Two more stars: Pit and the Pendulums in Tick Tock Clock, Through the Jet Stream in Dire Dire Docks (Now, I just need 100 coins to clear that level).

Briefly going back to the Princess's slide and cheapness... Well, there is a sign there that says if you really fast, you earn the star. The other star is earned whether you go really fast or not. But the sign also makes it sound like there's only one star. So, I really don't know. I think it's at least possible I earned that star based on the clue, but I can't be sure because it's been too long.


Part of me wants to say that Through the Jet Stream was really easy in Dire Dire Docks, because when I went after it this last time, I figured out what to do in a couple of minutes, and actually pulling it off takes no skill. On the other hand, I have tried that star at least a couple of times before and couldn't figure out what to do, so it had that going for it. But on the third hand, I think the reason I didn't know what to do was (again) because it had been so long since I played this game before. Then, I had already earned several stars from that stage, but when I restarted the game recently, I forgot almost everything I had done.

When I tried for the star before, I thought it'd be just like in Jolly Roger Bay: Just get the metal cap, and walk to the jetstream. Instead, a number 1 appeared. I thought that meant that this was a star based on getting 5 secrets (like in Tiny Huge Island or Wet Dry World), and one of the secrets was the jet stream, but who knows what the other 4 could have been. I tried swimming through the middle of the coin rings at the beginning of the stage, but that didn't do anything.

So, anyway, when I played recently, I decided, for no particular reason, to chase after the manta ray for a little bit. After I swam through a few of the loops (noting the numbers that appeared when I did so), I went after the star. As soon as I entered the room with the jet stream after being reminded in that way, I immediately thought, "OH! THAT'S what I need to do!"


Anyway, time for more general comments.

If I were writing a review for this game, a good thesis might be that the game has the qualities that are ascribed to it, but not in the quantities that are ascribed to it. (Well, actually, I wouldn't use that thesis as is, because after my disaster of a Contra review, I have vowed to never even acknowledge the "majority" opinion of a game in a formal review, let alone rebut it). Yes, it's a game that has some creativity... but it's not nearly the most creative game ever, as some have called it.

Maybe more on that later.


I do think that Goldeneye has a better reward structure than this game. For one thing, beating SM64 is really all that satisfying. Not only is it not all that challenging, but it lacks the definite full stop that is needed for a cathartic experience. When I beat the game, rather than thinking, "I DID IT! I DID IT!", my thoughts were more like, "Well, now I have to earn 50 more stars". Beating the game is just a minor little milestone on the way to really finishing the game.

And you don't really even get anything from it (other than seeing the ending). It might have been nice to get one star from that (it could have been taken from an obvious Toad), so you couldn't get 120 stars without beating the game. I'm not even sure if beating the game has any effect at all. (?) Do you need to both have 120 stars AND beat the game to get Yoshi? Or just get 120 stars? (I won't be able to check this without starting the whole game over from the beginning) None of the Toads' comments have changed after beating the game -- They still say I have to beat Bowser.

Also, while the goal of 70 stars was probably to keep the game from being "frustrating" to people who might not have wanted to dedicate themselves to earning all of them, it's really a pretty low standard. There are still plenty of easy to earn stars after you've gotten 70.

Anyway, even though beating (agent in) Goldeneye is just a first step, it feels more like a real accomplishment, and you get more reward for it: The difficulty levels in the earlier stages can be played out of order. You unlock a bunch of new characters to play in multiplayer. And you earn the magnum cheat.

Another thing about Super Mario 64 is that even if you do consider seeing the ending to be enough of a reward, there really are no more rewards until you get all 120 stars. Goldeneye keeps rewarding you as you play. There are more cheats to earn, more stages to unlock (like Aztec).

I think even Yoshi's Island has a better reward structure than SM64. In that game, you can also just play through all the levels to beat the game, but then if you go back to earn 100% in every world, you unlock a new bonus stage for ever world you complete.

On the other hand, it is sort of nice to have all the stages in SM64 available to me now. When I first played SM64, I seem to remember thinking, "When can I finally unlock another stage?? I'm sick to death of Bob-Omb Battlefield!" [or some other stage]


Actually, it seems pretty apt to compare this game to Yoshi's Island, because SM64 seems more like YI than any other Mario game. Their pacing seems more similar. SM64 is more like a 3D analogue of YI's control than of SMB3's. They both put emphasis on finding secrets and "getting 100%".

Also, if I continue at the rate I'm going, I'm on pace to get 100% in SM64 in about the same amount of time it took me in YI.



One thing that's a little funny about this game (SM64) is how small the levels are. It's funny because they don't seem small at first; some seem confusing or overwhelming. Or maybe they just seem larger because of their 3D nature. But then you explore them a bit and they seem to shrink. I mean, Dire Dire Docks is only two rooms large.

This isn't necessary such a bad thing -- Donkey Kong 64's levels were MUCH bigger, but they often felt shapeless.




I was thinking about my earlier experiences with SM64, and I might have another idea with why the game can be a little hard to get into. They REALLY overload you with moves at the beginning of the game. It's hard to just keep them all straight and remember how to do them all. But the funny thing is, there are some that are totally unnecessary. I don't think I have EVER used that running triple jump. In fact, I can't imagine how that could be used precisely. If it had to be, it'd probably be impossible to pull off (unless the location of all three jumps was cued). I also have never used the turn-around-and-flip jump for anything worthwhile. I think the only purpose of the running triple jump is for when you're running around outside the castle. It's "fun". I think the only purpose of the turn-around-and-flip jump is either with the modern obsession with giving a character more moves than you ever need, or as misdirection (you think you might need it, but you don't).


"Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood." -Orwell