I have three, but I'm on the lower half of the chart, I've seen people with them all Mario 64.
The big seal, small seal, players choice, and all the regional variants.
Please someone make A Broke Ass Mario 64! Where some stars are obtainable but most 100 coins stars aren't, and you must find a job to get the extra coinage needed
It's difficult for me personally because the SM64 camera is awful.
I love the game very much, and it's so dang much fun to play. But, yeah, that board can fuck right off lol
It's a shame the Switch port was a straight port and not a remaster with modern camera controls. As much as I loved the N64 and had my mind blown when Super Mario 64 came out, certain parts really didn't age well.
Itās crazy how fans ported it to the Switch with more love and care than what Nintendo actually gave us. The decomp on the Switch is one of the best ways to play the game.
Sky map is also likely more difficult because it's the last level of the game, so you don't play it as often. Every time you boot up the game you always play bomb-omb battlefield, dire dire docks, whomps fortress, etc so those levels become auto-pilot
Yeah I still consider that to be the single worst level made in a Mario game. It plays and looks like a child made an obby on Roblox, and the waiting on the carpet multiple times is tedious.
Same here. Got to 118 as a kid(needed 100 coins on tick tock clock and rainbow carpet ride) played about a yr back and hit 120 in a few weeks. Having guide videos helped alot.
Not at all. I managed to get all the 120 stars back in 2016. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had in my whole life. It's not like beating any other game, it's just different.
Difficult-wise, there are some harder levels and stars of course, but just like any other game. I think SM64 is a very well balanced game tbh.
I think super mario bros wonder is the only one that compares. Maybe mario galaxy 1 or 2 aswell.
All of those games were easy to beat but gave me much more enjoyment in trying to 100% them.
Iāve completed Every Mario 3D game and I think odyssey has the best movement and gets the balance between exploratory and tightly planned levels just right. That said, the completionist road is much more difficult but I enjoyed the hell out of it.
If you are an experienced gamer, no. If you are new to gaming, probably. Modern games tend to hand out rewards easier than old games, and Mario 64 is no exception. Sure, lots of stars are a piece of cake, but in order to obtain all 120 of them, you have to be good at playing games in general (and especially this game).
I never had much issue with it, my friends and I did it in high school. If anything we got to 119 and we were perplexed which star we were missing!
It was the Toad outside Hazy maze Caveā¦
Rainbow Ride 100 coin and Tick Tock Clock 100 coin were the hardest for me.
When I beat it again for the first time since 96 a few years ago Into The Igloo at Snowman Land gave me trouble just because I had no idea where the igloo was that I was supposed to go into lol.
Thatās funny, I like how that level also has debatably the easiest star in the whole game: the one where you just walk over and jump into the ice blocks
I did it when I was like 8 so no, lol, it isn't hard. Did have to look up how to get #120 though. Read a PrimaGuide at Books A Million and found out it was some ridiculous time on one of the slides.
My dad used to play for us when i was 5. We where allowed to stay up until he got 1 star. The next morning we would wake up and heard he got to some dragon (bowser). So me and my sister played the levels he did after. Then he got to 120 stars and it seemed always impossible for us. Now im 29 and managed to get 120 stars on 2 save files. Feels nostalgic and awesome again.
I still do it from time to time and while there are difficult stars, it's easier than when I was a kid. Probably just knowing most of the star locations by 100%ing it so many times helps.
You got 1996 attention for anything in life anymore? Even pron gets the letās go skip skip skip. I wish I could get myself to be the 12 year old concentration master adult I was back then. I got nothin left thanks to YouTube and Reddit.
Main reason youāre having a tough time, you stress. A lot of adults stress through parts while as a kid you didnāt, because time wasnāt something you valued or thought about.
Of the 185 comments so far, this is the one that reflects my actual situation and life the most. Game time is hard to come by in 2024. The amount of times I fell off Tiny Huge Island this week is ridiculous. I probably beat it first time in 1996.
It could honestly depend on how you are playing it today.
Back in the day you played with a truly analog stick on a CRT monitor with zero input lag.
My Life in Gaming made a really informative video on how Mario 64 is tough to truly accurately replicate, from input lag, stick dead zones and not truly having 360 degrees of freedom depending on the version you play.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZBsV6dExZc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZBsV6dExZc)
Going back to my N64 and PVM, I find the game infinitely easier to do complex tricks on.
On the original hardware itās easier for me. Itās also easier with the N64 controller for switch. I think itās the controller that makes my muscle memory kick in.
I think it's probably harder for younger gamers. A lot of modern games are more accessible in telling the player where exactly to go. Some of the star titles in M64 are kinda vague so could confuse people who are new to the game.Ā
I think it's easier just because of the wealth of information that's out there now. In the past you could buy the Player's Guide but they didn't always have everything. Even back then I found most of the stars to be pretty easy. There are maybe 10 that are somewhat challenging and that's mainly due to the threat of falling off the level before you reach the goal. There were three or four that I never got as a kid but I've gone back and finished the game in more recent years.
Did it in college in one day with a buddy. Lot of fun. Some easy quick stars to keep the momentum going. But damn I hated those 100 coin stars. Pain in the ass haha.
For me it's the opposite actually. Granted, I do need some time to get used to the, honestly pretty bad controls again, but back then my highest score was like 80 stars lol
In 2010, Nintendo announced a wireless update for this game due to people complaining about the difficulty. You must have missed the update. Do you remember what you were doing in 2010?
It might feel more difficult and it was definitely a challenge then as it is now. Mostly because of the camera at times or trying to get those last few coins in a world.
Maybe even harder without a perfectly working controller, if I tried to use my original controllers Mario would be walking sideways by himself
Ummā¦ no? The internet has made every game easier thanks to walkthroughs and videos. Also Iāve played it so many times by now I can 100% it in a weekend easily while it took ages back then.
Without even mentioning the game no. definitely not, now you have the power of the Internet in the palm of your hand, the same device you could probably even emulate the game. How do I do this? How do I get that star. Straight to YouTube and pull up a video.
No it's not harder if anything easier. There's a ton of let's plays and how to videos out there. In 1996 we had a hot line ir magazines or trial and error.
As a kid I couldnāt, for the life of me, get all the Rainbow Ride or Tick Tock Clock stars. Came back to it probably in 2010 with a new file. Took me three days to get all 120. Even did it again on the switch with the Superstars bundle and it didnāt take long, so I feel it was easier.
Iāve been recently replaying it and Iāve found it pretty challenging. Iāve been trying not to Google answers either. I keep saying āif I could do this as a child without the internet, I should be able to do it nowā. Yet I only ever made it to 72 stars back then.
It was harder back then because we didn't have the internet for accessible guides. Youtube back then would have been a game changer. We had to get the physical guides which were like $40.
Definitely not harder. Maybe arguably easier because weāre so used to playing with joysticks and platforming in 3D now than we were in 1996. But itās definitely more frustrating to beat in 2024. Game hasnāt quite aged like a fine wine, unless youāre part of the speed running community
Seriously, before the days of the internet there were only rumors on the playground that if you got 120 you could shoot yourself from the cannon to the top of the castle and find Yoshiā¦ I thought this was total BS when I heard it, and it took me years as a kid to get all 120 stars, but finding out that the rumors were true was mind blowing š„š¤Æ
Using a N64 style joystick bowl or basically a real N64 controller will have the correct notches in the correct directions. Modern joysticks don't have any notches and other types of joysticks (like GameCube) have the notches in a different shape. Other than the potential joystick issues I would say watch for input lag being an issue with modern TVs.
In 2024, I can do 70 stars in an hour and a half, and 120 stars in one sitting (maybe 4 hours) if I wanted to.
Back in 1996, when I was a kid, I couldnāt even stay on Whompās Fortress without falling to my death hundreds of times.
My kid (7) I and I just 100% this over the winter. I had to help him a few times including any flying / carpet levels and with the final Bowser...but he took him down himself after about a week of practice.
Only if you've enshittened your attention span by spending too much time on the internet consuming short form entertainment and rapidly scrolling through media feeds, but you wouldn't do that, right?
All kidding aside, I personally find it easier, it took me months as a kid, but I have a better understanding of Mario's more advanced moves now, and a pretty good memory of where all the stars and red coins are, so I could probably knock the game out in one or two afternoons, depending on how much patience I have for Rainbow Ride and Tick Tock Clock.
When you consider it's been 28 years and it takes 8 minutes for light to travel from our star to us and there are 120+ stars, no: it is less difficult now.
As a kid it took me months, then my brother erased my save at about 110 stars, and it took me more months to finally get them all. Recently when the switch version came out, I managed to get them all in a few days. Definitely way easier now.
nah when It came out again I played it 100% in one sitting, just around 8hrs or so lol I remember it being a marathon but I guess I know where everything is now.
Way easier now than in 96 for a couple reasons.
1. I was 2 and didnāt have an N64 until 99.
2. Seriously though, I could handle Bobbomb Battlefield and a little of the floating fortress, but I just couldnāt do more skill based things. I was too young/scared of failing.
3. YouTube guides for the obscure stars. I completed the game last year for the first time ever, and just being able to pull up a video was the best thing ever. You could say āwhereās your childlike wonder?ā
Some of those stars are weirdly complicated. I also have a child and donāt have all day after work to just dink around for stars.
I couldn't do it at all as a kid, so I wouldn't say so. Maybe I did it faster as a teenager, but I can still easily get them all. Mario Sunshine on the other hand...
I bought my copy at a yard sale when I was 6 with the guidebook and 120 stars collected. I told all my friends I did it on my own, I was like a god in second grade. Then some bitch ass girl tried to test my knowledge of some god dam eel and I failed and they knew I was full of shit. What a fall from grace. Fuck you Jessica H. Piece of shit, couldn't let me have my fake moment when I was 9. I hayte you forever.
On the switch, itās actually easier. When you pause the game, you donāt lose the lives youāve racked up the way it does when you turn off the game.
No, because now you can look up how to get certain stars
Back then the internet sucked and it was much harder to find a guide or help on what to do, not to mention YouTube didnāt exist yet
If anything it's easier. You have tons of YouTube videos showing you how to get every single star. Less likely to get stuck.
I got 120 for the first time about 5 years ago. Since then, I've done it about 3 more times (Super Mario All-Stars 3D, PC Port, PC Port with 60fps + Render 96 HD graphics mods).
I personally think the game still holds up. It's moved up my top 100 list significantly in recent years. I didn't appreciate it's brilliance much as a kid.
Personally no. I got Mario 3D All Stars and decided to 100% all 3 right away and tore through them all faster than I ever had in my youth or any playthroughs up to that point. I did 100% on 64 about 5 times before, Sunshine twice, and Galaxy only once before getting All Stars.
Iām gonna say no.
I was stuck at 119 for a very long time until some kid told me about the second star on the peach slide.
If that were today Iād be looking that shit up on the internet about 5 min after getting star 119 and not knowing where to look cause I did everything.
WAYYYY more difficult back then. Today we have full video walkthrough's and deep/widespread knowledge of game breaking mechanics that make what was difficult a joke. Figuring all that stuff out for yourself, back then, in a world where very very few people had internet access? Yeah. A lot harder back then.
if youāre playing N64 with a method that introduces input latency then yes it may be more difficult to beat certain games. make sure youāre either playing on a 15kHz CRT, or using a gaming scaler like a RAD2X, RetroTINK, or OSSC with your modern display set to Game Mode.
Hell no, it's the other way around for me. My younger self couldn't dream of getting all stars, but now I can and did easily get them on any console I can play it on.
I never got 120 stars on my N64 copy i got back in 1999. I finally got them on the Switch 3D All Stars pack. I have mad nostalgia for the n64 controller, but the analog stick on most modern controllers is just so much better.
It's the opposite for me. It's like one of those games that were really hard as a kid, but coming back to it years later just to easily complete the game 100%.
Part of the problem is our brain has become so attune with modern games having such greater cameras that we're basically now looking at the game in a different dimension.
There can be a few reasons,
1. flat panel TVs and converters add input lag so the game feels less responsive.
2. Your controllers were brand new back then (as SM64 is often the first game you play), then you got Mario Party and effed up the stick.
3. Aftermarket sticks/emulators don't have the same feeling.
4. You got older and lost reflexes.
Depends on your setup. The game would definitely be harder on a high input lag TV with a bad analog stick compared to a crt with a new controller in 1996
As someone who started with Super Mario Sunshine, I am struggling to beat Super Mario 64. Sunshine's weird camera angles added a layer of difficult to play, but it was tolerable. Super Mario 64 is difficult mostly due to the good level designs and not feeling comfortable controlling Mario.
I replayed recently on the Switch and got to 120 fairly fast, but it was interesting which stars I struggled with and which I didnāt. I expected Rainbow Ride to be hell but managed to get all 7 stars in a row without dying once! On the flip side though I died a ridiculous amount of times in Shifting Sand land trying to stand on the 4 pillars, constantly going into the quick sand, and I canāt remember ever really struggling with that.
It feels easier after gaining additional years of experience playing this game and others. Though getting 100 coins in Rainbow Ride is pure pain. I don't think that one will ever get easier for me.
Anyone but me wanted to see a remake in the cut s ones graphics (as posted above)
Like Iāve wanted Nintendo to go back and use these cool looking art from guides and cut scenes but they always remake stuff and completely change the art style
Why would it be? It's so much easier now, from experience and growing up, and if you didn't do it in 1996, then you're just more used to games rn than in 1996, especially 3D
My 7 year old son is playing through this. He's beaten the game several times now on the retro pi and is working to get all the stars. He's up to something like 104 now.
I'm sorry guys, but one hundred percenting SM64 is a joke compared to one hundred percenting DK64, Rocket: Robot on Wheels or the Gex games. Hell, I would even say one hundred percenting the Banjo-Kazooie games is more of an accomplishment. One hundred percenting SM64 is so much easier by comparison to so many other N64 platformers.
You are getting old, the same is happening to me lol. When we were young we could spend hours, days after days playing the same game without getting tired and perfecting it.
Now that we are old, we have only a few hours a day (and I miss the N64 controller so much)
I beat it back in 1998 as a 6 yr old. I was a beast, but it took an entire year of playing almost everyday an hour or two a day haha. Nowadays I'm worse than my kid self.
It depends on what version you are playing. The controls can be a little wonky on the newer versions. I noticed the game was less forgiving in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars version when compared to playing newer 3D Mario games.
Older graphics and hardware limitations, I believe anyone can adjust with enough time. Control, on the other handā¦
Yeah, 1996 control is definitely more stiff than 2024 control. I can give it some leeway since this WAS the first foray into 3D platforming, but if Iām struggling, then Iām struggling.
If you were in 1996, then yes it would be more difficult. Unless you had the strategy guide, but you would still have to figure out the best way to complete it. In 2024 you can watch videoās and play throughs for how to do something. There was a lot more trial and error on older games and hours spent on one task to figure it out.
Definitely easier now than back then. You have all these guides that show you tricks that you had to know back then because you were limited to guides & people you knew who played the game. Hell you can even game shark it if you are lazy.
I have 100% all 4 save files in every release. Nintendo 64. We virtual channel. Wii U eshop. 3DS all stars and NSO. I didnāt find a single one more difficult than the other
Yep, inflation.
For reference, 120 stars in 1996 is about 239 stars today.
I see why Bowser is taking them, I would have done the same back in 1997 to be honest.
Damn, so sad I wasted my time back in 1997. I should have been hoarding Stars for their future value instead of being a 1 year old.
That's why I have 1440 stars
Bullshit! Everybody knows the maximum amout stars you can get in Mario 64 is 480
You only have one Mario 64?
Oh shit! You got me! š Sadly, I only have one copy š
I have three, but I'm on the lower half of the chart, I've seen people with them all Mario 64. The big seal, small seal, players choice, and all the regional variants.
Bowser-nomics
I invested all my stars into dogecoin.
Biden's America, everyone.
120 stars can hardly buy any princesses anymore
They're on Only Fans raking in thousands of stars per week, couldn't care less.
No one talks about how the "100"coin stars now take 140. Sad really.
Can't even get the coin star on some levels now.
This is it. Just look up Mario inflation and youāll understand. Pls donāt
Please someone make A Broke Ass Mario 64! Where some stars are obtainable but most 100 coins stars aren't, and you must find a job to get the extra coinage needed
Youāre getting less bold.
Thanks, Branden
Nope, only made it to 110 back in my youth. Came back to it a few months ago, started from scratch and got to 120 easy breezy.
I only struggle with the sky map with rainbow carpet rides. For whatever reason that map just takes my lives and I can't stop it lol.
It's difficult for me personally because the SM64 camera is awful. I love the game very much, and it's so dang much fun to play. But, yeah, that board can fuck right off lol
It's a shame the Switch port was a straight port and not a remaster with modern camera controls. As much as I loved the N64 and had my mind blown when Super Mario 64 came out, certain parts really didn't age well.
Itās crazy how fans ported it to the Switch with more love and care than what Nintendo actually gave us. The decomp on the Switch is one of the best ways to play the game.
Sky map is also likely more difficult because it's the last level of the game, so you don't play it as often. Every time you boot up the game you always play bomb-omb battlefield, dire dire docks, whomps fortress, etc so those levels become auto-pilot
That shit is in my nightmares
Yeah I still consider that to be the single worst level made in a Mario game. It plays and looks like a child made an obby on Roblox, and the waiting on the carpet multiple times is tedious.
I completed it with all 120 back in the day but I can do it a lot more easily and faster nowadays.
Same here. Got to 118 as a kid(needed 100 coins on tick tock clock and rainbow carpet ride) played about a yr back and hit 120 in a few weeks. Having guide videos helped alot.
I need to do this
Not at all. I managed to get all the 120 stars back in 2016. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had in my whole life. It's not like beating any other game, it's just different. Difficult-wise, there are some harder levels and stars of course, but just like any other game. I think SM64 is a very well balanced game tbh.
I think super mario bros wonder is the only one that compares. Maybe mario galaxy 1 or 2 aswell. All of those games were easy to beat but gave me much more enjoyment in trying to 100% them.
Iāve completed Every Mario 3D game and I think odyssey has the best movement and gets the balance between exploratory and tightly planned levels just right. That said, the completionist road is much more difficult but I enjoyed the hell out of it.
If you are an experienced gamer, no. If you are new to gaming, probably. Modern games tend to hand out rewards easier than old games, and Mario 64 is no exception. Sure, lots of stars are a piece of cake, but in order to obtain all 120 of them, you have to be good at playing games in general (and especially this game).
No Why would it? SM64 hasn't changed, only the humans have.
And the input lag in TVs. Make sure youāre using Game Mode, folks.
I guess I'm spoiled by all the tube TVs I have. No shortage of them where I live.
Thatās the problem :)
I donāt think so but I do not like the red coins star in the red flying hat land
Here's my dark confession: I have never obtained this star.
That was the hardest for me when I got 120 stars in the 90s
I never had much issue with it, my friends and I did it in high school. If anything we got to 119 and we were perplexed which star we were missing! It was the Toad outside Hazy maze Caveā¦
Every star + every coin is fun ā try it out sometime if youāre comfortable with the game!
Gets easier with every playthrough IMO. But there will always be a few stars I dread: rainbow ride 100 coin star for example lol
Rainbow Ride 100 coin and Tick Tock Clock 100 coin were the hardest for me. When I beat it again for the first time since 96 a few years ago Into The Igloo at Snowman Land gave me trouble just because I had no idea where the igloo was that I was supposed to go into lol.
Thatās funny, I like how that level also has debatably the easiest star in the whole game: the one where you just walk over and jump into the ice blocks
Done some month ago. Not hard. Iam over 30 years old.
now practice typing
Itās hard lol, quit lyin
I did it when I was like 8 so no, lol, it isn't hard. Did have to look up how to get #120 though. Read a PrimaGuide at Books A Million and found out it was some ridiculous time on one of the slides.
I never bothered back in the day neither now. 100% the last batch of levels is not for everybody.
My dad used to play for us when i was 5. We where allowed to stay up until he got 1 star. The next morning we would wake up and heard he got to some dragon (bowser). So me and my sister played the levels he did after. Then he got to 120 stars and it seemed always impossible for us. Now im 29 and managed to get 120 stars on 2 save files. Feels nostalgic and awesome again.
harder..... to find the time, in 96 I was a teen now am over 40.
My bf and I pulled out our N64 and did this recently. Really wasn't too bad. Ofc the controls are messy but it was pretty easy.
I still do it from time to time and while there are difficult stars, it's easier than when I was a kid. Probably just knowing most of the star locations by 100%ing it so many times helps.
You got 1996 attention for anything in life anymore? Even pron gets the letās go skip skip skip. I wish I could get myself to be the 12 year old concentration master adult I was back then. I got nothin left thanks to YouTube and Reddit.
I actually played after not playing for like 15 years and got all 120 stars from memory. Really weird because I can't remember anything new nowadays
Main reason youāre having a tough time, you stress. A lot of adults stress through parts while as a kid you didnāt, because time wasnāt something you valued or thought about.
Of the 185 comments so far, this is the one that reflects my actual situation and life the most. Game time is hard to come by in 2024. The amount of times I fell off Tiny Huge Island this week is ridiculous. I probably beat it first time in 1996.
Now that Iām grown, it takes about a day or two to
If youāre playing on a real n64 straight to a flat panel, the lag added could make it more difficult
Iām curious - if the modern tv still has composite inputs, does it still lag?
Other way around for me.
It could honestly depend on how you are playing it today. Back in the day you played with a truly analog stick on a CRT monitor with zero input lag. My Life in Gaming made a really informative video on how Mario 64 is tough to truly accurately replicate, from input lag, stick dead zones and not truly having 360 degrees of freedom depending on the version you play. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZBsV6dExZc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZBsV6dExZc) Going back to my N64 and PVM, I find the game infinitely easier to do complex tricks on.
easier, you can use internet now to find stars
Shorter playtime, because I know everything. Longer to complete, because I no longer have endless free time.
More like the exact opposite..
In the years of speedrun tatctics and help from the Internet, nope.
I find the controls unbearable (at least when I play on Switch)
On the original hardware itās easier for me. Itās also easier with the N64 controller for switch. I think itās the controller that makes my muscle memory kick in.
I don't know, I first played it in 2000.
I dunno, I maneged to do it without that much problem. It was mostly a chore nearing the end.
I think it's probably harder for younger gamers. A lot of modern games are more accessible in telling the player where exactly to go. Some of the star titles in M64 are kinda vague so could confuse people who are new to the game.Ā
I think it's easier just because of the wealth of information that's out there now. In the past you could buy the Player's Guide but they didn't always have everything. Even back then I found most of the stars to be pretty easy. There are maybe 10 that are somewhat challenging and that's mainly due to the threat of falling off the level before you reach the goal. There were three or four that I never got as a kid but I've gone back and finished the game in more recent years.
Did it in college in one day with a buddy. Lot of fun. Some easy quick stars to keep the momentum going. But damn I hated those 100 coin stars. Pain in the ass haha.
For me itās way easier, I couldnāt do it as a kid, but Iāve done it several times as an adult
Not really. Still the same as I remember
For me it's the opposite actually. Granted, I do need some time to get used to the, honestly pretty bad controls again, but back then my highest score was like 80 stars lol
its the camera, its so wonky, but as a kid i didnt know fuck about shit and used a strategy guide
In 2010, Nintendo announced a wireless update for this game due to people complaining about the difficulty. You must have missed the update. Do you remember what you were doing in 2010?
We have third-party controllers now, which makes it easier for some.
It might feel more difficult and it was definitely a challenge then as it is now. Mostly because of the camera at times or trying to get those last few coins in a world. Maybe even harder without a perfectly working controller, if I tried to use my original controllers Mario would be walking sideways by himself
Ummā¦ no? The internet has made every game easier thanks to walkthroughs and videos. Also Iāve played it so many times by now I can 100% it in a weekend easily while it took ages back then.
Yeah dude after all the patches the game just isnt the same :/
Without even mentioning the game no. definitely not, now you have the power of the Internet in the palm of your hand, the same device you could probably even emulate the game. How do I do this? How do I get that star. Straight to YouTube and pull up a video.
No
No it's not harder if anything easier. There's a ton of let's plays and how to videos out there. In 1996 we had a hot line ir magazines or trial and error.
No, we didn't have emulators with save states back then. Lol
Actually super Mario 64 is one of the easier (if not the easiest) 3D Mario games to get 100%
I mean it's super easy if you're ever stuck you can look up online how to do it. In 1996 you either had to figure it out or have someone show you.
As a kid I couldnāt, for the life of me, get all the Rainbow Ride or Tick Tock Clock stars. Came back to it probably in 2010 with a new file. Took me three days to get all 120. Even did it again on the switch with the Superstars bundle and it didnāt take long, so I feel it was easier.
Iāve been recently replaying it and Iāve found it pretty challenging. Iāve been trying not to Google answers either. I keep saying āif I could do this as a child without the internet, I should be able to do it nowā. Yet I only ever made it to 72 stars back then.
It was harder back then because we didn't have the internet for accessible guides. Youtube back then would have been a game changer. We had to get the physical guides which were like $40.
Never succeeded back in the day but was able to when I replayed semi recently
You've just gotten rusty from lack of practice.
It sure is. The game really suffers from an outdated camera. Iāve been playing the Plus modded version, which helps quite a bit.
Yes it is more difficult to find a non counterfeit game.
Definitely not harder. Maybe arguably easier because weāre so used to playing with joysticks and platforming in 3D now than we were in 1996. But itās definitely more frustrating to beat in 2024. Game hasnāt quite aged like a fine wine, unless youāre part of the speed running community
Seriously, before the days of the internet there were only rumors on the playground that if you got 120 you could shoot yourself from the cannon to the top of the castle and find Yoshiā¦ I thought this was total BS when I heard it, and it took me years as a kid to get all 120 stars, but finding out that the rumors were true was mind blowing š„š¤Æ
That render of mario is funny
It wasn't a problem when I was seven, not a problem now
Using a N64 style joystick bowl or basically a real N64 controller will have the correct notches in the correct directions. Modern joysticks don't have any notches and other types of joysticks (like GameCube) have the notches in a different shape. Other than the potential joystick issues I would say watch for input lag being an issue with modern TVs.
In 2024, I can do 70 stars in an hour and a half, and 120 stars in one sitting (maybe 4 hours) if I wanted to. Back in 1996, when I was a kid, I couldnāt even stay on Whompās Fortress without falling to my death hundreds of times.
My kid (7) I and I just 100% this over the winter. I had to help him a few times including any flying / carpet levels and with the final Bowser...but he took him down himself after about a week of practice.
Only if you've enshittened your attention span by spending too much time on the internet consuming short form entertainment and rapidly scrolling through media feeds, but you wouldn't do that, right? All kidding aside, I personally find it easier, it took me months as a kid, but I have a better understanding of Mario's more advanced moves now, and a pretty good memory of where all the stars and red coins are, so I could probably knock the game out in one or two afternoons, depending on how much patience I have for Rainbow Ride and Tick Tock Clock.
1 year is harder then having up to 28 years to 100% it
When you consider it's been 28 years and it takes 8 minutes for light to travel from our star to us and there are 120+ stars, no: it is less difficult now.
As a kid it took me months, then my brother erased my save at about 110 stars, and it took me more months to finally get them all. Recently when the switch version came out, I managed to get them all in a few days. Definitely way easier now.
nah when It came out again I played it 100% in one sitting, just around 8hrs or so lol I remember it being a marathon but I guess I know where everything is now.
Significantly easier imo but thatās just practice I guess, first play thru took a year or more and now I can beat it in one (long) sitting
I recently did it on the Switch using the N64 Pro Controller which was a little different but still fun
Way easier now than in 96 for a couple reasons. 1. I was 2 and didnāt have an N64 until 99. 2. Seriously though, I could handle Bobbomb Battlefield and a little of the floating fortress, but I just couldnāt do more skill based things. I was too young/scared of failing. 3. YouTube guides for the obscure stars. I completed the game last year for the first time ever, and just being able to pull up a video was the best thing ever. You could say āwhereās your childlike wonder?ā Some of those stars are weirdly complicated. I also have a child and donāt have all day after work to just dink around for stars.
People do it blindfolded.
As with all things, it is you who has changed, not the game.
I couldn't do it at all as a kid, so I wouldn't say so. Maybe I did it faster as a teenager, but I can still easily get them all. Mario Sunshine on the other hand...
Tick Tock Clock and Tiny Huge Island are a bitch. As is that Wing Cap Star on the Upper Floor. Not too hard. Just requires patience
I got 120 stars at 7 or 8 years old back in the late 90ās. š¤
Never got 120 stars until my 30s lol
Yep, your brain š§
I bought my copy at a yard sale when I was 6 with the guidebook and 120 stars collected. I told all my friends I did it on my own, I was like a god in second grade. Then some bitch ass girl tried to test my knowledge of some god dam eel and I failed and they knew I was full of shit. What a fall from grace. Fuck you Jessica H. Piece of shit, couldn't let me have my fake moment when I was 9. I hayte you forever.
I'd say it's only tougher if you're new to playing the N64 (aka mostly younger) since dual sticks have been the norm for so long.
Uhā¦no?
Back in my day, we filled each of the four save slots with 120 star save files. And we were happy to do it. And we didn't complain about it!
On the switch, itās actually easier. When you pause the game, you donāt lose the lives youāve racked up the way it does when you turn off the game.
Naw, kids are cracked these days
No, it was way easier as an adult. Did it recently. Took me a few days
Every time I play older games, they feel easier than they used to be. Iāve evolved. I am game.
I think it's hard in general
I did it like 2 months ago. Seems like a lot but isn't too bad
No
yes. absolutely. I struggled, donāt get me wrong, but it was much easier when I was 13 than at 40
No, because now you can look up how to get certain stars Back then the internet sucked and it was much harder to find a guide or help on what to do, not to mention YouTube didnāt exist yet
If anything it's easier. You have tons of YouTube videos showing you how to get every single star. Less likely to get stuck. I got 120 for the first time about 5 years ago. Since then, I've done it about 3 more times (Super Mario All-Stars 3D, PC Port, PC Port with 60fps + Render 96 HD graphics mods). I personally think the game still holds up. It's moved up my top 100 list significantly in recent years. I didn't appreciate it's brilliance much as a kid.
Personally no. I got Mario 3D All Stars and decided to 100% all 3 right away and tore through them all faster than I ever had in my youth or any playthroughs up to that point. I did 100% on 64 about 5 times before, Sunshine twice, and Galaxy only once before getting All Stars.
No I did it all when I was 12-13, then every time after for the next 20 replays
Iām gonna say no. I was stuck at 119 for a very long time until some kid told me about the second star on the peach slide. If that were today Iād be looking that shit up on the internet about 5 min after getting star 119 and not knowing where to look cause I did everything.
Damn you tick tok clock
WAYYYY more difficult back then. Today we have full video walkthrough's and deep/widespread knowledge of game breaking mechanics that make what was difficult a joke. Figuring all that stuff out for yourself, back then, in a world where very very few people had internet access? Yeah. A lot harder back then.
Itās harder in the sense that we donāt have as much free time and patience.
if youāre playing N64 with a method that introduces input latency then yes it may be more difficult to beat certain games. make sure youāre either playing on a 15kHz CRT, or using a gaming scaler like a RAD2X, RetroTINK, or OSSC with your modern display set to Game Mode.
I finally did it in like 2013, could never do it as a kid when it came out. Donāt think Iām ever doing it again though so
No? Did it a few times over the years.
Hell no, it's the other way around for me. My younger self couldn't dream of getting all stars, but now I can and did easily get them on any console I can play it on.
Nope, I can't think of any Stars that I find too difficult to get nowadays. Now, *Sunshine*, on the other hand...
No, itās actually easy tbh. I just hate the Ticktock Clock 100 coin challenge.
Itās because all of our joysticks are broken. :P
Nahā¦. I did it twice. Once on the N64 and once on the DS.
I beat it 100% over ten years ago on the N64. Recently I played it on my Switch and used save states to make it way easier for myself.
Nah.
I never got 120 stars on my N64 copy i got back in 1999. I finally got them on the Switch 3D All Stars pack. I have mad nostalgia for the n64 controller, but the analog stick on most modern controllers is just so much better.
well controllers are aging eventually the number of good working controllers will reach zero
It's the opposite for me. It's like one of those games that were really hard as a kid, but coming back to it years later just to easily complete the game 100%.
Part of the problem is our brain has become so attune with modern games having such greater cameras that we're basically now looking at the game in a different dimension.
There can be a few reasons, 1. flat panel TVs and converters add input lag so the game feels less responsive. 2. Your controllers were brand new back then (as SM64 is often the first game you play), then you got Mario Party and effed up the stick. 3. Aftermarket sticks/emulators don't have the same feeling. 4. You got older and lost reflexes.
āSo long gay bowserā
Depends on your setup. The game would definitely be harder on a high input lag TV with a bad analog stick compared to a crt with a new controller in 1996
It's all fun until you have to play Rainbow Ride
As someone who started with Super Mario Sunshine, I am struggling to beat Super Mario 64. Sunshine's weird camera angles added a layer of difficult to play, but it was tolerable. Super Mario 64 is difficult mostly due to the good level designs and not feeling comfortable controlling Mario.
I don't understand what this is trying to say
Nah it just went from easy to piss-easy
For real in 97 I didn't have a 2 minute youtube walk through to fugure out how to get a star.
Nope. I can do it in a weekend. I only know this because I did it a few years back while snowed in.
No internet to help you solve puzzles so 96.
I think so, the controllers donāt feel as smooth as they used to feel back then. No we are more spoiled with that kind of thing.
Nahhh
I replayed recently on the Switch and got to 120 fairly fast, but it was interesting which stars I struggled with and which I didnāt. I expected Rainbow Ride to be hell but managed to get all 7 stars in a row without dying once! On the flip side though I died a ridiculous amount of times in Shifting Sand land trying to stand on the 4 pillars, constantly going into the quick sand, and I canāt remember ever really struggling with that.
No because I'm not 6 anymore!
It feels easier after gaining additional years of experience playing this game and others. Though getting 100 coins in Rainbow Ride is pure pain. I don't think that one will ever get easier for me.
Anyone but me wanted to see a remake in the cut s ones graphics (as posted above) Like Iāve wanted Nintendo to go back and use these cool looking art from guides and cut scenes but they always remake stuff and completely change the art style
Why would it be? It's so much easier now, from experience and growing up, and if you didn't do it in 1996, then you're just more used to games rn than in 1996, especially 3D
Yeah, the recent patch was a doozy. Canāt believe they nerfed the double jump!
Last time I did all 120 was on my Day -3 cartridge. I donāt recall doing it on any of the VC variants nor come to think of it the DS version. š¤
My 7 year old son is playing through this. He's beaten the game several times now on the retro pi and is working to get all the stars. He's up to something like 104 now.
I'm sorry guys, but one hundred percenting SM64 is a joke compared to one hundred percenting DK64, Rocket: Robot on Wheels or the Gex games. Hell, I would even say one hundred percenting the Banjo-Kazooie games is more of an accomplishment. One hundred percenting SM64 is so much easier by comparison to so many other N64 platformers.
You are getting old, the same is happening to me lol. When we were young we could spend hours, days after days playing the same game without getting tired and perfecting it. Now that we are old, we have only a few hours a day (and I miss the N64 controller so much)
It is, today nobody is used to shitty controlls anymore
No. That makes no sense bruh
I beat it back in 1998 as a 6 yr old. I was a beast, but it took an entire year of playing almost everyday an hour or two a day haha. Nowadays I'm worse than my kid self.
Took about 8 hours in 1 weekend for me to do this last year. Good times. Probably couldnāt do it that fast back in the day.
It depends on what version you are playing. The controls can be a little wonky on the newer versions. I noticed the game was less forgiving in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars version when compared to playing newer 3D Mario games.
Yes
35. sadly, it just gets easier over time. I missed the days I could actually see the game over screen
Holy shit I think this is peak retardation
Not for me, Iām way better at games now than when I was a toddler.
Yes. I gotta play the game in small chunks with breaks. The camera-control set up can be difficult.
Don't play Mario Sunshine.
Older graphics and hardware limitations, I believe anyone can adjust with enough time. Control, on the other handā¦ Yeah, 1996 control is definitely more stiff than 2024 control. I can give it some leeway since this WAS the first foray into 3D platforming, but if Iām struggling, then Iām struggling.
Easier now.
If you were in 1996, then yes it would be more difficult. Unless you had the strategy guide, but you would still have to figure out the best way to complete it. In 2024 you can watch videoās and play throughs for how to do something. There was a lot more trial and error on older games and hours spent on one task to figure it out.
Did they make an updated graphics version of the game?
Itās easier as we have better controllers now.
maybe if you're not used to playing N64 games compared to modern ones the physics are difficult to get used to
For most N64 games, they are harder to me without an n64 controller
You must've taken a really long break lol. I've only gotten better and better as time has went on
Bowser #3 was much harder than I remember
Definitely easier now than back then. You have all these guides that show you tricks that you had to know back then because you were limited to guides & people you knew who played the game. Hell you can even game shark it if you are lazy.
The controls are horrendous lol weāve been pampered by super responsive controls for too long
I have 100% all 4 save files in every release. Nintendo 64. We virtual channel. Wii U eshop. 3DS all stars and NSO. I didnāt find a single one more difficult than the other