Neiteio said:The Bowser fights in SM64 are the best, imo, and I'm no nostalgic defender of the game.
It's a combination of the awesome music (sadly forgotten since then), the thunderous thud-thud-thud of Bowser's footsteps, the sheer size of him compared to Mario -- it's truly a case of slaying the dragon! -- and the David-vs-Goliath-ness of swinging the fell beast by his tail -- an ICONIC tactic, plain and simple -- and launching him off the platform... only for the camera to angle up so you can see the bastard leaping back for more.
In the later stages he starts warping around and chasing you T-Rex-style, which never gets old (nor does side-flipping over him!). And in the second Bowser battle, the one in the lava world, when he jumps back onstage he tips the whole arena vertically, sending you careening toward the flames. Simply amazing...
Finally, the Goth'd-out trippiness of the last encounter, complete with a WTF-is-this-Dracula-in-Castlevania organ theme, made for a sense of FINALITY unrivaled since. Even the epic music of SMG1's final Bowser battle was undermined by the colorful plasticity of the setting. Whereas SM64's finale was made from the stuff of nightmares, rainbow hues on a canvas of pure unmitigated darkness...
So awesome.
Yeah I agree the fight is awesome but it's probably the easiest of the 3D bowser fights. In the first two rounds you only have to hurt him once and the third time it only goes up to three. With the exception of the second fight you can pretty much grab him and throw him without him even getting one attack in. It still cool but really it was much better back in the day.