Similarly, you may ask, why is Super Mario 64 so popular?
Super Mario 64 is such an important 3D game because it was the first that was a joy to control. It was the first 3D game that actually felt as good to play as a 2D game, where the basics of movement had been established and iterated upon for decades.
Subsequently, question is, was the Nintendo 64 a failure? N64 lost a lot of their third party support due to the expensive and restrictive cartridge format and have never truly gained it back in any system since. It was far from a failure though and enjoyed a fairly comfortable second place sales wise.
Regarding this, does Mario 64 hold up?
While some of its flaws are more noticeable today, Super Mario 64 still holds up. It's all down to the game's overriding sense of freedom.
How Super Mario 64 changed gaming?
Personality Through MovementMore so than in his older 2D games, Mario comes to life with his shouts of joy during a somersault or exclamations of fear as he's knocked back by some enemy. Super Mario 64 turns its star into this living cartoon character who is more real than any mascot before.
