It was a defining moment. You slapped Super Mario 64 into your brand-new N64 and the man himself smiled at you in glorious 3D, speaking his first words: "It's-a me! Mario!"

Considering nobody else had ever attempted to make a third-person, free roaming, 3D platformer before, it's amazing how Shigeru Miyamoto made the first into one of the best. These were uncharted waters, and Miyamoto eased players in by making unfamiliar camera controls into an easily understood part of the story. Franchise standards subtlety evolved into new standards. Finish lines: out. Retrieving Power Stars: in. Warp pipes gave way to hubs and puzzles. Huge levels encouraged exploration, then presented a variety of engaging tasks when you finally got down to business.

Despite all the changes, tight controls and the pure sense of joy punctuating every jump made this unmistakably a Mario game. One of the greatest. He'll never abandon his 2D roots, but Mario 64 brought a gaming icon to life like never before, and it remains an example by which all others are judged.