109 Stars! 11 to Go!

Thank you. Thank you to everyone who made me feel awful for giving on up Mario 64. Your belittlement and bullying steeled my resolve to finish this game for real - with 120 stars stuffed in the pockets of my blue overalls.

I realized I needed to slow it down. I needed to get over the fact that Mario 64 doesn't control like Mario Galaxy, no matter how much I wanted it to. I got used to the camera, made peace with the controls, and have a standing gentleman's agreement with the bottomless pits.

In the past week, I have gone back and collected the stars which I thought I would never get. I have stopped using Youtube walkthroughs altogether, and have found myself really enjoying playing this mid-90s masterpiece.

Rainbow Ride/Bottomless Pit Town

Of the 11 stars I have left to get, I need:

- Four from Tick Tock Clock
- Five from Rainbow Ride
- The one from the secret flying Stage on the Top floor of the castle
- The one from collecting the eight red coins in the last Bowser level.

I'm fearing for my life (and the life of my controller) for the 100 coin star in Rainbow ride. The entire world is one huge bottomless pit. But, as stated before, me and the bottomless pits have reached a gentleman's agreement.

I'm excited to finish this. I'm so happy I didn't give up on it. Thanks, jerks.