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toxicvacation's Super Mario 64 (N64)
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| [February 22, 2007 01:21:05 PM]
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One of the really innovative features about this game I think is the idea of breaking free of the notion that a player must complete levels in which the designer has planned out for him/her. By using unlocking mechanisms of star power for the doors and 6 different ways to get stars in each of the worlds available to you at the moment, the player is given much more freedom in deciding his/her destiny. This also help keeps a player engaged because they are able to "skip" levels they dont like, as well as act as a handicap feature for less experienced players so that they can possibly achieve success in other levels in which they are building up some more skill before they come back to complete a level that is too hard for them at the time.
Another thing I noticed about this game is the appeal it has at so many age levels. Though I believe Nintendo shoots for a younger demographic, this game appeals to people of all different age groups of the gamer subculture versus games like Manhunt that might have a select audience.
Super Mario 64 also seems to have been thoroughly play tested compared to other games that I have played. This goes back to the addictiveness factor I spoke of earlier. The fact that you are barely able to complete or not complete a mission which feels almost tailored to your personal skill and progression through the game shows that the testing for difficulty in these levels was done very well.
My only real gripe with this game which is pretty minor and in a lot of ways was still fine was the sometimes awkward positions that the camera would take leading to visual illusions about how far away an object you were jumping to etc. On top of that in trying to manually change the angle with the controls, rotation was still somewhat restricted and would not go past a certain point leaving you to really risk your life right before you got to that wonderful glowing star. An amazing game regardless.
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| [February 21, 2007 10:57:43 PM]
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This game is simply amazing. I remember seeing it when I was younger at an electronics store with mind completely blown. Years later, I'm still very impressed by not just the ingenuity and structure of the game but just the overall addictive nature this game has on you. This is a very exceptional type of entertainment that is very hard to match even with the current technology of the games we have today.
In trying to define this addictiveness that overtook me after replaying it so many years ago, I begin to really think of the characteristics of emergence that we studied earlier in the class. Though the player experiences many different worlds and types of tasks within each one the actual gameplay components are fairly simple. Though Mario can jump, long jump, pound the ground, climb poles, etc. the actions themselves can be seen as simple in relation to their functions, however, in combining these actions to perform the tasks required can create many complex capabilities (i.e. wall kicking your way up and performing a back flip so that you can grab onto a particular ledge, where you are then able to use a magic cap to go through a wall, etc, etc.).
This idea of "keeping it simple" even though the development of the game as a whole is anything but that seems to be a common theme with Nintendo. While other game makers seek to make their graphics at the most cutting edge and that has its values, the fact is that beautiful games do not necessarily translate into great games. However, for its release Super Mario 64 was able to embody both of these aspects and blend them very well.
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toxicvacation's Super Mario 64 (N64)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 21 February, 2007
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