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A Nintendo community for the fans, by the fans!
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Top 10 Super Mario 64 Levels [top ten] |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 05:44:37 |
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on: 07/13/13, 05:43:46 |
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I have no doubts that this list will be somewhat polarizing. One of the beauties of Super Mario 64 was that it appealed to each person differently. It had so much variety in it's level themes, level designs, and complexity that despite all of us playing the same game, we all would gain different experiences. That's one of the key reasons the game has always been a shining star to many gamers alike. I did not include any of the Bowser Levels in this list and that was on purpose. Do not suppose that I believe they all just are worse than these three levels. The Bowser challenges are very fun and unique in their own right. Since they have a distinct and deliberate path and are not really worlds for one to enter but active doors to pass through, I decided to keep the considerations and list to the primary fifteen levels in the game. Of course this means that Dire, Dire, Docks with it's submarine and arguably the best song in the game did not make it. Neither did the lava surfing platforming of Lethal Lava Land. The whole game is great and I wish I could give every level their due, but then that would make this a walkthrough and not a top-ten list.  Whichever levels you loved, I know one thing, thinking about this game all over again is probably making you want to grab a N64 controller, swing that nasty Koopa King, and have yourself some cake.
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Posted: 07/13/13, 05:44:37 |
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on: 07/13/13, 05:43:46 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 05:55:44 |
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on: 07/13/13, 05:58:41 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 06:31:05 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 06:37:16 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 06:44:01 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 06:45:07 |
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on: 07/13/13, 06:46:27 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 06:49:48 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 06:52:02 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 06:55:23 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 06:59:10 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 07:08:18 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 07:18:26 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 07:27:38 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 07:32:18 |
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Cool list!
Pet peeve time, though: why does everyone always credit Dire, Dire Docks' music to that stage? That song will always and forever be the Jolly Roger Bay theme to me; it shows up six stages earlier, and it fits the atmosphere of that level much, much better! Plus, "Dire Dire Docks" is sort of a silly name for that song, don't you think?
Otherwise, good picks. Tall, Tall Mountain is a fun stage for sure, but it wouldn't be up there for me simply because it feels a little too linear to me. Like, you're scaling the mountain in a very similar way each time (especially during the first part), whereas a stage like Cool, Cool Mountain gives you several different options from the get-go.
My favorite has always actually been Tiny-Huge Island. It's a crazy cool concept that I think could have full games built around it, and it always feels kind of...I dunno, surreal stomping around the Tiny Island after spend a good amount of time in the Huge one. Massive lakes become puddles and such.
EDIT: Wet-Dry World isn't one of my favorites, but it does have one of my favorite sequences in the game, and in the N64 era--exploring the sunken city was eerie and magical. |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 08:01:49 |
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on: 07/13/13, 08:02:27 |
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I really miss the mountain-style stage designs in newer Mario games. Even in Sunshine, the levels were sprawled out a bit too far. 3D Mario is way more interesting with vertical platforming than horizontal traversal.
I'm not big on Jolly Roger Bay myself, too swimming-centric. Wet-Dry World was my favorite water level in the game, thanks to its cool puzzle mechanics, interesting use of enemies, tough platforming challenges, and the eerie sunken city. I'm not patient enough to appreciate the pole-hanging of Dire Dire Docks, either, though at least it had that cool Metal + Invisible Cap star.
I would also definitely sub in Lethal Lava Land for Shifting Sand Land. Like Zero mentioned, the koopa shell surfing over lava was so cool, and as far as flat, barren levels go, the lava made it a lot more interesting.
But yeah, solid list. I think Cool Cool Mountain and Whomp's Fortress would be my top two...today. Tomorrow it might be totally different. I'm fickle, and most of the levels are equally fantastic. What a game. |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 15:08:24 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 15:46:33 |
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Posted: 07/13/13, 18:25:20 |
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Posted: 04/18/16, 15:55:41 |
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Posted: 04/18/16, 21:09:12 |
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Posted: 04/18/16, 23:14:43 |
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