While the N64 was indeed underpowered - mostly due to its extremely limited texture cache size - it still represented what I’d describe to be my first true ‘prime time’ experience with 3D in terms of Super Mario 64.
I’d played stuff like Virtua Racing on my Genesis and Star Fox on the SNES, but without texture mapping, there still felt like an awful lot of compromise; moreso like how Atari 2600 games still required a lot of ‘imagination’ compared to even an NES.
My point is, I guess - that Super Mario 64 was the first ‘true’ 3D experience without any compromise I first played.
I get that it’s no ‘Metroid Prime’, and the low poly count and admittedly poor texture quality take away from the experience a bit, but it’s my first memory of a ‘true’ 3D game.
I’d played stuff like Virtua Racing on my Genesis and Star Fox on the SNES, but without texture mapping, there still felt like an awful lot of compromise; moreso like how Atari 2600 games still required a lot of ‘imagination’ compared to even an NES.
My point is, I guess - that Super Mario 64 was the first ‘true’ 3D experience without any compromise I first played.
I get that it’s no ‘Metroid Prime’, and the low poly count and admittedly poor texture quality take away from the experience a bit, but it’s my first memory of a ‘true’ 3D game.