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Eleglac's Super Mario 64 (N64)
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| [February 21, 2008 02:11:41 AM]
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GAMEPLAY:
This second play period was marked mostly by my increasing enjoyment of the game. Having played it only sporadically when it came out, and not at all in the last five or six years, I was pretty much seeing the game with a fresh perspective. There's so much to explore that I couldn't possibly fit the game into the time given for the gamelog, but I'm liking it so much that I will probably keep playing it even when I'm done with this.
Also as I progress, I'm struck by the variety of the missions. The goals I have had set for me have never been duplicated, and if I get bored with one particular world I can just move on to the next. I find the level bosses particularly clever so far, but even then, not every level has a boss. One particular mission had me returning a lost baby penguin to the very concerned mother, a task complicated by the fact that the baby was at the top of a snow-covered mountain. It's things like this that make me love games.
DESIGN:
When talking about the design of a 3D platformer, the control system will inevitably be brought up. Super Mario 64 must have set the benchmark for control implementation - the game's controls are intuitive and very responsive to player motion.
A huge variety of action is afforded by the N64 'trident' controller - varying combinations of buttons and joystick action allow the player to run, walk, tiptoe, crouch, jump, backflip, bodyslam, or slide, to name a few options. The game world itself allows for additional contextual actions, such as climbing trees and poles, or swimming. All of this adds up to enormous possibility for gameworld interaction.
The gameworld itself is no less polished; from the very start, players are allowed to roam freely around different landscapes to a degree that was impossible in previous platformers. Birds can be heard chirping, butterflies flutter around, water flows in streams, and if one tires of walking around, one can simply admire the scenery by using the manual camera controls.
Critical to this serene atmosphere is the lack of a time restriction on most levels. It is perhaps the most important design decision in the game; players can spend as much time as they like exploring, and get to the actual mission only when they decide they want to. It makes for a much more relaxing game experience when compared with a game such as Super Mario World.
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| [February 21, 2008 01:36:32 AM]
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SUMMARY:
Super Mario 64 is a 3D platformer for the Nintendo 64 console. The goal of the game, as with so many in the Mario series, is to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of the malicious Bowser. The player must run, jump, slide, bop, and punch his way through a variety of challenges in several different worlds to acquire Power Stars and thereby proceed through the game.
GAMEPLAY:
I started the game with the mindset of a present-day gamer; that is to say, I was immediately critical of the graphics, which now seem dated and ugly. As I played, though, I found myself caring less and less about the graphics, if only because the game exists in a world worth exploring.
I find myself at a loss to describe what it was I felt as I explored the grounds in front of the starting castle, but then I've never played a game where chasing birds around was something I could do. The world is so colorful and so alive that I found myself forgiving the dated graphics and simply enjoying myself; only later, as I began playing through the challenges proper, did I begin to understand the breadth of the accomplishment of the game creators. It took me a while to remember that the game was first published over ten years ago, and when I did remember that, my awe only increased.
I haven't progressed far in the game, but I hope that what I have experienced so far - living game worlds, excellent sound and level design, a certain innocent charm - will hold true through the rest of the game.
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Eleglac's Super Mario 64 (N64)
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Current Status: Finished playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 20 February, 2008
GameLog closed on: Thursday 21 February, 2008 |
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