Mario 64 vs Banjo Kazooie

[figflair]

I picked-up an N64 over Xmas to do some retro gaming and of the few games I bought, these two were the ones I was most looking forward to revisiting as I hadn't played either of them since they were first released.

I went with Mario 64 first off.
It was great to see the N64 fire-up again and then see Mario's face make an appearance.
I started palying the game and although the graphics inevitably looked pretty poor, it was fun, for a while.
But pretty soon I got tired of it and all my enthusiasm seemed to disappear.
I found the camera to be really poor and the game actually felt quite sluggish to play.
After a few hours I gave-up and haven't been back to it since.

Next I tired Banjo-Kazooie and the difference I felt was enormous.
The game felt so inuitive right from the start and the graphics were so bright and colourful, unlike Mario's drab pallette.
The gameplay is so involving, mixing platform and puzzle elements and the camera works really well 95% of the time.
I'm so into it and it seems as fresh as I when I first played it.

Now, I'm obviously not suggesting Mario 64 is not a great game or unworthy of it's status as an all time classic. I remember paying ?450 (!) for a N64 plus Mario on release back in 96 and thinking it was the best Xmas ever.
But I don['t think the years have been kind to it at all. :0
Also Banjo Kazooie was made two years later so I it's inevitable that it would look better, but I feel it plays better too.
Is anyone with me or should I prepare to be flamed into dust?

[Skull Commander]

I honestly have always preferred Banjo over Mario 64. Having said that Mario in 3D has never clicked with me at all.

[CrispyXUK]

SM64>Banjo

[noobish hat]

Well I played Mario 64 for the first time ever about a year ago, and I fell in love with it very quickly, and enjoyed every minute of it (getting all 120 stars too). I had some issues with the camera too, mostly in the free roaming stages, but it wasn't game breaking. I haven't played Banjo yet, so I can't compare with that, but to describe Mario 64 as having a drab colour palette is mental.

I know you haven't denied this, but let's not forget that Mario was one of the first fully 3D games with a fully realised 3D world, and Rare had the advantage of learning from what worked and what needed improvement.

[rmoxon]

They are both great games, but Mario 64 is that little bit cleverer and that little bit more charming than Banjo Kazooie, and its those things that make Mario 64 the timeless classic it is really.

Also, the level design in Mario 64 has never been bettered and the second half of the game is particuarly inventive and impressive.

[Goemon]

I was always miffed that Mario 64 got a 10 and BK got a 7 in Edge magazine.

I think that they are both great games and wouldn't like to pick between them.

I watched this speed run of Mario 64 just the other day. If you know Mario 64 well it's great to see how he handles certain bits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqGL53OsOfY

[redstar_dan]

I had always preferred Banjo over Mario 64. Banjo Kazooie was one of my all time favourite n64 games. That said, Mario 64 is bloody brilliant.
I have not played either of them recently however, I hope my feelings wont change if I re-played them.

[MoFo2]

I watched this speed run of Mario 64 just the other day. If you know Mario 64 well it's great to see how he handles certain bits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqGL53OsOfY

I remember watching this live and the chat went amok when he broke the world record

[PaTaito]

Banjo is great, but mario64 is magnificent.

Actually i may be in a minority, but i also prefered tooie.

[dataDave]

I like them both equally.

Yet to replay BK on XBLA after purchasing it the day it came out. It was more a confidence vote to get PD64 up there.

Still waiting for JFG.

[Leon Retro]

Both games are obviously great, but I didn't like either of them that much back in the day. There's something about the atmosphere in Mario64 that I find grating and nauseating. It's a combination of the camera and the annoying music that spoils things. I'd say the music( although some tunes are ok ) .. is the thing I hate the most about it. All I can really say is.. the game repels me too much with its bad points - and its good points aren't worth the struggle.

Of course, I was impressed with the 3D world back in '96. I remember being pretty amazed when I saw the GamesMaster footage.

Banjo felt like a big step up in visuals when it came out, so that was also impressive for its time. I did like the atmosphere, but all the speech bubbles with the grating sound effect... annoyed me.

I love the 2D Mario games - and the Donkey Kong Country series. 3D platformers don't really appeal to me much, but Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 are exceptions.

[CrispyXUK]

Ah, you're one of them aren't you?

[Neon Ignition]

Overall, probably Mario 64 but I'd agree that as time moves on the gap between them seems to narrow. Tooie was such a disappointment however