Forums > Submission Feedback > pickhut's Super Mario 64 review

"The camera is bad" would have been a lot more concise.

I don't have to boost my review resume because I have a real resume.

I thought we were aiming for varied styles and takes on reviewing. >_>

I head spaceshit noises.

I enjoyed reading it. It was a "creative" approach that had it's ups and downs but I'm definitely glad you didn't just say "the camera is bad".

"fuck yeah oblivion" - Jihad

The Lakitu Bros.' cinematography was always inconsistent. The flight scenes were beautiful, but their work was flawed on land. It's a shame that, when when the show asked for underwater scenery, the quality of their cinematography went down the crapper in a hurry.


That said, I liked this review! I'm probably just saying that because I always thought Super Mario 64 was good, but the camera -- ESPECIALLY in those [censored] water levels -- killed the game's potential for greatness.

That, and 3D platforming was actually done -- to a much smaller scale -- 13 years earlier.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own."
-- Adam Savage

That looks pretty epic for a 1983 game. How come I'm only hearing about this game now?

And thanks for all the comments on the review. Even you, Felix. 8======D oooo

I head spaceshit noises.

It was way worse on the DS where you had to control the game with either a little stick on the screen or a d-pad. A !@#$! d-pad!!!

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

I never really understood the camera is bad complaints. It's adjustable and since the primary movements are just running and jumping -- all done with control stick, A and Z -- it never struck me as too difficult to be working the C-left, C-right and R buttons simultaneously. Usually, even if the perspective was less than ideal, you could use cues like Mario's shadow and quick camera rotations to judge distance.

I would say the camera introduces a learning curve and agree with QXZ that underwater -- notably Jolly Roger Bay -- it can be pretty lousy. Some other spots too -- inside the volcano of Lethal Lava Land or Dire Dire Docks's area above the submarine come to mind. But overall I would never call it bad and the reviewers that base their whole opinion on it baffle me a bit, like we didn't play the same game. I thought it was a non-issue for the bulk of it and its perspective -- which didn't always center behind the main character -- helped bring the imaginative settings to life (Whomp's Fortress and Tall Tall Mountain, among others, examples of two levels that would not be nearly the same if the camera constantly centered behind Mario).

The problem I had with SM64's camera was that I'd often hit one of the C buttons to move it and it was all like "NO I DON'T WANNA." It would happen at the most annoying times, too. Like, it would move everywhere except where I wanted to put it, even when there was nothing in the way. Baffling and irritating.

It hardly ruined the experience for me and it's still a great game, though I do believe a bad camera system can single-handedly destroy a game. Especially in the case of that one popular game I keep citing for its horrible camera. You know which one I'm talking about.

You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.

I was willing to accept the game's problems and probably give it like a 7 or 8, but then I noticed I was raging and getting upset a lot over missing jumps, falling into pits, ect. because of the camera. I realized I never got this upset over games I actually enjoy a lot, and that's how I came to the conclusion I'm now at with Super Mario 64.

Thanks for the various views and comments, btw!

I head spaceshit noises.

The camera was a physical character in the game levels, like Mario, so you couldn't move him into a wall or anything, which created problems in enclosed areas. Tick Tock Clock, I recall, I had two different camera angles available at any one time whenever you were near the edge.

I can avoid death by not having a life.

Leroux_Deux wrote:
I never really understood the camera is bad complaints.
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I would say the camera introduces a learning curve and agree with QXZ that underwater -- notably Jolly Roger Bay -- it can be pretty lousy. Some other spots too -- inside the volcano of Lethal Lava Land or Dire Dire Docks's area above the submarine come to mind. But overall I would never call it bad and the reviewers that base their whole opinion on it baffle me a bit, like we didn't play the same game.

Hold on there. Just because I hated Super Mario 64's camerawork at spots doesn't mean I hated its overall quality. I remember Super Mario 64 being an overall GOOD game, but I simply couldn't overlook how often the physical camera became unusable. Granted, it was Nintendo's first foray into 3D platforming, but having better camera control could easily have made Super Mario 64 a masterpiece at both technical and entertainment levels.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own."
-- Adam Savage

camera angles are subjective. loads of people rag on Mario 64 or DMC's and I think they're largely fine, loads of people don't mind Ninja Gaiden's whereas I find it makes the game unplayable. whatever.

cool review pickhut.

Oh no, it's a Goomba!

the camera control is masterable. i was able to move the camera on the fly while moving mario around at the same time. tick tock tower and rainbow level which can prove especially daunting even for the camera can be mastered. i used to do this with ease when i did speed runs of the game. i could get all 120 stars in about 3 hours.

i can see where the camera may be a problem for some, seeing my cousin who enjoyed the 2D mario games play SM64 for the first time and struggled at it while cursing at everything from the camera to the analog thumbstick. suffice it to say he couldn't quite adapt to it like i did and vowed not to play another Mario game again.

when you can make the camera your bitch, SM64 is a much more rewarding experience. i probably would have no interest in replaying it now, the Galaxy games are way better and have alot more going on.

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The problem I have with that, though, is a camera should never be mastered in the first place. It should be as easy to execute as basic jumping or attacking.

Even if a camera does need some time to get used to, it shouldn't at least take more than a level or two to get the hang of.

I head spaceshit noises.