So long, gay Bowser!

The fact the base gameplay hasn't changed in 20 years should tell you all you need to know about what an incredible achievement this was and how it still holds up today.

In '96, the race was on to come out with the games that would define the platforming genre's direction in 3D. Unsurprisingly, Nintendo's entry was the clear front-runner. There are big, colorful environments, reasonably fluid controls, and the element most other developers would take quite a while to pick up on: a successfully exploration-focused structure. Its weakest point is something anyone familiar with the earliest generations of 3D games knows as their nemesis: awkward camera controls.

One of the greatest video games ever made.

This shit still holds up! I'm impressed by how sleek and easy and kinetic and intuitive Nintendo was able to make controlling Mario right out of the 3D gaming gate. In many ways the latter games - yes, even Sunshine - are more impressive. But there's a ton of fun to be had here too, and I remember my first time playing 3D with the same vividness I remember the first time I touched a boob.

The Yoshi tease at the end still feels raw.

after 63 games, the 64th is where the work really came together for mario

I just had fun destroying Mario on the menu screen

I know it got the 3D movement down first, but I didn't like the graphics then and they look terrible now.

The story, in a Koopa shell: Our hero, Mario, receives a note from Princess Toadstool inviting him to Toadstool Castle for a cake...but when he arrives, the castle is deserted and a nasty, disembodied voice tells him to get lost. Yes, Princess Toadstool has yet again gotten her royal keister in the sling, and the bad guy gang of Bowser, Boo, et al, have overrun (and apparently redecorated) Mushroom Castle - hanging a collection of magical, wobbly-membraned paintings/portals...

As a launch title for N64, this game has aged incredibly well. This is one of the most important games in 3D gaming.

Soapy physics hold this game back, but it's REAL impressive for a certain plumber's first foray into 3D. Flight cap continues to be one of the best powerups Mario has ever gotten, and REALLY should have been part of his Smash moveset. Levels are huge and fun to explore, chock full of secrets and raw personality. Lots of variation on stars to grab make this a game that ages beautifully and is always fun to play.

This is the first 3D Mario game I have played. I 100% play this game meaning I got all the 120 stars in this. Very annoying to do this in this game. It adds nothing since the ending of the game is the same whether you get 120 or 70... But they do force you to get stars in this game to proceed on the later levels. It's not a bad game or anything. It's just I couldn't be bothered replaying this after what feels like a chore.

Yall know how good this was. It set the standard for 3D platforming, was really fun to play, has lots of replay value… so long gay bowser.

The way I feel a lot about most Mario games: really fun until the last part, where it loses its fun and I keep playing because if I've gotten this far, why not finish?

I'm not sure why but the mechanics never felt right to me. I can appreciate the stellar world and level design and what a showcase this game was for the massively under-powered N64. However, the nuts and bolts of this were always lost on me, even at the time. That's to say nothing of the horrible art of the game which looks like a bunch of off-brand Legos stacked on each other.

Did for 3D videogames what Super Mario Bros. did for 2D videogames. Arguably the best game ever made.

Very gimmicky in the 'we're 3d, look what we can do' sense that can't escape the fact it's blocky with awkward controls. Didn't age as well.

Aside from the serious frustration levels. Mario 64 is a superior entry in the series and a legend in its own right. It suffers from some minor camera issues and a couple of levels designed only to test your patience. Looking past, the game is very nearly perfect.

nice game

Perhaps the best 3D platformer ever made, Super Mario 64 excels in every way possible. Tight, fun gameplay, that holds up 20 years later. Excellent music, level design, the list goes on. The best N64 title, and arguably the best 3D Mario title.

A classic that set the bar for all 3D platformers to follow.

This game was fun. I just enjoyed doing flips.

The switch from 2D to 3D made SM64 the most mindbending gaming experience I've ever had. Never experienced anything like it before or since. On top of that, it's just super fun in every way, and every Mario game since has gone on to be sort of disappointing on account of not using the awesome set-up established in 64.

I was completely blown away by the graphics for this game. 3D environments? It was amazing! However, I'm just not a huge fan of these Mario games. Nothing beats the side-scrollers of the past, and as cool as the graphics were, this is a title I had more fun watching people play than actually playing myself.

My favorite Mario overworld. The layout, difficulty curve, and controls are beautifully conceived.

(Rating the DS version) Thanks to the DS version, this game had a new breath of life; while the 5 Silver Stars and Starswitch buttons were minute additions, access to more characters, mini-games, and drawing Mario were great inclusions. I'd spend YEARS playing only that game, so when I'd get a new game from the 'rents, i'd still be playing it. The N64 version would be a 95, while still being innovative for its time, it feels like a smaller adventure than the DS version (for obvious reasons).

One of the all time greatest classics. Also, one of the most important games ever given that it defined how 3D games would be made in the future. However, there are still some rough edges - some of the level design forced waiting or was too linear for what the game was designed for, movement could feel rough and unintuitive at times, and being forced out of a level after each star is a bit obnoxious. Still, the mechanics are extremely solid even today and it deserves its status in speedrunning.

Pretty amazing how they were able to totally revamp this for 3D without feeling gimmicky or losing anything in the process.

It was a really intense experience moving to the N64 and the new look, gameplay, and challenges differing so greatly from the 2-D setup.

I like it but it's not the gold standard of Mario for me like it is with some. The N64 had a clunkiness to it because it was the change to 3D and it just didn't have time to get smoothed out yet. PS1 had the same problem. However, this is definitely one of the better 3D platformers, I guess I just never gave it as much of a chance because I grew up with 2D.

Started the collectathon trend for Mario games which sucked . I'm the person you're all going to spit on when you take a gander at the Super Mario Galaxy reviews.

The game that introduced 3D movement to the world stills stands up really well today, providing an exceptional variety of activities, levels and secrets to explore to keep you entertain for hours.

Just like Ocarina of time, I respect this, but I find it hard to return to today. It fares better than that one, but still feels not quite right, to me.

still holds up today. the amount of foresight Nintendo had in regards to 3D platforming is incredible; an adjustable camera and including a shadow under Mario makes SM 64 infinitely more playable than, say, Bubsy 3D, to say nothing of the sound and aesthetics.

Milestone in platforming genre, that pretty much defined all the mechanics of PSX/N64 era platformers. (It actually made Banjo Kazooie devs scratch everything they has so far and develop the game from the start after seeing it). Still there are better platformers out there that took Mario's path but corrected its mistakes (camera is messy and level design is hit or miss).