A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
Moonshroom - 09-17-2019
When I was a kid, the N64 was a HUGE deal, so much so that the Saturn and PlayStation WISHED they had the kind of press and pull the Nintendo machine had, yet it commanded such beastly prices that no-one I have ever known owned it, making it the coolest thing no-one ever saw.
This put the console in downright weird territory for me, because the gaming press just wouldn't shut up about how great this thing was, but there simply was no confirming it.
Fast-forward a couple of years, add in the advent of ROM sites and the internet in general, and factor in me finally getting to try the titles that were praised so much back in the day... just to have me being incredibly underwhelmed by the whole affair.
This isn't exclusively due to the games being bad or uninteresting to me, but also because Nintendo 64 emulation has become notorious for being terrible (which is kind of hilarious, looking back), so a good chunk of games I'd have otherwise been interested in have become unavailable to me. Please keep that in mind as you scroll through here, but I must say... when the Atari Jaguar enjoys a better afterlife than your cutting-edge console of the future, you have really messed up.
But even if that wasn't a thing, I did have a tough time getting used to the console's control scheme... it felt alien to me in a way that no other system could accomplish. I could never find a proper grip nor design a scheme --physical or emulated-- that would feel natural and comfortable to me. This has become a common complain amongst gamers who didn't grow up with the system and all I can say to that is that these are legit complains to have, not just jabs at an already punished console.
Below I'll add a list of N64 games I have tried over the years, as well as my experience with them, and if I would have liked them as a kid. I will also add a little summary detailing any technical difficulties I might have encountered during my playing sessions. These are in no way intended --nor should be read-- as game reviews, but sort of serve as a backlog of games I was at one point interested in and tried my best to give a fair chance to.
Most of these games have been tried using the controversial
Project 64 emulator for Windows (although some were also tried on
N64Droid for testing purposes).
007 Golden Eye: While I did run into some issues with both emulators while playing this game, I can honestly say that I had a really good time with it. This is one has become one of the flagships for the system and I can see why.
There's some solid gameplay in here, and this was top of the line by the time it came out. Highly recommend giving it a try.
And yes, I would have loved it as a kid.
Banjo-Kazooie: This one remains the sole N64 game I have played to completion and I'm incredibly glad I did so. The gaming press was literally in bed with this title, so getting to play it felt like scratching something off a bucket list.
I had a ton of fun with it, it behaved much better than I'd have expected from a full-3D game of this era on a flaky emulator and I can honestly say it was quite a fun-filled ride.
Needless to say, I'd have loved it as a kid. Another high recommendation on this one.
Banjo-Tooie: This one started promising enough, but both emulators did a number on it and it became unplayable very soon, so I can't comment on it further. Such a shame.
Carmageddon 64: I'm a little on the verge about this one... it worked nicely, but it just wasn't grabbing me and it shut it off very soon. Probably would have liked it as a kid, but I cannot recommend it.
Castlevania/Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness: Both games played solidly on emulated hardware but none was grabbing me. The confusing camera angles and lack of music could more than the slick presentation and reliable performance. Likely wouldn't have liked them as a kid, so I can't recommend.
Conker's Bad Fur Day: *SIGHS* I know that this one is supposed to be up there with Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64 as one of the greatest releases for the system, but it emulated so poorly, I couldn't get past the title screen on either emulator. I'm unable to comment further.
Daikatana 64: I almost beat it out of morbid curiosity, but the game crashed on me during the final level. Not only that, but it neglected to tell me basic gameplay information and continously reminded me that the PC version was superior in any given way. It also suffered from major slowdowns. Boy, I'd have HATED this one as a kid.
Donkey Kong 64: Incredibly frustrating emulation that somewhat hid some solid gameplay behind it. If this was being played on actual hardware, I'd have gone nuts about it (especially as a kid). I recommend trying out.
Doom 64: I plays alright on Project 64, breaks down entirely on N64Droid. None version was that much fun to play and, while I appreciate the spin they put on it for this console release, I can't say I'm impresed. Still, I'd have liked it as a kid, so it gets a heavily-conditioned recommendation.
Forsaken 64: Here's the thing, I found it to be a very faithful port of the original PC version, but if I hadn't know the PC version, then I'd probably given it a hard pass. I doubt I'd have liked it as a kid, but I did enjoy my time with it here. Conditional recommendation.
Gex 64: I like Gex a lot, he is a good character but to me this is a case of the developers getting drunk on new-found 3D powers and forgetting how to make anything fun to play or interact with. I'd play any other version of Gex first, so I don't recommend.
Harvest Moon 64: Being a huge Harvest Moon fan, it pains me not to have liked this game. But the confusing controls, low-res graphics and just-slightly-too-long loading times made me realize that I have seen this one done much better elsewhere. I cannot recommend it, as I'd have liked it even less as a kid, but I recognize that there's merit in here.
Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time: While emulating the game was a pain, I can see why people like it so much. I found the action to be satisfying and the story to be engaging. Would have adored it as a kid, so it gets a recommendation.
Mario Tennis: I was having a great time with it, then it broke down on me. Cannot recommend because of this, but I suspect it'd be great on real hardware.
MegaMan 64: Talk about a surprise! I played it out of curiosity and found a hidden gem. I seriously enjoyed my time with this game and it behaved solidly enough for me to actually beat it while writting this thread (although, it almost pulled a Daikatana 64 by crashing during the final boss, but that was solved on reboot). Would have liked it tons tons as a kid, so here's a shiny recommendation.
Mortal Kombat Trilogy: Not a lot to say about this one, it plays really nicely, behaves accordingly and doesn't make me wish I was playing any other version instead. Would have loved it as a kid. Recommended.
Perfect Dark: I didn't play it enough to properly comment on it, but I did enjoy my time with it. I'd have likely liked it as a kid.
Pilotwings 64: I liked it alright and found it to be a fun, well-behaving game but I just wished I was playing the SNES version the whole time... that one is a lot slicker and much less confusing. Cannot recommend, despite liking it as a kid.
Pokemon Stadium 2: While emulation on this one is pretty abysmal at times, I find it to be a genious multiplayer game and it has become my most cherished one on the system. Extremely recommended, despite emulation shortcomings.
Polaris Snocross: Servciable, but a definitive downgrade from its PC and PlayStation counterparts. Not sure I'd have liked it as a kid.
Resident Evil 2: It's a fun game on its own right, but I cannot recommend it when the PlayStation version is a thing. Not sure I'd have liked it as a kid, either.
Starfox 64: Fun game, just not my thing. Likely would have liked it as a kid.
Star Wars - Rogue Squadron: Not even the title screen would load on emulators, so I cannot comment further.
Star Wars - Racer: While this is one is somewhat of a downgrade from the PC version (and the controls took a long time getting used to), I had a really fun time with this one and I'd definitely liked it as a kid. Recommended.
Super Smash Brothers: I'll be honest... I was expecting over-hyped garbage and found a really enjoyable multipĺayer game instead. Would have liked it as a kid, so I recommend it.
And that's my list.
What do you think, though? Did you have a Nintendo 64 growing up? Wished you had one? Do you own one now? Share with us!
RE: A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
JR - 09-17-2019
N64 is my second favorite. I think it did well compared to the PlayStation. It might’ve not beaten the unit sales compared to playstation but I think the N64 was successful. Lots of games I would wanna play on the console especially Super Mario 64!
RE: A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
Lurkerish Allsorts - 09-17-2019
What no Superman 64?
If you ever get a PC, Rouge Squadron was also a PC title (sadly only the first one). So you may want to check it out then
There is also a Doom64 port or something for PC.
RE: A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
Eremurus - 09-17-2019
GOAT console.
RE: A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
Jarkko - 09-17-2019
I had an N64 (I think it's still packed away somewhere here at my folks' place) and there were numerous games I tried on the system itself. I can say with some certainty that Star Wars: Rogue Squadron was really good. There were a number that weren't on your list that I played. (E) were only on emulator. BTW, which version of PJ64 did you use? (and btw, Daikatana is apparently considered one of the worst games ever made
)
- 1080 Snowboarding - fun fun fun!
- AeroFighters Assault (E) - meh.
- BattleTanx: Global Assault - meh.
- Blast Corps (E) - one of the release titles. Actually not bad, but can be frustrating.
- Bomberman 64 (E) - Quite good.
- Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (E) - I liked it. Play gets a bit repetitive.
- Buck Bumble (E) - decent, if a little over-advertised. Not top-flight by any means
- Cruis'n World - to say nothing of the fact that I SUCK at racing games, at least I can say this was somewhat well-made.
- Diddy Kong Racing (E) - word of advice: get Mario Kart 64 instead.
- Dr. Mario 64 (E) - nothing special: it's basically a 2-1/2D upgrade of the original Dr. Mario.
- Duke Nukem 64 (E) - a censored version of Duke Nukem 3D, and really not that good anyway.
- Duke Nukem: Zero Hour - a guilty pleasure of mine. Some of Duke's most overlooked one-liners happen in this game. "Pig nuts roasting... as I open fire!"
- Earthworm Jim 3D (E) - really not that good.
- ECW: Hardcore Revolution (E) - abomination. One of the worst wrestling games ever made. The controls are clunky and confusing.
- F1 World Grand Prix - yes, I suck at traditional racing games. Yes, I liked this one. The details they put into this one would really go over well with racing fans.
- F-Zero X (E) - as with traditional racing games, I couldn't really "git gud" at this one But it's not a bad game.
- FIFA 64 - pretty scuffed compared to future entries, with the only real upside being full licensing from FIFA for a number of national teams, the Premiership, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga, and Serie A. I did in fact own this game.
- FIFA '98: Road To The World Cup - a colossal improvement over its predecessor; full licensing for every national team in the world, a much-increased league base (added Spain, Scotland, the Netherlands, Malaysia (why? ), "USA" (which also included three Canadian teams), Brazil, and Sweden.) Owned this one as well.
- FIFA World Cup '98: For everything except teams and music, basically a carbon-copy of FIFA '98. Much narrower in its scope obviously.
- FIFA '99 (E): A scaled-back version of the PC game. Handles about the same as '98 but has extra features. Ditched Malaysia and added Portugal, plus a "Rest of Europe" division with teams who participated in Champions League, UEFA Cup (as it was then known), and Cup Winners' Cup (which was still around at the time). Solid soundtrack. Would have recommended.
- Goemon's Great Adventure: Didn't like this 2 1/2-D platformer quite as much as I did the first N64 Goemon game, but I still did like it. Basically, the third game released in NA of the Goemon series (Legend of the Mystical Ninja for SNES was the first one)
- Hybrid Heaven: In spite of clunky play control in the overworld and bad camera handling, I absolutely love this game. The story isn't the most original thing in the world - a race of genetically enhanced clones of alien origin threatening to take over the world - but the details are captivating nonetheless. The music and how it is incorporated is amazing - quite possibly the best music of any third-party N64 game. It is one of the few RPGs for the system, but it combines elements of RPG, action-adventure, and... wrestling! They could have taken the time to research the names of certain moves though.
- Jet Force Gemini: This Rare production (not published by Nintendo, but straight Rare) is one of the better third-person shooters for the N64. Granted they did give the female lead a bit of jiggle physics, IYKWIM.
- Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (E): pretty typical Kirby fare, only in 2 1/2D. The final boss fight is nightmare fuel.
- The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask: With its countless sidequests and sense of urgency, this game has just as much replay value as OOT, even if the world is a little smaller. Some aspects of the game are pure nightmare fuel though I still prefer OOT, but it's like... this game was my #2 favourite N64 game behind OOT (#1)! Owned this one and OOT.
- Mario Kart 64: Loved this game. Kart-style racing games are much easier for me to handle
- Mission: Impossible: Not great. Some of the dialogue was just plain corny.
- Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon: This is the game that introduced me to the real names of the characters in the series. (In the SNES game Goemon and Ebisumaru were localised as Kid Ying and Dr. Yang respectively.) But I really liked this game, which unlike its immediate sequel is in true 3D.
- Nagano Winter Olympics '98: Got hooked on this game. I especially liked the ski-jumping section.
- The New Tetris: SO addictive! I've played this many times on emulators, but I did actually first play it on cartridge.
- NFL Quarterback Club '98: I really liked the roster-editing and player-creation functions in this game. The gameplay was nothing too special, though. Actually owned this one.
- NHL Breakaway '98: I don't know why they scrapped the prospects and player coach functions in Breakaway '99. Breakaway '98 was actually a very involved game, and I enjoyed it. Owned this one.
- Nuclear Strike 64: Clunky, clunky, CLUNKY. Suffered from the same drawbacks as some of the Strike series games for SNES.
- Paper Mario (E): An interesting and rather compelling RPG. Would recommend this.
- PGA European Tour: Not bad for play control as golf games go. Lots of pros you can play as, or you can create your own.
- Quest 64 (E): BORING.
- Rainbow Six: A bit buggy when I played it on cartridge.
- Shadow Man (E): Trippy as blazes.
- Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth (E): I'm a shmup fan, so I rather liked this game. It's a bit cookie-cutter, but it's good fun.
- Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire: Love it. Was actually the first N64 game I owned.
- Super Mario 64: I can't believe you haven't played this one! It was the very first title made for the system, and it actually set the bar high in a number of areas, including play control and music integration.
- Tetrisphere (E): One of the most unique Tetris variants out there. You basically play Tetris in 3D in a sphere, and the object is to clear enough of the sphere away to release a trapped... thing ... in the middle. Love it.
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater: The beginning of a legend. It introduced me to skateboarding trick names.
- Turok: Dinosaur Hunter: My brother owned this and its immediate sequel. Kinda scuffed.
- Turok 2: Seeds of Evil: Probably my favourite in the series.
- Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion (E): The storyline wasn't as good, and I didn't see too much improvement in the graphics.
- Turok: Rage Wars (E): not my favourite game, either.
- Virtual Pool 64 (E): decent if you like pool.
- War Gods (E): Sucks.
- WCW Backstage Assault: VERY scuffed. Brother owned this one.
- WCW Mayhem: Not terrible. Had a good character creation system. I owned this one.
- WCW/nWo Revenge: The best of the WCW wrestling games for N64, with an intuitive and accurate combat system.
- WinBack: I didn't like this one - I actually found it quite frustrating.
- Wipeout 64 (E): Again, I suck at racing games. Tried this one because it had EDM artist Fluke in the soundtrack. It's a combat racing game, so you can blow your opponents up.
- The World Is Not Enough 007: Not quite as iconic as Goldeneye, probably because overall, it's more gadgets-driven than the same. Has a really good multiplayer. A pain in the butt to emulate. Brother owned it, I think.
- WWF Wrestlemania 2000: I'd go so far as to call this game (which I owned) the best wrestling game for the N64. It's from the same company that made WCW/nWo Revenge (which btw forced WCW to go to EA to make their games), and took all the stuff that make that game great and added character creation, a crapton of new moves, and a career mode with actual storylines.
- Yoshi's Story: Holy CRAP was this game annoying! Not only were you not allowed to complete every stage in a level (which drives completionists like me crazy), but the Yoshis' singing is enough to make me want to headdesk with the frequency of a kick drum in a grindcore track! x_X
RE: A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
Moonshroom - 09-17-2019
I used version 1.6 of PJ64... the last "clean" one.
RE: A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
Jarkko - 09-17-2019
2.4 actually works pretty well. arcadeOX on RetroUprising uses 2.0, which is a little janky.
In any case, yeah, the above games are the ones I've played that
aren't on your list. I've played maybe two-thirds of the ones that are. Only one I personally owned was Ocarina of Time. My brother had Star Wars Ep I Racer and Goldeneye 007, and I think the original Pokemon Stadium, which I never played because I can't stand Pokemon
, dad owned Perfect Dark, and DK64
RE: A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
Moonshroom - 09-17-2019
Be careful, dude. Tons of people have said that the new team behind PJ64 started adding malware to it starting 1.7 or so.
RE: A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
Jarkko - 09-17-2019
(09-17-2019, 10:29 PM)Dust Bowl Wrote: Be careful, dude. Tons of people have said that the new team behind PJ64 started adding malware to it starting 1.7 or so.
Says that here:
http://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Project64#Malware_and_nagware
But also that they got rid of it for 2.3. It was in the installer, apparently.
RE: A Nintendo 64 retrospective -
Moonshroom - 09-17-2019
Not sure I trust them any longer, though.