In 1996, one of the greatest video games of all-time invaded stores and jump-started the Nintendo 64’s launch. Super Mario 64 would forever change the world of gaming by introducing a new look into 3-D gaming that would set the benchmark for the way platform, adventure, and all 3-D games are made. After years of rumors of a Super Mario 64 2, instead we wait until the Nintendo Gamecube to get another massive Mario adventure. Super Mario Sunshine wasn’t the best of the main Mario titles, but still has its share of fun.
And with the Wii we receive two gems, two masterpieces, two instant classics that tested the graphical and creative limits of the folks at Nintendo. Super Mario Galaxy 2 at one point was placed in a tie as my favorite Mario game, although nowadays it will quietly maintain itself in the top 5. And then we also got the ultra-selling New Mario Bros. franchise that has sold over 48 million copies on two systems. That being said....it has been over 15 years and we still haven’t had a true blue sequel to Super Mario 64. And I am about to explain why, and I am about to explain why it’s been too long and it should happen.
Super Mario 64’s playcontrol has remained the most underrated aspect of the game. Mario 64 has over 30 different moves that you can perform. And remember this was back in 1996, his arsenal of moves were far advanced from the norm. For starters you can choose to walk, run, or crawl. If you were to very lightly move Mario in a certain direction he can even do a sneaky kind of walk. You can jump, double-jump, triple-jump, long jump, backflip, cartwheel, punch, double-punch, kick, wall kick, low kick, high kick, stomp, slide, somersault, climb, do a handstand, sidestep, dive, swim, spin, and just so much more. And this is the list of moves without getting a power-up.
While all of this seems trivial, remember this: Grand Theft Auto to this day still prevents their main characters from doing anything other than a weak combination of punching and kicking. It took over a decade since the debut of the franchise before their main character could even swim. Sonic still can’t do a quarter of the moves Mario did in Mario 64. And you know who else doesn’t do as many moves as Super Mario 64 Mario? Super Mario Sunshine Mario. Super Mario Galaxy Mario. New Super Mario Bros. Mario. And lastly, the upcoming Super Mario 3D Land Mario.
With Mario Sunshine, his waterpack prevented him from doing a variety of the moves from Mario 64. Surely he can hover above the ground with the water pack, but you are limited to the amount of different ways of finding the “stars.” In Super Mario 64, there were many different ways you could locate and collect the star, depending on what moves you were better at doing. Super Mario Galaxy was closer in matching the amount of moves in Mario 64, but still was held back because the Wiimote simply has less buttons. In terms of pure combat, Mario can only jump, throw stars, and spinning. That’s about it.
The 2-D Marios are also limited, but because of the limited space. With a dimension tucked away and not in the foreground, Mario is limited to running, jumping, and a few other moves. While 2-D Mario has come a long way since Super Mario World, he still doesn’t have a developed arsenal of 2-D moves. On a technicality, Yoshi’s Island offered you more moves to do. Super Mario 64 gives Mario the most freedom to run around and do whatever he pleased, defeat opponents however he pleased.
Super Mario 64’s freedom is what I honestly miss the most. And I don’t mean just the levels either. Mario 64’s overworld was massive, as it consisted of the courtyard, the castle, and all the hidden layers of said castle. Remember reaching the balcony? Remember finding the basement? Remember finding hidden paintings inside the castle? There was so much to find, and you could roam around and dictate your pace while exploring. I never felt as free when running around Mario Sunshine and Mario Galaxy. And with Mario Galaxy 2 eliminating it altogether, that game just felt....smaller. Mario 64 was our first glimpse of what it would feel like if Super Mario had a Zelda-quantity adventure. And it felt good.
Even the levels themselves felt more Zelda and less 2-D Mario. Unlike what happened in the Galaxy games and also the Sunshine game to an extent, Mario 64’s stars could usually be collected in a different order. Not only that but the levels could mostly be explored in whatever order you desire---once you get enough stars. Remember the Hazy Maze Cave? Remember Gritzy Desert? Remember Rainbow Ride? These levels were huge, and extremely non-linear. If there was a flaw to Mario galaxy 2, its that sometimes the levels were a little linear, giving it more a 2-D Mario touch.
Bottom Line: We have had a lot of Mario games since the 1996 gaming jewel, but none have been a spiritual sequel. As opposed to expanding upon the adventurous, non-linear Super Mario style of gameplay, we get Mario with a water pack, we get Mario back in 2-D form, and we get Mario with a smaller set of moves in a new art style. And like I said before, don’t get me wrong, all the following Mario games were great in their own right, but none can become called true sequels. They don’t have the spirit of Super Mario 64, even if they have the Super Mario magic.
I want to see Super Mario in not just a larger environment, but a larger environment in which you can explore every single cranny of it. Of course Galaxy seems bigger, but the planets and stars themselves are a bit smaller than they could have been. Can you imagine if they had incorporated Mario 64 elements to Galaxy? We would have Mario exploring entire planets looking for stars. Imagine spending an entire gaming session browsing around a planet you just unlocked. Imagine a Mario game in which you leave the confides of the castle and explore the Mushroom Kingdom the size of an Elder Scrolls area. It might not be the direction that the Nintendo folks want to engage in, but it’s a direction I’d love to see explored at least once more. Give us at least one true, blue, sequel to Mario 64. Give Mario his freedom back. The WiiU can accomplish this. It’s just a matter of if Nintendo wants to.
So what is it? Mario 64 2? Or Super Mario Universe?
Well, for starters, the overworld in Super Mario Sunshine was much bigger than the one in Mario 64. The thing is, all of those games are true sequels of Mario 64, your only counter point was the fact that the controls are not the same. I don't really see the big deal. You don't need all of those moves in the later Mario games. Hell, I'd argue that you don't really need all of those moves in Mario 64.
ReplyDeleteI don't see your point...
Mario games have always had great music. Who hasn't found themselves whistling or humming one of the iconic Mario tunes? This game has some really cool new music, as well as some remixes/revamps of classic Mario music. When I found myself in the first of the Koopa Kid castles and I heard the original music from Super Mario Bros 3(??), I was ecstatic.
ReplyDelete