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Super Mario 64 theCanon Game
by Jenny Tao
Game report 2255 words
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Super Mario 64-Canon Game 2
Game Canon is a list of videogames that has been preserved
and proofed by the Library of
Congress. The Library of Congress
is the largest library that preserves
a universal collecon of knowledge
and creavity for future genera-
ons. Henry Lowood brought up
the idea of Game Canon, follow
by a group of four legend gamedesigners Steve Meretzky, War-
ren Spector, Maeo Bian and a
journalist, Christopher Grant.
Super Mario 64 on the other hand
should also be consider as a canon
game. It is a plaorm game, devel-
oped and published by Nintendo
for the Nintendo 64. It was the
rst game fully converted from 2D
to 3D. The design of this game is
excellent. It shows the player ex-
ploraon in travel, follows through
a 3D space, contains mulple dif-
culty levels, includes rewards the
player in terms of making them
happy and to enjoy the game.
These ve points are essenal to
judge and to determine whether
a game is an AAA game, and
whether it has the potenal to bepreserved in a game canon list. In
which meaning the Super Mario 64
is denitely the one to preserve.
The name of Game Canon was
originally an idea of preserving
video games and video-game ar-
facts in 1998 by Henry Lowood.
Years aer, Mr. Lowood has noted
that video games are something
worth to preserve.
A proposal of this idea was sub-
mied to the Library of Congress
in Sept 2006. In 2007 the idea of
Game Canon was proven by the
Library of Congress and was an-
nounced in the Game Developers
Conference in San Francisco.
The inial Game Canon list con-
tains 10 video games, each game
is considered to represent the
beginning of its own genre. List
of game names: Spacewar, Star
Raiders, Zork, Tetris, SimCity, Su-per Mario Bros.3, Civilizaon
I/II, Doom, Warcra series and
Sensible World of Soccer.
Although these games are from
years ago and havent
applied the newest technology,
however they sll vital in the
video game industry. Most impor-
tantly they represent the begin-ning of genre. For example
Mr. Grant, who selected Super
Mario Bros 3, said the game was
important for its nonlinear play, a
mainstay of contemporary games,
and new features like the abil-
ity to move both backward and
forward. [1]
Due to its dierence from the
other games during that period
of me, it makes Super Mario 3
unique enough to create its won
type of genre with a great style
and impression in audiences
sight.
Out of curiosity- what makes a
game a canon game anyway? Arethere certain criteria or rules of
a canon game? It is hard to say.
Unfortunately as the explana-
ons/reasons of the selected
canon games havent been pub-
lished yet. Well, the criteria were
discussed within the group, but
not openly because there was no
open forum. Recall that it was a
GDC event, then it became a web-
site aer that. If we connue the
project with a mode of presenta-
on more focused on
disseminaon over the web and
documentaon, that would give
us an
opportunity to explain the crite-
ria says Henry Lowood. [2]
However a canon game sll has
its reason and potenal to be-come a canon game, based on its
history, popularity, contents, the
importance of making an impact
on the video game industry, and
how dierent it is from the other
games, even to be good enough
to start its own genre. In this case,
Super Mario 64 has succeeded all
of the above, and the game itself
proof that it is a canon game.
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Super Mario 64-Canon Game 3
History---
Before analyzing Super Mario 64, it is important to
understand where Mario was rst created and how
the character was fully developed over me, what
has changed and how are these histories important
in computer gaming in general. Mario has appearedin over 200 video games since his creaon. Though
originally only appearing in plaorm games, Mario
currently appears in varied video game genres such
as racing, puzzle, role-playing, ghng, and sports.
[3]
Mario originally was named jumpman when it was
rst created, his popularity started to sire when the
arcade game was popular.
Donkey Kong. The ape, who brought Mario famousat the very rst stage of Mario history. Donkey Kong
escapes and kidnaps jumpmans girlfriend (early
days she was known as the Lady). The player must
play the Mario role, avoiding obstacles and climb
up to the highest bricks to rescue his girlfriend. The
style and his personality were well developed in
audiences rst impression.
(Donky kong screen shot image 002)
In 1983, Jumpmans younger brother Luigi
was introduced in Mario Bros, he was por-
trayed as an Italian-American plumber.
Because of Luigis Last name Mario the
original jumpman was given the name as
Mario. Since, the name of Mario Brothers
became more popular over me.
During 1989-1995 Nintendo were connuous-
ly releasing new versions of Mario brothers
games including Super Mario Land rescu-
ing princess Daisy. Followed by Super Mario
World. Mario and Luigi are introduced to the
Yoshis (The cute green dinosaurs) they helprescue Peach by allowing Mario and Luigi to
ride them.
(Mario and Yoshi image 003)
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Super Mario 64-Canon Game 4
Popularity--
Each version of Super Mario series was introduced
with new features, ability, and new story line. It also
includes dynamic level design with dierent level of
dicules, and dierent missions depending on the
story line. However the style of playing these series
were quite similar, unl nally Super Mario 64 came
out, it became a total new thing to the Mario fans.
Backwards and forwards moving has totally changed
to free controlled camera, controlling independently
of the character, and a freedom of exploraon, since
then, there was no more 2D Mario. The features
were something fully new to the gaming industry.
This is something thats worth becoming a part of
the gaming history. In fact Super Mario 64 was the
best selling in Nintendo 64. The number has reached
around 11.8 millions copies. As of September 25,
2007, it is the seventh best-selling video game in theUnited States with six million copies sold. By June
2007, Super Mario 64 had become the second most
popular tle on Wiis Virtual Console, behind Super
Mario Bros. [4]
Super Mario 64 has been praised in the gaming
press, and is sll highly acclaimed. It has collected
numerous awards, including various Game of the
Year honors by members of the gaming media, as
well as Nintendos own best-selling Players Choiceselecon. In addion, Super Mario 64 has been
placed high on the greatest games of
all me lists by many reviewers, including IGN,
Game Informer,[14] Edge, Yahoo! Games, Game-
FAQs users, and Nintendo Power. Electronic Gam-
ing Monthly awarded the game a Gold award in its
inial review, and in Edge magazine, Super Mario
64 was the rst game to receive a perfect score. [5]For its own popularity sake, theres nothing to be
against that Super Mario 64 isnt a canon game.
Contents---
Super Mario 64 3D version was released in 1996.
When it was rst released, people desperately
wanted to give it a trial, because it was the rst 3D
fully converted from 2D game, and it was so dif-
ferent from the previous Super Mario series. The
objecve of Mario 64 is to gain as many stars and
coins as possible as each level requires a number
of starts to enter. The player will need to nd out
ways to nish the level by ghng enemies, defeat-
ing the level boss, and gaining gold stars. Some
stars only appear aer compleng certain tasks.
There are also a several ways to collect the stars in
one level. Therefore it is denitely a game involves
solving puzzles techniques and very challengeable.
Its advanced level design has absolutely made it a
classic canon game.
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Super Mario 64-Canon Game 5
Level Design analyze
Freedom in travel--
Within the game, it contains several courses
in the game. Each level is an enclosed world.
The player is free to explore, discover the en-
re world and environment without limits. It
gives the player an opportunity to experience
in the open space and nding out hints by
reading noce board or asking friendly crea-
tures like peace loving Bob-ob Buddies.
(see image 002,003)
However there are several hidden path andentries, as well as hidden mini-course in the
world, to nd out where they are and what
they do, the player will need to seek them out
to complete the course enrely. Warren Spec-
tor, former lead designer at Ion Storm Inc.,
stated it was not possible to squeeze this
much gameplay into a single game and no
game has done a beer job of showing goals
before they can be aained, allowing players
to make a plan and execute on it. He alsopraised the exploraon aspect of the game,
commenng that allowing players to explore
the same spaces several mes while revealing
something new each me is a revelaon.
Through out a personal experience in the
game, it was challenging enough to nd out
six ways or more to gain the stars in one level.
I was only able to gure one way to gain the
stars, which was defeang the level boss.
(picture 004, Level 1, defeatgin boss)
However I was surprise how many people
have been playing Super Mario 64 and have
been making a level bible on youtube. It
would surely take me more than a month
to gure out how to collect all the stars in
one level without those tutorials, because
the game itself was so challenging and well
designed in terms of freedom exploring in the
open space worlds. Exploring the world freely
has denitely added a level of diculty to thegame, allowing the players to be challenged
and work out their ways to complete the
game. Once the player nishes the level, it
( Sign reading image 002 )
( Sign reading image 003 )
( Level 1, defeang boss Image 004 )
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Super Mario 64-Canon Game 6
( Environment - Level 3 The Cool Cool Mounain 005)
( Environment - Level 3 The Cool Cool Mounain 006)
( Environment - Level 3 The Cool Cool Mounain 007)
Find the lost of the small panquin gains a star.
There is a youtube video that explanis how to gain
all the stars in the Cool Cool Mountain level. Excel-
lent tutorial.
Level 3 Cool Cool Mountain. One of the best help
Tutorial.
hp://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=LKaoyAsYqAo
3D space--
The enre game is made out of 3D with
polygons, including the world and envi-
ronments. The purpose of making it into
3D is to allow the players to picture them
in a virtual world while role-playing. Itcarries more realism in terms of visual-
izing. In the virtual world, the player gets
to do things that they cannot do in real
life, especially in a 3D environment. The
space looks real and referenal to the
real world, but players are allow to jump
up walls like a ninja, or do special tricks
that we cant normally do. Plus the free
control camera of Mario can turn 360
degrees. This has made a huge dierencebetween in viewing just in at 2D inter-
face, and ability to view all surroundings.
Mulple Diculty levels--
There are 15 levels in the enre game.
The direct designer of Super Mario 64,
Shigeru Miyamoto thought they could
come up with 40 levels, but unfortunatelytheyve only camp up with 15 levels.
Although they didnt make it to 40, it sll
contains 15 classic levels with incredible
environments that you would never think
of. Michael Grayford of Liquid Entertain-
ment stated he was inially very turned
o by the openness of the game the
rst me he played it. Upon playing it
later, he was highly pleased and stated,
each level brought some new unique
cool gameplay element and I was never
bored.
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Super Mario 64-Canon Game 7
Rewarding the player--
Every me a player has complete a level, it unlocks a
reward level with full of coins to collect. For exam-
ple in level 2, there are 2 doors in level 3. One with an
open world (Level 2- Under the sea - picture 008) and
the other one is for rewarding the player. (Level 2- asliding path for coeelecng coins -picture 009)
Collecng coins becomes addicve when it is an
objecve. Due to its diculty to collect 100 coins in
a level but when there are loads to collect, it does
reward the player, and movated them to connue
playing.
Super Mario 64 is a game that has inuenced other
games. Because of its style, conversion, and the
unique design level it has. These have impacted theindustry and some other games in the industry. For
example, GamesTM noted many game companies,
including Nintendo, have tried to develop a plat-
form game to match up to Super Mario 64. Super
Mario 64 was notable for its sense of freedom and
non-linearity. A central hub, where controls can be
learned before entering levels themselves, has been
used in many 3D plaormers since. In addion, the
games mission-based level design was an inspiraon
for other game designers. For example, Marn Hollis,who produced and directed GoldenEye 007, says,
the idea for the huge variety of missions within a
level came from Super Mario 64. [6]
(see image 010-Goldeneyes play screen)
In conclusion, Super Mario 64 is surely a classic canon
game. It has a great impact in the video game indus-
try, and has deeply inspired some of the recent video
games. It is an original seed that started a dierent
kind of game play, very unique, challenging and in-
spiring. It contains important elements of an advance
level design. Super Mario has changed over me
though its development, however the evoluon of
its developing is what makes it popular and adorable.
Therefore Super Mario 64 is certainly a classic canon
game with out doubt.
( Environment - Level 2 Under the sea 008)
( Environment - Level 2 sliding to collect coins 009)
(Goldeye playing mode screen shot 010)
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Super Mario 64-Canon Game 8
[1] (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/arts/design/12vide.html?_r=4&re=technology&ore=slogin&ore=
slogin&ore=slogin)
[2] (Project Discussion: Digital Game Canon, Mon Jan 26 16:28:19 ES 2009 http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-January/000803.html)t
[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario)
[4] (Torsen, or (2007-06-01). Wii VC: 4.7m downloads, 100 games. GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/supermario64/news.html?sid=6171850. Retrieved 2007-10-22.)
[5] http://quiz.theullwiki.org/Super_Mario_64
[6] (Te Making o GoldenEye 007. Zoonami. 2004-09-02. http://www.zoonami.com/briefng/2004-09-02.php. Retrieved 2006-02-11.)
References