Reviewed: Super Mario 64 and DS

Time Stamps:
00:00 The History Lesson We All Know
05:41 The Story in a KoopaShell
07:35 The Gameplay That Went For the Stars
15:52 Go For Pro
22:10 Collect the 8 Red Cons
28:22 The DS Remake: For Better or Worse?
35:27 The Sum of All Parts
This review has been the most stressful and damaging (I actually have scars on my leg for this) review that I have ever done. But I do consider this the best review I have done. I come off a bit more sillier in this video and that was entirely intentional, really want to keep going with that approach. Enjoy.
Link to the Obsessive Gamers video on Luigi in Mario 64: • Deleted Luigi found an...
Link to the DYKG video on Mario 64's history: • Super Mario 64 - Did Y...

[@cjszero01]

There is a little mistake in the review. The release date for NiGHTS into Dreams in the US was actually August 20th 1996. July 5th was the Japanese release. And while Crash and NiGHTS came out in America before Mario 64, Super Mario 64 came out in Japan before both of them on June 23rd 1996. Thanks to Connor Bredall for pointing that out.

[@TheJacoliexp]

HES BACK EVERYONE, MISSED YOU SO MUCH

[@islandplace7235]

Remember watching these as a kid, always enjoyed these reviews

[@irisofrosebloom8741]

honestly i love this corner of youtube. like, most people aren't in the market for a retread review of Mario 64 at this point, anybody who'd click on a *recent* Mario 64 review probably just wants to hear somebody passionately talk about a game they like. this video plays into that as hard as it possibly can, and so what it lacks in novel insight it makes up for in basically unmatched entertainment value. glad you're still at it, CJ.

[@BugsyFoga]

I’m still amazed just how well the ds version managed to turn our.

[@SQGReviewShow]

REVIEWED has really evolved over the years. Been rewatching a lot of your older videos and came across this recent upload. It's great to see an OG still going strong, with no signs of slowing down qualitatively.

[@alexk_9358]

As a viewer of yours for 11+ years, it's still fantastic to see you still do the same style of your reviews which I love watching for how informative and snappy they are on how passionate you are for these games :) The parts at 23:11 and 35:23 made me laugh, the quick timing and your reaction are why xD

[@Exorion]

Out-freakin-standing. Without a doubt your best video to date purely based on the production value. Excellent quality kept from start to finish, be proud. Another thumbs up for delivering a video about Mario 64 that does not feel like the thousandth version of it. Speedrunning through the known facts and getting into the interesting bits and anectodes, that's what one likes to see. Also best "Nope" we got in 2021, Engi would be proud.

[@kinokoopakid3239]

I've been watching you since 2011 and it's crazy that you still make great videos 😄

[@videogamerzero1schannel]

He's back again and about time too!

[@kinokoopakid3239]

and this time he's in the mood

[@keybladeoverlord]

Finally the moment we've all been waiting for!

[@bees3707]

CJ IS BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER BABY!!!

[@spongehog8638]

CJ is now back everyone 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@brawlmaster012]

Mario 64 will always hold a special place in my heart as the very first game I ever played. It was quite an achievement for this game to be the first thing ever to hold the attention of my peanut-sized toddler brain for more than 10 seconds without getting bored. It's weird to think about how different of a person I would've grown up to be if my grandmother hadn't bought an N64 and this game for my sister and I on a whim. I was also fortunate enough to have the nicest older sister in the world for letting me essentially hog the system all to myself lol

[@SuperPlaytendo]

This was so worth the wait! Definitely one of your best reviews yet! If I were to pick which version I prefer, I would say DS because it provides me with a lot more nostalgia as I never grew up with the original version.

[@SuperGoker64]

I posted this bit on part 2 of your Top 20 N64 Games list, but I feel it's appropriate to repost it here: There's a reason why Super Mario 64 is about two-thirds of my channel's namesake. It's not my favorite game, or even my favorite 3D Mario platformer, but it's the game that I have the most stories involving it. My personal favorite of these was when my dad's now-ex-wife's nephew was trying to do Stand Tall on the Four Pillars. It took him forever to finally do it (mainly because he was flying to the one surrounded by quicksand instead of using the shell), but when he finally got it, we heard the chime and... were completely confused on what happens next. Since I wasn't familiar with Shifting Sand Land because I didn't have the game myself yet, I see the now flat-top pyramid and think to myself, "Maybe we can see what happened from up there." So I suggested that to him, he recognized that _that_ was the change, and I felt silly. He then quickly lost to Eyerok by ring out. Good times! 8:24, 12:22, 19:09, 20:04 *shudders* To be fair, though, Cheep Chomps (or Bubbas as they were called back then) are creepy in their own right... in this game. They don't have the same scare factor in other games. I'm pretty sure the developers _know_ how disturbing the eels are. 11:03 I always called it the Butt Bounce. Then again, I've also heard it called the Footdive, courtesy of LiamSixx. 25:05 Snowman's Lost His Head was the second to last star I ever got on my main file. It took me forever to figure that one out. I thought that you had to attack the snowball into the snowman's head. The last star? *shudders* Take a guess.

[@hawawa675]

Hey man you've come a long way from the guy who never wanted to use a face cam. Really liked some of the small skits this video. Well done!

[@cjszero01]

Thank you. :)

[@TheMonsteratior]

My DSi's shoulder buttons were broken, so I was really restricted what I can do, but I still prefer those controls over the original. Probably cause the triple jump in the DS version for Mario feels a lot higher I played a lot of the multiplayer mode with others so here's some things everyone likely already knows: - Yoshi cannot eat Mario, Luigi, or Wario - Spin kick while sliding is more powerful than the dive attack while sliding - If a Yoshi eats you, mashing the buttons can break you free and they will lose a star if one is in possession - Ground pounding near climbable objects such as trees or poles while someone is climbing on one will cause them to let go and fall - I believe flying normally can damage players? This one I'm not too sure about - I think ground pounding right above someone hanging on one of those grate things in the Battle Fort stage will cause them to fall - Wario's attacks can stun opponents, grab them and either run around the stage while holding them, or spin them similarly like what you do to Bowser - Yoshi's grabbed and carried by Wario can mash the buttons to free themselves - Yoshi's stunned from Wario's attack can mash the buttons to recover faster - Ties can happen where more than one person collects the same amount of stars and coins, but if nobody has collected anything, everyone loses Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of these things, I'm really good at being wrong

[@meta527II]

Your reaction at 35:22 actually scared me a lot more than Mario's line there

[@Alberto_Tellez]

Now believe me, ever since I received this game and Mario *KART* 64 from my maternal grandmother, I have been HOOKED on the Mario franchise. Thanks for reviewing Mario 64, Seej, you the man.

[@inky3]

its really cool you are still uploading i remember watching "Our list of the 5 most useful and useless Classic Megaman Weapons (with MrOrangeJinjo)" in my youth

[@psychie8625]

I, for one, will gladly interrupt my daily dosage of Spamton for a new CJ video. "I'm taking this shortcut every chance I get!" First time?

[@cjszero01]

Nope, just didn't know what else to say for that part.

[@psychie8625]

@@cjszero01 I've been taking it every time ever since my first full completion of the game. (Not saying much, I didn't play the game in full until 2018. Not exactly the oldest person)

[@sabrina_thelich6088]

I used to watch these back in 2011ish time through highschool and im glad to see your still making videos

[@runningoncylinders3829]

For that Starman v Power Star bit, let's look at Mushroom's resume: Increases size, makes go-karts boost, heals 5 HP, roll an additional dice block. Plus they call a Power Star a "Moon" in Odyssey, so nothing is a problem.

[@AlexSWarrior254]

10:24 I done figured it out! The lines cross at (2,3) So x equals 2! Also, very happy to help out! I loved 64 DS as a kid, even if when I was 6 I only did the drawing part of it.

[@Isukatsmsh]

Great video, but on the subject of the DS version… 1. There are fan patches out there that restore full analog control, which effectively removes the worst part of the DS version 2. If you’re playing on a emulator, you can actually natively upscale the resolution, making the game look a lot more crisp and fixing the issue of the game looking bad when blown up on a big screen. Doing this, you can even play the game in 8K, assuming your PC is powerful enough to handle that. Still though, this was a really great video! I’ve been watching your stuff since I was a kid, and I love your voice and humor. Keep up the good work!

[@cyber895]

39 minutes! :) Oh praise God for you CJ; i love your reviews & enthusiasm...

[@cyber895]

Not too shabby CJ; though I must say I loved the DS version of Mario 64, and i don't remember the d-pad being too big of an issue. Regardless, solid video review! I hope you will make a "top 10 Mario power-ups" list now, my vote goes to that. Thanks for the video. :P

[@patsg1146]

Man, I missed your videos, glad to see you back! :)

[@Gecko1993HogheadIncOfficial]

Good to see you again CJ! I hope everything is going fine for you. I also learned from Durden77 when he LP’ed the game, and he said to treat the Red Coin Stars as like a chance to do 100 coins to make it less tedious. And in regard to Wall-Jumping, as a kid, I had to learn from my own screw-ups. It didn’t feel like “Solve For X” to me; but it was more like Metroid II’s space jumping. It works; but it takes time to master the timing. This being the first, it IS clunky-later games do the Wall-Jump better. One final hint of advice: the cursor in the cannon is A LIE! The only true way to use the cannon is using the lower part of the shadow of the viewing reticle. THAT is the one true way to use it!

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

I certainly agree with you on Nessie. That sign made me very squeamish to attempt to go near her as a kid, it also didn't help that the Eel in this game made me squeamish of water levels in general of what kind of creature would be swimming around in it ready to strike at an unexpected moment. >.

[@Werten25]

I actually never noticed the green mist beforehand.

[@J0K3R231]

The king has returned

[@rangedfire8179]

Great a video I loved all the extra skits in the video. Amazing video as allways

[@BlazetheCat130]

That was great and well worth the review cjszero01! I love the edits and humor that you put into this video. I could not stop laughing, especially at 30:10. lol!

[@booberminfranklin3652]

I really like your new live action skits. It expands the cjscu. (CJS cinematic universe)

[@SuperSmithersGalaxy]

Great job man, the new humor and gags are awesome compared to the traditional reviews! Been watching for a while, great stuff :)

[@beardo5468]

Not to make you feel old but I've been a fan of you since elementary, now I'm in my senior year. Thanks for all the stuff over the years and here's to many more!

[@cjszero01]

You're welcome.

[@DeckerRamirezYT]

That moment when you want to make a thoughtful comment, but everyone has pretty much spoken for you. XD Fantastic job and quality, CJ. 👏👏👏

[@connorbredall3112]

Super Mario 64 came out in Japan in June, before Crash Bandicoot and Nights into Dreams came out.

[@cjszero01]

I mean, you are technically right.

[@cjszero01]

There is a pinned comment correcting this and you are credited for pointing that out.

[@pyrocyber5621]

@11:02 i just realized that's where Marios' down smash came from...lol

[@MaxMonado]

Great video as usual chief

[@michaelgunnels9694]

Ah elementary school years when the n64 came out sadly I didn't get it but had star fox 64 and banjo and Kazooie when I got it for Christmas

[@tk7977]

Wow, I cannot believe you're still making videos. I hope you don't take offense to me saying that, but I used to watch your top 10's as a legitimate child and they were super important for me in learning more about video games. Your videos still have that "classic youtube feel," by which I mean they're no bullshit, straight to the point, and made with passion in mind over any potential monetary gain. I'm super happy I watched this, and thanks for all the videos over the years!

[@cjszero01]

That means a lot to me, thank you.

[@meta527II]

24:46 I was expecting you to say that you can't re-close the door after it opens

[@EricMcNugget]

Honestly I have more nostalgia for the DS version than the original.

[@meta527II]

11:03 I've never seen that move in Mario 64 before! Though I have seen the crouch attack

[@TheKoopaManSho1]

great to see you getting back into the swing of reviews and count downs and stuff. I guess with smash being "over" theres time now to talk about other things. Til they turn the money printer back on which we all know they're gonna.

[@DarkSeraph95]

Finally have time to sit and watch this

[@toonzach2870]

26:09 I have a rebuttal to this point. The mission in the pyramid where you have to jump on the three platforms. Mario cam or not, that part always sucks, and I feel like it's specifically because of the camera not giving a good enough view. It is one of the few missions I actively dread getting to anytime I go for a 100% run.

[@JuanGomez-ke5py]

When the world needed him more he came back

[@bluemario610]

I think for the touch screen moving part, they wanted you to use some weird wrist strap that had a flat stylus like part that you can just use with your thumb

[@G.L.999]

The other reason the N64 got delayed was because an earthquake that struck an area of Japan that had factories manufacturing the CPU processors that were being implimented in the N64 back in the day.

[@Exclusivesadblues]

I really miss your reviews

[@Uptheroyals80]

Class video well done 👍

[@AlexSpy3DS]

YES UR BACK :DDDDD

[@Singapore-Aviation72]

I got this game on launch! I remembered the controls being a bit awks, but I had a fun time nonetheless. I also had the bulky silver Ds at launch 😂

[@saumorsomething]

damn, havent watched a video of yours since i was like 9. Gotta say though, this was a great video.

[@AntforceYT]

I like your writing style! Super Mario 64 was such a great game.

[@cjszero01]

Thank you.

[@LucarioSmash246]

THE CJ IS BACK

[@bradygreensides6495]

Awesome

[@meta527II]

You mean if you get another star in Dire Dire Docks before the Bowser submarine one, it DOESN’T lock you out of beating the game? What a relief!

[@cjszero01]

Nope, you are free to get any other star you can in that level. But unless you can clip or glitch through doors, you won't be able to take on Bowser and proceed with the rest of the game.

[@meta527II]

@@cjszero01 And now you’re saying if we get another star before the Bowser sub, we have to use a glitch in order to get to Bowser? Make up your mind!

[@cjszero01]

@@meta527II That's not what I said. You can get any other star before the submarine but the water wall won't go back. You can still make it go back by getting the submarine star.

[@meta527II]

@@cjszero01 so if you get another star in dire dire docks you can still do the first mission and unlock the Bowser Fire level?

[@cjszero01]

@@meta527II yes

[@jimation66]

I had many a fond memory of the DS Version of 64. Also I'm the only person I know who could get used to the D-Pad lol

[@misterniceguy429]

To think this was the inspiration for Kingdom Hearts

[@darkdoctor1915]

YAY

[@LuccianoBartolini]

Played both, liked both, enjoy them all but I prefer 64.

[@peeton4031]

I played the DS version first. The game kinda scared me as a kid. The castle is pretty much empty, Peach is just gone and you don’t see her till the end of them game, and some of the levels give me a weird vibe. Playing the original 64 game recently through Mario 3D all stars still gives me that feeling slightly. It’s simplicity gives it a sort of emptiness IMO. But I’ve got gripes. Walljumps suck. Some moves are hard to pull off for no reason. I wanna jump kick, but if I’m going too fast or just slightly tilt the stick I’m doing a dive. That’s dumb. Mario has wide turns meaning trying to turn around on a small platform is tough. Some of the levels get frustratingly bad later. Everything up to bowser and the fire sea is great and I had a good time playing them. Everything after sucks. Wet dry is neat, tall tall mountain is not very fun, tiny huge island is frustrating cus you slide everywhere, never played snowman’s land, rainbow ride, and tick tock clock. Just hard levels that are worsened by how weird the game is. Mario 64 feels slippery and like it’s fighting against me. If someone were to ask me if they should play Mario 64, I’d say yes. It’s pretty fun up until the point I stated. Mario 64 works better if there’s no bottomless pits. Overall I enjoyed my time with it, it’s just not the “ground breaking, amazing, one of a kind” experience it was hyped up to be.

[@cjszero01]

I can understand that. However if you've played other 3D platformers before this than it's easier to see the rough edges of Mario 64, but keep in mind that it was this game that practically paved the way for the 3D platformers we have today. It was ground breaking and amazing, but you really did have to experience what games were like before this came out. Also Snowman's land has no bottomless pit so you should be fine... just be careful of the very cold water.

[@dangerboatsouth4747]

I’m a bigger fan of sunshine and Galaxy as well as 3D world. But I still have a lot of respect for the game. Even though I think the controls are kinda stiff. Ds should have remake. More playable characters make things much more unique

[@AnthonyMtheGamerArtist]

The fricking Denmark joke still has me DED, NOT BIG SOOPRICE.

[@MARIO1UP2000]

5:33 Don't worry Cjszero01 I and probably your followers on discord have got your back on that list.

[@rhymetimetown4804]

🙂

[@zeldasmetaknight]

Mario 64 is pretty much mandatory for all virtual consoles/master collections. So have you tried the Romhacks of the game? Nintendo hates them but the're fun.

[@cjszero01]

I don't do mods or rom hacks but I will say the Odyssey rom hack looked fun.

[@Nay089]

Is this guy a chain smoker??? That is a….unique voice

[@cjszero01]

I have not (nor do I ever want to) smoke or even drink anything with alcohol. Sometimes I just sound too nasally.

[@phoenixdouchebag904]

Whats up with the Denmark joke, am i missing something here?

[@cjszero01]

How can I put this... the government there does not protect their men and because of that the birth rate is down and they are now begging their men to go back to the dating pool. A woman there could basically (redacted) a man, get pregnant and take the guy to court to get child support. The only ones who got this joke are those in the discord server who were very happy with the joke.

[@phoenixdouchebag904]

@@cjszero01 Oh, ooooooooh i see what you mean. Honestly what Denmark is doing is only fueling the stance of the M.en G.etting T.errified O.f W.omen group if you know what i mean, that is one sure fire way to make Denmark go the way of the Japanese low birth rate, only without waifus. I live in Chile and do not watch news so i don't catch up with current events.

[@cjszero01]

@@phoenixdouchebag904 It's something I've found here on youtube. I've heard that South Korea's birth rate is so low that they might be doing mandatory dating. Yikes.

[@michaelhockaday7426]

This is a great game but i find there is a noticable dip in quality after Level 8, Shifting Sand Land. I find the game is almost top notch until Level 9. I dont know what it is exactly, but there is a dip in quality...with a couple exceptions. Tiny Huge Island, Rainbow Ride, and Tick Tock Clock are all great levels but those 3 are the only ones from the 2nd half of the game that stand out. The rest are just meh. But like I said, the first half of the game is all top notch with Lethal Lava Land being my favorite level in the game.

[@christheleavittman7080]

Not sure if I get the Denmark joke.

[@cjszero01]

Not a lot of people will. It's uhh... very dark. Let's just say, Denmark is practically begging its men to go back to the dating scene and there are reasons why they won't.

[@isaacweston6066]

30:18 What's this joke about? Denmark seems like a pretty chill place to me.

[@calebruggeri6357]

Denmark has a law that effectively makes it illegal for men to date because of how strict their sexual harassment laws are. It’s a running joke in the discord server

[@isaacweston6066]

@@calebruggeri6357 Which law is that? I tried to research it, but I didn't find anything that seemed unreasonable.

[@LukeAritie]

do you hsve a discord ive been watching for years

[@cjszero01]

I have a discord, but because of some issues we've had with certain people, invites are hard to give out. I also won't accept friend invites there now unless I've known the person for a while, sorry. Best chance right now is to talk to me here or on Twitch.

[@DeathWishBoi666]

I like the review. But the raspy voice makes me clear my throat every 5 seconds and its generally not a nice stylistic choice which makes it hard for me to listen to it. Because the human throat is conditioned to mimic what it hears. Like when someone is talking to you with a raspy voice you get the sensation of having that slime in your throat as well... But that could also just be me...

[@cjszero01]

That's just you.

[@toonzach2870]

Speaking of all the games it inspired, just a reminder that Kingdom Hearts would have never existed without Super Mario 64. I'm writing this comment while watching the start of the video and hoping to God you don't mention this fun fact later and I feel like an idiot later.

[@cjszero01]

I almost brought it up, but I wasn't too clear on the story and decided to leave it out for the sake of simplicity. I think the story was that Square Enix wanted to make a game that would rival Mario in popularity and they said the only character that could do that would be Mickey. And then a fateful elevator ride took place.

[@toonzach2870]

@@cjszero01 Spot on!

[@unclepaul1995]

One Dislike Because it Too Hard.

[@spongehead93]

bruh what you got against Denmark

[@cjszero01]

Look up the video from RagingGoldenEagle: Denmark begs it's men to come back to the dating pool.

[@spongehead93]

@@cjszero01 “… But that was before wokeness and feminism took root!” Lol, for sure dude. Keep telling yourself you’re a victim

[@cjszero01]

@@spongehead93 As far as I'm concerned, they did it to themselves. And now they have to pay for it.

[@tvirus9369]

Sorry thought it read time simps lol

[@sstteev]

2:40 *gay bowser

[@calebruggeri6357]

First

[@calebruggeri6357]

Sorry CJ had to