overcomes gameplay issues to become a fun and addictive game.
gameplay-the game's only real flaw. for one, it plays like mario on ice. it takes inertia to an extreme, which makes navigating small platforms a pain. this isn't helped by the camera. it's adjustable, but it jumps and you will often have to fight with it to get a good angle on a difficult jump or a narrow walkway. but these aspects become more tolerable as you get used to them.
graphics-while not the best on the n64, sm64's graphics fit the game quite nicely. the courses are colorful and attractive with enough diversity to keep them from getting stale. just remember that its from two generations ago.
sound-the music is also fitting and catchy enough, though it doesn't hold up as well as other games of that generation. and mario's voice gets annoying quickly (isn't he supposed to be from brooklyn). fortunately it's infrequent.
value-it may be a decade old, but if you never played it before what does it matter. its only ten bucks, its a lot of fun, it has a decent length and better replay value than most modern games that will set you back $60.
tilt-i may have been initially put off the primitive gameplay (one of the downsides of being innovative is that there are no forerunners to learn from) but i loved it nonetheless. i found myself ignoring my newer, more advanced games to play this 10 year old, 64 bit classic to completion, and then some.