Super Mario 64: Save the Princess. Save the Kingdom. In 3D.

This game starts off, as many Mario games do, with a letter from Peach:
Dear Mario,
Please come to the castle. I've baked a cake for you. Yours truly -- Princess Toadstool, Peach
The letter is read aloud by the Princess herself.
Lakitu, dangling a camera from its fishing pole, goes over the castle grounds. A large green warp pipe comes out of the ground and Mario jumps out of it.
Lakitu says- Ciao! You've reached Princess Toadstool's castle via a warp pipe. Using the controller is a piece of cake. Press A to jump and B to attack. Press B to reach signs, too. Use the Control Stick in the center of the controller to move Mario around. Now, head for the castle.
Mario walks over the bridge to the castle. Lakitu appears in front of Mario, saying "Good afternoon. The Lakitu Bros. here, reporting live from just outside the Princess's castle. Mario has just arrived on the scene, and we'll be filming the action live as he enters the casle and pursues the missing Power Stars. As seasoned cameramen, we'll be shooting from the recommended angle, but you can change the camera angle by pressing the C Buttons. If we can't adjust the view any further, we'll buzz. To take a look at the surroundings, stop and press C Up. Press A to resume play. Switch camera modes with the R Button. Signs along the way. will review these instructions. For now, reporting live, this has been the Lakitu Bros.
Hey, wait! No one said anything about missing Power Stars! What's going on here? The only way to find out is to go through the door. We hear Bowser's laugh.
Welcome. No one's home. Now scram-- and don't come back! Gwahaha!
Well, we know Bowser's behind whatever's going on here. Nearby, Toad appears and says "Am I glad to see you! The Princess...and I...and, well, everybody...we're all trapped inside the castle walls. Bowsers has stolen the castle's Stars, and he's using their power to create his own world in the paintings and wall. Please recover the Power Stars! As you find them, you can use their power to open the doors that Bowser has sealed. There are 4 rooms on the first floor. Start in the one with with the painting of Bob-omb inside. It's the only room that Bowser hasn't sealed. When you collect 8 Power Stars, you'll be able to open the door with the big star. The Princess must be inside!
Well, we have our mission. Mario must save the Princess once again. This time, we actually get to see the inside of the castle, which has it's own music. This is the first 3D Mario, the start of a game design that brought us Super Mario Sunshine, and the Super Mario Galaxies. This is a mission-based game, so I will blog for each mission, like I did for Super Mario Galaxy 2. Let's go get some Stars!