Absolutely recommend Mario 64. I am of the age and fortunate enough to have the means to have played the flagship Mario game on nearly all of the Nintendos (starting with the NES), and my mind was blown regularly with the leap to SM64 easily being the biggest.
replyThey're very different games. I'd play 64 first simply because it's a landmark in gaming history, but Paper Mario is one of my favorite games ever.
replySM64 is an absolute masterpiece. It controls right, movement is simple and smooth, environments are varied. It's a totally ageless game.
replyPaper Mario is different and suffers more from being the first of its kind. If you're more into RPGs would be a better pick, but overall still a great game.
You have happier memories of the camera system than I do. The game is amazing, but "masterpiece" is a bridge too far for me given how many times the camera caused me to mess up.
replyWould highly recommend it! The developers spent a ton of time on the movement, making Mario feel snappy and incredibly satisfying to navigate the worlds and maps. The levels might feel a little easy at first, but it gets increasingly complicated and more difficult as the game progresses (I still as an adult have a hard time with Tick Tock Clock).
replyGiven the focus on mechanics, the game holds up super well. I'm genuinely impressed they were able to build such a good first ever 3d platformer!