The mid-1990s were a hinge point in video game history: advances in hardware had at long last made the possibility of fully-rendered and textured 3D games no longer a far-off dream, but the inevitable near future. Though earlier 3D games existed, they had a very primitive appearance and developers had not quite figured out how to control a character in 3D space, with most early examples being incredibly awkward and clunky. Despite the shortcomings of earlier 3D games, in the constant video games arms race of family room dominance, it was clear that 3D was the future. It’s no surprise that for the successors to the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, console makers Nintendo, Sega and newcomer Sony all opted for powerful consoles with 3D rendering capabilities to explore an entirely new dimension of movement and possibility. This big leap would not be without its growing pains; for the existing roster of iconic video game characters, the transition from two dimensions to three would prove an extraordinarily daunting task, but no one among them handled that jump with as much grace and aplomb as Nintendo’s Mario. First conceived of by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto in 1993, Super Mario 64 is widely regarded as one of the most significant video games in history, and not without reason: Mario’s movement was fluid and responsive, the camera was (for the most part) agreeable and manipulatable, and the bright, vibrant colors of the Mushroom Kingdom translated beautifully into 3D. While others leveraged the advantages of working in a 3D space to achieve greater realism, Super Mario 64 launched itself even further into the colorful, the whimsical and the fantastical, filling out the world of the Mushroom Kingdom and expanding the mythology, cleverly utilizing paintings as portals into diverse worlds that served as an exquisite exhibition of the breadth and capability of 3D environments of all types. It’s hard to overstate the triumph of Super Mario 64, a landmark game that dramatically raised the bar for all 3D games thereafter. This particular example has been WATA graded 9.4 with an A+ seal, housed in a WATA Legacy case. It has the “Player’s Choice Million Seller” emblem in the top-right corner on the front of the box and a pixelated “E” ESRB rating logo, both indicating a later printing, as the ESRB did not adopt the “E” rating until 1998. The box itself is in wonderful condition, with only a 3/4” light diagonal crease from the bottom-right corner of the box front, a 1/2” crease about 2” from the bottom on the right edge of the box front, and multiple very thin and light surface scratches, which are only visible under direct light. The V-overlap seam plastic seal is in excellent condition, with what is believed to be a very small hole at the top edge of the box front, just above where the left wing on Mario’s hat ends. All other holes in the plastic appear to be as-made, and the surface of the plastic otherwise displays minimal dirt or wear. This is an extremely important title in rare and extraordinary condition, one that would be an excellent addition to any video game collection! Condition: (9.4). Dimensions: 10" x 7 - 1/4" x 2 - 1/4".