Happy 20th anniversary, Super Mario 64

I almost can't believe Super Mario 64 made its way onto Japanese store shelves 20 years ago today.

I say almost because, well, it some ways it totally feels like it's been two decades since I first played this classic platformer.

It helps, I'm sure, that the above-mentioned experience took place during my freshman year in college. No matter how young I may (think I) look or feel, that was some time ago, and I know it.

That said, my memories of my initial Super Mario 64 playthrough are as clear as yesterday. My parents gave me a Nintendo 64 system and a copy of this game as a birthday gift. I hooked up the former as soon as I returned to my dorm room, after which my best friend and I put Super Mario 64 through its paces while it snowed like the dickens outside.

To say we were in awe of what we saw and heard and felt that night would be a massive understatement. Sure, Mario's first three-dimensional adventure was far from gorgeous--even then--thanks to the bevy of blurry textures on display, but its polygonal characters and environments still caused my pal and I to slobber like rabid dogs.



Far more thrilling to either of us than this game's graphics, though, were its controls. Using an analog stick to make Mario tiptoe, walk, run, jump and slide around each stage wasn't just a revelation, it was a blast. It was so much fun, in fact, that we didn't pull ourselves away from it until early the next morning.

In the ensuing days, weeks and even months, I spent more time than I probably should admit simply running and jumping and prompting Mario to yell "yahoo!" I also heard so much of its glorious soundtrack that to this day I regularly hum its boppy "main theme."

Admittedly, I haven't played much of Super Mario 64 in the last decade or so, despite my fond memories of it. As such, I can't really say if it's aged at all well. I suspect it hasn't, but even if that's the case, it aptly served its purpose back when it was the best thing since sliced bread, and that's more than enough for me.

How about you? Do nostalgic thoughts of this Nintendo 64 launch title cause you to feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Also, have you checked in with it in the last few years to see if the game is as great as you remember it to be?

Regardless, please share your own anniversary-fueled Super Mario 64 memories in the comments section that follows.

'Finding an adventure is easy'

Is it odd to have nostalgic feelings for a game you didn't actually play early in life?

If so, I'm odd, because I have all sorts of nostalgic feelings for Nintendo's EarthBound--a game I didn't experience (for the first time) until a few years after it was released in my neck of the woods.

Even odder: I've never finished the game, despite giving it my best on two occasions (including the above-mentioned one).

Anyway, all of that is brought up to add a little "color" to a post that could otherwise be boiled down to "I really like this EarthBound-inspired comic."

And what a wonderful comic it is, right?

It was produced by artist Zac Gorman, who recently shared on his site, Magical Game Time, that he's been "replaying EarthBound since its rerelease on the Virtual Console, so it’s been on my mind a lot."

Another of Zac's recent EarthBound comics is even more fabulous than this one, I have to say. Check it out here, if you have the interest.

Acquisition #137: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

Drat. And I was just getting into Kirby Mass Attack and Professor Layton and the Last Specter.

I say that because both of these lovely (so far) DS games are sure to be placed on the proverbial back burner for a bit now that I've got my grubby hands on a copy of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.

Don't worry, I'll go back to them sooner rather than later. For now, though, my attention is turned squarely toward Square Enix's odd, nostalgia-laden addition to the rhythm-game genre.

I very nearly didn't pick up Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, by the way. Oh, it was on my "wish list" and I was planning to buy it at some point, but I really didn't expect to do so on day one. So, what prompted me to change my mind? Well, I discovered that toysrus.com was selling it for $29.99 (as opposed to $39.99) and decided on the spot that I couldn't pass up such a sweet deal.

Before I get to my early impressions of the game, I have to give props to the folks at Square Enix's North American arm for putting so much into this release. For starters, my copy came with a special, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy-branded stylus as well as a small sheet of completely adorable stickers. Also, the cover slip is double-sided, with the inside art being designed in such a way that the heads of the game's main characters show through the holes that line the interior of the case.



Neither of those things could or should be considered mind-blowing surprises, of course, but I think they're nice touches nonetheless.

As for the game itself: I've only played it for a few hours thus far, but I can say without hesitation that those few hours have been pretty darn enjoyable. I like that there are a number of different styles of gameplay--they're more like variations on a theme, really, but they're distinct enough that it rarely feels like you're playing the same thing over and over again--and I also like that all of the tracks included here are the originals and not watered-down remixes.

My only complaints thus far: I'm often so focused on tapping, sliding and holding my stylus just so that I'm unable to properly take in the game's adorable graphics. Also, I'm currently feeling more than a little overwhelmed by all of the options that are constantly being thrown my way.

Are any of you also playing through Theatrhythm Final Fantasy at the moment? If so, do you think about it so far?

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

From the back of my boyhood closet, part six

Have any of you played--or even heard of--the PC game called Planet's Edge? (It was made by New World Computing, perhaps best known for producing the Might and Magic series.) No worries if you haven't, as the game came out all the way back in 1992 and I've yet to run into anyone who claims to remember it.

Regardless, I have fond memories of playing the hell out of this outer-space-based RPG as a teen. In particular, I have fond memories of exploring--on foot, with my four-member party--the many, many planets (Wikipedia says there are hundreds, which means I barely scratched the surface of the game when I played it) of Planet's Edge.

I also remember enjoying the title's mining aspect. (You're often able to transfer some of a planet's raw materials to your ship, which can then be taken back to your home base and used to make bigger and better ships and, if my memory's not failing me, weapons.)

All that said, I'm not entirely sure why I brought the game's box and disks from my boyhood closet to my current home in Seattle, as our PC doesn't have a disk drive. For nostalgia's sake? It wouldn't be the first time.

Thankfully, it seems I should be able to download a copy of Planet's Edge fairly easily (such as here and here, I think). Should I be able to get it up and running, I'll give it a go for old times' sake and then (attempt to) write up a "somewhat gay" review of it.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts