Category Archives: Super Mario
Ranking Every Star in Jolly Roger Bay
Oh boy. I’ve been putting this one off for a while because this level is just not fun. Atmospherically speaking, it’s one my favorites. But as far as actually playing the level, big meh.
So, for those of you unaware, I’ve been doing a series of ranking every star in Mario 64 stage by stage. Make sure you read the previous installments after this one. Okay, now let’s get on with the list.
#7 Can the Eel Come Out and Play- When I make my overall ranking, I’ll be interested to see where this one ranks. This star is awful. It’s entirely underwater. You have to lure out an eel and grab the star off its tell. Conceptually, I don’t hate it. It feels somewhat unique compared to the other 120 stars. In practice, I hate it. Yes, there’s a camera angle trick that makes this star easy to grab. But this has got to be one of the 5 stars I die the most on. If you miss initially grabbing the tail, chasing him down can be a pain. If you get hit by his tail, you are almost guaranteed to be a goner. And not to mention, once you grab the star off his tail, it’s not over yet. The star floats away off screen. You better make sure you still have enough air to make it to it.
#6 Blast to the Stone Pillar – This star isn’t much better. There’s just not much to it. The cannon is at the start of the map. Once in, you launch straight to the pillar. Then, you jump from pillar over to the platform. It’s pretty straightforward. However, if you miss with the cannon, you must swim all the way back to the cannon.
#5 Through the Jet Stream– This is another straightforward star. It’s almost too simple. Once you’ve unlocked the metal cap, this one is a gimme. You grab the metal cap and proceed to sink to the bottom of the lake. That’s it.
#4 Jolly Roger Bay 100 Coin Power Star- This is one of the worst 100 coin stars in the game. There’s only 104 coins in this stage. This means that if you fail to grab a single blue coin, it is impossible to get this star. Or you could be stuck trying to find the star rings on the water. Or if you fail to grab the coins from defeated enemies, out of luck. It’s not a super difficult star, but you do have to play nearly perfect.
#3 Plunder in the Sunken Ship- Truthfully, the first part of this level is not my favorite. Traversing the more open part of the lake can be chore. Then there’s the matter of swimming to the bottom of the lake. The worst part, by far, is getting that Eel out of the sunken ship. It is not fun. Once he’s out of the way, the rest of the star is okay. You enter the ship. From here, I lower the water and swim as far up the interior as I can. Now, do some platforming, and you’re at the star. The Eel hurts this one from going any higher. Yet, the slight exploration and platforming help it.
#2 8 Red Coins – Ultimately, I’m okay with this star. I wish the floating ship was a more fleshed out part of the stage. As the ship only hosts about half the red coins. The rest are found littered throughout the course. This one has a nice mix of exploration, platforming, and collecting. On another course, it probably won’t score this high. However, I don’t think super highly of the rest of the stars on this course.
#1 Treasure of the Open Cave – The only star I really like doing on this course. This star is exactly what I’m looking for in a stage. It highly encourages exploration, combat, and collecting. It highlights the unique feature of the stage, the giant lake. It’s not the best star in the game or anything, but I enjoy the cave. It’s the N64, and I’m not expecting a lot. So, for the time period, the cave is sweet. It’s got blue coins, some combat, and a puzzle ending with you snagging a star.
So this is by far one of my 5 least favorite levels in the game. And honestly, has probably my least favorite collection of stars in the game. The atmosphere is a slight redeeming quality, but it doesn’t hold up the subpar selection of stars.
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Ranking Whomp’s Fortress Stars!
Today we will be ranking the 7 stars of Whomp’s Fortress. Remember, we base this off of fun factor with a mix of iconicness. I tend to value things like exploring the level and fun tricks more so than degree of ease or difficulty. With that in mind, let’s rank em.
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#7 Blast Away the Wall- This was an easy one. Some people may rate this higher for its pivotal role in speed runs, but I don’t care for this star. I should take a minute to add that this is one of the most notorious stars in Mario 64 history. It may seem pretty simple at first. Hop into the cannon and, well, blast away that wall. But Speed runners found a way to clip through the wall, obtaining the star cannonless. This became an early barrier to entry into speed running Super Mario 64. Your run often henged on hitting cannonless first try. As a kid, this star was iconic in my mind for being one I had to google. How was a 6 year old suppose to find this star? As a kid, I thought this was such a cool star. As an adult, it is just kind of boring.
#6 Fall Into the Cage– The first star we’ve come across that I actively don’t like. The owl mechanic seemed so cool on paper. But this star would absolutely drain me sometimes. Especially if I haven’t played in awhile. This star has accounted for so many deaths it is not funny. As it doesn’t take missing by much to fall to your death. Once you get the hang of the owl, this is a pretty neat star. And it can be done fairly quickly for what that’s worth.
#5 100 Coin Star- I typically go to bat for the 100 coin stars. And I do think this one is pretty good. However, this is the first level to introduce insta death. Which means as you are ascending the level and inching closer to that 100th coin, death is always a misclick away. I like it, but for that, I got to drop it a bit.
#4 Shoot into the Wild Blue- This star confused me as a kid. As I thought you literally had to shoot off the map. I also was not good with the cannons. After countless misfires, my brother and I tried so many different ways to get this star including trying to drop from above to it. I don’t remember when we discovered wall jumping, but that is exclusively how I get this star now. As I still don’t trust those cannons.
#3 Chip Off of Whomp’s Block- Just as I go to bat for the 100 coin stars, I tend to not like many of the boss fights in Mario 64. They’re fine for the time, but they are easily one of the least favorite parts about the game. Whomp is no different. He’s just a variation of King Bomb Omb. The phasing glitch makes him one of the easiest bosses, too. So why is this #3. It’s because, which is a common theme with boss fights in this game, it encourages you to explore the whole map. The next two stars have even more to explore and aren’t derailed by a boss fight. So Whomp sits here at 3.
#2 Red Coins on the Floating Isle- There’s two things that bug me about this star. First, the floating isles are not unlocked immediately. This means if you are someone who likes to get 100 coins first, thus getting the 8 red coins, you really can’t. But you can still get like 5 before you learn about the isles and have to do it all over again later. Secondly, I think only 3 of the coins are found on the isles. What kind of false advertising is this? Outside of that, this a fun level to explore and the isles were always a neat section to me. Wish they had just embraced the name and made the section bigger with all 8 coins.
#1 To the Top of the Fortress- If you know me, you probably knew this was number 1. I still cannot explain where the tower came from, but this is one of my favorite stars in the game. Koopa the Quick in Stage 1 took a bit of a hit for ultimately feeling like a rehash of the previous star. TtTotF adds on to its former star by adding a small new obstacle, the tower. It too, is not dragged down by the boss fight, meaning this star is more platforming bliss. I could see either this or the 8 red coins being my favorite. But the Tower always stood out to me. As an adult I wish they would have expanded both the Tower and Isles. Either way, The Tower takes my #1 Star.
Whomp’s Fortress was never my favorite, but the level was fun in the way it moved upward. It never felt like it had the same sandbox energy as Bomb-Omb Batflefield, but it does have some neat sections and fun stars. So how would you have ranked all the stars?
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My Five Favorite Super Mario Power Ups!
A month ago or so The Completionist put out a video ranking every Super Mario Power Up. If you haven’t seen his video, make sure to watch it here! Now I am not that ambitious, nor have I played every Super Mario game. Thus, I am not qualified to speak on every power up. With that in mind, I will be writing about my five favorite power ups. This isn’t the five most iconic or powerful power ups. It’s MY favorite. As a result, you might disagree with my picks. That’s fine. Leave your five favorite in the comments below.
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#5 Super Leaf (Super Mario 3D Land)
Tanooki Mario kicks off the list. Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of the 2D side scroller Mario games. 3D Land marked a change for me. This was the first game I got for my 3DS. Naturally, I played this game out and got pretty addicted to it. The takooni suit definitely played a role. It checks a lot of boxes for me. It granted an additional point of health, which, to be fair, most Mario power ups do as well. It gave Mario an additional attack with his tail. It helped exploration, but not to the same extent the other power ups on the list do. It gave Mario the ability to sort of flutter. This eased his fall allowing more precise landing. Not quite as game breaking as other power ups, but certainly welcomed!
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#4 Ice Flower (Super Mario Galaxy)
The Ice Flower in the 3D games was a welcomed addition. It truly added a layer of complexity to your standard world traversing and platforming. This is in thanks to how it granted Mario the ability to interact with water. he was now able to run across water surfaces as well as wall jump off waterfalls. Yes, these seem pretty simple and straightforward compared to the dynamic of something like Cappy. Nonetheless, it gave Super Mario Galaxy some welcomed layers, making the exploration of it’s galaxy all the more fun.
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#3 Super Star (Super Mario Bros.)
The original Super Mario Bros did give us plenty of iconic power ups from the Mushroom to the Flower Fire. Most of these power ups were insanely powerful in the original game. However, most, if not all, of those OG power ups have been power crept. The classic super star is no exception. Plenty of the newer games give insane invincibility effects such as the Leaf and Bell. Still, I am giving the Super Star the nod for being so darn iconic. After all, the Super Star would go to become the games measuring stick for progress in most of the 3D adventures. As in Super Mario 64, the more stars you had, the more doors you could unlock. With all these factors in play, I believe it is worthy of the number 3 spot.
#2 Cloud Flower (Super Mario Galaxy 2)
Truthfully, this is arguably one of my favorite power ups in any game. This power up is so perfect for a 3D Platformer. If you are unfamiliar with the Cloud Flower, here’s how it works. When Mario gains the power of the clouds, he is able to create 3 cloud based platforms. If you thought I gushed about the Ice Flower, that was nothing compared to the Cloud Flower. I absolutely loved the way Mario was able to create a revolutionary power up while keeping it within the Mario charm. This powerful ability feels balanced by only allowing Mario to create 3 platforms, yet this still grants a lot dynamics to exploring the levels. Now you will want to start seeing where you can now go. I just think this power up is extremely interesting. Whenever Mario returns to more traditional power ups, this is one I definitely hope makes a return.
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#1 Super Bell (Super Mario 3D World)
Cat Mario was a true game changer. In my opinion it did everything you want a power up to do. It makes you better. It grants an extra hit to Mario’s health. Which, in a Mario game is huge. It also makes you more powerful by granting Mario a new attack. With this ability he can lunge his newly gained claws towards enemies. And finally, it mixes up exploration. Now, Mario has the ability to climb walls. This grants Mario access to new locations, higher areas and short cuts. It was a tight race between Cloud Flower and Super Bell for me. However, I feel like Cat Mario just providers a wider dynamic change for the game. Where Cloud Flower really only aids in exploration, Super Bell does that as well as makes Mario actually stronger. It’s for that reason I give the slight nod to Super Bell.
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So, there you have it. Those are my favorite power ups. Which ones are yours? Let me know down below!
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Continued Reading:
Ranking The Bob-Omb Battlefield Stars!
Video Game Grail? (A Response to the MetalJesusRocks Facebook Page)
Ranking The Bob-Omb Battlefield Stars!
Welcome to a new series here. I will be ranking each star from each course of Super Mario 64! I will be arriving at my rankings based off how fun, challenging and engaging each star is. Lets start with Bob-Omb Battlefield!
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#7 Shoot to the Island in the Sky- This star is just simply boring. There’s not a lot to it. You get Mario to blast up to the floating island and then you snag the star. It can be fun, but its just underwhelming.
#6 Behind Chain Chomp’s Gate- This star is iconic in my opinion as it will probably be one of, if not the first star most people will get when playing Super Mario 64. However, outside of being iconic, there’s just not a lot going on here. You get the star very early and quickly. It doesn’t really showcase the level or encourage exploration. The neatest thing about it is it being the 6th star in the level, but you can get it first.
#5 The 100 Coin Star- Now, honestly, this is the worst star on this course, but it at least has you moving and playing the game. That is why it scores a bit higher then the previously listed stars. It ranks below Mario Wings to the Sky because you will need to get more coins then just the five special coins.
#4 Mario Wings in the Sky- I really don’t care for this star, however it did earn some bonus points for some cool things it did. For starters, its the first flying star (outside of the wing cap stage). I also believe it’s the first level to have secret, special coins. But the flying is not great and that hurts the fun factor. However, it definitely has the exploration side covered.
#3 Footrace with Koopa the Quick– This star introduces us to one of the few NPCs that isn’t a villain, per se, Koopa the Quick. Of course, there’s big exploration to this star, but it is literally a rehash of the previous star, Big Bom-Omb on the Summit. That stops it from being able to crack the top 2 spots.
#2 Big Bob-Omb on the Summit- This star is awesome! It is epic. Mario must make his trek up the summit to fight King Bob-Omb. Exploration is clearly a focal point of this star. You must do some platforming, kill some enemies, collect some coins and at the very end, a boss fight!
#1 Find the 8 Red Coins- I’m a sucker for these 8 red coin missions. Mainly because they are collect-a-thon in nature. They also heavily encourage you to check every inch of the level looking for the coins. The mission itself may or may not be more fun then the other stars, but I feel like they are always a fun representation of what it means to play Mario 64! For that, I will rank it as number 1!
So, that’s my opinion. I’m curious what you guys would rank the stars. Do leave your rankings below!
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Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday) Part 4 Finale The Top Five Levels of Super Mario 64!
Today, we finally wrap up our series of ranking every Super Mario 64 level.
Check out the previous parts here:
Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday) Part 1
Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday[Saturday]) Part 2
Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday) Part 3
Separately the top 5 was pretty difficult. Some of my favorite levels such as Snowman Land and Whomp’s Fortress have already appeared on the list. Meanwhile, a few levels that are not exactly my favorite, still remain at large.
#5 Big Boo’s Haunt- This personally might be my favorite level. I’m not sure where the general consensus is for this stage but I tried to be relatively unbiased here. I like that the mansion has three floors but I wish there some more variety in the rooms. It would have been cool to see a kitchen or master bedroom area. Still this level is fun to explore, has the boos and the coins and stars are pretty easy to run around and claim.
#4 Tall, Tall Mountain- This is a level I didn’t really care for before making this list. The mountain can be a hassle to climb, the falls can be demoralizing and the Monkey is a pain in the butt. However, this level is truly epic. While it lacks some of the complexity of other levels. The ascent up the mountain, while not perfect, is one of the highlights of the game. Theres some variety in the missions and of course, this level has a slide! So bonus points.
#3 Shifting Sand Land- Again, another level I had absolute disdain for growing up. The sand has insta kill sections, climbing the pyramid can be more of a chore than the mountain of Tall Tall Mountain, and the bird can steal your hat. While those can be big detractors, this level was certainly out of their comfort zone. It is one of the first levels to truly challenge you. On top of that, exploration is another huge plus here. The pyramid feels like it’s own level. It is filled with plenty of puzzle-esque sections, challenging platforming parts and some secrets thrown in to keep you on your toes. This certainly wouldn’t be in my top 5 favorites, but I appreciate all the things it did.
#2 Bomb-Omb Battlefield- Another level that is absolutely up in my top favorites. It is just a massive sandbox for platforming. And platforming and exploration are the two biggest strengths of the game. Sure, the level lacks complexity found in later levels which hinders some of the exploration. However, this level is absolutely iconic. It has a surprisingly amount of diversity for the first level. The Wing Cap combined with the cannon is a crazy combo. The floating island in the sky immediately encourages wonder and curiosity. Who will ever forget being greeted by the bombs, having to slip past the Chain Chomp and finally scaling King Bomb-Omb’s mountain? There’s a handful of secrets, enemies, and interesting areas to keep this level feeling fresh and exciting.
#1 Tick Tock Clock- I absolutely hated this level as a kid. The 100 coins in this course was one of the last stars I ever got, putting it off until my adulthood… However, climbing Tick Tock Clock feels like a real achievement. There’s several branching paths, difficult enemies, secret coins and stars and plenty more. It harbors some of the most annoying stars that you can feel proud of yourself for conquering. It’s a level you can complete several times over and have a different experience each time you run through it. That’s because depending on which quarter of the clock you jump in at (12, 3, 6 and 9) will determine the speed of the moving parts. You can double the speed, slow it down, randomize it or even bring it to a dead stop. This provides plenty of different strategies and playthroughs. In this example, you try to get the 8 red coins with the platforms stopped (Generally considered the easiest way to beat it.) Or you could have the platforms speed randomized. I will say Rainbow Ride is equally, if not harder, than Tick Tock Clock. However, Tick Tock Clock seems like a more professional and cohesively designed level whereas Rainbow Ride feels more thrown together. This level combines many of the aspects that make Mario 64 so great, There’s a massive tower to explore, plenty of sections allow and encourage precise platforming, and the difficulty is balanced so that the trek is not easy but not overly ridiculous either. For the fact that this level fuses what makes all other levels great in their own way into one level makes it stand out to me.
So, what did you think of this list? Feel free to leave your own opinions in the comments down below. There will be plenty more list and reviews in the future so make sure you are following the blog!
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Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday) Part 3
Part 3 of ranking all the Mario 64 courses. This time we will be examining the secret stages. Check out the previous parts here:
Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday) Part 1
Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday[Saturday]) Part 2
This list was tough to construct. Most of the levels are tiny, upsetting, or forgettable. Oh well, here we go:
The Wing Cap Stage
Gah, this is easily the worst level in maybe the whole game. If you miss one of the early red coins in the sky it is basically over. In perspective, the structuring of the level highlights the Wing Cap. The problem? The Wing Cap is terrible. The imposed ceiling on the Wing Cap is obvious by design. I might could continue speaking on this course, but I think I will move on from here.
Bowser in the Fire Sea
This might be my favorite of the Bowser stages but I do feel it also the weakest (look, us bloggers don’t have to make sense.) This is an awesome level to watch speed runners run through, but it’s so hit or miss actually playing it. I actually like the level layout fair enough and the three sections of the level flow pretty smooth. In fact, if you tried to tell me this was the best level in the game. I would not even argue with you. The fact of the matter is I simply do not like fire levels a lot.
Winged Mario Over The Rainbow
Simply put, it is another flying level. A lot of these secret levels were designed to highlight some of the harder mechanics. This is put on display with the fact we have 2 Wing Cap secret stages… Ugh. However, this level also highlights why Wing Cap Stage is utter trash. Now, I said Wing Cap Stage is an introduction of the Wing Cap and why it is not great in this game in particular. Over the Rainbow is so much more massive in design, scale, skill, and every other measurable metric that how can you not look back at Wing Cap Stage and see anything but simply a bad level.
Bowser in the Sky
Boy, I want to really like this level. I do enjoy watching people show off all the crazy shortcuts and skips in this stage. The scale is simply massive. But, I just do not enjoy the dark and unforgiving nature of this level. Now, I can not like a stage but still respect it. I sure do respect the heck out of this stage. I can fully appreciate this level without wanting to play it again. Very cool level.
Vanish Cap Stage
I really wanted to squeeze this level in higher, and maybe I could have. Still, when it got to crunch time the turning platforms at the end caused the lower scoring. Remove that ending and this might have got number 2.
Metal Cap Stage
I enjoy a lot about this course. I have been debating on if the small scale nature of the level helped it or hurt it. I guess since it cracks this high on the list, it did not hurt it that bad. I feel like I always connected with the Metal Cap simply because it is green and my favorite color is green. Maybe that is not fair. But that is how it is. Still, the compact nature of this stage helps its design. The red coins are a fun hunt in this stage. If there was a weak point, it would have to be how unforgiving the water mechanic is with new players or even an easy mistake from veterans. If you get lost in the current and end up in the moat, it is a hard time getting back.
Bowser in the Dark Sea
In a lot of these entries, you will read me say “I really liked this stage. I want to rank it higher.”. Not this time. I actually don’t think I like this course very much. In fact, I think I normally get as many stars as you can (which I think comes out to around 32 or so stars?) before tackling this course. However, there is no denying how iconic this course is to me, personally. Making the ascent up the “Dark Sea, was it?” collecting all the red coins, vanquishing the foes, dodging the fire and avoiding all the insta-deaths, was so nerve wracking. I cannot tell you how many times I get to 7 coins and bump my head or miss the jump and you fall right down to your death. Still no denying how much this level gave me nightmares as a kid.
The Secret Aquarium
What a level, right? Yes, this is easily the most simple level in the whole game. But I cannot deny the atmosphere here. The windows revealing a whole new world outside their glass, the fishes swimming in the water, the calming music. Quite frankly, for as simple as this level is, it is darn near perfect. I do not have a lot to say about this level. It is just bliss.
The Princess’s Secret Slide
This is it, boys. This is sliding perfection. Someone answer me this. Was there a slide in a 3D video game prior to this? If so, tell me below. I am not sure why I am so fascinated with sliding levels, but dang it I am. I think it had to do with the mysticism of the timed star. Racing the clock, cutting off precious seconds where we could, riding the edges trying not to fall but go as fast as you could, just trying to beat that time limit. Than, once we discovered the jumping off the side shortcut, this level became an obsession. Since this, I have secretly (or maybe not so secretly at this point) judged every game I play on if it has a slide level or not.
Alright guys, there you have it. That’s my rankings. You probably wont agree. That is okay. Sound down below how you would rank these levels.
Next week is Spooky Week here on Dahubbz. So, start getting ready for all things spoky. I say this now so you guys have a heads up. Also, so you know we will not be concluding this series next Friday. Instead, we are kicking around the idea of “Top Five Creepiest Pokemons”. Hope that sounds cool to everyone.
As always, thanks for reading. Have a great day!
![Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday[Saturday]) Part 2](https://dahubbz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/super_mario_64_box_cover.jpg?w=90&h=70&crop=1 "Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday[Saturday]) Part 2")
Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday[Saturday]) Part 2
Hey guys, since this is part 2 of this series, I decided Ill skip the opening. If you missed part one, check it out here:Â Ranking Super Mario 64 Levels (Top Five Friday) Part 1
Alright. Let’s jump into it.
#10Â Tiny Huge Island
Tiny Huge Island will get all its points for sheer creativity. The double entrance changes Mario size. If Mario runs towards the towering picture, he will be tiny entering the level (is the island huge?). Conversely, if he enters the picture where he is large, the island is tiny. Mario (or the island’s) size changes some dynamics. Some stars can only be obtained depending on if Mario is huge or tiny. However, I just do not enjoy this level. This is kind of surprising considering I love beach levels. Still, this is fun-ish level to run around and is far from terrible.
#9 Lethal Lava Land
Since making a Youtube channel, I have replayed SM64 about 5 or more times. Lethal Lava Land is one of the levels that has benefitted the most in all those replays. I can speed run this level pretty quickly. However, this level shows some of the strengths and weaknesses of the game. For starters, two of the stars are just rehasings. You fight the bullies twice for 2 separate stars. The 8 red coins, while cool, is very simple. The 100 coins are not too hard but they can be unforgiven. Overall, I like it but it falls short of greatness.
#8Â Cool, Cool Mountain
Cool, Cool Mountain was probably the first level that blow me away. Perhaps as a six year old every level blew my mind. However, the structure of this level was ginormous. This level helped birth my fascination for slide levels in video games. As a kid, escorting the baby penguin was such a tall task. Now, I love grabbing the baby penguin and saying “Hold on, bucko. Here we go!” and jump off the side of the mountain. The 8 red coins felt like a legitimate scavenger hunt. It hurts to rank this level so low, but seriously, the levels above it are soo good.
#7Â Hazy Maze Cave
Or as I call it Hazy Mazy Cavey. Ugh, I do not enjoy this level, honestly. But the scope of this level is great. It is not over enjoyable but it is diverse. You have the switch pad sections, which are not fun but they are a cool concept. You have the actual maze, which also is not fun but is a cool concept. You have the underground lake part which actually is not very fun either but is a cool concept. You have the metal cap switch level which I guess isn’t that much fun either but it is a cool concept. Oh, yeah than there’s the rolling rock part which, now that I think about it, isn’t that much fun either but it is a cool concept. What can I say? I’m mostly joking, but I am serious at the same time. This level is made up of very cool and different sections that are not great on their own, but make for a very interesting level. I mean, Cool, Cool Mountain is certainly more fun than Hazy Maze Cave but there’s two snow levels, like 10 water levels, at least 2 fire levels. I say all that to say Hazy Maze Cave stands out as a unique level with unique ideas. That is why it scores higher despite probably being the least fun level up this high on the list.
#6 Whomp’s Fortress
Seriously, from this point on every level is “Man, it kills me to rank this level so low.” Whomp’s Fortress is an absolute joy to explore but it is really simple compared to the rest of the levels left on the list. The first level involves an epic ascent up Whomp’s Fortress to battle with Whomp himself. What is really cool about this level is everything past the first star. Whomp’s battle ring has been replaced by an even taller tower which changes the dynamic of how to climb the fortress. It even gives access to a new section made of floating platforms that allow you to complete the red coin mission. You also can now more reliably get inside the cage for it’s star. All in all, it is a small level, which hurts it sadly, but is still a bright and fun explorable level.
Okay, that is levels 10-6 and makes up the second part of my list. What will emerge as the top level? I’d love to say find out in the next installment. However, we will be ranking the side levels next. So be sure to follow for more Mario 64 content!
Thanks for reading. Have a great day!
Â
What Do You Know? Nintendo Actually Did It! (Super Mario 35th Anniversary) Wrote on September 3rd
Just a Note: I wrote this on September 3rd following the Nintendo Direct. I believe that was a Thursday and I had school. Well, I already wrote it, so here it is! Enjoy!
Hey everybody. The rumors were real! Super Mario 35th Anniversary direct dropped today. With it Nintendo revealed Super Mario Bros Game and Watch, Super Mario 3D World Plus with additional DLC, Super Mario Bros 35th Battle Royal, Super Mario Kart Live Circuit, The original Super Mario Brothers All Star from the SNES now included in the Online service, 35th Anniversary Merchandise, and finally Super Mario 3D All Stars.
At the end of the day, there’s not a lot to complain about here. For the die hard consumer, this was underwhelming being straight ports of the 3 Super Mario 3D games in the All Star Collection. For the average consumer though, this was a grand slam. So much of this calls outs to fans of all ages. All the Game and Watch/Super Mario Bros. content will be a delight to the older players. The 3D Collection will attract players like myself who grew up in the 90’s/00’s. While Mario 3D World and all the new merchandise not only will appeal to Switch owners young and old, it will also stand out to Nintendo fans at large.
By all accounts, I think the only people who will complain are going to be the die hard fans who wanted a bit more out of the collection. We only have ourselves to blame for getting our expectations so high. Maybe we should all be thankful were getting this experience in one complete package. Our maybe we should demand more out of $60 dollar rehashing. I mean 3D World got bonus content while the classics are simply getting ported.
Overall Grade: 9.5 out of 10. The average consumer will find a lot to like with the sheer amount of content coming to the Switch. The presentation was done near flawlessly. Even the small supplemental products seemed cool and interesting on their own. The pacing was pretty good. It kept us interested in what was being shown while still supplying a lot of information and new products. The 3D collection was an almost perfect showing. The montage felt like childhood. The only thing really missing was adding to or improving Super Mario 64.
I did a video covering this if you want to hear more of my thoughts on the matter!
Thanks for reading! Hope everybody has a great day!
Super Mario 64 Remake Want List! (Super Mario 35th Anniversary Rumor)
Hey guys, The Nintendo Direct may have been a little lackluster if you wanted more Mario. However, on my Youtube channel, I took the time to make a want list for Super Mario 64 Remake. Below are 5 things I want added to the eventual Super Mario 64 Remake!
P.S. Dont have time to read or just prefer a video format? Here’s the link to my video:Â Super Mario 64 Remake Want List!
#5 Better Mechanics and Controls: Come on. This is almost a no brainer. The only way this isn’t implemented into the game is if we get a basic bare bones port. Anything above that should bring Super Mario 64 into the modern generation including an actually useful camera, tighter controls, and improved movement. Regardless of what artistic approach they take with the remake/port, better mechanics and controls is an absolute must.
#4 Better graphics- duh. Yet, there’s a sliver of a chance the game doesn’t get any graphical oomph. Honestly, I’m not the most technical savvy person so I’m not going to rabble on and on about video outputting and other jargon, I’m just going to say, I hope this is an HD remastering and not just simple porting.
(I do not own this picture)
#3 2 Player Co-OP- Mario hacks have existed for a while now that have enabled a co-op mode, so in 2020, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to enable a co-op mode in a home console release of Super Mario 64. Something Nintendo has been pretty stingy about. Mario 64 and Sunshine have no co-op mode to speak of. Galaxy 1 and 2 have extremely lack luster co-op functions allowing the 2nd player to play a disembodied pointer grabbing star bits using the Wii remote. Odyssey features the best co-op to date if we aren’t including 3D World. The 2nd player assumes the role of Cappy and can greatly help or hinder Mario on his quest for endless moons. As stated, people have pushed the boundaries of Super Mario 64 via rom hacks, meaning I’m sure Nintendo has the tools needed to do the same, but do they have the guts to utilize it?
(I do not own this picture)
#2 New Hat or Mario Powers- Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 gave us plenty of new power ups which would be cool to see here. I think an obvious power up to include would be the fire flower or ice flower. This could introduce new puzzles such as torches, water walking, enemies that can only be killed by fire, burning down bushes, etc. etc. I wouldn’t mind Boo Mario or Bee Mario but the cap power probably would make it redundant. Giant Mario could be another viable option. Giant Mario has been a staple of Mario since the very beginning, however, on the DS Mario was made ginormous. Wario even got in on the giant action in Mario 64 DS.
(Duh)
#1 New Stars in each level – Blame Odyssey if you must, blame not wanting a standard port or even blame the DS remake, but its time to start adding new content to the game. Super Mario DS added 30 new stars (I think). Odyssey allows the player to nearly double the number of moons found in each kingdom. I think implementing some system like this would be genius. These additional stars could be sprinkled in the game after beating Bowser. This way old school players can still enjoy the game the way God intended while players like myself who want a little more oomph in their remakes can get that added content. This could be done by adding some remixes of old stars such creating 5 new secret spots, making the Koopa race harder or a different route altogether, modifying existing stars in the same manner that comets did in Galaxy. The Mario team is normally pretty darn creative so I know if they tried they could come up with something good that also fits Mario 64.
So there you have it. I have a few more items on this want list. If I can come up with five more, I’ll make a follow up to this post. If you want to see what those items are now though, you can check the video in the link above!
Thanks again for reading guys! If you are excited for the remakes, leave a comment down below and let me know what you would add.
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Girlish Number- Random Wednesday Number 1
Da_Hubbz 