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The Super Mario 64 PC Port Nintendo Tried To Kill Just Got Even Better
The controversial PC port of Super Mario 64 just got even better thanks to fan-made mods that improve the experience in numerous ways. Super Mario 64 is widely praised as one of the greatest video games ever made, the most influential 3D platformer that forever changed the industry with its approach to fluid movement and (at the time) impressive visuals. To this day, it's still the golden standard against which other 3D platformers are judged. Simply put, Super Mario 64 is an all-time classic, and modders are further improving it even now.
Recently, the source code for the nearly 25-year-old game was leaked on the internet, leading to the release of an unofficial PC port of SPC port of Super Mario 64, running on DirectX 12. Rather than running via emulation like most retro games (including Mario 64's latest official release, via the Wii U Virtual Console), this version runs natively on PC hardware, and thus allows for more immediate and easier changes to the game's various visual settings. That includes more immediate support for mods, and the first wave of user-made packs have already been released to allow players to enjoy the old-school thrills of Super Mario 64 with a fresh coat of paint.
As reported by DSOGaming, a slew of fan mods have been released across the internet for the Super Mario 64 PC port. These mods include HD texture packs that boost the game's visual quality, an option to improve the draw distance on faraway objects, and an HD model for Mario himself more closely resembling his modern model, among other tweaks. Some of these result in subtle improvements, while others allow players to view Super Mario 64 in a whole new light.
Nintendo struck hard and fast when they cracked down on the illegal PC port of Super Mario 64. The ROM still exists for players who know where to look, but it's still technically illegal internet activity. When downloading anything from anywhere, users need to be vigilant in protecting their computers from viruses, so buyer beware.
Rumors have been circulating for a while now that Super Mario 64, as well as other 3D Mario titles, may be released in a Nintendo Switch collection before the end of 2020, possibly called Super Mario All-Stars 2. If this is true, then Super Mario 64 needs to be more than just a directly emulated port, like the Wii U Virtual Console version. With this unofficial PC release, the floodgates have opened to high-quality HD Mario 64 content that just can't be matched by comparatively primitive emulation. Hopefully, Nintendo's potential Switch version of the Nintendo 64 launch title will feature enough quality-of-life improvements to live up to the original and deliver the ultimate Super Mario 64 experience for generations to come.
