Super Mario 64 (Super Mario 3D All-Stars) (Switch)

 It's-a-me Mario!

Of course I was gonna get the All-Stars package for Switch, and of course I got it physical and obviously I began with the first game, Super Mario 64. Bowser kidnapped kidnapped Princess Peach Toadstool (think this was the last time they used that and went with Peach from here on out), stolen the Princess's Castle's Power Stars and trapped all the toads in the walls of the castle. There's 120 stars on 15 different worlds together with the ones hidden in the castle. And Mario gotta do it all by himself. So jump into paintings, battling huge bosses, finding secret stars and secret caps that allow you to fly, turn invisible and turn you to metal.

Played the original game back in 1997 on our Nintendo 64 and it was the first 3D-game we got. It blew our minds. I also beat it as a kid, but it took years and I didn't get 120 stars. It was also remade for the Nintendo DS to show that the handheld system was capable of 3D-games as well. Beat that as well and got 150 stars on that, checked on my DS cartridge. It was also released on Wii and Wii U on the Virtual Console and I thought I finished them there as well, but my Wii U file only got something like 70 stars. Got tired around Wet-Dry World I guess on the 100 % route. And it's still a great game, I had a lot of fun and even though the later levels can be a bit more frustrating (I think Tick Tock Clock is my most hated level of them all) I still managed to get through them without all that much headache. I guess getting older and take my time payed of really well.

Now, would I replay this I might be more inclined to play Wii U with the added save state since I can't handle the damn stress of collecting 90 coins and by fluke getting thrown of the damn ledge by a chuckya and killed so I have to redo it. Still, compare it to DK64, I don't have any interest in 100 % game and here it just went by (could be that it doesn't overstays it welcome) and I also didn't have any problem with the light (might be the console version). Graphics are of its time, no denying, but it doesn't look bad, and the music is iconic. The fun bob-omb battlefield theme, the soothing water level theme and the intense Bowser level theme. Love it all. Getting 120 stars also unlocks the cannon outside of the castle so that you can climb the roof and get a flying cap and find Yoshi that gives 100 1-ups... bragging rights it is, although I think I'm 23 years to late with that.