The Final Word game review

Super Mario 64 -- Nintendo

Mario's back in a fully interactive 3-D adventure. This time, Bowser has kidnapped the Princess inside her castle and is locking all of the power stars away behind its walls. Super Mario 64 features use of the Nintendo 64 analog controler, giving you total control of Mario in his environment. You can perform moves from as simple as a tip-toe walk, to a spinning air-born back-flip. There are over 100 stars to find and multiple worlds to explore in Nintendo's Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 console.

????
Impressive! This game is without a doubt one that must be experience in order to truly appreciate it. The graphics are beautiful and a wonder to behold. The music and sound effects are well orchestrated and fits every single level perfectly. The most exciting thing in this game is the handling and control. It is a treat to control Mario in a real 3-D environment. The analog controller only adds to the realism of the experience. This game is long and will definitely keep you interested until the end. Overall a great first game for the N64. Keep up the good work!

R.I.P.
I'd say this is the best game of its type hands down, but to be honest, it's the only game of its type. Everything is fantastic about this title, and even if you're not a Mario fan, you owe it to yourself to check this title out. The whole game takes place in a truly interactive 3-D environment. You have total control over Mario, whether you want to run, tip-toe, or do a flying backflip, it's all right there at your fingertips (and thumbtips). I also like the fact that the game is very non-linear in many respects -- unlike many of the other titles to come out recently that are aimed as competion for this game. If you get tired of working on one area, ok, just go off and explore someplace else. Very cool. My only complaint at all with this title is the camera... Yes, the camera that follows you around on more than one occasion has totally ticked me off. I'm not really sure how to qualify this other than to say that the camera just does its own thing irregardless to what you tell it to do. It will even drift as your running, and since movement is relative to the camera view you have to constantly adjust your direction on the joystick as the camera drifts. This in turn makes some maneuvers far harder than they would normally seem. Aside from that, I'd say this game was about as state of the art as it gets for now. A real land mark achievement by Nintendo, and an excellent launch selection. I can't wait to see more games like this.

>>>>> 48.0/50 <<<<<		????	R.I.P.
Graphics		5.0	5.0
Sound		4.0	5.0
Gameplay/Control		5.0	4.5
Longevity/Playability		4.5	5.0
Overall		5.0	5.0
Total		23.5	24.5

(11/1996)