Mario's transition into 3D couldn't have been any better.
The story is your usual Mario affair. Bowser has kidnapped the princess, and once again, Mario needs to free her.
The paintings in the castle act as portals to the levels. Jump into a painting and you'll be warped to the level. Unfortunately, almost every door has been sealed with star power. You only have 1 choice of level to start with.
Each level has multiple stars hidden in them. You can generally get them in any order you want, but sometimes you need to complete all the previous ones first. Collecting new stars allows you to unlock new doors, which gives you access to more stars.
There are also some hidden stars in the castle, which aren't in any level. These aren't needed to complete the game, but they can allow you to skip some hard to find stars in the regular levels.
The levels are your standard Mario fanfare, with some nice, bright worlds, underground caverns, spooky haunted houses and some water-based levels. Each has its own destinctive theme, and is well worth exploring.
THe look of Super Mario 64 is great. This is an old game, but it still looks good. There is plenty of enemy variety, the worlds look good, and it is overall pleasing on the eyes.
The sound is excellent, too. There is alot of music in the game, ranging from original tunes to remixed classic music. THey will all keep you humming them for years after wards.
If there's anything bad to say about Super Mario 64, its the camera control. It can be frustrating to see exactly what you want. But this minor gripe shouldn't stop you from enjoying this great, classic game.