That it is so playable today still speaks volumes on how near-perfect the game is, with its bold color palette and chunky level design holding up incredibly well today still. Bringing Mario into the 3D realm, Mario 64 had pinpoint-accurate control with the 64 pad’s mandatory analogue stick, and a wonderfully reimagined universe taking advantage of polygons over pixels. With 3D games still in their infancy, and full analogue control something of a pipe-dream and then-brand-new Nintendo 64 needing a flagship title, Super Mario 64 was a revelation.
The most important game on this list? Probably.
