Looking through some of my past registered games on Nintendo’s web site, I figured – why not post my thoughts about some of my favorites and not so favorite purchases?  Today I’ll tell you about a game that probably needs no introduction, Super Mario 64.  Back in the day, I could play this game for hours and hours on end.  So, I figured – why not relive a part of my childhood and pick it up on the Wii’s Virtual Console?

The story is simple, you are Mario – Princess Peach has been kidnapped, and you have to beat the snot out of Bowser. Why mess with a formula that works?

Everything I loved and hated about this game is still there.  Of course, you never remember the things you hated until you play it again, so let me start there.  I hate the “collect the hidden 6 red coin” challenge.  Doesn’t Mario have anything better to do than to look for oddly colored coins?  Makes me feel more like he has got Attention Deficit Disorder rather than being an Italian man on a mission.

Now that I have that out of the way, the rest of the game is still pretty fun to play.  You get to go free roaming over a number of different stages, complete all the missions you need to until you can fight Bowser.

Get stuck?  There are a number of walkthroughs online that should help you get back on track.

Between the classic controller and the GameCube controller, I liked using the classic controller more.  Either one will work though.  Overall, I would highly recommend purchasing Super Mario 64 if you are looking for a new Wii Virtual Console game this weekend.