This.

Plus, those open-world levels were dispersive. A lot of space to move around but not much meaningful things to do.

Mario64 is the best of non-linear 3D Mario.

I liked it a lot actually.

Back in the day Sunshine was my favourite Mario game. However after recently tracking down a copy, my second playthrough doesnt seem to have that same magic. Dont get me wrong its still fantastic, but we have been spoilt by modern Mario games running at 60fps and glitch free. Personally I think a HD remake of this game would elevate it to top tier Mario standards.

Yeah just youtubed it. I know I finished this game; I remember that volcano level, and things about the end cinematic and staff roll, but I can't for the life of me remember I ever fought that battle! Guess that says enough.

I wished I watched it without sound though, didn't need to be reminded of the terrible voice-acting lol. :-|

A good game but one of the worst 3D Mario. Not the worst though.

The most rewarding 3D Mario in the sense that if you master the controls and physics of the game, the game becomes a hundred times better, it's also very unique and has a personality all its own. My fave so far, but that could change once I get to replay Galaxy, who knows.

The opinion of SMS is very similar to WW. Anyone over say, 35, will tell you how both games were flops and pretty much ridiculed when they were released. Mario was mocked because of the water pack mechanic and WW was mocked for being too easy, kiddy and having too much sailing. Both were generally considered disappointments. But as the generations have moved forward, the kids of that era who were too young to compare Sunshine to SM64 and WW to OOT, think they're masterpieces. Since those kids are now 20 somethings with influence, history has been rewritten to make it seem like both games were said masterpieces.

Personally, I liked both games. I thought WW was good, but not great. I think OOT and MM were superior but I think WW was much better than TP. Sunshine was also a good game, but not great. I also liked it better than Galaxy because it actually used a real controller. The fact that waggle is ignored in Galaxy is insane imo. For me, it ruined what would have been the best 3D Mario since SM64.

I'm 26. I grew up with both Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time. Those games no doubt are titans in every aspect. But things evolve.. They are the most important games, they are the ones with the most impact. But they are old. Really old. :/ There are better games today, even if those games didnt create genres or changed how we play.

Agreed on the first paragraph. Part of the reason the Gamecube as a whole was so disappointing was that so many franchises that were epic and badass on N64 were neutered on GCN, like Mario, Zelda, and Starfox.

Disagreed on the last though; the "waggle" in Galaxy felt great, so I think it enhanced rather than detracted from the game.

Like every other 3D Mario game for me, is fantastic.

Not my favorite, and it lacks certain polish compared to rest, but it still a fantastic game.

The extra level of the lilypad that requires Yoshi to reach can die in a fire tho.