bit title and at time of going to press, he's about 60 percent complete. When it's finished, Nintendo hopes that Super Mario 64 will be indisputably hailed as the best video game ever. High hopes, lofty ambitions, but then, isn't that what Mario was always about?

The game style is unconventional to say the least. Fans of the previous Mario games will recognize a couple of features, but this is a whole new ball game in most respects.

The most obvious difference between this and the other games is the perspective. It's three-dimensional. No more simple scrolling and running for Mario. Nope, now you have to deal with the mysterious z-axis. People who live in the real world may well be used to walking around in three dimensions, but for us gamers, it's all a bit confusing and can often make us vomit.

The gameplay is remarkably simple (or at least it is when you get used to all the new joypad features, as well as the new-found freedom of movement. Mario can run, jump, somersault, pick up objects, throw them, climb things, swim, in fact all of the things he could do before and more.

Like the other games, Super Mario 64 is split into worlds and levels, all of which are accessed through tapestries in a mysterious medieval castle.The effect when you pass through the tapestries is pretty awesome, but you should see the underwater levels move.This is where the drooling starts.This is where your parents get mad because you start looking at your Saturn or PlayStation with ill-disguised contempt.

The feeling of elation as you realize Mario has been freed from his 2-D constraints is intense. The instinctual control (using the analog joystick) is a joy to behold and it just plain feels right. Some of the appeal of this game is hard to put into words; you really have to play it to understand, but you're going to have to wait a while. Nintendo has no plans to release either the game or the machine in the US until September.

Although this seems like an ideal candidate for a bundle, there's a good chance that Nintendo will choose something a little more hardcore, like Ultra Killer Instinct, or Cruis'n USA. Neither of these games were shown because Nintendo was very careful to focus attention on Mario.

Will it be the best game ever? Probably, but I bet Nintendo is kicking itself over Jumping Flash on the Sony PlayStation, the only true rival to Super Mario 64.

Nintendo is promising that Super Mario 64 will be the best video-game experience ever made. A lofty claim, but one that might well prove true. Super Mario is currently around 50 percent complete, but work is speeding up and Nintendo hopes to have it ready for Japanese release in April. Americans will be pleased to learn that they get the machine at the same time. Is it worth the wait? Well, we here at VideoGames certainly think so.

Marios first 3-D adventure takes place in Mario World, a place Nintendo fans have come to call home. Mario World is a weird and wonderful environment, packed full of dinosaurs, mushrooms and an awful lot of turtles.The turtles in this game are your main foes, led by the despicable Bowser (king of the Koopa kids). Your mission is to find Bowser and put an end to his shenanigans once and for all (or at least until a sequel shows up).

Because the game is presented in 3-D, many of the Mario-mechanics have changed. For one thing, he can now run in any direction (using the 360-degree analog joystick) and careful control is a must. Like the other Mario games, our hero also gets the chance to try out less conventional environments, like undersea levels, and aerial sections. Although Mario can change his abilities by collecting magic mushrooms, his main abilities are running, jumping and grabbing things. He can grab bad guys and throw them at other bad guys, which sounds simple, but is in fact enormously difficult and scary. Mario goes from level to level by leaping into magic tapestries, which warp him to his next task.The ripple effect as you hop through a tapestry is one of the most impressive graphic effects ever seen in a game.

Music and sound effects are typically wacky, with Mario finally having gained a voice (he screams in a very high pitched tone when hurt).The sheer size of the game, coupled with the awesome 3-D graphics, mean that this is going to be epic stuff. It may look like a kids' game, but be sure of this: Mario in 3-D is a taxing experience, but a very enjoyable one. If the final version is even slightly better than this 50-percent complete one, then we can have no complaints. And if this represents the general quality of Ultra 64 games, then put me down for a machine.

Snapshots and Media

Nintendo 64/N64 Screenshots

See Also

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