Boundless Skies, Endless Possibilities - Super Mario 64 Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- What is there to be said about this game which has not been said already? A lot, apparently. Super Mario 64 is a game whose reputation precedes it - it was the first Mario game to go 3D, and a pioneer for the video game industry as a whole. But how exactly does it hold up today, when put under close examination and careful scrutiny? Today, we're going to analyze this game in excruciating detail and find out just what makes Super Mario 64 the legendary game that it is.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: A Monumental Legacy
04:11 History and Context: To Make a Game That No One Has Made Before
09:00 Movement and Controls: Endless Possibilities
14:09 Tutorial: Outside Peach's Castle
16:38 Aside: The Camera
21:29 Beginning: Inside Peach's Castle
25:04 Course 1: Bob-omb Battlefield
32:30 Aside: Boss Fights
35:10 Aside: Stars
39:04 Course 2: Whomp's Fortress
44:12 Course 3: Jolly Roger Bay
50:06 Course 4: Cool, Cool Mountain
56:09 Bowser Stage 1: Bowser in the Dark World
59:22 Course 5: Big Boo's Haunt
1:03:59 Course 6: Hazy Maze Cave
1:06:56 Course 7: Lethal Lava Land
1:11:39 Course 8: Shifting Sand Land
1:18:07 Bowser Stage 2: Bowser in the Fire Sea
1:21:52 Course 9: Dire, Dire Docks
1:24:25 Course 10: Snowman's Land
1:30:19 Course 11: Wet-Dry World
1:35:40 Course 12: Tall, Tall Mountain
1:39:48 Course 13: Tiny-Huge Island
1:45:32 Course 14: Tick-Tock Clock
1:52:11 Course 15: Rainbow Ride
1:58:54 Bowser Stage 3: Bowser in the Sky
2:01:09 Aside: Collecting 120 Stars (and Yoshi)
2:03:25 Conclusion: Boundless Skies, Endless Possibilities - เกม
Still one of the most underrated channels
He wasn't lying when he said it was over 2 hours 💀
This is the first video of yours I've seen and you've instantly earned a subscription from me. I've always enjoyed these kind of long analysis/review videos and you do an incredible job with it. Super Mario 64 is one of my favorite games and although I don't agree with every point you made, I really enjoyed watching you analyze the game. I was SHOCKED when I saw your view and subscriber counts. You deserve SO MUCH more. Can't wait to check out more of your stuff!
Thanks, dude! It means a lot to hear that you enjoyed the video. I hope I can continue to make reviews that you enjoy!
To be fair, every platformer I've picked up on PC has a gamepad option, so you normally shouldn't be forced to use a mouse and keyboard for those games at all. Examples include Cuphead, the Shovel Knight series, Ori and the Blind Forest (more a Metroidvania but still), and I'm sure there's plenty of others that I don't know about. Gamepad support for PC games is generally pretty good these days, with a handful of exceptions. That being said, play what makes you happy. Thanks for the vids, been enjoying them!
1:22:38 I always thought getting a cap would replace the effect of the previous one. I would just get the vanish cap and swim to the cage. I never assumed you could combine them!
I’m leaving this comment here before I even get five minutes in because it’s finals week and I won’t be able to finish this for a while. I am already thoroughly impressed with this video and am looking forward to watching it. I appreciate the simple but concise editing choices. I’m something of a video editor, myself. The writing is has just enough personality without being alienating. And your perspective comes from a unique place while still being an appreciator of others. Maybe I’ll finish the video and be offended and delete this comment, or maybe I’ll subscribe. Also, WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR MIC SETUP? I HAVE THE LOWEST EXPECTATIONS WHEN IT CONES TO SMALLER CHANNELS AUDIO QUALITY, BUT THE LISTENABILITY MAKES ME 100% MORE INCLINED TO FINISH THIS. But seriously, can you hit me up with some audio tips?
Thanks so much! I’m actually super self-conscious about my audio so it’s really nice to hear that you like it! The mic is a Fifine studio condenser usb mic. Super cheap but super good. I’ve got some sound foam as well to really make sure everything comes out good. My brother is a sound guy so he gave me the advice on the setup.
@@octorokreviews Thank you so much!
You deserve more attention to your channel, dude. The analysis you made was so good!
Thanks, dude! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Great quality and work man. Your Zelda and Mario content always hit the nostalgia spot for me!
Commenting for the engagement. Serious effort that deserves way more recognition.
Thank you for the compliment; it makes all the effort feel worth it. I hope you enjoyed the video!
Thanks for making me feel very very old since I can remember playing ET on the Atari
1:29:00 Actually you can get out of that room without the vanish cap! There’s a little gap against the wall u can fit through so you can enter and leave the room normally
Your comment got me so tilted that I went back to the game, got in the Igloo,, and yelled "BULLSHIT" the moment I found the opening haha! That's a crazy little detail - how did you first learn about that? I've beaten this game five times and I never saw that!
@@octorokreviews I just recently played it on the Nintendo Switch in 3D All Stars! Got lucky exploring that igloo and found it
Another great video of yours. I agree with most of the criticisms. I love Super Mario 64, but it often seems to get a pass for being such an early 3D title and for being so revolutionary at its time, ignoring its issues and shortcomings, especially in its sloppy level design which would never be accepted in a new game today
The only thing that bugged me is how you criticised all the "repeat stars" in the level, but then for Tick Tock Clock - which is basically one giant repeat star - that's not only not an issue for you, but you even praise it as a good thing 😄 I do understand the point, though, I just couldn't help finding it curious
As someone who beat the game 3 times with one of those being a 120 star win, all on a shitty school chromebook, with only arrow keys for movement and wasd was camera, I’d even say playing like that was a great time (tick rock clock was a nightmare though without a stick)
Damn man! I salute you - I was having such a hard time playing with a keyboard on Bob-omb battlefield. I ended up giving up and bought an n64 to usb connector so I could use a controller while playing on the emulator for game capture footage. I can’t imagine playing this game on a goddamn chrome book lol
If SA was your first game you’re far from a dinosaur 😅 My first game was Sonic 2
I love Mario 64! Amazing review! This game has its flaws, but somehow it’s still so gosh darn fun
Thank you! I also really love this game - it’s truly something special, and certainly deserves its illustrious reputation. It took me a long time before I developed the patience to learn the controls though haha.
I'm sorry, there's something I can't understand: you made a whole section about this game's camera without talking about the mario cam? I haven't watched the full video yet and I'm sorry if I'm rushing to conclusions, but since at 21:29 you stop talking about this topic and move on to talking about Peach's castle, I'm assuming you are done with the whole camera topic, so I'll explain myself:
You are right about Lakitu's cam function; it provides fixed camera angles for every part of the game. But this doesn't mean it's always the same, it's divided into 3 forms: Lakitu cam UP (first person mode, where you begin fully controlling the camera as if it were Mario's head so you can look around), normal Lakitu cam where every angle is fixed, and Lakitu cam DOWN (where the camera zooms out a bit and shows you more of the enviroment, while also filming you a little more from above rather than directly behind mario. This cam also provides only fixed angles, but at least alternate ones from normal lakitu cam). This alone is A LOT for one of the first 3d platformers ever, in my opinion.
However, there's more: when you tap R, you switch to an alternate camera mode: the mario cam! And this camera is great, because it literally solves the problem you showed in 18:23. In this situation in Wet Dry World, the lakitu camera angles don't work because, like you said, the camera angles are fixed, so it keeps you from seeing what's directly in front of you.
To ensure that this mode is available, just press START and select "Set camera angle with R", you'll be given two options: Lakitu-Mario and Lakitu-Stop. The first one is the one you'll want. And as for Lakitu-Stop, I've never found it to be the optimal camera mode, as it only remains stationary in the level, and you can run around and get reaaaally far away from it without it moving an inch.
If you were to switch to Mario cam with the R button at that given moment, you'd switch to a very zoomed in view of Mario from behind. It's really awkward to control Mario like this and it's never really the optimal way to go through a tricky platforming section (except when speedrunners use it to decrease lag in certain levels when playing on a real N64).
But if you tap the yellow button with the arrow looking down while in Mario cam in this situation, the camera will now begin focusing on your intended path! This is because this camera mode ALWAYS sets the camera directly behind mario, overriding any fixed camera angle that the lakitu cam may force on you otherwise. So this is my advice: If at any given point in the game you notice that the fixed camera angles are giving you a hard time, then try experimenting with the mario cam. And if you want to make a really precise jump, you'll find that while in mario cam Down, if you slightly change the direction Mario's facing, this cam will follow him. Really, just try moving Mario slowly and see how this camera always responds by mimicking his direction. This is how you make the precise camera adjustments you speak of at 19:55. Just take your time, set the correct camera mode, change mario's angle so he's facing directly where you want the camera to be (which in most cases it's also the place where you want to jump towards), and then do the jump.
It's kind of astonishing to me seeing youtubers not adressing this feature at all when talking about SM64, as Nitro Rad's video about it also shows the very same situation in Wet Dry World as a problem which cannot be solved. I think people who complain about this game's camera do so because they do not know how to experiment with the FIVE different, unique camera modes the game offers you (not counting the multiple fixed angles you can switch between with the left and right yellow buttons). Seriously, there's ALWAYS an optimal camera to use for any situation. If you don't believe me, I encourage you to watch any speedrun of this game, the mastery and understanding of this game's camera lets players move freely around the levels with 0 issues (except when certain things like the submarine in Dire Dire Docks makes the whole game lag so you have to aim the camera angle in a really weird, awkward way and that's not fun but oh well, 1996)
It's funny that the English USA manual of the game mentions the mario cam, but only the zoomed-in view and not the one that's actually the most useful. That's interesting to say the least.
And about what you said about the movement in this game... I agree 100%, so even though I respectfully disagree with your position on this game's camera, I'm gonna keep watching your vid cause I love this game with all my heart and I love listening to people talking about it!
TL;DR: Just press R, man.
So first off, I just want to say thank you: not only for watching the video, but also for engaging with it in such a passionate and well spoken way. I really appreciate it.
Now, to address your points: you are absolutely right about it being a mistake that I did not mention the Mario cam - I have no idea how I forgot to put a section in the video addressing that. My best guess is that I had written off the possibility that anyone would even care to use it, much less defend it - but I still should have put it in the video, because I genuinely try to cover everything a game has to offer, and not talking about the Mario cam is, indeed, a mistake in that regard. It also did not help that literally every contemporary review I saw of the game bashed the camera - that seemed to confirm to me just how bad the camera in this game was, and that no one had found a solution to it or praised it in any way - even back in 1996. As for speed runners: they are not normal people. They have the finite pixels of a game so well memorized in their head that I don't even consider them as a frame of reference when trying to determine how well designed a game is.
Now, to address the Mario cam: yes, I did know of its existence - I played this game on the N64 and just as you say, the manual does indeed mention this feature. That being said: the Mario cam sucks. Just as you said, it's difficult as all hell to control Mario in this way. I even went back to the game, got to Wet-Dry World again, and tried that same section using the Mario cam again just to see if I had missed something - all because of your comment - and I can now say with 1000% certainty: the Mario cam simply does not work the way it was intended. And even if it did, it's entirely unintuitive of a game to demand that you literally play around with the camera setting every time you want to perform a difficult jump - that is a tell-tale sign of bad camera design, and I think that's why no one ever tried replicating the Super Mario 64 type camera ever again.
Anyway, thank you so much for watching the video - I really hope you enjoyed it. I love this game, and I love talking about it, so I really appreciate your engagement.
@@octorokreviews Hello, just coming back to say I finished watching your video, I really enjoyed it. I've never seen a course-by-course, let alone a STAR-BY-STAR analysis of this game and I think I really walked away from this video having learned a thing or two about this game that I've played a number of times that's higher than the number of your age and my age combined lol. So you got a like and a subscribe from me because of your in-depth style, so i'm tempted to watch your link's awakening analysis but as I haven't finished it yet I'll just avoid it for the time being, but i'll surely come back to it soon!
Now about the wet-dry world conundrum, I think I may have explained myself poorly; you shouldn't use the default mario cam to cross that section, you should use the mario cam with the yellow arrow that points down so it should look like this: imgur.com/a/n5VKvN1. Do you mean THAT is a poor camera angle? It's literally the best way the camera could possibly be positioned for you to cross that obstacle.
THAT is the camera mode i'm talking about, to be clear.
No one ever tried to replicate the camera design because the second analog stick was invented, not because of an inherent flaw, it's just that the technology of the controllers surpassed the need for it. How can it be bad game design or bad camera design that you refuse to engage with a TOOL that the game gives you to optimize your experience with your surroundings? It's literally just pressing two buttons: R + C DOWN.
Another thing, the part at 1:29:09 where you say you can trap yourself in the igloo with the pink bomb, that's not true at all lol. Between the "snow wall" and the wall of the igloo there's a small space that you can cross to get out of that little room: see: imgur.com/5qLEoqJ (see how I'm using the C down mario cam? I just pressed two extra buttons to access that cam and that helped me find my way out)
I don't expect you to agree with me and say that the camera 100% works and it's great for anything you may need from it (although that is sincerely my opinion), I just wanted to reply to your comment so as to make myself as clear as possible.
Oh I can name one PS1 game from before mario 64 with a working camera. Doom. 1995.
everything else might be terrible, but the camera worked.
Who the hell is Mario? I think if you asked someone to name 3 famous Mario's you'd get Mario Bros, Mario andretti, and assuming they push the brain fart through maybe Mario Lopez
i love Mario 64, but i fucking HATE the controls, there's so much clunk imo. I grew up with Sunshine, and I wish all Mario games controlled like that one. To me, that game is the definitive way mario controls, the spinjump is just glorious in that, the precision is out of this world and, IMO, the skill ceiling is unparalleled. Now, I can play 64, and it's real fun, but there's always that slight annoyance in the controls which will never give me that same feeling I have playing Sunshine.
Also did you get a new mic half way through? Dire Dire Docks is quite a change
Old man hahahaha.....what r ya pushing 34
Someone's gonna call me a "snowflake" but why do you keep saying "he", "him", and "his" when talking about the player? They/them/theirs is more inclusive and doesn't sound as out of place when talking about an imaginary person.
I enjoyed the video but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
People who use "whom" without knowing why just lose my attention imediately
Wasn’t that, like, 17 minutes into the video? And did I not use it correctly in that context?
@globes179 it’s fine if that’s your thing, but there’s no reason you need to share that. It makes you sound like a jackass - whether it was technically used “correctly” or not based on whatever arbitrary, ephemeral guidelines you have in your head.
@octorokreviews, it’s a shame someone can put so much time and heart into creating something like this, make it freely available for people to enjoy *if they want to*, and then that creator needs to deal will petty, irrelevant opinions like this. But we’re all silly humans unfortunately. So here’s a random apology for our collective silliness and a thank you for making the videos you do ❤