|
drvid's Super Mario 64 (N64)
|
| [February 23, 2007 06:19:28 PM]
|
What keeps the players interested is the level design. Each world is unique. Each world has its own theme and practically everything in it, except Mario, is designed to fit that theme. For example, in Shifting Sand Land, a desert themed level, the landscape includes sand, palm trees, quick sand, dust devils, a tiny oasis, and a pyramid. Along with landscape, the music, enemies, and challenges are all made to fit the theme of the level as well. For example, in Cool, Cool Mountain, the music is very cheery and snowy mountain village like; in Big Boo’s Hunt, the enemies include boos, big eyes, spiders, haunted books and possessed books, flying chairs, and monster piano; and in Jolly Roger Bay, the challenges incorporate a giant eel, a sunken ship, many treasure chests, and swimming.
The only thing that is frustrating is how you work so hard to gain lives and try so hard not to loose them all, just to find out that every single time you turn the game on you have four lives no matter what. Since you get thrown out of the level and have to start over every time you die, I think the game would be more rewarding when you get a star if the game kept track of how many lives you have. It sucks when you end with 25 lives and go to play again for many hours and see that you only have 4 lives again.
As far as the story goes, you know from the beginning what the main story is and you learn more details by talking to characters and reading notes from the princess as you progress through levels and open new areas of the castle. I’m up to 59 stars now and I won’t give up until I have saved Peach (Princess Toadstool) and her beloved castle.
read comments (1)  -
add a comment 
|
| [February 23, 2007 05:11:05 PM]
|
It has been years since I have played Super Mario 64, and last I played, I didn’t get very far since my friend and I shared the same save on her big brother’s game on his system. This time around I have my own save on my boyfriend’s system, which I have access to at all times, so I consider this a whole new experience.
When I started out, the first few worlds were easy since I remembered parts of them from childhood. However, Super Mario 64 is a game of emergent complexity, so the more levels I went through, the harder the challenges, enemies, and landscapes became. The thing I love most about the game is that it’s a game of skill. From the second Mario jumps out of the warp pipe in the beginning, he can do many different types of jumps and attacks as well as different ways of walking and swimming. A player can get through the first few worlds without having mastered Mario’s many abilities, which is good for those slow learners and uncoordinated individuals, but as the levels get more complicated in every way, the player has to rely more and more on Mario’s special jumps and so on just to get around. If Mario had to learn his different moves throughout the worlds, had to pay for them with coins or stars, had to gain levels in order to use them, or had to acquire every one as he has to with the three different caps, the game would be entirely different and pointless to play. In the same way, the game would be too easy and different and not nearly as enjoyable if Mario was allowed to use all three types of caps from the start. The designers of Super Mario 64 knew the perfect mix that would make the game what it has become today.
add a comment
|
|
|
 |
drvid's Super Mario 64 (N64)
|
|
Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 14 February, 2007
|
|
