Super Mario 64Â is arguably one of Nintendo's most iconic games, and now the unofficial PC Port has received a patch raising the game's framerate to 60 FPS. Though controversial, this unofficial PC port has been able to accomplish some amazing things and there is certainly more to come.
For some background, Nintendo took legal action against this Super Mario 64 PC port in the past, but it is still up and going strong. The port itself is already impressive, bringing 4K resolution and ultra widescreen support, and it wasn't long before modders got to work improving the port even more.
Not only can players now play Super Mario 64 on PC, but they can also enjoy a host of mods which change the game, add new textures and models (like a modern Mario model), and more. The 60 FPS patch only stands to make things even better.
Regarding the morality and legality of this port, it is definitely in a grey area. On the one hand, this all clearly belongs to Nintendo, so no one should be able to use it without its permission. On the other hand, most fans would agree that fan made things such as this often have the potential to surpass what major studios tend to do. Some fans even feel as though Nintendo should hire these creators since they are clearly both dedicated and capable. Additionally, since the game is rather old, it is unlikely to directly affect Nintendo very heavily, unless it aims to release another official port of Super Mario 64.
That said, there are actually rumors of a series of Mario game remasters coming to celebrate the mustachioed plumber's 35th anniversary. If Super Mario 64 were to get a Switch port, for example, it would be interesting to see how it stacks up to this fan made PC version. Alongside the increased framerate, every one of the animations in the game have been adjusted to fit the new framerate. This no doubt took a monumental amount of work, which only further proves the immense dedication these creators have for this game.
Speedrunning is also a major part of the Super Mario 64 community, although this port is currently not allowed on the leaderboards of Speedrun.com. Moderators of the site have said that if the port gets an official complete release that they would consider adding it as a speedrunning option.
Super Mario 64Â is available now.