Super Mario Star Road (N64) Review
Super Mario Star Road is a Hack of Super Mario 64 made by Skelux it features Many new tunes, levels and graphics. The game has many features, 121 stars and even a couple secrets at the end of the game. let's get this review under way.
-GRAPHICS- 9
The graphics of this game are so clean, The bright colors of Mario's world create such a nice atmosphere. The quality of the graphics are nice as well, I know that they lack textures, but Mario is about clean and bright graphics with smooth surfaces. The lighting is also on the bright side, (even for gloomy garden) but I honestly didn't like stumbling around in the dark much.
The environments are very Mario-y and meet all the standards of a Mario game, You have a jungle, a Giant toy land, a sky isle arena, and even a train station. By my favorite has to be Piranha plant pond, it was the most creative place In the game.
-DIFFICULTY- 9
Like any other hack ever made, this one increased the difficulty. . .Dramatically. To put things in perspective the 1st through the 40th Star are not that hard to get (provided that you have beaten Super Mario 64) but after you hit the upper room of the castle, the stars all of a sudden get much harder to nab and will really require some concentration and some good jumps to advance. But the difficult really hits when you go to collect the last 20 stars getting 100 coins at some courses are nearly impossible (not to mention the courses that have little land and it's easy to accidentally slip off) But the Final secret star is the most painful, difficult, annoying, purely frustrating star to get in the whole game. And you have to do it twice for 100% completion of the game. Nice. But overall the difficulty is
in the right places, super hard at the end, and it will not keep the average Mario fan from completing the game.
-SOUND/MUSIC- 8
I really liked the songs in this game, they are not actually "New" tunes though. Many of them come from other games, like Bomberman 64, The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker, Mario Kart Double Dash, and Paper Mario. But all the same they sound great. Skelux picked the perfect tunes for the places and really made them sound great with what the capabilities for the N64 were limited to. The songs created nice environments, and had the Mario feel that we all know and love. The best of them all was Mushroom Mountain town. (Zelda Windwaker windfall island remake). Here are some examples of what I mean.
Racing Koopa the Quick was funny, the music that played was Luigi's Circuit fro Mario Kart Double Dash, it really set the scene for the "Need for Speed" and was honestly the best tune for the scene. Running beside him and trying to get ahead was just so much fun (if you wouldn't fall off of the mountain that your racing Koopa the Quick to the top of that is.)
Overall the music was instantly lovable (and for some recognizable) and I wouldn't change it either way.
-DEPTH- 8
Their are 130 stars, 15 completely new courses, and lot of jumping around to be done, with the added difficulty you will put at least 20 to 30 hours into this game before you 100% complete it (not including the final challenge) so there is a LOT to be done, your most likely put most of your time into the missions in Gloomy garden. (that's where I had most of my deaths) But I found that the most difficult part was in musical madness and the train station area. (because I keep falling off of the edges) another thing to bring up is the "Fake stars" they are stars that Yoshi has placed in the secret courses (like the metal cave and the mushroom mountain town) he has placed 9 in total (to go along with the 121 real stars) to make and equal 130 stars. Each of the courses are very unique, you have Harbor of Chuckya's, some Musical instruments hanging out in space, a Giant Toy land and even a Bob-omb base!
-ADDICTIVENESS- 6
I really had a strong urge to finish this game the entire way before I put it up for a long time (as I do with almost all the game that I play) but after I finished, I lost that desire to play the game because, well, I did everything that the game had to offer. But while playing through the game I never lost interest and that matters a lot to me when I play my games. I need that drive to continue through such a hard game, and it was not lacking. And when I found mission that was a little to difficult, I could just go and collect a slightly easier star instead of quitting the play session right there.
-STORY- 5
Honestly I get sick of the same old story, Bowser kidnaps princess peach and hides her either in Her or his castle, and Mario has to come along and save the day once again. Boring. Very boring, can't we have something more. . .Original per say? Like something from Paper Mario ant the thousand year door, I mean this is a weak point in the Mario series in general (of course excluding the paper spin offs) We need a new plot, Mario should have better adventures then what he gets. I mean, what about a return of the X-nauts or possibly a adventure featuring Luigi for once? I mean, come on Nintendo, you can put Something better then
this together.
-OVERALL- 9
Super Mario Star Road was really a game for those who loved Super Mario 64. I mean, what kid grew up not play super Mario 64? it was a classic, and this Grand masterpiece of a hack is absolutely wonderful. let's review. . .
Pros:
awesome new courses!
harder levels
more content then the original game had to offer
Cons:
no story change
That's a lot for it and not much against it, it's really a great, hack of a great, game!
So that's a wrap!
until next time.
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