This game was released in 1996, and I would have probably played the game when it was originally released. I wanted to replay the Mario games, because I do have fond memories of these games, and also wanted to see how much quickly had evolved these last few years.

I did finish this game, back in the day, with all the 120-stars, and I was surprised to see how much of the game I actually still remembered. Unlike a lot of the N64 and PS2 games, this game actually aged pretty well. The only real issue is the camera. Even though it’s clearly the most annoying thing about the game, everything else about the game is pretty amazing. Controls feel slick, movement is great, the flying is breathtaking, the characters are entertaining and exploring each world is just a lot of fun. I actually didn’t mind that you had to re-enter each world several times in order to obtain all the stars.

Back when this was released, this was clearly a 10/10. The camera can be quite frustrating in the latter parts of the game, where there is a lot more focus on wall jumping and flying. Getting a 100-stars was a breeze, but trying to collect all 120-stars can be quite frustrating. The game has been re-released on several different consoles, and I don’t think the camera issue has ever been addressed, so I think it’s only fair to rate the game with that in mind.

My overall rating: 8.5/10