10 Greatest Programming Milestones In Gaming History

3. Super Mario 64

Gaming's jump from 2D to 3D wasn't at all smooth. Early 3D games certainly looked nice (well, at the time anyway) but a lot of them didn't feel right to play. The controls were always clunky due to a lack of analog control and cameras seldom gave the player the viewpoint they needed. Super Mario 64 butt-stomped these design issues into oblivion. The Nintendo 64's analog stick proved to be a vital tool for controlling everyone's favourite moustached plumber - pushing it forwards a little bit would cause Mario to walk, pushing it all the way and he'd run urgently almost as if he was about to suffer an unexpected bowel movement. The camera wasn't perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than in any other games that were around at the time. By using the four C buttons, players could rotate it to their liking. Suddenly, after playing Super Mario 64 the weird-as-hell design of the Nintendo 64's controller started to make at least a bit of sense. Looking back, it's amazing to see how many things Shigeru Miyamoto and his team got right with their first attempt at a 3D platformer. The physics of controlling Mario were coded to perfection, somehow making the game feel just as wonderful to play as his previous 2D adventures.