Mario 64

It was amazing graphically and stylistically. It introduced some bold innovations in platform gaming but it came as a shock to me to be playing a Mario game where you're sometimes left to your own devices and have to explore and work out puzzles every so often. At the time that was a major shock to me in gaming terms. This new world Mario found himself in was cold. Still it is a great game but my favorite Mario game will always be Super Mario World on the SNES.

I absolutely love Super Mario 64 and I think it's aged extremely well, probably still my favourite of all the 3D Mario games. You just have so much control over your character... you get to fling him about the environments and kick him off of walls like a portly Italian ball of rubber, yet everything still feels so precise. I can't think of many other games where simply controlling your character is so enjoyable. No wonder you see so many parkour style Mario 64 free-running videos on YouTube.

It holds up well in other respects, too. It's a pleasant-looking game. It may be blocky, but the art assets are stylish and colourful enough that it's still charming. The music's delightful, too, especially the Slip Slidin' Away, Jolly Roger Bay and Bowser in the Dark World themes. Oh yes!

The only aspect that doesn't hold up quite as well are the water levels. While firing yourself into the water from a cannon on the other side of a level is great fun, the swimming feels a bit sluggish and the it's kind of a road block compared to bouncing and long-jumping and side-flicking your way around the game's other levels. It can be an enjoyable change of pace, but it might be jarring for some.

Anyway, it's a very fun game, and I'd recommend it highly.

I'd stay away from the DS port though, the controls just aren't as fluid without an analogue stick. Honestly, navigating a 3D environment using a directional pad, or a touch-screen with no tangible centre point? Not a good idea.