Remember nintendo's arrogance during nintendo 64's release?

[Richter Belmount]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEcZtunL3yg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/smith0009/garfield-derp.jpg

[Hawksmoor]

I mostly remember two things about the N64 launch - the system being sold out everywhere and impossible to find, and the games being upwards of $80 at launch. I felt then, as I do now, that the unavailability of the system was a designed shortage and is a ploy Nintendo has become very fond of over the years

[retroman]

PilotWings and Mario 64 being the only games to choose from is something else I remember from the launch.

[buzz_n64]

Just like Michael Jordan, and other top athletes, I don't have a problem with arrogance if they can back it up, and they did. In 1996 and 1997, they were outselling, and outperforming all of their competition. Up until 1999, the N64 stood out for having the best graphics, 4 player input built in, expansion capability, top franchises, and innovated gaming with being the first with controller vibration support. Playstation later overtook the market because of its wider library of games because of ease of development, cheaper prices, and RPG fanatics.

Nintendo 64's launch was a success, Super Mario 64 was innovative, and I don't see evidence anywhere to demonstrate it as a failure.

[megasdkirby]

I don't think Nintendo was as arrogant as they were during the NES era.

[rkotm]

I don't think Nintendo was as arrogant as they were during the NES era.

No way--they were modest compared to N64 days-Id say NES days were humble yet confident about their machine. And yes i do remember their arrogance, er, lets say they felt like this was end all be all of a gaming system. I remember all that hype for what seemed ages until it was released (the Ultra 64 days too) and being throroughly pissed off at myself for buying into the hype machine with their 2 games every 4 months attitude (or "quality over quantity!")
I desperately wanted a Playstation by early 1997, as there were some games available at the time (Pilotwings-yay.., Mario 64-Awesome, Wave Race-meh, Shadows Of The Empire-awesome and scary at the time, Killer Instinct Gold-Great to average, id already exhausted much of my excitement from KI on SNES, MK Trilogy-good, and Turok-decent). Id been an avid Nintendo fan since 93 and finally was fed up of waiting for games and they didnt live up to the next gen amazing-OMG-this is awesome what they promised feeling that Nintendo wanted for it. And finally with PSX i was happy. Nice library, great variety, and games i wanted to play. Now the N64 was fine, but not the hype it was for me or my brother (who was main spokesman for the system to my parents).

[Postermen]

I remember the list of upcoming titles for the N64 before launch included games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior. It was the first Nintendo system I got at launch, and consequently, my last.

[swlovinist]

Any game company that is on top has been arrogant in the past. The ones that are most remembered are the ones that fell on their face with promises. I am not defending Nintendo, but rather implying that most any console maker has done and said stupid things, only to have their console show something differently.

[The 1 2 P]

I remember but I didn't even get into that gen until 1998 when my girlfriend bought me a PS1. I had already compared both systems at the time and there was no way I was going to get a N64 over the PS1. I ended up still being able to play an N64 at my friends house and later got my own(two actually) a few years ago. I still think their launch was one of the worst ever. Sure the system sold out but it only had two games, neither of which I was even remotely interested in.

They learned their lesson from their arrogance that gen. However, they've been so successful with the one-two punch of the Wii and Ds for the past several years that you just know that arrogance is coming back. Well, it already is but not as bad as before....atleast not yet.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Do you?

Oh yes. Good thing I had a Saturn and PS1 at the time. I didn't feel a thing. LOL

[Greg2600]

I didn't really care, until Goldeneye came out.

[Polygon]

Just like Michael Jordan, and other top athletes, I don't have a problem with arrogance if they can back it up, and they did. In 1996 and 1997, they were outselling, and outperforming all of their competition. Up until 1999, the N64 stood out for having the best graphics, 4 player input built in, expansion capability, top franchises, and innovated gaming with being the first with controller vibration support. Playstation later overtook the market because of its wider library of games because of ease of development, cheaper prices, and RPG fanatics.

Nintendo 64's launch was a success, Super Mario 64 was innovative, and I don't see evidence anywhere to demonstrate it as a failure.

This pretty much sums it up.

[Push Upstairs]

I do recall pre-release talk of how the system was going to be really really great, but I was into computer games at the time, so I didn't really care.

[tomaitheous]

Arrogant? Yeah. Nintendo of America had some serious competition with Sega in America. But it was NEC in Japan that gave them their first real competition. And in Japan, NEC wasn't a close 2nd for very long. The CD system kept them in the race against the SFC, but not directly threatening it. But Nintendo in general was considered the successor. I do think Nintendo of America and NOJ were pretty arrogant in thinking they would have the number one spot again. Superior hardware doesn't mean shit if developers aren't on board. Part of their arrogance was sticking with cart base media. Disregarding ANY advantages CD media technically has over it and vice versa, it came down to cost. The cart cost was directly passed on to the developer. Resulting in less profit than a CD based game. Did Nintendo really think that their name alone would negate that? Then add in the demand for CD based gaming, and you have a lose/lose situation.

Slightly offtopic:

It's like history is completely different for N64 fan(atics). Will they ever take off their rose tinted glasses? Not in a million years.

I remember waiting... and waiting.... and waiting for something desirable to come out on the n64, so I could purchase one. I had the PS1 and wasn't loyal to Sony at all. I had great memories of the NES too. N64 was just a huge let down that people are always trying to prop up as some sort of success. Commercial success, gaming failure. I ended up borrowing my brother's N64 to play Zelda OOT, Zelda MM(which REALLY sucked ass), SM64 (which was only about above average. The gameplay was pretty good, but most of the stage layouts are you got farther along were just meh), Goldeneye (never did see what the hype was. PC had better out at the time), and I can't remember what else. The PS1 was just killing the N64's library. It's no wonder Nintendo had such a hard time with the GC (which I was REALLY hoping would take Sony down. Was really hate'n Song by then). People and developers were cautious and leery. Nintendo never really recovered from the N64 era, to make it with the GC. The decision to go with smaller media discs (1.5gig vs 4 or 9gig) was seen as a reflection of the N64 and carts too. The parallels seemed laughably close.

Compared to the NES and SNES, the N64 was completely laughable. If you're bias and like the everything about it, at least have the balls to admit it. Not create some elaborate lie or circular excuses. I only knew of two people that had an n64 - one of our gamer friend that was a complete Nintendo fanatic and wouldn't touch the PS1 (always bringing up stupid conversations about how the N64 was better than the PS1, but none of us cared). And my little brother-in-law at the time, who wanted a PS1 instead. Nintendo64 only survived because of there name and a few popular re-occuring first party title characters. And even those were sparse. I always though the games looked better on the n64, it's just that its library was nowhere near as awesome as the PS1.

It's been my experience, that trying to have a real conversation about the PS1 and the N64 with an N64 fan, is about as fruitful as talking to a brick wall. One would think that over the years, this would have subsided as gamers move out of their circle to play other systems and expanded the retro gaming experience. But I honestly don't see any evidence of this. But I digress...

[Steven]

Still remember their ad when the system got delayed.

Want the best? Then wait til _____!

Er, something like that. Did strike me as cocky, indeed, lol.

[Polygon]

*snip*

That sounded a lot like fanboy rhetoric to me.

[buzz_n64]

I'll admit I'm somewhat of a N64 fanboy, hell it's in my screen name. I actually have been using this screen name on the internet since around '97-'98, slightly before I even had a Nintendo 64. I also bought a Playstation when the DualShock came out.

Here are the basic negatives and positives of the 3 main systems from 1996.

Saturn

Good-
Nights, Virtua On, House of the Dead, Panzar Dragoon...
Netplay option
Arguably more powerful than the Playstation
Analog controller that came out before the N64 in America.
Cheap media.
Expansion for memory available.
CD player

Bad-
Difficult for developers to design games for.
No killer Sonic title.
2 controller ports.
Importing necessary for games at the end of the console's life cycle.


Playstation

Good-
Crash, Spyro, Twisted Metal, Tomb Raider series, Resident Evil series...
Wide selection of genres, and RPG heaven.
DualShock built in to controllers later on.
Easy to develop for.
Cheap media.
CD player

Bad-
Unimpressive graphics.
No Mario, Sonic, Zelda...
2 controller ports.
No expansion feature provided. (Later models even had the ports removed)

N64

Good-
Super Mario 64, Zelda, Goldeneye...
4 controller ports
Vibration and analog options.
Memory expansion feature.
No loading time.
Superior graphics, less blocky.

Bad-
Expensive games for developers and buyers.
Small media capacity.
Almost no RPGs (not something bad in my opinion)
Smaller library of games.

Verdict- Up to you. In my biased opinion, the Nintendo 64 because I'm a Mario fanatic.

[SparTonberry]

As to how successful the N64 was... didn't the Japanese N64 stink up the sales charts as much as the US Saturn? :P
(as I result, I recall the N64 being largely supported by western developers, with Japanese support being fairly small.
Also as a result, the Super Famicom was still supported through 2000 (nearing the GameCube's launch), while NoA pulled the plug in 1998. :( )

[kedawa]

Zelda most certainly was not a factor in 1996, but it was the game that got me to buy an N64, and I never regretted it.
I just never liked the N64 controller or the fact that the system sucked ass at handling 2D graphics.
It has the most unbalanced library of any successful console ever; no good fighting games, no good RPGs, very few puzzle games, etc.
I would have hated the thing if I didn't own a Saturn and PS to make up for its deficiencies.
BTW, a friend of mine has about a dozen N64 consoles, and he offered me one, but I don't know which colour I should get. I'm pretty sure he has at least one of each colour of the translucent systems.

[Haoie]

Sony sure showed them in the 32B era.

[tomaitheous]

That sounded a lot like fanboy rhetoric to me.

Ok then, fanboy of what? BITD, I didn't give two shits about the Saturn, was eagerly awaiting the N64 (Crusing USA in the arcades had me hyped), and the PS1 graphics were starting to really annoy me (the glitchiness/twitchiness of the textures and the blockiness too). So much so about the PSX graphics, that I can't go back and play PSX 3D games anymore nowadays. But I can easily do so on n64. I was pissed at Song for making me buy 3 PS1's (two broke). I rooted for the DC (the first system I could like and respect Sega for since the Genesis - and not the SegaCD or 32x). I rooted for the GC and bought every cross platform game on the GC instead of my PS2. So tell me... what am I fanboy of? Or maybe it's just you writing it off as fanboy rhetoric because you're bias to the point where you're defensive about anybody saying anything negative about your beloved system? See, I can make assumptions just like you ;)

[buzz_n64]

Zelda most certainly was not a factor in 1996

Ever since the conception of the N64, Nintendo had planned a Zelda game. A proto for Zelda was shown in '96. They based a lot of the Super Mario 64 design on that early Zelda prototype. Sadly the early Zelda game was canceled.

Legend of Zelda 64 - RARE Early BETA Trailer UNRELEASED! UNSEEN N64 SCREENS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlMhzZXA0gk

[Polygon]

Ok then, fanboy of what? BITD, I didn't give two shits about the Saturn, was eagerly awaiting the N64 (Crusing USA in the arcades had me hyped), and the PS1 graphics were starting to really annoy me (the glitchiness/twitchiness of the textures and the blockiness too). So much so about the PSX graphics, that I can't go back and play PSX 3D games anymore nowadays. But I can easily do so on n64. I was pissed at Song for making me buy 3 PS1's (two broke). I rooted for the DC (the first system I could like and respect Sega for since the Genesis - and not the SegaCD or 32x). I rooted for the GC and bought every cross platform game on the GC instead of my PS2. So tell me... what am I fanboy of? Or maybe it's just you writing it off as fanboy rhetoric because you're bias to the point where you're defensive about anybody saying anything negative about your beloved system? See, I can make assumptions just like you ;)

The Nintendo 64 is one of MANY systems that I love and own. There are systems that I don't care for, but I don't go after them with such hatred as you do. I have an open mind and I am completely unbiased. That's why I call it fanboy rhetoric. To me a fanboy doesn't necessarily have to be a zealot about a certain system or company. To me fanboys also have can also have an unreasonable hatred for a system which is what I see in you. It's almost like you're bitter about something.

I'm not one who cares about the Japanese market as I don't live there. However, are you going to tell me that in the American market the Nintendo 64 had any real competition besides the Playstation 1? No, it didn't. All the other systems you talked about failed miserably. While the N64 did spectacular.

[sheath]

This is an odd topic, seems a bit intentional with the divisiveness. But, I have anecdotes! When the Saturn came out I was, contrary to popular histories, really enjoying my Sega CD and 32X. A truck even pulled up to my high school and showed me early Saturn titles and I just wasn't impressed enough to take the plunge.

At the same time, one of my friends, yes just one, and all of my local game stores bought a PS1 at launch. I played Loaded, Twisted Metal, Toshinden, Warhawk, Wipeout, and I think that's it. Another friend was given a Saturn and some games by his guilt ridden Mom. So, I got to play Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing, Daytona, Astal, D, Wing Arms, and Cyber Speedway.

The two systems looked like they handled 3D in a similar format to me. Magazines at the time seemed to agree with a slight bent toward Sony's platform. I noticed right away that the PS1 games looked flashier but had many times the graphical glitches of their Saturn contemporaries. Neither comparison made me want either console until I saw Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 running on Saturn, that sold me fast.

I was big into Arcades at the same time, and saw Killer Instinct and Cruisin' USA in the "Ultra 64" versions repeatedly. I pegged the backgrounds in Killer Instinct for FMV right off the bat (Sega CD owner, hello). I also figured that Cruisin' wasn't going to be more than an adaptation on the eventual console version.

When the N64 finally launched I was actually in college. Several friends had told me they were "waiting for the Nintendo 64" by that time. In retrospect, that often repeated phrase makes me laugh because kiddos these days don't even wait for their actual wife.

Anyway, when the console actually came out my dorm mate bought it (he only played Nintendo) and I had the opportunity to play the very substantial launch library. I played Mario 64 of course, Wave Race, Blast Corps and... eventually Mario Kart 64. The only one I reliably cared about was Mario 64, and even that I only cared about the first half of the game.

[tom]

What was USAs obsession to play the same games over and over and ....over.....and...

buzz_n64 on PSX issue>>>>No Mario, Sonic, Zelda...

And you forget one (most important) bad on N64: Awful fuzzy graphics.
N64 was the machine with worst graphics ever....

.

[theclaw]

N64 was unusual. Hands down entertainment-value-wise the greatest console ever, except solely during its active lifespan. Which is the killer qualifier here. No other before or since took such a cataclysmic nosedive of usefulness. Nintendo in desperation had fired off a powerful yet brief string of quality games once it was clear PS1 and PS2 would win.

[Aussie2B]

Yikes, so much anti-fanboy bias in here (well, maybe that's what this topic is crying out for) and so much stuff to correct:

If N64 games were priced at $80, that's some crazy price gouging. The usual price for a game was $59.99. Now and then I saw $69.99. Maybe the $80 price point is confusion with the SNES, which did have a fair number of games priced at that point (especially RPGs, like Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG).

Anyone who would buy the N64 for Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy is either just making assumptions or buying into the most extreme rumor mill nonsense. Those games never existed. No projects ever begun for those. I had Nintendo Power through the pre-launch of the N64 till 2000 or so, and those games NEVER appeared on the upcoming list or in any previews. If someone bought a N64 for Earthbound 64, okay, I can have some pity, but Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior? Sorry, no sympathy here.

The Japanese N64 was definitely more of a success than the US Saturn. Sure, the gap between PlayStation and N64 was just as large in Japan, if not more so due to the love of RPGs in Japan, but the big-name Nintendo titles still sold quite well. The N64 got around 100 Japan-exclusive games, and many of the US releases were still made in Japan (despite the popularity of Western stuff like Rare's games). The lifespan of the Super Famicom is little indication of the N64's success or lack thereof because it was barely supported past the N64 taking hold. Mostly just with their download service and Fire Emblem. With Fire Emblem, maybe that's some reflection on the N64 considering that N64 was going to have a Fire Emblem and it ultimately got canned. Maybe it was because of the failure of the 64DD, maybe because the N64 was a lost cause for RPG players, maybe they wanted to stick with a 2D system, maybe they wanted to develop for what was familiar. Who knows.

As for the topic question and my own opinion, I don't see Nintendo as any more arrogant in that period than any other company at any time. I think other companies have acted far more arrogant at times, and I think Nintendo themselves have been more arrogant than they were then. You guys act like you've never seen a system hyped up before.

[frogofdeath]

If N64 games were priced at $80, that's some crazy price gouging. The usual price for a game was $59.99. Now and then I saw $69.99. Maybe the $80 price point is confusion with the SNES, which did have a fair number of games priced at that point (especially RPGs, like Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG).
Nope. Many N64 games were $80 within the first few months of launch. I remember specifically paying $80 for Wayne Gretzky's 3D hockey shortly after Christmas '96 (good thing it's held up in value so well...). Things soon changed though and I can't recall ever paying that type of price again, but $80 was a reality for early N64 carts.

[Aussie2B]

I'm not saying those prices didn't exist somewhere, but, again, that is indeed price-gouging. Those absolutely were not the MSRPs. I bought a N64 at launch. I bought Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, Cruis'n USA at full price with my own money, and I paid 59.99 for all of them. Same goes for titles I bought a bit later on. Killer Instinct Gold was the only one I paid $69.99 for, but it was at a store that tended to have slightly higher prices so I wouldn't be surprised if it was available elsewhere at $59.99. I flat out never saw $79.99.

In the early N64 days, the games were sometimes recommended by the publishers at 69.99 but then most retailers would go with 59.99, like Super Mario 64:

http://www.mobygames.com/game/super-mario-64/adblurbs

[Kiddo]

One thing to remember about supposed "arrogance" is that the -majority- of 1st party game console developers with any degree of international success had it.

Also, a lot of things here that were brought up as examples of "arrogance" were actually the typical 90s' "edgy videogame advertising" trend - a trend which started all the way back with "GENESIS DOES WHAT NINTENDON'T".

As for my own experiences with the N64, it was quite nostalgic - but not without a few bitter moments.
I liked playing most of the 1st party games and even actually remember hat third party games were good .(Yay, Goemon!
On the other hand, I remember when the 64DD was hyped up as their solution to the third parties having beefs with cartridges, only for it to never see US release OR any third party development.

That all being said, saying Nintendo in the 64 era was as arrogant as in the NES era must not have heard of those monopolizing illegal tactics they used to maintain their stronghold in that era, or their over-the-top "audiences do not need 16-bit gaming" just before the competition started to one-up their NES with newer technology.

[Icarus Moonsight]

The story of how I came to own an N64 is very unique, compared to how I usually decide to buy a system, but it's not very interesting. Oh well, doesn't matter much in this thread, so here it comes anyway.

I bought an N64 after I got some of the better games for $5 each from a Truck-Stop (Ogre Battle, Smash Bros, Zelda OoT, Mario 64, Mario Party 3, Castlevania LoD, Harvest Moon etc.). This was at the time when truckers were swapping out their N64 systems in their sleeper cabs for an "Xbax" (*Wink wink, nudge nudge*). Winter of 2002, I believe. Got a used 64 with the ram expansion for $30 shortly after.

Needless to say, I didn't have any reason to value owning one too much until then. When they were new, most of the people I knew that gamed had one. So I was able to learn from their collective misery. I do feel that I got more than my money's worth through the way I came into one. If I was an early adopter, I'd guess that my value assessment would take a severe plummet into rageguy territory. Perhaps not "payed $80 for a sports game that can't even fetch a buck today" type rage, but something rather close to that.

Some people imported 64's in my area between the Japan and US launch and they were paying $800 for the system plus $150 for Mario 64. That's over $1000 with tax... I imagine they're probably dead from shame by now and buried with their N64 and Virtual Boy stuff in a lead lined coffin. Keeps the awfulness from leaking out. :D

[Aussie2B]

I don't regret being an early adopter of the N64. I was never that bothered by the slow rate of releases because how many games can one afford to buy each month anyway? Quality games came out often enough to keep up with my rate of buying. I do recall a period in which I became a bit disenchanted with the N64 and Nintendo in general, but I attribute the Pokemon craze to that more than anything going on specifically with the N64. In later years, after the system was dead, I came to appreciate it even more because I could start really expanding my library and going after imports too, and I also now treasure my memories of experiencing games like Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and Ocarina of Time when they were brand new. I think the N64 really enriched my gaming life, both now and in its time.

[wfnjstallion]

By the time the N64 came out I had fallen out of gaming so much of the talk here is out of my league. My gaming library consisted of the original NES and maybe 20 games for it. My parents refused to buy me an SNES and I fell behind. My earliest memory of the N64 was a kid in college showing up with Wrestlemania 2000 and we were blown away with how great the entrances looked. I am not ashamed to say that is what actually brought me back to gaming. From there I remember many late nights playing Mario Kart 64, Goldeneye, and Unreal Tournament (PS2) in the dorm's tv room. Like Icaraus by the time I bought my own N64 I paid maybe $40 bucks for it and then at that time I started playing the Zelda's, Mario 64 & expanding my library at basement prices.

[megasdkirby]

Only two things bothered me about the N64: the controller and the expansion pack (4MB adapter).

The controller was because it was hard for me to get used to, but once I did, it was "ok" at best.

Now, I have a huge gripe with the "memory expansion". Why is it that with certain games, like Hybrid Heaven, the frame rate DROPPED horribly? Yes, it was clear, but it was nasty to play (gave me severe headaches). Same shit happened with Legacy of Darkness.

In other games, like Episode 1 Racer, it played and looked great. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Besides that, I loved the N64. Great console overall.

[frogofdeath]

Granted, different strokes for different folks, but I never understood complaints about the N64 controller. It was awkward the first time I tried holding it, but after about 15 minutes into SM64 the controller melted into my hand. Plus it brought analog sticks to the masses and the Z button is still the best placed trigger button on ANY controller.

The expansion pack is peculiar. Don't have any experience with the slow down in games you mentioned, but if I recall correctly, Space Station: Silicon Valley won't even run with the expansion pack in. The idea is good in theory, but you would think it wouldn't hurt games, but rather help.

The N64 holds a special place in my gaming history, but mainly for nostalgia purposes. There are some games I will always hold onto, and a few I'm still interested in picking up, but honestly the games are painful on the eyes. Games from that generation do not look good (PlayStation included). It always makes me laugh what we thought were great graphics.

[GarrettCRW]

Aussie2B is correct on pricing for N64 games-$59.99 for most new games, $69.99 for certain games.

I turned down the N64 at launch, but really, it was only because there wasn't enough games to start with (besides, I was planning on buying the system when Zelda 64 came out, which I did). I had no issue with the PlayStation, which is what I got instead of the N64, and never regretted my strategy for the two. They both had their strong points-N64 was THE party system, with Goldeneye and Smash Bros., and the PS had the RPGs, and was the sports system of choice. Suffice to say, it was that era where I shed my company bias in hardware (and it totally died when I saw NFL2K and Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast).

[mobiusclimber]

Granted, different strokes for different folks, but I never understood complaints about the N64 controller. It was awkward the first time I tried holding it, but after about 15 minutes into SM64 the controller melted into my hand. Plus it brought analog sticks to the masses and the Z button is still the best placed trigger button on ANY controller.

Most people don't have three hands or use their penis to move a joystick. Sure, yes, the N64 "brought analog sticks to the masses" but it placed those analog sticks smack dab in the middle where it's near-impossible to comfortably reach.

[pseudonym]

My favorite games on the N64 were Mario Kart and Golden Eye. The console was dead to me otherwise; I never thought there were any great games for it at the time although I was mildly interested in OoT after I watched my brother finish it.

[kedawa]

I never had any problems playing Space Station Silicon Valley with the expansion pak.

[tomaitheous]

The Nintendo 64 is one of MANY systems that I love and own. There are systems that I don't care for, but I don't go after them with such hatred as you do.

So I'm going after the system with 'hatred', huh? I don't hate the system. It's the N64 fanboys and their warped revision of history and excuses, that I'm tired of reading from. I don't know how many times I need to say this, but I would have gladly taken the N64 over the PS1. I liked the bilinear filtering of the textures BITD. I liked the fact that the textures didn't twitch and warp. The graphics were very clean, back then and now. It was the library that failed for me. Nintendo's decision stupid decision to go with carts wouldn't have mattered much, if the gaming library was anything like the NES or SNES. Or like that other system, you know... the PS1?


I have an open mind and I am completely unbiased.

Haha, yeah. Of course. :)


That's why I call it fanboy rhetoric. To me a fanboy doesn't necessarily have to be a zealot about a certain system or company. To me fanboys also have can also have an unreasonable hatred for a system which is what I see in you. It's almost like you're bitter about something.

Uhm, that's not what 'fanboy' means. You need to figure out a different term and stop trying to apply some other unrelated popular term to fit whatever definition you feel like using. 'Fanboy' has a specific meaning for a reason. I think the term you're looking for is 'hater'.



However, are you going to tell me that in the American market the Nintendo 64 had any real competition besides the Playstation 1? No, it didn't. All the other systems you talked about failed miserably. While the N64 did spectacular.

I assume that's directed towards me, since it was in the reply to me? Yeah, you need to go back and read again. Where did imply there was any other competition other than the PS1 for the N64? Like I said, N64 = commercial success, gaming failure. The N64 was rather pathetic compared to Nintendo's own NES and SNES library, unless the only thing you EVER played on those systems were Nintendo's 1st party games (and continually the N64).

[Enigmus]

Most people don't have three hands or use their penis to move a joystick. Sure, yes, the N64 "brought analog sticks to the masses" but it placed those analog sticks smack dab in the middle where it's near-impossible to comfortably reach.

That's because you used your left hand for the stick/Z, and your right for A/B/C/R. They made it as a crude attempt at a multiuse controller, something left unrefined until the Wii remote. Personally IMO, it made FPS or flying games easier to play than the awkward positions of the sticks on the Dual Shock (these made Gran Turismo 2 a complete disaster for me when I used them). I'm just trying to comprehend why so many people complain about the three "wings" and "unreachable joystick" when a lot of manuals to N64 games showed the way it should be held for that game.

[Spartacus]

In hindsight, there's alot that I like about the N64. I especially like those translucent colored consoles that came out later on. The console is well made and it has a decent library of games. Personally, I don't care much for the 1st party titles because Nintendo characters are a bit childish for me. I prefer the games made by Rare and others. Cartoon type graphics looked good on the N64, but other types were noticeably blurry. I REALLY dislike the controller and it's unfortunate that most 3rd party controllers for the N64 seemed to follow the Nintendo pattern. Shrug, maybe it's just me?

Arrogance. Hmmm, well the cartridge format limited games to 1/10th the capacity of a CD Rom. I know it made Nintendo money and it was an effective anti-piracy device, but it was costly and the consumer ultimately paid for it. It turned off 3rd party developers, but I honestly don't think Nintendo cared anything about them anyway. And that's pretty darned arrogant in my opinion. But hey, Nintendo is NINTENDO! There's alot of stuff I dislike about Nintendo, heck, loath even! But I always manage to find something I do like about Nintendo too. That's probably why I own so much of it.

[heybtbm]

I was a faithful Nintendo gamer at the time. My girlfriend's brother got a N64 at launch and I played it whenever he wasn't home. I finally got my own in Christmas of 1996. It was a bittersweet moment considering I finally had my own N64...BUT...I had already beaten the games I was interested in months before.

Then the wait for new games...waiting...and waiting. When it got to be too much, I broke down and bought a PS1 when it dropped to $150 in March 1997 and never looked back. OK, I did buy (and loved) Mario Kart 64, Rogue Squadron and Zelda: OOT.

As far as my personal gaming habits, the N64 was a failure on Nintendo's part in some respects. The wait for new games drove me to their competitor and I never looked back. I didn't really learn my lesson though. Several years later I ended up going with the Gamecube first before picking up a PS2 and Xbox. It's something I'm still recovering from.

[frogofdeath]

I'm just trying to comprehend why so many people complain about the three "wings" and "unreachable joystick" when a lot of manuals to N64 games showed the way it should be held for that game.
That's what I was going to say, but I was too busy using my penis to move a joystick. I just kept moving, and moving, and moving....:D

[megasdkirby]

I'm just trying to comprehend why so many people complain about the three "wings" and "unreachable joystick" when a lot of manuals to N64 games showed the way it should be held for that game.

The joystick wasn't unreachable, but VERY uncomfortable. It took me a very long time to get used to it, while on the Playstation it was quick and nearly effortless. After a long time, I got used to it...but it doesn't deter from the fact that it was a bitch to control at first.

I recall trying to actively find a replacement controller similar to that of the Playstation (prior to using those converters to use other controllers on systems). I found one, I think by Interact...too bad it too sucked due to horrid analog movement (very finicky).

Edit: It was this one

http://www.amazon.com/InterAct-SuperPad-64-Controller-Blue/dp/B00000K4ST

[Polygon]

So I'm going after the system with 'hatred', huh? I don't hate the system. It's the N64 fanboys and their warped revision of history and excuses, that I'm tired of reading from. I don't know how many times I need to say this, but I would have gladly taken the N64 over the PS1. I liked the bilinear filtering of the textures BITD. I liked the fact that the textures didn't twitch and warp. The graphics were very clean, back then and now. It was the library that failed for me. Nintendo's decision stupid decision to go with carts wouldn't have mattered much, if the gaming library was anything like the NES or SNES. Or like that other system, you know... the PS1?


I assume that's directed towards me, since it was in the reply to me? Yeah, you need to go back and read again. Where did imply there was any other competition other than the PS1 for the N64? Like I said, N64 = commercial success, gaming failure. The N64 was rather pathetic compared to Nintendo's own NES and SNES library, unless the only thing you EVER played on those systems were Nintendo's 1st party games (and continually the N64).

That's fair enough and in that case I apologize. I went back and read your post and you only really mentioned NEC and the PS1. Also, I know what you mean. There are plenty of people that think the N64 was a bigger success than the NES and the SNES, which I would not agree. I think it was a big success, but you're right, it had a pretty dismal library by comparison. I misinterpreted your post as hating the N64 itself.


Haha, yeah. Of course. :)

Like I said, I own a lot of systems from different companies. The N64 is just one of them. I own a PS1 as well.


Uhm, that's not what 'fanboy' means. You need to figure out a different term and stop trying to apply some other unrelated popular term to fit whatever definition you feel like using. 'Fanboy' has a specific meaning for a reason. I think the term you're looking for is 'hater'.

Fine. Personally, I think that it applies as well. However, it's irrelevant as I misinterpreted your OP anyhow.

[Cloud121]

Ever since the conception of the N64, Nintendo had planned a Zelda game. A proto for Zelda was shown in '96. They based a lot of the Super Mario 64 design on that early Zelda prototype. Sadly the early Zelda game was canceled.

Legend of Zelda 64 - RARE Early BETA Trailer UNRELEASED! UNSEEN N64 SCREENS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlMhzZXA0gk
That was the Zelda game I wanted. Just based on the trailer and early screenshots (Remember the 100 screenshots in Nintendo Power #100?), it seemed to be a much more open game, with more to do and explore.

[Aussie2B]

It's the N64 fanboys and their warped revision of history and excuses, that I'm tired of reading from.

The very fact that you don't believe that anyone can love the N64 without having a warped view of it proves that you're a N64 anti-fanboy. In your prior post, you state, as if it's undeniable fact, that games like Majora's Mask, Super Mario 64, and Goldeneye aren't that good, despite that MOST people like, if not love, those games. So do you have the "correct" view and everyone else is "warped"? No game is going to be everyone's cup of tea, that's understandable. On less mature forums than Digital Press, you'd probably have people flaming you like crazy for hating on those popular games, but here we show respect even for minority opinions. Why can't you show the same respect for those who appreciate said games and the N64? Why do you feel the need to paint out N64 fans as fools? I can give the answer: because you're a N64 anti-fanboy.

As for the controller discussion, old illogical argument about needing three hands is OLD.

[Collector_Gaming]

This topic was big back in 1996
and it will be a big topic for the rest of gamings future

People think about when nintendo wanted sony to create a add on to their SNES to compete with the cd based consoles coming out which sony was happy to do so
nintendo backs out last second sony gets pissed and uses their new found technology to make a console for themselves.
The war begins.

Sadly sega saturn was caught up in this mix wasn't fairing extremely well with its alright but not crazy sega cd sales and game gear sales and with its problems with saturn it put a stop to development due to Sony and Nintendo's raging battle.

They both had their up sides and both had their down sides in a very equal playing field.

I personally enjoyed the n64 controller and found it easy to use... But then again i am left handed so that might have something to do with it as your left hand was the dominant hand for the controller due to its lay out.
People say the graphics were fuzzy. I think they are wrong. for what it was i thought they were fine
Playstation 1 in my opinion was horrible on graphics. everything just feels blocky. the n64 had a lil bit smoother edges with its 3d objects.

Playstation on the other hand due to sony being a big player in the entertainment industry for years and years and years had easy access to many different developing companies so it had the better starting line up and library to follow it used the cd format which developers loved cause it was easier and cheaper to use then the dying cartridge format nintendo used.

Playstation could do movies.. Nintendo couldn't

Its all about personally style and flair.
i mean to this day i still prefer the n64 over playstation (which i now own 1 of those too). But thats my style.

Hell i prefer the Xbox 360 over PS3
Cause one thing i love their controllers over the PS's rehashed controller they haven't changed since ps1 which i always thought had the worst location for analog sticks ever. But again thats my opinion.

no matter what will be said this battle will still go on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYqmxQNKg38&feature=related

vs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8meCIT1ErPQ&feature=related

[buzz_n64]

no matter what will be said this battle will still go on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYqmxQNKg38&feature=related

vs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8meCIT1ErPQ&feature=related

Man, this takes me back to my middle school years. Awesome time of change in the video game world. I don't think we'll ever experience a transition as big as that in our lifetime, but who knows. 3D blew me away. I remember the discussions my buddy and I had over weather the N64 or the Saturn was better. lol I thought the Playstation was just another 3DO or CD-i. I guess I ended up being wrong.

[Collector_Gaming]

Man, this takes me back to my middle school years. Awesome time of change in the video game world. I don't think we'll ever experience a transition as big as that in our lifetime, but who knows. 3D blew me away. I remember the discussions my buddy and I had over weather the N64 or the Saturn was better. lol I thought the Playstation was just another 3DO or CD-i. I guess I ended up being wrong.

i remember when i got my n64 for christmas was the DK64 bundle pack with jungle green n64 with matching controller

i plugged it in and was glued to it for days!

was like 3d gaming! i finally got to have 3d gaming!!!!

[Postermen]

Anyone who would buy the N64 for Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy is either just making assumptions or buying into the most extreme rumor mill nonsense. Those games never existed. No projects ever begun for those. I had Nintendo Power through the pre-launch of the N64 till 2000 or so, and those games NEVER appeared on the upcoming list or in any previews. If someone bought a N64 for Earthbound 64, okay, I can have some pity, but Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior? Sorry, no sympathy here.

Really?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMjkzEhIsj8

I was at e3 for the debut of the N64. As a huge Nintendo fanboy, I had been waiting forever for "Project Reality". Final Fantasy VII, was definitely talked about for N64. Some of the magazines I had from that e3 had a Dragon Warrior (I don't remember if it said "Quest") listed as an upcoming title. I think I threw away the magazines several years ago.

[Kiddo]

Really?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMjkzEhIsj8

I was at e3 for the debut of the N64. As a huge Nintendo fanboy, I had been waiting forever for "Project Reality". Final Fantasy VII, was definitely talked about for N64. Some of the magazines I had from that e3 had a Dragon Warrior (I don't remember if it said "Quest") listed as an upcoming title. I think I threw away the magazines several years ago.

I don't recall that tech demo being mentioned much in the USA until the internet was already mainstream (Basically, long after the N64 was already out). Of course, this is from someone who didn't read gaming mags at the time. And yet somehow even then I knew of the 64DD.

http://www.lostlevels.org/200510/ - if this helps for more info on the FF SGI footage.

Anyway, that still doesn't explain where any thought of Dragon Warrior came from.

[sheath]

I have never seen that before. I do have to say that the blond girl in the red (ahem) bathing suit really does look like a little girl. That just ain't right.

Anyway, the entire time I was playing Final Fantasy 7 I could not stop being distracted by the fact that it looked like N64 models, and sounded like N64 music, with FMV CGI mixed in.

[Aussie2B]

Really?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMjkzEhIsj8

I was at e3 for the debut of the N64. As a huge Nintendo fanboy, I had been waiting forever for "Project Reality". Final Fantasy VII, was definitely talked about for N64. Some of the magazines I had from that e3 had a Dragon Warrior (I don't remember if it said "Quest") listed as an upcoming title. I think I threw away the magazines several years ago.

That and the Lost Levels article proves that the press just likes to make up the most outlandish rumors in order to keep consumers on the edge of their seats, buying more magazines. I remember Next Gen magazine even rumored that Final Fantasy VIII would come out on Dreamcast. The problem is when people can't tell the difference between rumor and fact. Like the article explains, the Final Fantasy SGI demo was in no way programmed with an Ultra 64 development kit, nor was a project ever began by Squaresoft for the Nintendo 64. It was purely an experiment in 3D, which should be evident given that they used Final Fantasy VI characters rather than create something from scratch.

It's just a shame that with all the well-researched, accurate information out there on the subject it still can't overpower the years of misinformation.

[nebrazca78]

Like I said, N64 = commercial success, gaming failure. The N64 was rather pathetic compared to Nintendo's own NES and SNES library, unless the only thing you EVER played on those systems were Nintendo's 1st party games (and continually the N64).

Is it just me who's wondering how N64 could have been considered a commercial success? I'm no Nintendo expert but doesn't the U.S. N64 only have about 250 games? If that figure is correct, that's about the same amount of games the U.S. Saturn has and I've never heard anyone call U.S. Saturn a commercial success. NES and SNES have over 600 and 700 licensed games respectively. Dropping to well under half of that at a time when gaming was getting bigger than ever seems closer to a failure than a success. Although IMO just because a system is not #1 doesn't make it a failure, ~250 games is still a relatively decent amount of software. And vice versa, PS1 will always be a different kind of failure to me while N64 is my favorite Nintendo system.

The parallels between Sega and Nintendo at that time are amazing. Genesis and SNES both had over 700 games and a massive following going in to the 32/64 bit era. Then they both released consoles that ended up with a humble ~250 games (in the U.S. that is, worldwide Saturn had ~550 games and N64 ~350). No matter how you slice it Sega and Nintendo both got faceblasted by PS1 which has ~2400 games worldwide. So much for Nintendo's arrogance.

But Nintendo did hang on, learned from its mistakes and kicked Sony in the nuts. Even when Nintendo was down they were still making money. And now that Sony's down it's getting close to losing everything while Nintendo is banking HARD. Too bad Sega didn't have the ability to hang on like Nintendo did...


.

[sheath]

The N64 got just around 300 games in the US. Those game library comparisons are anachronistic though. The PS1 didn't have over 1000 games until after the year 2000 (June 2001 to be exact). Also, it's library is heavily padded with cyclical sequels and sports titles.

That is actually the only difference between a mass market "successful" library and a library like the Dreamcast, N64, Saturn, TG16 or Master System. Mass market consoles get the padding only after their initial competition is replaced by a successor.

Back on topic though, it is very interesting that Nintendo now equates its success to modern casual/social gaming (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-01-31-to-nintendo-social-elements-are-nothing-new-at-all).

[Zing]

Most people don't have three hands or use their penis to move a joystick. Sure, yes, the N64 "brought analog sticks to the masses" but it placed those analog sticks smack dab in the middle where it's near-impossible to comfortably reach.

This is a bizarre complaint. I don't recall playing any N64 games which required the use of the d-pad, the stick, and the buttons. The configuration was always d-pad/stick, stick/buttons, d-pad/buttons. Maybe there were some games that required you to use all three either simultaneously or alternately, but I never played any.

As for the game prices, there was only one game I bought which was priced at $80 at Best Buy: Mortal Kombat Trilogy. I have no idea why it was so high, but I bought it anyway since I loved the game on the PS1 and I dreamed of having it without load times. Too bad it was literally one of the worst programmed games I have ever played. I returned it to the store within an hour and convinced them to accept the return even though it was open. Yes, the "reason for return" was written down as "worst game I have ever played".

[todesengel]

This is a bizarre complaint. I don't recall playing any N64 games which required the use of the d-pad, the stick, and the buttons. The configuration was always d-pad/stick, stick/buttons, d-pad/buttons. Maybe there were some games that required you to use all three either simultaneously or alternately, but I never played any.
I can think of two games off the top of my head that made use of everything on that controller, Duke Nukem 64 and Duke Nukem Zero Hour. In both games you used the C buttons to move around, analogue stick to look around, the D-pad to cycle through weapons and inventory, Z button to attack and finally L & R for jumping and activating inventory items. I'm sure there are other games that make use of everything at the same time as well, but those are the only two I own that do.

[Aussie2B]

While the total number of releases for a system is a good measure of success, I don't think you can take it completely at face value. I mean, we wouldn't say the NES was only half the success that the PlayStation was. The plug was basically pulled on the Saturn in the US, while the N64 lasted for a full life span with big hits still released in its later years (Donkey Kong 64, Banjo Tooie, Majora's Mask, etc.) Worldwide, the Saturn sold just under 10 million units, while the Nintendo 64 sold 33. And, keep in mind, that's including the Japanese sales where the Saturn was successful. If I had figures for just the US, I'm sure the ratio would be even more in Nintendo's favor.

Sure, the lack of third party support hurt, but that wasn't a deal-breaker for many gamers in terms of the decision to buy the hardware, not when they still had Nintendo and Rare games to buy. And for the average consumer that can't afford to buy loads of games, their money was probably just redirected toward the first/second-party stuff when nothing third-party of interest was available rather than not spent at all. In the end, Nintendo was still making a good amount of money both on hardware and software sales.

It would be interesting if there were figures on the average library size of N64, Saturn, and PlayStation owners back then. I'm sure the PlayStation beats out the N64, since, even if you ignore the size difference in the system libraries, the games were cheaper and there were budget games as cheap as $10 brand new, but I wonder just how big the gap was.

[sheath]

That is an interesting idea, finding the average library size of system owners would be great. My retail experience tells me that the average mass market consumer owns less than 10 games at any one time. Actually, most of them buy a system for one game and then buy nothing until something comes along just like it (usually the sequel). They buy and rent other games, but not to keep them or play them very much.

So, I would predict in this hypothetical study that the more popular the console is the smaller the average owner's library. More owners with less games will drive the average down faster than anything else.

[nebrazca78]

We could take a poll on our average size of libraries back then but I'm sure that would be skewed. Lots of hardcore gamers here. I do remember friends that had NES and/or SMS having lots of games, but not as much with Genesis and SNES. Maybe the rising game prices caused people to buy fewer games. Surprisingly I had a lot of friends with Saturns (and only one with a Playstation) but only one of them had a large library of Saturn games like I did. My one buddy that had PS1 did have a shit-ton of games though. I also knew a lot of people with N64 but none with large libraries. My best friends who I hung out with virtually every day after school had N64. We played 007 and Kart until the controllers fell apart but could never find any other games that compared to those two. A lot of people I knew had Dreamcasts but like them I only had a small amount of DC games. I suppose anecdotes are all we have to go on as no one kept records like they do today.

[sheath]

Ten years after the fact people aren't going to remember what they owned on average. Serious gamers will, but the bulk of the sales are not centered there.

The companies themselves should know what the average attach rate was for each console sold, and then the total software sales numbers could allow us to create an average. Actually, dividing the total software sales by the total hardware sales per country/region should give us the most reliable numbers.

I don't have access to anything authoritative sales wise for each console.

[Collector_Gaming]

Too bad Sega didn't have the ability to hang on like Nintendo did...
.

yea i agree there

right now would be a awesome time for them.. hell even atari if they wanted to jump in and come out with something.

1995-2005 was horrible to market something unless you already had crap tons of money to back you up
Sega is a big company yes but it was always over shadowed by nintendo no matter what numbers you look at.
Sony jumps in to the game and has lots and lots of resources to back it up due to its very long stretch of entertainment backgrounds. So they hit big and they hit hard from the start
nintendo being a video game giant tries to fight back and barely hangs on (i can remember some articles stating the N64 could be the last nintendo console)

Come 9 9 99 sega releases their last system with out knowing it will be their last.
This was a all or nothing shot for them. and they hit it hard with some really fun titles that came out with it and a very good strategy in marketing it
But once again sony being a electronic mecha of the world and having what seems to be endless amounts of resources and having a very successful run with the PS1
comes out just as hard with the ps2 as they did with the ps1
But nintendo strikes back with the game cube.
and software giant microsoft joins the race with their xbox system.

Sega struggling from saturn sails and now with their dreamcast deemed by reviews and consumers out dated due to its hardware such as the CD rom instead of the DVD rom which was a new and rising fast to be a popular media, soon calls it quits with resources dwindling

Microsoft and Nintendo both put the squeeze on sony which left that trio very even when it came to sales hardware wise and software wise.

PS3 XBOX 360 Wii era arrives
xbox 360 comes out the door hard and is doing pretty well despite its hicups with recalls and servicing malfunctioning systems

Wii with its new unique way of playing games and its family and social oriented games doing pretty well itself.

PS3.. although fan boys will always say PS3 isn't hurt one bit and still kicking the other 2's ass's. They are kinda feeling it.
They didn't come out as hard as they wanted. Their systems from the start were the most expensive of the 3 which was hurting gamers wallets in a starting to fail economy while wii was shown to be cheap and xbox came out with their "Arcade" model which allowed gamers to game on the cheaper levels.
sony is also suffering from half way decent sales from its PSP device which we all know you can't touch nintendo in their own game of portables. Its impossiable. and the new age of smart portable devices that allow you to game even cheaper and more on the go

Sony was basking in glory for 2 rounds. this time i think they are feeling worn out.

So if i was a gambling man and i am.... and i was sega.
i would actually get on the ball and come out with a new system. what ever form of media we will be using on the next wave.

[Rob2600]

N64 pros and cons:

Pros:

-Very nice polygon graphics (texture filtering/antialiasing, perspective correction, real-time lighting, real-time shadows, texture layering, etc.). The N64 was doing sophisticated things no other console could at the time. In PlayStation games, walls and floors would twitch and undulate. In N64 games, everything was solid and nicely lit.

-Practically no loading screens.

-Extremely durable cartridges.

--Nintendo, Rare, and Factor 5 as exclusive developers. Popular franchises with high production values (Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, F-Zero, Star Wars, Star Fox, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, etc.)

-Great controller (in my opinion)

-Based on review scores from 1996 to 2002, the N64 has the highest good-to-bad game ratio out of any home game console.

-The most popular, top-selling games year after year were N64 games.

-Built-in four player support.


Cons:

-Cartridges were more expensive, both in terms of development and retail.

-Small texture cache required texture repetition or clever workarounds.

-Very little development support from Nintendo and very exclusive access to the N64's microcode. (If I'm not mistaken, the only developers allowed to optimize the microcode were Rare, Factor 5, Iguana/Acclaim, and Boss Game Studios. Maybe Angel Studios and HAL, too.)

-Most developers struggled to produce impressive sound. (Rare, Konami, Factor 5, H2O, and Nintendo were the exception.)

-Unusual architecture that many developers struggled with at the time. (Instead of having dedicated graphics and audio processors with dedicated RAM, the N64 featured an open architecture which was a new concept for programmers back then. Programmers were free to allocate as much CPU and RAM to graphics, audio, physics, etc. as they saw fit, so instead of saying "I wish we had more RAM for the graphics, they could actually take some RAM away from the audio and put it toward graphics. Interestingly enough, they didn't like having that freedom.)

-The entire library consisted of roughly 300 games worldwide and sometimes a couple of months would go by between A+ releases.

-Lack of RPGs, which were becoming popular in the U.S. at the time.

- - -

The best games during the N64's first year:

Super Mario 64
Wave Race 64
Mario Kart 64
Star Fox 64
Goldeneye 007

Those five games alone made the N64 worth buying. Wave Race 64 blew me away and nothing on the Saturn or PlayStation ever came close to that level of detail and smoothness.


Anyway, was Nintendo arrogant during the launch of the N64? In many ways, yes. The lack of A+ third-party support was disappointing, but Nintendo made up for it with fantastic first-party titles. Plus, ultimately there were a handful of really beautiful third-party games such as Rayman 2, Mischief Makers, Mortal Kombat 4, World Driver Championship, Turok 3, The World Is not Enough, All-Star Baseball, and the Star Wars games. In the end, the N64 had fewer games than the PlayStation, but even still, there were plenty of A+ games to choose from in all different genres except RPGs.

To me, Nintendo's biggest mistake was not providing more developers with documentation and access to the N64's microcode. Evidently, the default microcode setting was way too complex, which bogged down the CPU and resulted in lower frame rates. Once some developers were able to customize and optimize it, they boosted performance significantly. I wish that would've happened sooner in the N64's life. In the end, games like Conker's Bad Fur Day, World Driver Championship, and Battle for Naboo showed what the N64 could really do, but developers *should've* been able to achieve those results a year or two earlier if Nintendo had granted more access to the microcode.

[emceelokey]

I don't remember Nintendo being arrogant with the N64 at that time but I do remember it was the first time I saw a full page ad/article for a video gaming system in the newspaper. I remember the picture was was Mario swing Bowser by the tail and it took up 3/4 of the page.

If you want arrogant, look at all of the Sega Cd commercials, that's arrogant right there.

Looking back now though, it was the beginning of Nintendo making bad decisions mixed with good decisions with their home consoles.

N64.) + First controller to come with standard analog controls
- Cartridge based which was pretty much a negative in all aspects but didn't have load times..., Analog stick broke too easily, expansion pak was useless. My biggest gripe with the N64 was that I'm a Killer Instinct fanboy and they couldn't even get the little FMVs for the vs screens or endings in the game when every PSX game has some sort of FMV in it at that time.

Gamecube.) +Nothing really
- Used Mini Disc to try to prevent piracy but try playing Tiger Woods 2004 or whatever. You have to change the disc everytime you want to switch courses. Stupid controller layout and buttons that benefitted only one type of game play, FIGHTING GAMES were shunned because of that.

Wii.) + Motion Controls
- Decision to not implement HD, Ignorance to online gaming. It's essentially a Gamecube with a full sized dvd and motion controls.

Since the N64, it seemed like they had one thing that was a step ahead and then two thinks that were two steps behind.

[JSoup]

I guess I'm one of the only people on the planet that found the N64 controller comfortable.

[Collector_Gaming]

I guess I'm one of the only people on the planet that found the N64 controller comfortable.

nope i did too

but like i said i am left handed so it was easier for me to have my dominant hand using the controller the way it was ment to be

http://n64controller.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/n64controller.jpg

[JSoup]

nope i did too

but like i said i am left handed so it was easier for me to have my dominant hand using the controller the way it was ment to be

http://n64controller.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/n64controller.jpg

You know, it never really occurred to me that the controller was intended for someone left hand dominant, but it makes sense. I'm right handed, but I took to the N64 controller right from the get go, to the point that I sometimes had issues playing PS1 platformers.

[sheath]

The only time I have any problem with controls is when I have to move one of my hands and do anything complex. Joking aside, that includes mouse and keyboard setups. The N64 pad hasn't really confused me. In fact, I have consistently only purchased FPS that allowed for left stick aim and right stick movement up until Transformers WfCT.

I found the N64's analog stick a complete scam, it really isn't more sensitive than decent digital pad controls. The Nintendo DS having a well received Mario 64 proves this.

[tom]

Mostly every Japanese controller is 'the wrong way round' I wouldn't call it left-handed it's just the Japanese way.

Anyway, I remember very arrogant ads in UKs gaming rags....Picture of then Ultra 64, caption 'you have to wait for this', or, 'you can't play this yet'.
Those ads were offputting for starters.

And then, after all this waiting, we get fuzzy graphics.

[Gameguy]

N64.) + First controller to come with standard analog controls
Besides the Vectrex...<cough>

I remember trying to play the N64 when it first came out, I had to be around 8 years old at the time. The controller just didn't fit that well in my hands, it's ok now as I'm grown up but as a kid it was pretty bad.

Between the N64 and the Playstation, I would choose the Playstation. It's not easy for me to say that, for the longest time I hated the Playstation because of the hardware. I've heard that they break down frequently, they're not worth much used, the discs are easy to scratch and have loading times, etc. A few months ago I got a Playstation in a well priced bundle and started to play some games, they're way better than the games I've played for the N64 so now I actually like the system. I don't even have that many PS1 games yet, still less than 10 yet I'm having more fun than I ever had with the N64. I've had several N64s over the years that I picked up cheap but I never found anything worth keeping, I keep selling the systems and games off without much regret.

Still not as good as the Genesis or SNES but the PS1 does have some great stuff too. I doubt I'll own too many PS1 games, but definitely more than N64 games.

[Aussie2B]

I don't really get the left-handed argument since ever since D-pads had been brought into gaming we've been using our left hands to manipulate the D-pad or stick. Unless you guys are referring to games in which the C buttons were for moving, but those always felt really awkward to me (but I'm not left-handed).

Personally, the N64 controller was extremely comfortable for me from day one and still feels great no matter how much I'm using other controllers. I've always found it to be very ergonomic, so I don't know what everyone else's problem is. Maybe it helps that I have small hands? Although it looks like it would be comfortable for large hands too.

[JSoup]

Now I think about it, the left handed argument probably doesn't hold water. How many of us can manipulate the d-pad and two control sticks on PS2/3 controllers without issue, regardless of our dominate hands?

[Rob2600]

I found the N64's analog stick a complete scam, it really isn't more sensitive than decent digital pad controls.

With the N64 analog stick, I could make Mario tip-toe slowly, then tip-toe faster, then walk slowly, then walk faster, then jog, and then run at full speed. That wouldn't have been possible with a digital pad.


Between the N64 and the Playstation, I would choose the Playstation. ... A few months ago I got a Playstation in a well priced bundle and started to play some games, they're way better than the games I've played for the N64

Both consoles had dozens of very popular highly rated games, but for people who hate long loading screens, the PlayStation is automatically ruled out.



Is it just me who's wondering how N64 could have been considered a commercial success? I'm no Nintendo expert but doesn't the U.S. N64 only have about 250 games? If that figure is correct, that's about the same amount of games the U.S. Saturn has and I've never heard anyone call U.S. Saturn a commercial success.

9.5 million Saturn consoles were sold worldwide. 32.9 million N64 consoles were sold worldwide. That means the N64 outsold the Saturn by 3.5 to 1. Also:

Best selling Saturn games = Virtua Fighter 2 (2.2 million) and Sega Rally Championship (1.2 million)

Best selling N64 games = Super Mario 64 (11 million), Mario Kart 64 (9 million), Goldeneye 007 (8 million), Ocarina of Time (7.6 million), Super Smash Bros. (5 million), etc.

That's why the Saturn isn't considered a commercial success, but the N64 is. The Saturn *could* have been more successful, but Sega was very confused and screwed up at the time.