
To this day, bringing the question up is likely to spark quite a bit of debate among fans. Others argue that it's, in many ways, better than the original thanks to the improved graphics, new content, and vastly improved camera system.
Which is better: the 1996 original or the 2004 DS remake? Some argue that the remake falls short of the original, due to the lack of analog control note which, to be fair, is at least partially mitigated by playing on a 3DS and a character switching mechanic that reminds them of a certain other contested collect-a-thon game. A lot of fans tend to chew you out if you dare say the game "hasn't aged all that well" in any way, shape or form to this day. The latter basically finding later titles like Sunshine, Galaxy and Odyssey to be improvements in terms of control and level design. Has the game "aged well"? Not everybody can seem to make up their minds, some think the game is basically flawless, and that none of the later 3D Mario games have come close to its quality whereas others think it's started to show its age within the controls and level design. After the release (and, among fans, mixed reception) of Sunshine, the formula would not be revisited until Super Mario Odyssey, which was met with critical acclaim but also re-ignited these debates. Others say Nintendo should use 64 as the permanent design standard for 3D Mario games, seeing it as an improvement over the original linear games. Some consider the formula an archaic Pragmatic Adaptation of Mario note The focus on exploration likely stems from the inability of the N64 cartridge to hold a large amount of linear levels while considering games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World to be better translations of the franchise's roots to 3D.
While the game on its own is considered an all-time classic, there have been debates whether its focus on exploring large levels as opposed to linear platforming challenges make it a "true" Mario game.
Dire Dire Docks, despite having a gruesome 100-coin Star, has very chill objectives overall, with the only notable hazard being a whirlpool that's easily avoidable and only a real issue for the second star.