Super Mario 64
Hacker ApprovedTied for most recommended of 11 platformers
A groundbreaking 3D platformer praised for smooth movement and its camera design, still fun to play today. Critics point to texture clipping and an imperfect camera.
A groundbreaking 3D platformer praised for smooth movement and its camera design, still fun to play today. Critics point to texture clipping and an imperfect camera.
44 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 37
- criticize it
- 7
- approval share
- 84%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 37 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Shaped 3D platformers and camera design
“Nintendo really seemed to go with a technically imperfect camera that allowed for great gameplay.”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Noclip.website – A digital museum of video game levels” “every modern platformer and adventure game owes its basic camera and control to Mario 64”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)” “cameras being the main issue of its successor, Mario Sunshine, make Mario 64 even better”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)” - Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)”
- Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)”
- Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)”
Mind-blowing when it launched
“Super Mario 64 was a real watershed moment. Seeing Mario's face deform in real time made a lot of jaws drop.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)” “my mind was blown regularly with the leap to SM64 easily being the biggest”
Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “Way to Play Super Mario 64: On Apple Vision Pro” “felt so mindblowing when it came out, like walking into a whole new world”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)” - Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Using the SNES Super FX Chip to Run Super Mario 64”
- Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “Way to Play Super Mario 64: On Apple Vision Pro”
Smooth, responsive movement and controls
“a super intuitive analogue control stick rather than tank controls and tons and tons of polish”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)” “The developers spent a ton of time on the movement, making Mario feel snappy”
Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “Way to Play Super Mario 64: On Apple Vision Pro” “The feeling of Mario's movement in Mario 64 is excellent.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)” - Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “Way to Play Super Mario 64: On Apple Vision Pro”
Still playable and fun today
“Despite being one of the first big 3D platformers, I still think it's one of the best.”
Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “Way to Play Super Mario 64: On Apple Vision Pro” “Even now it's very playable even though it's not "fully modern".”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)” “Same reason Mario 64 still looks good and Goldeneye doesn't.”
Comment from 18 Aug 2026 in “Quake Shareware, a CD-ROM just a little too full” - Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “The Making Of Super Mario 64 – full Giles Goddard interview (2001)”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Texture warping and clipping issues
“The distorted textures and weird triangle clipping issues are exactly what you'd expect from an unoptimized port”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Super Mario 64 for the PS1” “looking closer now the wandering textures actually seems more to be more of an clipping issue”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Super Mario 64 for the PS1” “seeing the texture warping and glitching reminds me of why I was team N64”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Super Mario 64 for the PS1” Camera angle causes problems
“the camera angle, would, from time to time, totally screw you”
Comment from 13 Aug 2026 in “Super Mario 64 – 1996 Developer Interviews” “the camera caused me to mess up”
Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “Way to Play Super Mario 64: On Apple Vision Pro” Rough visuals and low resolution
“I think the resolution makes it particularly rough though.”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Super Mario 64 for the PS1” “it is really hard to look at for me”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Super Mario 64 for the PS1”
Other platformers people recommend
The four most recommended other platformers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario 64This page | 37 | 7 | 84% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Prince of Persia | 37 | 4 | 90% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Celeste | 19 | 3 | 86% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Flashback (1992 video game) | 8 | 1 | 89% | 6 | — | — |
| Cave Story | 7 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
40 of the 47 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“showed that hundreds of hours of painstaking work could unlock ports, deep mods, community translations/expansions, and academic study of classic titles”
“the amazing Super Mario 64 decomp SM64 showed that hundreds of hours of painstaking work could unlock ports”
“Super Mario 64 is great because it is an expression of the very hardware that constrains it”
“my mind was blown regularly with the leap to SM64 easily being the biggest”
“the camera caused me to mess up”
“Tank controls just don't work for shooters, especially with how they were developing at the time.”
“a landmark in gaming history”
“The developers spent a ton of time on the movement, making Mario feel snappy”
“movement is simple and smooth, environments are varied”
“Despite being one of the first big 3D platformers, I still think it's one of the best.”
“everything else is absolutely spot on.”
“it does feel more realistic in comparison and its a very good first attempt”
“Both games were mind-blowing then and are still fun now.”
“Such a charming wonderfully creative concept.”
“cameras being the main issue of its successor, Mario Sunshine, make Mario 64 even better”
“The feeling of Mario's movement in Mario 64 is excellent.”
“having to figure out how platforming works in 3D was the true genius”
“felt so mindblowing when it came out, like walking into a whole new world”
“Super Mario 64 was a real watershed moment. Seeing Mario's face deform in real time made a lot of jaws drop.”
“Mario64's camera was a wonderful piece of design.”
“SM64 definitely revolutionized the third-person control scheme to a greater degree.”
“a super intuitive analogue control stick rather than tank controls and tons and tons of polish”
“Even now it's very playable even though it's not "fully modern".”
“every modern platformer and adventure game owes its basic camera and control to Mario 64”
“I remember Mario 64 having way better camera than many games, even for a while”
“This just feels unreal to me.”
“looks way better because it's so highly stylized”
“Same reason Mario 64 still looks good and Goldeneye doesn't.”
“the camera angle, would, from time to time, totally screw you”
“One of the things that was so magical about this game”
“Nintendo really seemed to go with a technically imperfect camera that allowed for great gameplay.”
“Playstation is just as much capable of doing a good Super Mario 64 port”
“looking closer now the wandering textures actually seems more to be more of an clipping issue”
“I can at least make out what something's supposed to be”
“come on! This is amazing!”
“the wobbly jank is pleasingly nostalgic”
“I think the resolution makes it particularly rough though.”
“seeing the texture warping and glitching reminds me of why I was team N64”
“it is really hard to look at for me”
“The distorted textures and weird triangle clipping issues are exactly what you'd expect from an unoptimized port”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.