Critical Review

Aggregate scores
Aggregate scores
GameRankings 96%[82]
Metacritic 94/100[83]
Review scores
Publication scores
AllGame 5/5[84]
Computer and Video Games 5/5[85]
Electronic Gaming Monthly 38/40[86]
EP Daily 10/10[87]
Famitsu 39/40[88]
Game Informer 9.75/10 (1996),[89] 9/10 (2007)[90]
GameFan 400/400[91]
GamePro 5/5[92]
GameRevolution B+[93]
GameSpot 9.4/10 (N64),[94] 8/10 (Wii)[77]
Hyper 95%[95]
IGN 9.8/10[26]
N64 Magazine 96%[96]
Next Generation 5/5[97]
Nintendo Life 10/10[98]
Official Nintendo Magazine 95%[99]
Total! 100/100[100]
Digitiser 96%[101]
Maximum 5/5[102]

Super Mario 64 received enthusiastic pre-release reception. GamePro commented on the 1995 prototype's smoothness, and how the action was a blast, despite the game being only fifty percent complete at the time.[50] Ed Semrad of Electronic Gaming Monthly agreed, praising the new 3D animation of Mario characters shown in only 2D before.[51] Larry Marcus, a source analyst for Alex. Brown & Sons, recalls Super Mario 64 being the most anticipated game of E3 1996, remembering a field of teenagers "jostling for a test run"[103].
Super Mario 64 received critical acclaim, with a score of 94 out of 100 from review aggregator Metacritic based on thirteen reviews,[83] and a score of 96% from review aggregator GameRankings, which ranked it the eighteenth best video game of all time based on twenty-two reviews.[82] The design, variety of controls and use of 3D gameplay received praise from video game publications.[87] [96] [104] Maximum found its strongest points were the sense of freedom and its replayability, comparing it to Super Mario World and citing its similar gimmick of allowing access to new areas upon finding switches.[102] One of GameFan's four reviewers, E. Storm, cited the water levels as "overjoy[ing]" and showed how Super Mario 64 delved into an "entirely new realm of gaming".[91] Official Nintendo Magazine called it "beautiful in both looks and design".[[99] Doug Perry of IGN agreed that it transitioned the series to 3D perfectly.[26] Electronic Gaming Monthly discussed the levels in their initial review, praising them for their size and challenge,[86] and later ranked it the fourth best console game of all time, arguing that it had breached the entire genre of 3D gaming while working virtually flawlessly.[105]
Computer and Video Games editor Paul Davies praised the 3D environment, and said that it enhanced the interaction, and described the control scheme as intuitive and versatile.[85] Total! hailed the gameplay as being so imaginative and having such variety that their reviewers were still "hooked" after one month.[100] Writing for AllGame, Jonti Davies commented on the diversity of the gameplay and the abundance of activities found in each course.[84] Nintendo Life's Corbie Dillard agreed, calling the variety the game's "greatest genius".[98] Writing for GameRevolution, Nebojsa Radakovic described Super Mario 64 as one of the few "true" 3D platform games.[104] N64 Magazine likened it to an enormous playground which was a pleasure to experiment in, but opined that the exploration element was slightly brought down by how many hints and tips there were.[96] Victor Lucas of EP Daily agreed, praising the freedom, but suggesting players "skip all the sign posts".[87]
Super Mario 64 also received praise for its graphics. GameSpot praised the graphics for being "clean yet simple" and not detracting from the details of the game world.[94] GamePro particularly praised the combination of unprecedented technical performance and art design, calling it "the most visually impressive game of all time".[92] Paul Davies described the graphics as "so amazing to see, you find yourself stopping to admire [them]".[85] Jonti Davies called the visuals phenomenal, and the frame rate respectable.[84] Doug Perry found the graphics simple but magnificent,[26] a sentiment shared by Next Generation.[97] Hyper reviewer Nino Alegeropoulos called it the best-looking console game to date and opined that its high resolution and frame rate for the time made it look "infinitely better than a cartoon".[95] Total! said that the graphics' lack of pixellation and jagged edges made it look like they were from a "top of the range graphics workstation".[106]
The camera system received mixed reviews. Next Generation found that Super Mario 64 was less accessible than previous Mario games, frustrated by the camera's occasional erratic movements and lack of optimal angle.[97] Nebojsa Radakovic and Doug Perry added that the camera was sometimes blocked by or went through objects.[26][104] Electronic Gaming Monthly's Dan Hsu, Shawn Smith, and Crispin Boyer all removed half a point from their scores, claiming that the camera sometimes could not move to a wanted angle or rapidly shifted in an undesirable manner,[86] a criticism that returned in Electronic Gaming Monthly's 100 Best Games of All Time list.[105] Game Informer stated in their 2007 re-review by present-day standards the camera "would almost be considered broken".[90] Nintendo Power also noted the learning curve of the shifting camera.[107] In contrast, Corbie Dillard claimed that the camera did not have any problems, and that it succeeded at helping the player traverse complex environments.[98] This sentiment was shared by Total!, claiming that there were very few occasions where the camera was at a suboptimal angle.[108] Paul Davies acknowledged that he was critical of the camera, saying that in some occasions it was difficult to position ideally, but ultimately dismissed it as "one hiccup" of a "revolutionary" game.[85]

Awards

Super Mario 64 won numerous awards, including various "Game of the Year" honors by members of the gaming media, and in Nintendo's own best-selling Player's Choice selection. It has been placed high on "the greatest games of all time"lists by many reviewers, including IGN,[34][109][110] Game Informer,[111] Edge,[112] Official Nintendo Magazine,[113] Electronic Gaming Monthly,[105] and Nintendo Power.[114] Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded it a Gold award in its initial review,[115] and it won Electronic Gaming Monthly's Game of the Year for both editors' pick and readers' pick, and Nintendo 64 Game of the Year, Adventure Game of the Year, and Best Graphics.[116] At the 1997 Computer Game Developers Conference, it was given Spotlight Awards for Best Use of Innovative Technology, Best Console Game, and Best Game of 1996.[117] Maximum gave it a "Maximum Game of the Month Award" before its international release, ranking it the greatest game the magazine had ever reviewed.[102] Digitiser ranked it the best game of 1997, above Final Fantasy VII as runner-up.[101]

Date Award publication Category Result Ref.
1996 Maximum Game of the Month (June) Won [102]
Electronic Gaming Monthly Game of the Month (September) Won [86]
Gold Award Won [115]
Nintendo 64 Game of the Year Won [116]
Adventure Game of the Year Won
Best Graphics Won
Game of the Year Won
Game Informer Game of the Year Won [111]
Spotlight Awards Game of the Year Won [117]
Best Use of Innovative Technology Won
Best Console Game Won
1997 Digitiser Game of the Year Won [101]
Computer and Video Games Game of the Year Won [118]
Golden Joystick Awards Game of the Year Won
Best Looking Game Won
Official Nintendo Magazine Best Nintendo 64 Game Won
1998 ECCSELL Awards Gold Award Won [62]