Back in 1996, with the launch of the Nintendo 64, gamers witnessed the birth of a new era for one of gaming’s most powerful and well-known franchises. Before then, Mario did his platform hipping in the second dimension, traversing from one side of a stage to the other. Now, with a new dimension and a new perspective on the platforming genre, it becomes clear that this is the way Mario games were meant to be played.
Seeing Mario jump out of his trademark warp pipe into a three dimensional world for the first time is a pretty amazing thing to a gamer who’s grown up playing the traditional side scrolling platformers such as Super Mario World. The gameplay has evolved from the platform hopping of yesteryear and many new variables come into play here. Alongside the usual method of stomping on an enemy’s head to defeat them, Mario now has a number of physical attacks that, despite their short range, are handy for defeating certain enemies.
There is a wide variety of interesting and challenging platforming stages you’ll encounter throughout the course of the game. These worlds are housed within paintings scattered throughout the castle, which serves as a centralized hub. These stages are some of the most unique ever seen in a Mario game and practically oozing with charm and unforgettable moments.
Unlike the 2D platformers of yore, the objective here isn’t simply to travel from one end of the stage to the next. Each of the sixteen levels presents its own set of six unique challenges, as well as a seventh for collecting 100 coins in one trip through the level. Completing each of these goals rewards you with a Power Star. As you gain more and more stars, more of the castle opens to you, unlocking more stages. Throughout the game, you’ll run into a host of mini bosses, which all require different tactics to defeat. Eventually, with enough stars in tow, you’ll face off against Bowser.
Boss battles all play out well but the most suitably epic are the encounters you’ll have with Bowser. Bowser is certainly the most challenging foe you’ll face and a real sense of accomplishment accompanies your victory, having bested Mario’s most famous foe.
The game controls quite well using the classic controller or a regular Game Cube controller. For those who use the latter, the controls should feel instantly familiar to gamers who played its spiritual sequel, Super Mario Sunshine. No matter which of the control options you choose, controls are tight and responsive. The camera may be a bit difficult to wrangle in a tight spot and the controls do force you to use the oddly placed and rather small Z buttons (on both controllers) a bit often, which can be annoying but those are the only real sore spots.
Graphics wise, this is the best-looking version of the game you can buy. On newer televisions and especially in 480p, the game is incredibly sharp, almost to the point that it looks like it’s somewhat detached at the seams. The colors appear deeper and more vibrant and while the textures aren’t exactly amazing, you have to take into consideration that the game did come out over ten years ago and still looks rather nice.
There is plenty of challenge to be found for new players and nostalgic gamers who are looking to relive the excitement they’ve already experienced on the Nintendo 64. Collecting all 120 stars is a rather lofty goal but certainly achievable for those willing to ferret out the castle’s many secrets and delves deep into each of the sixteen levels. This is a must buy for Nintendo fans, new and old and is certainly among the best the Virtual Console has to offer and a fitting inauguration for the service. Ten dollars is a small price to pay for one of the best games ever created.
Graphics: 8
Gameplay: 9
Sound: 7
Value: 9
Tilt: 9
Overall Score: 9.0
