MARIO'S GREATEST ADVENTURE LAUNCHES NINTENDO 64
Industry Experts Hail Super Mario 64 as "Best Video Game of All Time"
REDMOND, Wash., September 29, 1996 -- He flies, he crawls, he does back-flip somersaults, he hangs from rafters, he climbs trees...he's Mario. The world's favorite plumber returns to redefine how video games will be played in his most revolutionary adventure ever -- Super Mario 64.
Nintendo 64, the most powerful home video game system ever produced, launches in the U.S. today at a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $199.95. Already named by many industry experts as "the best video game of all time,"
Super Mario 64 is now available for the system at a MSRP of $69.95.
Created by the world's most revered video game designer, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, Super Mario 64 showcases a Mario of extraordinary proportions. Combining legendary game play elements of the classic Super Mario Bros. series with spotless texture-mapped, instantly rendered graphics, the 64-megabit, game is a free-form 3-D adventure in a virtual world unlike anything ever seen or experienced in the history of the entertainment or video game industries.
"Taking advantage of the hardware-based graphics of Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64 is the perfect game to show-off the capabilities of our 64-bit hardware system," says Peter Main, Nintendo of America's executive vice president, sales and marketing. "A revolutionary system is nothing without a revolutionary game, and Mr. Miyamoto has created another masterpiece."
SUPER MARIO 64 GRAPHICS In addition to unprecedented speed, the look and feel of Super Mario 64's graphics are simply jaw-dropping. Brilliant shapes and colors begin with the opening screen, where players manipulate a computer-rendered face of Mario, and continue to the end of the game with the final defeat of Mario's arch-nemesis Bowser. Each character is made of seamless polygons, eliminating unrealistic gaps seen in 32-bit system characters. The graphics processing speed of the Nintendo 64 creates a smooth flow of visuals unequaled in the video game industry.
Players are immersed in the beautifully rendered backgrounds of Super Mario 64 as they battle 3-D enemies in realistic underwater explorations, haunted houses, snowy mountaintops and various other levels. These advancements in video game graphics are possible due to the proprietary 64-bit graphic technology inherent in Nintendo 64.
SUPER MARIO 64 SOUND For the first time ever, Mario has a voice. The opening title screen of Super Mario 64 greets players with "It's me, Mario!" Then, Mario grunts when he gets hit, emits different yelps of joy when he executes his multitude of moves, says "Here we go!" upon finding a star, and yawns and snores when he falls asleep.
Designed to create as realistic an environment as possible, each world has music and sound effects specifically scored for it, from the soothing New Age theme of the water worlds to the eerie and mysterious strains of the haunted mansion.
SUPER MARIO 64 GAME PLAY The story begins as Mario is invited to the Mushroom Castle by Princess Toadstool. Upon arrival, Mario finds that his arch-nemesis, Bowser, has kidnapped the princess and scattered the 120 Power Stars which protect the castle. Mario must journey through 15 vast worlds and numerous hidden areas located in and around the castle to find the stars which will help him defeat Bowser, rescue the princess and save the Mushroom Kingdom. The revolutionary Nintendo 64 controller, featuring an analog Control Stick, allows for full 360 degree movement of Mario in his new 3-D world. With the Control Stick, players have subtle maneuvering capabilities not possible with conventional controllers. A slight push on the Control Stick and Mario tip-toes; a full push and he runs. There are more than 30 different possible actions which Mario performs, from crawling to swimming to flying. Additionally, there are six different camera perspectives available for players to use during the game.
Graphics aside, the most legendary games are judged on their unique game play. With more than 100 hours of game play, Super Mario 64 features some of the most inventive and entertaining experiences, including hanging from and swinging across ceiling rafters, riding and controlling the movement of a big, blue, swimming dinosaur, climbing up the moving parts inside of a grandfather clock, power jumping onto the roof of a haunted mansion, and of course battling Bowser -- not once but three times.
Throughout each stage, there are red, green and blue colored blocks containing power-up caps that give Mario special abilities. The red wing cap makes Mario fly, the green cap morphs him into "metallic" Mario enabling him to walk under water, and the blue vanish cap makes him invisible, enabling him to walk through walls. Additional game play elements include: 1-Up mushrooms that grant an extra life, coins, stars, falling bridges, and warp zones. There are also hidden characters and secret surprises along the way.
ABOUT NINTENDO The Nintendo 64 system is a product of the worldwide joint development and license agreement combining Nintendo's expertise in video game development with Silicon Graphics Inc.'s (NYSE:SGI) renowned visual computing technologies as used to create special effects in numerous blockbuster motion pictures. Developed in partnership with SGI, the revolutionary Nintendo 64 system launched in Japan on June 23 where it sold more than one million units within the first ten weeks. Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan is the leader in the worldwide $15 billion retail video game industry. Nintendo and its international subsidiaries have sold more than one billion video games worldwide. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Washington, serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere, where more than 40 percent of American homes own a Nintendo System.
For more information about Super Mario 64, Nintendo 64, or any other Nintendo product, log on to Nintendo Power Source on America On-line (Keyword: NINTENDO) or Nintendo's World Wide Web site on the Internet (
HTTP://WWW.NINTENDO.COM
