N64 Nintendo 64

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

I never understood the U.S. cartridge design either. I think these enemies from the first level are cool, yeah, but as the centerpiece on the cart? Why? The Arwing is covered up by the age rating and N64 logo, for pete’s sake!
Also, a minor aside, these particular cartridges always seem to be in bad shape. My old cart was in poor shape, my current cart is a little rough… Star Fox 64 just gets mistreated!


Treat your foxes, folks! They’ll give you many hours of gaming fun if you do!

 

[fake-kun]

View attachment 66239
I never understood the U.S. cartridge design either. I think these enemies from the first level are cool, yeah, but as the centerpiece on the cart? Why? The Arwing is covered up by the age rating and N64 logo, for pete’s sake!
Also, a minor aside, these particular cartridges always seem to be in bad shape. My old cart was in poor shape, my current cart is a little rough… Star Fox 64 just gets mistreated!


Treat your foxes, folks! They’ll give you many hours of gaming fun if you do!

Here's a Japanese cartridge label for comparison:

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

Here's a Japanese cartridge label for comparison:

View attachment 66241

Genuinely so much better.

F-Zero X is another U.S. cartridge design either design I never understood. It’s a cool picture, looking at it now, but my copy back when was so faded that I could never quite make out what the picture was supposed to be. The Japanese cart, by comparison, is simple and effective.

F-Zero X, by the way, is a reason to own an N64 to this day. The game is MADE for the N64’s control stick (it has more stick travel) and the game is twitchy on other kinds of controllers.
I’ll also definitely inspire some ire by saying this, but I’ll say it anyway: this is the best F-Zero game to me. Pure perfection. One of my favorite Nintendo games.

 

[DanVzare]

My best N64 memory was playing Perfect Dark on an emulator with my mother.
We played a whole bunch of TimeSplitters in the past, but there's only so many times you can play those three games. Then years after we stopped playing together, I learnt that TimeSplitters was basically a spiritual successor to GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. And Perfect Dark had splitscreen co-op!

So I setup everything, and when we played it was so much fun! It was like playing a whole new TimeSplitters together. We finished the first four levels in quick succession, and then spent the rest of the day talking about it.

We then went onto playing through the rest of the game over the next few weeks, on easy, medium and hard. And even though the analog controls were really over-sensitive, and I initially had the options setup in the worst possible way, causing more lag than it should have. It was still a ton fun.

For that final boss on hard mode, I had my mother wait in the corridor so I could use her as a sort of second life, since I'm way waaaay better than her and because we had a lot of trouble with it back on medium (having restarted that level a lot).
And then, to my absolute shock, I managed to win that fight without being hit a single time. It was an epic way to finish off an epic game.

...

Then I tried GoldenEye, and it suuuuuuuuuuucked!
(I have since finished GoldenEye, and I stand by my initial impression. That game suuuuuuuuuucks.)

WHERE MY STAR WARS EPISODE 1 RACER FANS AT?!

(First game I had for this system. Play it on Dreamcast now, but I’ll never forget the sheer speed and fear of my first time playing on N64)

I'm right here!

The first time I played Star Wars Episode 1 Racer, it was on the PC.

But when I learnt about the splitscreen in the console ports, and considering Dreamcast emulation was still in its infancy, I used the N64 version.
The emulator screwed up the collision though, causing you to explode from touching the sides, regardless of angle or speed. But it was still awesome to play at the time.

 

[Esidemoken]

It was my first original console that I had and until a few years ago I still had it, although it is true that the storage capacity of the cartridges played against him I think it was a very good console, and its control except for the short durability of the stick is very good, it's amazing how many people still believe that you need to have a third arm to use the control.

 

[happymasksalesman]

Then I tried GoldenEye, and it suuuuuuuuuuucked!

.....I know what you mean....I finish it because multiplayer mode which I played with bots.....

 

[LaserMoose]

My initial exposure to N64 games came from Super Smash Bros Brawl's "Masterpiece" game trials, as I owned a Wii before an N64. As a kid, I remember being amazed at how cool Ocarina of Time's atmosphere was in those glorious 5 minutes.

The N64 and SNES are the two systems that I think I've played more using a form of emulation than any other. This includes Virtual Console, which was my most used feature on the Wii after I had learned of its existence.

The first-party library is sparse yet undeniably impactful, especially through the Mario and Zelda titles. F-Zero X, Goldeneye and Pokémon Stadium are also notable entries that I still enjoy to this day.

Plus, the system features some great music that is incredibly nostalgic to me, with special mention towards:

Factory Inspection - Kirby 64

 

[iamthemilkman]

I didn't get an N64 at launch. I was a PS1 kid who didn't get one until a few years later. My best friend, however, had an N64 and I'd play it all of the time at his house. I remember sleeping over and playing N64 games. Super Mario 64 was such a big one. "Dire, Dire Docks" will forever be stuck in my head because of those late nights we spent playing Super Mario 64.

 

[QuestForTori]

Randomly stumbling into Mario Artist: Polygon Studio one day while messing around with 64DD cartridge conversions on my Everdrive was the first time since I was a kid that I felt truly wonderstruck by a game. None of us knew about the Experimental World part of the game, and it was back when almost no one had seriously reported on it in the anglosphere of the internet, so we all just sat there in awe like we were kids playing an N64 for the first time <3

 

[ciro64]

My gaming personality revolves around the N64. I think it has the best games of their respective franchises and my favorite aesthetic style to this day. It's not the low poly or the low res textures, it's rather what those limitations inspired.

Randomly stumbling into Mario Artist: Polygon Studio one day while messing around with 64DD cartridge conversions on my Everdrive was the first time since I was a kid that I felt truly wonderstruck by a game. None of us knew about the Experimental World part of the game, and it was back when almost no one had seriously reported on it in the anglosphere of the internet, so we all just sat there in awe like we were kids playing an N64 for the first time <3

It isn't just a piece of software, it's something alive with feelings.

I find mindblowing that there's a official 3D modeller for the N64, I should try on my flashcart someday.

 

[MemeAlert]

It’s more than the sum of its parts. From the soundtrack and the atmosphere and the impressive cinematic cutscenes for the time, I’m so impressed it was made on the n64

Yea for its time but even then all that doesn't excused how simplistic it is.

 

[ciro64]

How does a simple game like Ocarina of Time blows you away?

Yea for its time but even then all that doesn't excused how simplistic it is.

In my taste, it has the most balanced game design of all 3D Zeldas, or any 3D role-playing fantasy game for that matter.

The overworld has multiple places where you can explore from the get go, without being overwhelmed by giant spaces with nothing on it, or having to resort to a minimap or objective markers. Each item you gain feels important and widens that exploration by experimenting with them. Sidequests feel unique and rewarding too.

Controlling link is satisfying and snappy, and so is attacking animations and the combat. The game aims for action and simplicity rather than having to manage attributes, but does that very well. It just feels good. Also like my previous post said, N64 aesthetic is my favorite and this game makes good use of it.

It's hard to condense everything great about this game in a simple post and it is subjective at the end of the day, but this game is no small feat.

I will admit it does fall flat in a few places when compared to modern games. But I still hold it in a pedestal anyway because no modern game bothered to use this one as a framework.

 

[Tonberry]

When I was a kid I'm fairly certain I never ever played any character other than Link in the original Super Smash Bros, even though we played for like a trillion hours at a friend's house, because when I got it for my own on the Wii Virtual Console, it was as if I didn't know a single character's moveset and it felt like a totally alien game to me.

 

[GardeniaSky]

View attachment 66238

Star Fox 64 is still the peak Star Fox and I won't hear any arguments to the contrary.

I still replay this game fairly often. Got a couple hours or 40 minutes to kill? Play some damn Star Fox.

 

[RanmyakuIchi's iconRanmyakuIchi]

It'll always have a special place for me. Star Fox 64 was a big part of my early childhood, and the Hoth sequence from Shadows of the Empire was my first experience with a 3D polygonal game.

 

[MemeAlert]

In my taste, it has the most balanced game design of all 3D Zeldas, or any 3D role-playing fantasy game for that matter.

The overworld has multiple places where you can explore from the get go, without being overwhelmed by giant spaces with nothing on it, or having to resort to a minimap or objective markers. Each item you gain feels important and widens that exploration by experimenting with them. Sidequests feel unique and rewarding too.

Controlling link is satisfying and snappy, and so is attacking animations and the combat. The game aims for action and simplicity rather than having to manage attributes, but does that very well. It just feels good. Also like my previous post said, N64 aesthetic is my favorite and this game makes good use of it.

It's hard to condense everything great about this game in a simple post and it is subjective at the end of the day, but this game is no small feat.

I will admit it does fall flat in a few places when compared to modern games. But I still hold it in a pedestal anyway because no modern game bothered to use this one as a framework.

Yea to the people who can't handle hard things it is "good". Ocarina of Time problem is its too simple for its own good like for example its combat. You can one shot most enemies even when you know the spacing with Jump Attacks, battles becomes a joke. Even with the Ganon fight you can either shoot Light Arrows at his face and Jump Attack or roll under him and Jump Attack. Hes the big bad of the game and his boss fight is the equivalent of shampooing your hair? I just turn off the game and not watch the credits because its not worth it, might as well play something enjoyable like Banjo Kazooie. Ocarina of Time is just a bland version of A Link to the Past with busy work and the only reason people say its a "great" game is because of the THEATRICS and its easier than the previous Zelda games. You can't substitute substnace with theatrics.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

Yea to the people who can't handle hard things it is "good". Ocarina of Time problem is its too simple for its own good like for example its combat. You can one shot most enemies even when you know the spacing with Jump Attacks, battles becomes a joke. Even with the Ganon fight you can either shoot Light Arrows at his face and Jump Attack or roll under him and Jump Attack. Hes the big bad of the game and his boss fight is the equivalent of shampooing your hair? I just turn off the game and not watch the credits because its not worth it, might as well play something enjoyable like Banjo Kazooie. Ocarina of Time is just a bland version of A Link to the Past with busy work and the only reason people say its a "great" game is because of the THEATRICS and its easier than the previous Zelda games. You can't substitute substnace with theatrics.

My issue wasn’t any of that. I enjoyed the combat. My issue with the combat was that there was two “modes”: the lock on and the normal movement, and these two modes actually are quite different and have no flow between the two.


But, the issue that made the game one of the “ones that got away” for me was that navigation was a chore and I just… didn’t care about the world. It was simply a game that was not to my tastes. Not poorly designed, not badly conceived, just not for me. And I’m fine with that! I still love seeing the love that people have for the game! The art that comes out of what this game inspires is phenomenal.

 

[Viviana Santos]

The Nintendo 64 is a great console, it's not my favorite Nintendo console overall, I'm more of a fan of the GameCube and the Wii, but the first-party and second-party games exclusive to the Nintendo 64 are great, Majora's Mask is by far one of the best games ever made (I think it's better than Ocarina of Time) and the games developed by Rare on this console are in general excellent (with the exception of DK64 which is a decent but flawed game and Mickey's Speedway USA which is a decent racing game but worse compared to Diddy Kong Racing, I also never played GoldenEye, so I can't judge it).

---

The N64 also had other great games such as Super Mario 64, Paper Mario, the Turok series, Mischief Makers, Sin and Punishment, Kirby 64, Star Fox 64, Wonder Project J2 and many other games I haven't mentioned.

---

Unfortunately, I never really liked the N64 controller. I tried it once and found it very uncomfortable to use, and the Nintendo 64's third-party support in general was very poor (the Sega Saturn, even though it sold much worse than the PS1 and N64, still had much better third-party support than the N64; unfortunately, many of these third-party Sega Saturn games were exclusive to Japan).

 

[Tonberry]

(with the exception of DK64 which is a decent but flawed game

I recently replayed it (or like a third of it at least) with the Tag Anywhere mod, and it almost completely fixes the game.
It's insane how much more fun it becomes just from that change alone.

 

[MemeAlert]

My issue wasn’t any of that. I enjoyed the combat. My issue with the combat was that there was two “modes”: the lock on and the normal movement, and these two modes actually are quite different and have no flow between the two.


But, the issue that made the game one of the “ones that got away” for me was that navigation was a chore and I just… didn’t care about the world. It was simply a game that was not to my tastes. Not poorly designed, not badly conceived, just not for me. And I’m fine with that! I still love seeing the love that people have for the game! The art that comes out of what this game inspires is phenomenal.

Is it a bad game or not? Because when I say Ocarina of Time isn't that great I'm talking about the game itself not the outside influence it made.

 

[Tonberry]

Is it a bad game or not? Because when I say Ocarina of Time isn't that great I'm talking about the game itself not the outside influence it made.

I mean it's subjective for everyone and down to individual tastes, and you can like a game while claiming it's bad, and vice versa.

 

[ciro64]

Yea to the people who can't handle hard things it is "good". Ocarina of Time problem is its too simple for its own good like for example its combat. You can one shot most enemies even when you know the spacing with Jump Attacks, battles becomes a joke. Even with the Ganon fight you can either shoot Light Arrows at his face and Jump Attack or roll under him and Jump Attack. Hes the big bad of the game and his boss fight is the equivalent of shampooing your hair? I just turn off the game and not watch the credits because its not worth it, might as well play something enjoyable like Banjo Kazooie. Ocarina of Time is just a bland version of A Link to the Past with busy work and the only reason people say its a "great" game is because of the THEATRICS and its easier than the previous Zelda games. You can't substitute substnace with theatrics.

Your criticism on the combat being too easy and trivial is valid and if that's a deal breaker I understand. Also I wish I could play a harder Ocarina of Time too.

Granted, I don't play this game expecting a lot of emphasis on combat, but I'd rather have something that's simple and theatrical that doesn't get in the way, than a more complex but also faulty or (subjectively) boring combat system. That's the reason why I prefer the combat in this game over BotW or TotK for example.

What games have the kind of combat you like? (not necessarily from the Zelda franchise)

 

[Viviana Santos]

Is it a bad game or not? Because when I say Ocarina of Time isn't that great I'm talking about the game itself not the outside influence it made.

What are your opinions on the other 3D Zelda games?

 

[MemeAlert]

Your criticism on the combat being too easy and trivial is valid and if that's a deal breaker I understand. Also I wish I could play a harder Ocarina of Time too.

Granted, I don't play this game expecting a lot of emphasis on combat, but I'd rather have something that's simple and theatrical that doesn't get in the way, than a more complex but also faulty or (subjectively) boring combat system. That's the reason why I prefer the combat in this game over BotW or TotK for example.

What games have the kind of combat you like? (not necessarily from the Zelda franchise)

Kingdom Hearts, also seeing they bother allowing you to tilt the control stick to do different slashes I would think they put emphasis on combat.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

Is it a bad game or not? Because when I say Ocarina of Time isn't that great I'm talking about the game itself not the outside influence it made.

It’s not a bad game! You can see for yourself from even just a GLANCE that it’s a game people enjoy and tend to agree on quality for, even after all these years.

Yes, it has been surpassed. But also: no other game is Ocarina of Time. No other game has THOSE VIBES with THOSE CHARACTERS in THAT WORLD with THAT GAMEPLAY. We’re retro enthusiasts. Of course the games we love have newer “better” versions most of the time, but that’s never stopped the art form.


Is an old movie bad because it’s old? Is an old movie bad because it’s not for you?
No. Not necessarily. Ocarina of Time is a great game, one of the strongest adventure games of the period… but it’s not for me. And that’s okay. It doesn’t NEED me. It has plenty of adoring fans already and I think that’s awesome! I wish my favorite games had even a FRACTION of the love and respect Ocarina has, but I’m not jealous, I’m just proud for the people who love it.

The only question that matters with any game is “do you like it or not”?

And you are allowed to feel any way you want on any game you play. That’s the nature of opinion.

Post automatically merged: Wednesday at 1:59 AM

More on topic, are there any N64 games you’ve been meaning to play but you just haven’t gotten to yet? I can think of a few for me…

Post automatically merged: Wednesday at 2:02 AM

View attachment 66358
When I was a kid I'm fairly certain I never ever played any character other than Link in the original Super Smash Bros, even though we played for like a trillion hours at a friend's house, because when I got it for my own on the Wii Virtual Console, it was as if I didn't know a single character's moveset and it felt like a totally alien game to me.

I ADORE the art from Smash 64. One of my favorite carts that I own for any system is the Japanese copy of Super Smash Bros.