- Joined
- Jan 2, 2007
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- 1,067
Last month, I posted a little article I called the Classic Game Deathmatch, and compared Goldenye and Perfect Dark. I enjoyed doing the article, and I got quite a few responses so I thought I'd do it again. I may continue doing these reviews in the future, although with that said there are rules, namely that the games must be related at least by sub genre (Like I'm never going to compare an RTS to a racing game) and they can't be from the same series (Like I'm never going to compare the original Legend of Zelda to Ocarina of Time.). With that said, let's put on those rose tinted goggles and once again take a look at two classic games on the classic N64 system. This time we are taking a look at two of its most well known platformers, Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie.
Just like last time, we're going to look at the game that came first, Super Mario 64.
It's pretty damn obvious that everyone has played at least one Mario game in their life, so odds are everyone here has played Mario 64, and if you haven't, I pity you. Mario 64 was a landmark title, not just for Nintendo. It was every bit as revolutionary as the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES, nearly every game of its kind would follow the blue print laid by this classic. Bringing Mario into the 3D world must not have been an easy task, but the talented team at Nintendo did a phenomenal job. While SMB3 will always remain my favourite Mario game, Mario 64 is a close second. The levels were all diverse and fun, and it retained the charm and appeal of the series. My only real complaint is that it had no multiplayer like the previous games (Let alone any Luigi or any of Marios other sidekicks except for a cameo by Yoshi), though this was fixed in Super Mario 64 DS which I feel is the definitive version of the game. The game is still very playable even today, and there's no excuse for not having played this game at least once.
9.0
Now on to Banjo-Kazooie..
Many imitators of Mario 64's formula came and went. Some were good, some were bad, but none of them could touch Mario. Well, except maybe one.. A little game from Rare, known simply as Banjo-Kazooie. Banjo-Kazooie had more at stake than Mario 64 did, not only was it a new franchise with no built in fan-base, it had very little marketing and critics were ready to dismiss the game as just another Mario clone. However, once the game landed it made its mark and went on to be one of the consoles most memorable games, along with every other Rare game on the system, even lesser known Rare titles such as Jet Force Gemini and Blast Corps. Rare was certainly in their heyday with the N64. This game followed the adventures of the titular characters, Banjo, a bear, and Kazooie a bird (A "Breegull," Rare claims) that lives in Banjo's backpack as they went to rescue Banjo's sister from an ugly witch named Gruntilda. The game followed closely to the Mario 64 formula, but deviated just enough to make it stand out. There was a larger variety of power ups and powers, and the levels followed a different progression. The game was actually much larger than Mario 64, and you would almost never be able to visit every level in Banjo-Kazooie in your first playthrough. Many levels were often hidden, and since you had to keep a closer eye on your "Jiggies," which unlocked levels in a much less linear fashion than Mario 64's stars, you might circumvent some levels completely. Depending on which levels you chose to unlock and how many jiggies you could have, the game would be shorter or longer. This added an incredible layer of replayability. The game also had a more distinctive sense of humour, and on reflection it's definitely not as funny as I found it as a kid, though there were still plenty of jokes that made me chuckle. The game is still extremely fun to play, just like Mario.
9.0
Well, there you go. If you look at the scores, it's quite clear who is the wi-..... Oh. The scores are the same. I guess that means there is no winner. It's a tie. I honestly can't pick between the two, so all I can say is that they are both absolute classics worth revisiting. I suppose if it boils down to it, I do like Mario 64 a little more, but that's mostly because of the initial impact it had as well as some levels being a little more well designed. Stay tuned, there's a good chance I'll do another one of these next month. No idea right now what games I'll look at, but I'll make that decision a little later on, however if you guys have any ideas on some games I should enter into this article in the future, feel free to let me know. In the mean time, take the poll and share your opinion. That's what this whole thing is about
Just like last time, we're going to look at the game that came first, Super Mario 64.
It's pretty damn obvious that everyone has played at least one Mario game in their life, so odds are everyone here has played Mario 64, and if you haven't, I pity you. Mario 64 was a landmark title, not just for Nintendo. It was every bit as revolutionary as the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES, nearly every game of its kind would follow the blue print laid by this classic. Bringing Mario into the 3D world must not have been an easy task, but the talented team at Nintendo did a phenomenal job. While SMB3 will always remain my favourite Mario game, Mario 64 is a close second. The levels were all diverse and fun, and it retained the charm and appeal of the series. My only real complaint is that it had no multiplayer like the previous games (Let alone any Luigi or any of Marios other sidekicks except for a cameo by Yoshi), though this was fixed in Super Mario 64 DS which I feel is the definitive version of the game. The game is still very playable even today, and there's no excuse for not having played this game at least once.
9.0
Now on to Banjo-Kazooie..
Many imitators of Mario 64's formula came and went. Some were good, some were bad, but none of them could touch Mario. Well, except maybe one.. A little game from Rare, known simply as Banjo-Kazooie. Banjo-Kazooie had more at stake than Mario 64 did, not only was it a new franchise with no built in fan-base, it had very little marketing and critics were ready to dismiss the game as just another Mario clone. However, once the game landed it made its mark and went on to be one of the consoles most memorable games, along with every other Rare game on the system, even lesser known Rare titles such as Jet Force Gemini and Blast Corps. Rare was certainly in their heyday with the N64. This game followed the adventures of the titular characters, Banjo, a bear, and Kazooie a bird (A "Breegull," Rare claims) that lives in Banjo's backpack as they went to rescue Banjo's sister from an ugly witch named Gruntilda. The game followed closely to the Mario 64 formula, but deviated just enough to make it stand out. There was a larger variety of power ups and powers, and the levels followed a different progression. The game was actually much larger than Mario 64, and you would almost never be able to visit every level in Banjo-Kazooie in your first playthrough. Many levels were often hidden, and since you had to keep a closer eye on your "Jiggies," which unlocked levels in a much less linear fashion than Mario 64's stars, you might circumvent some levels completely. Depending on which levels you chose to unlock and how many jiggies you could have, the game would be shorter or longer. This added an incredible layer of replayability. The game also had a more distinctive sense of humour, and on reflection it's definitely not as funny as I found it as a kid, though there were still plenty of jokes that made me chuckle. The game is still extremely fun to play, just like Mario.
9.0
Well, there you go. If you look at the scores, it's quite clear who is the wi-..... Oh. The scores are the same. I guess that means there is no winner. It's a tie. I honestly can't pick between the two, so all I can say is that they are both absolute classics worth revisiting. I suppose if it boils down to it, I do like Mario 64 a little more, but that's mostly because of the initial impact it had as well as some levels being a little more well designed. Stay tuned, there's a good chance I'll do another one of these next month. No idea right now what games I'll look at, but I'll make that decision a little later on, however if you guys have any ideas on some games I should enter into this article in the future, feel free to let me know. In the mean time, take the poll and share your opinion. That's what this whole thing is about
