Why so much N64 hate?

[chicnstu]

I just looked through some of the earlier posts about N64 from this year and wow, so many people were saying they "******* hate the N64" and "would rather play a PC game 10 years older than any game on N64".

I used to go to stores, pick out a N64 game and would like the game I bought almost every time. I also had a Playstation then and had a VERY hard time finding something I enjoyed. I didn't like Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy VII (I still don't like this game), WipEout got boring fast. Vigilante 8 was about the only game I enjoyed a lot. Legacy of Kain was cool. Maybe I wasn't playing the right games?

So why are people so mean to N64?

[pragmatic insanester]

not enough beat 'em ups. there's like 5 or 6 for the 64. the snes had about 30.

[Cryomancer]

"*******"?


However i do kind of agree here. I guess everyone is just freaked out about the controller or played it's inferior ports, but there are quite a few quality exclusive games. I know I had a good time with the thing when it came out, and still do every now and then.

It's got two Goemon games in english even!!!1

edit: no lightgun games though 8/

[chicnstu]

"*******"?


However i do kind of agree here. I guess everyone is just freaked out about the controller or played it's inferior ports, but there are quite a few quality exclusive games. I know I had a good time with the thing when it came out, and still do every now and then.

It's got two Goemon games in english even!!!1

edit: no lightgun games though 8/

The ******* is "fucking", I didn't want to say it but you made me :)

I plan to get the Goemon games, they seem great.

PragmaticInsanisomething: Nah, it has more than that, at least 10.

[KingCobra]

It's not really Hate, it just wasen't all that after coming off SNES/Genesis or even the comp at the time(Saturn/Playstation). Plus it's aged hard IMO.

[CreamSoda]

Well, I could just post one of those tired "because they are ignorant or misinformed/haters/whatever" posts. But it just wouldn't be true, I think the reason is this.....

The N64 is a hard pill to swallow for alot of people, because of the controller, "blurry graphics", lack of fighters/RPGS, ect. I think the 64 did have alot of negative points, and it was an aquired taste for sure.

Being a huge N64 fan myself, I do get tired of all the bashing. But most of the points I read are valid, and everyone is entitled to thier opinions afterall.

IMO, the N64 rocked, it had a great controller, bright colorful graphics(although blurry), and some incredible games over the years. So you won't hear any hating from me, even though I do agree with alot of the complaints the system gets.

[Pantechnicon]

No hate from me, although I wouldn't call myself a major fan either.

I like the controller just fine and think it's well-suited to FPS's, but that might just be me as I've got this weird ambidexterity when it comes to things like that.

I also prefer the utility of cart-based systems to discs, and the N64's significance as the last cart-based system should not be dismissed. I'll go so far as to admit I have something of a "cart fetish", and the N64 comes in 3rd (behind the Atari 5200 and Neo Geo) for hot, wild and BIG cart-snapping action. `Scuse me while I go get some tissues...

[Richter Belmount]

The treasure games still hold up and some of rares stuff. But the n64 , when I was younger I wanted to love it so much I waited a year for something awesome to come it never came , then I discovered arcade fighting games and their abundance on the playstation system. It was hard to really love your nintendo 64 to death since releases were far and few and not as rapid as say the playstation (Which got alot of good releases each coming month)

[chicnstu]

I think it's weird that the "retro-gaming" community is talking about games not aging well.

Also, I prefer cartridges too.

[jajaja]

N64 had too expecive games. They were like $100 - $150 here. I dont like the controller with the thumb joystick either. Also no games that really interest me, but i didnt own it when it was new. Mario Kart 64 was fun tho :D

[Xizer]

It's probably people who have always been jealous; their parents bought them the PlayStation because it was popular and they got stuck with a flood of mediocre games while us lucky N64 owners got around 20 incredibly awesome games.

PS1 might have had more games but it sure as hell didn't have more quality.

[Ed Oscuro]

N64 had too expecive games. They were like $100 - $150 here.
They aren't anymore, so go gettum! BTW, where the heck are you at? Australia/NZ?

Anyway, big fan of the N64 here. The library doesn't have the depth of the PS1's, but some games really trump anything the PS1 could do. It doesn't have the awesome arcade library that the Saturn did (in, um, Japan, at least), but from a casual gaming perspective it was great, and just the thing to get me into console games.

[Dire 51]

Not a fan, but I don't hate it either. Much like the XBox, there's just so few games I actually want to play for it.

[Celestial Avenger]

Lack of competent RPGs, overpriced games..

Super Mario 64 was still $59.99 at my Wal-Mart after the PS2 was released.

[Emuaust]

I put my hand up as a hater, the blurry 64 give's me eye/headaches
and I really think that the controller is one of the worse designs
of any controller ever, PSX and Saturn blew everything the
64 had to offer away, but hey thats my opinion dont flame me,
as i could ask Why the Fck is there all this N64 Love?

[Cryomancer]

Because it has some fun games?

[Kevincal]

For people that say the N64 has "blurry" graphics...ever thought that maybe your tv isn't so great or the picture isn't tuned up (i.e. sharpness etc.) I would rather have texture-mapped polygons a little blurred than be a pixelated mess... Oh, and the first 3 games for the N64, Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, and Waverace 64 were all extremely awesome games imo... And there are a lot more I love on the system...

[BocoDragon]

Another question is... why so much N64 love among the younger crowd, hmmm?

My perspective was that Nintendo was the king for two generations, Sega kicked a little ass with the Genesis, and then in the 32-bit generation they both dropped the ball, hard. PlayStation came out of nowhere to dominate them both (I seem to remember an n-gage like buzz during its first couple years, which disappeared in the lead up to FFVII)

Of course, unlike the Saturn, the N64 did sell well to the family crowd, and it had some buzzworthy hits like Mario and Zelda. I know that a lot of households owned an N64, and Nintendo IS a damn fine company, so many kids have grown up with the N64 having a special place in their hearts. This places them in direct contrast to the older gamers who have no beef with Nintendo, but only the N64 itself. Nintendo is always good, even a lukewarm console like the N64 kicked a major amount of ass and fuelled the nostalgia of the Pokemon generation, but the older gamers can clearly see that it was a major downgrade from the libraries of the NES and SNES. The same goes for the controller: It looks and feels like trash compared to its predecessors.

If you were there and had prior context, the N64 was a disappointment. The fact that it has 4-6 of the best games of all time doesn't change this.... back in the day, these titles came years apart.

[Xizer]

Lack of competent RPGs, overpriced games..

I was under the impression that this was a good feature. Who needs a billion boring, turn-based RPGs filled with monotonous random battles?

The N64 had Paper Mario - that trumped any boring standard J-RPG on the PS1.


Another question is... why so much N64 love among the younger crowd, hmmm?

My perspective was that Nintendo was the king for two generations, Sega kicked a little ass with the Genesis, and then in the 32-bit generation they both dropped the ball, hard. PlayStation came out of nowhere to dominate them both (I seem to remember an n-gage like buzz during its first couple years, which disappeared in the lead up to FFVII)

Of course, unlike the Saturn, the N64 did sell well to the family crowd, and it had some buzzworthy hits like Mario and Zelda. I know that a lot of households owned an N64, and Nintendo IS a damn fine company, so many kids have grown up with the N64 having a special place in their hearts. This places them in direct contrast to the older gamers who have no beef with Nintendo, but only the N64 itself. Nintendo is always good, even a lukewarm console like the N64 kicked a major amount of ass and fuelled the nostalgia of the Pokemon generation, but the older gamers can clearly see that it was a major downgrade from the libraries of the NES and SNES. The same goes for the controller: It looks and feels like trash compared to its predecessors.

If you were there and had prior context, the N64 was a disappointment. The fact that it has 4-6 of the best games of all time doesn't change this.... back in the day, these titles came years apart.

This argument doesn't work. I was around in the SNES days, and the N64 was far from a disappointment.

The controller looks and feels like trash compared to its predecessors? Because the SNES controller's gray color scheme and the NES controller's ugly archaic look are so stylin', right?

I don't see how anyone can honestly say the N64 controller is worse than the NES controller. I don't recall ever having my hands hurting because the edge of the controller was cutting into them with the N64 controller. Sharp edges was a frequent issue with the NES controller.

The NES controller also had two main buttons and a d-pad. You couldn't do shit with that. Well, not that you'd need to, as the system was too primitive to handle anything even remotely complex or entertaining.

[Mattiekrome]

:?

Man, I freakin loved the N64... 007 + Mario Kart 64... Thats all anyone needed

[boatofcar]

With the decision to stick with cartridges, the N64 marked Nintendo's parting of the ways with a lot of the third party developers that made the SNES so well-rounded as a console. Plain and simple, the ratio of bad to good games on the N64 was much higher than the Playstation. The N64 is a system worth playing for its in house developed games and Goldeneye, but not much else.

[Push Upstairs]

I'll never deny that the N64 gets zero love from me.

The controller is uncomfortable and poorly designed, that analog stick and the action buttons are far too close together.

The library of "good" games is limited. Ask fans of the system and you'll hear the same handful of titles as being "the best". The N64 just doesn't have a strong enough library of games to overcome all of its shortcomings.

If I take my glasses off I can walk around a blurry world where things become very clear when I walk up close to them. Doing that in real life sucks, having to pay money to do that sucks even more.

[tom]

not so much hate...but for me it was the awful fuzzy graphics.

and don't give me that 'tune in your tv properly' crap...what is it with you yanks? you don't tune in your tv properly? whats that for a joke?
since 80s here in europe tvs have automatic tuning control, which always gives the best picture. you guys should try this

anyway, a few good games on the system, eg tigger's honey hunt, pokemon snap, perfect dark....forget the rubbish which is goldeneye...

nice little system with easy to collect games if you want to start a new collection, just don't play 'em.

[BocoDragon]

The controller looks and feels like trash compared to its predecessors? Because the SNES controller's gray color scheme and the NES controller's ugly archaic look are so stylin', right?

Actually, YES. The NES design is retro, but very functional (that d-pad would be fine with the most demanding shooters or fighters of today), and the SNES controller could be a Wii accessory with a little transparent plastic added.

The N64s controller resembles a Fisher Price toy, and that would have been true in the 80s, 90s or 2000s. Even in its day it was out of place. Seriously, somehow the N64 unit itself was like a sexy Cadillac, and the controller was like My First Nintendo. It is an abortion.



I don't see how anyone can honestly say the N64 controller is worse than the NES controller. I don't recall ever having my hands hurting because the edge of the controller was cutting into them with the N64 controller. Sharp edges was a frequent issue with the NES controller.

The N64 has the worst D-pad of all time (easily. Worse than Genesis. Worse than Dreamcast. Worse than Gamecube) It also has the worst analog stick of all time (not grippy, and most likely to be found broken 10 years on)

Sharp edges was a frequent issue with the NES controller? Not really. I know demanding shooter or fighter fans (genres which actually require tight controls) would give the NES D-pad high praise. Your complaint is quite subjective, and I probably dislike the N64's flimsy stick as much or more than you disdain NES's d-pad.


The NES controller also had two main buttons and a d-pad. You couldn't do shit with that. Well, not that you'd need to, as the system was too primitive to handle anything even remotely complex or entertaining.

So my argument doesn't work, when you were "around for the SNES" and display an attitude of disdain for 8-bit technology? You cite NES's two buttons as proof that it is inferior to the 10 years newer N64? You don't have the context to claim my argument doesn't work, you are clearly "N64 generation". (If you're not, touche, but you did little to convey your aged perspective in your post). The main problem is that we are coming from two different perspectives.

An experiment: If I said the Dreamcast was a disappointment, a million fanboys would scream. Of course, it was certainly a disappointment in many factual ways, but that is not the same thing as saying: It did not have good games.

The N64 was a disappointment. It was at the time. Professional game magazines would lament how it was wasting its potential, and how the only thing to look forward to was Nintendo's one or two good titles a year. Looking back, it has Zelda and Mario so it gets a pass.... But NES and SNES weren't considered great on their Nintendo and Rare games alone... there were third party flagship titles (Final Fantasy, Megaman), there were tons of RPGs. They had a quantity of excellent games that was many times greater than what Nintendo themselves would ever put out. We are talking about 100s of great games here. N64 had none of this, and even the Gamecube completely owns it in this regard.

If you were there and paying attention in the late 90s: Everything that made NES and SNES great was completely absent on the 64, except Nintendo titles. The rest of videogaming went to PS1 in a stunning coup: Unless you were a fanboy or a kid, one could no longer live on Nintendo consoles alone. People did not claim that SNES was great on Star Fox, Zelda, Mario World alone, but these are the kind of titles that prop up N64's "greatness".

Going from gaming juggernaut to Zelda/Mario/StarFox machine is a disappointment. Again, that isn't the same thng as saying those few Nintendo flagship titles weren't great. They are. But it takes so much more than 4-6 great titles to make a great console. There were probably 100s of greats on the NES, SNES, PS1 and PS2 for example. N64 isn't even on the level.

[Xizer]

The N64 has the worst D-pad of all time (easily. Worse than Genesis. Worse than Dreamcast. Worse than Gamecube) It also has the worst analog stick of all time (not grippy, and most likely to be found broken 10 years on)


OBJECTION!
I was under the impression that it was universally agreed upon that the DualShock's d-pad was a piece of shit. There is no way the 64 controller tops that d-pad in terms of crappiness. Also, you're seriously saying it's worse than the GameCube's tiny d-pad placed off in the middle of nowhere? Please tell me you're joking. At least the N64's d-pad is in the primary thumb position; you have to reach over in a strange position and fiddle with a miniature, imprecise d-pad with the GameCube controller.

The N64 had at least 20 superb games. Most gamers do not buy more than 20 games for their system. So what's wrong with this? Well?

Do you honestly play the supposed hundreds of great games available for a system that has that many? You can tell me you've played through hundreds of PlayStation games? If you have, you're one of the few.

It doesn't matter if a system has hundreds of good games, you're probably not going to come anywhere near beating all of them. The N64 should have been by no means a disappointment to the average gamer without thousands of hours to waste playing hundreds of games.

And that's just one console. You probably own a ton of systems. So you've got to find the time to beat hundreds of good PlayStation games and the thousands more good games on all your systems. Quite frankly, few people have this kind of time. Everyone always praises a library with hundreds of great titles, but how many of them play all of those hundreds of titles? I've got hundreds of good games scattered across dozens of systems, but I haven't even beaten half of them.

[smokehouse]

I guess I'll chime in on this one...

Let me start off with this.

1. I'm 29
2. I bought a N64 at launch
3. At that time I owned a NES and SNES
4. To this day I am STILL a Nintendo fanboy

With those facts posted I'll begin.

To me the N64 was a huge disappointment. Coming after the SNES which was in my opinion the best gaming console ever made, the N64 had MASSIVE shoes to fill. The SNES was a great system with rock solid graphics and amazing sound for it's time.

I was expecting nothing less than the leader for the next generation of gaming. What I got was a clumsy "kiddy" feeling toy/game player. I was fresh out of high school and was looking to be more "adult" in my gaming (not unlike any 18 year old kid). To my complete surprise, the Playstation fit that bill, not the N64. More adult games, one of the best, most comfortable controllers ever made (possibly the best ever if you're talking about the Dual Shock) and....CD sound. What did we get with the N64? Blurry graphics (can't dodge that one, it's true), a garbage controller (possibly one of the worst ever made), high game prices (thanks cart format), garbage sound (it never could compare with what the PS1 could do) and a lackluster library of titles (IMO).

In my eyes, the original Playstation is what the N64 should have been, a complete console. Games like Mario 64 were nifty but the N64 had little "meaty" titles and more fluff.

In the end it was a monumental failure, a complete disappointment and the start of the downhill slide for the big N. It will forever stick out in my mind as the black sheep of the Nintendo lineup.





And yes, with all of that said, I own one (along with Paper Mario, the only game I like for the system).

[Retsudo]

I never hated the 64, I just didn't like it much. I traded in a PS1 because I already had two and got a 64. I only had 1 game for it. I think it was a Star wars game. Later on I gave away the 64 and game for free.I didnt like the controller much eirther.It looks like a giant tooth.

I must add this.
I think the PS1 spoiled me from liking the N64. Going from the Snes pad to the PS dualshock was not a big problem.

[Ed Oscuro]

Am I the only one who thought the N64's graphics were sufficiently advanced over the PS1's (popping texture city) that the iffy controller could be forgiven?

Alright, my $0.02 on the D-pads of the PSX and N64 controllers: Both sucked sharkfin big time, and we're not going back to that. Cheers!

[8-bitNesMan]

The NES controller also had two main buttons and a d-pad. You couldn't do shit with that. Well, not that you'd need to, as the system was too primitive to handle anything even remotely complex or entertaining.

Come on man that's some major hate on the system that saved video games for all of us!



4. To this day I am STILL a Nintendo fanboy

And yes, with all of that said, I own one (along with Paper Mario, the only game I like for the system).

With so many great first-party titles, how in the name of Mario can you call yourself a fanboy?

[BocoDragon]

OBJECTION!
I was under the impression that it was universally agreed upon that the DualShock's d-pad was a piece of shit. There is no way the 64 controller tops that d-pad in terms of crappiness. Also, you're seriously saying it's worse than the GameCube's tiny d-pad placed off in the middle of nowhere? Please tell me you're joking. At least the N64's d-pad is in the primary thumb position; you have to reach over in a strange position and fiddle with a miniature, imprecise d-pad with the GameCube controller.

Huh? The dual shock d-pad is fine, you will find no such universal agreement. It's definitely not my first choice, but I would actually play technical games on it (fighters, shooters). No fighting fan would dare play a fighter with that chunk of rigid plastic on the 64, but that's a bit unfair since there were no good fighters on the 64 (one of many genres completely missing on the 64; Because again, there were ONLY Nintendo made games, and they don't even do most genres)

And N64 d-pad vs. Cube is kind of a retard fight. I wouldn't want to be stuck playing a non-analog game on either of them. Let's just say that your comment about d-pad placement is ironic when we're discussing a controller that forced you to move your left hand to an entirely different prong to access it. The Tri-prong setup of the N64 was proven completely pointless when no game actually used the d-pad/analog stick combo that was intended when it was announced... and the dual analog sticks on Sony's analog pad completely co-opted dual control function in a more logical layout that still allows access to right-hand buttons. There's a reason both Microsoft and Nintendo copied the dual analog layout.

Thanks for reminding me to hunt down Phoenix Wright with that "objection" though.


The N64 had at least 20 superb games. Most gamers do not buy more than 20 games for their system. So what's wrong with this? Well?

Do you honestly play the supposed hundreds of great games available for a system that has that many? You can tell me you've played through hundreds of PlayStation games? If you have, you're one of the few.

It doesn't matter if a system has hundreds of good games, you're probably not going to come anywhere near beating all of them. The N64 should have been by no means a disappointment to the average gamer without thousands of hours to waste playing hundreds of games.

And that's just one console. You probably own a ton of systems. So you've got to find the time to beat hundreds of good PlayStation games and the thousands more good games on all your systems. Quite frankly, few people have this kind of time. Everyone always praises a library with hundreds of great titles, but how many of them play all of those hundreds of titles? I've got hundreds of good games scattered across dozens of systems, but I haven't even beaten half of them.

This is why we are coming from different perspectives: After NES and SNES, 20 happy go lucky Nintendo games isn't good enough. You're looking at the fun you had with 64, the handful of good titles, and declaring it good. How can anyone think it was bad?

But compared to what came before, we can't declare it good. N64 wasn't the beginning of Nintendo for us, it wasn't even a golden age: It was the time when every third party left Nintendo consoles, leaving ONLY the golden Nintendo few around which you base your love.

StarFox, Zelda, Mario. Great. Good games. But there were SNES versions back in the day. And other things were on SNES too. N64 had 20 excellent titles.... but we were used to Nintendo consoles having 200+ excellent titles.

Of course people don't usually play that many titles. But only 20 titles from one developer does not provide for any variety. Nintendo gives you platformers, they give you adventures, they give you party titles..... nothing else. If I want one RPG: can't find it on N64. If I want one fighter: can't find it on N64. Hell, if I want one Metroid game: Can't find it on N64!!

Basically, look at PS2s library: That's what was expected of Nintendo at the time. They did not deliver. Gamecube wasn't exactly a return to form, but it did correct many N64 mistakes (lack of mature games, RPGs, third party games, Metroid).... this leaves N64 as a black sheep. A console which provided the core Nintendo hits (except Metroid), some Rare surprises, and nothing else. Dreamcast has a library that rivals it, despite being alive for 2 years and then killed off. DS has a much larger and diverse library already........ N64 has a small potatoes library in the grand scheme of things. And no, you really shouldn't be satisfied by an all-Nintendo library unless you're a kid or a fanboy. (and you're talking to a huge Nintendo fan by the way)

Smokehouse, who posted above, seems to share my viewpoint exactly.

[MarioMania]

I do like the N64..I have all Nintendo System..

As for the Controller..I like it, for fighter like MKT I just hold it like I do with th SNES controller

But my Fave Controller of all time is The Sega Saturn Contrller & the SNES Controller

[Push Upstairs]

The N64 had at least 20 superb games. Most gamers do not buy more than 20 games for their system. So what's wrong with this? Well?

Do you honestly play the supposed hundreds of great games available for a system that has that many? You can tell me you've played through hundreds of PlayStation games? If you have, you're one of the few.

It doesn't matter if a system has hundreds of good games, you're probably not going to come anywhere near beating all of them. The N64 should have been by no means a disappointment to the average gamer without thousands of hours to waste playing hundreds of games.

And that's just one console. You probably own a ton of systems. So you've got to find the time to beat hundreds of good PlayStation games and the thousands more good games on all your systems. Quite frankly, few people have this kind of time. Everyone always praises a library with hundreds of great titles, but how many of them play all of those hundreds of titles? I've got hundreds of good games scattered across dozens of systems, but I haven't even beaten half of them.

As the old saying goes "variety is the spice of life".

The thing about the NES, SNES, & Gameboy was that if i didn't want to play a Mario, Zelda, or Metroid game I had a variety of other games to choose from.

Yes those games were great, but there is more to life than *JUST* Mario, Zelda, & Metroid (and in the N64's case, Goldeneye).

And now we return to the N64 problem, a lack of variety.

[jajaja]

They aren't anymore, so go gettum! BTW, where the heck are you at? Australia/NZ?

Hehe ye, i have like 20-30 N64 games now, but i never play :) Im from Europe. I remember the prices back then on N64 games, it was insane. I bought a PSX instead hehe.

[Mayhem]

I could post my N64 article at this moment, but I can't (cos it got published) so meeehhh. Anyhow, the N64 imo was a vastly underused piece of tech with some brilliant games on it, a far greater good:bad ratio than almost any other machine, one of the best controllers of all time and instant loading. It failed because of decisions made by both Nintendo and Sony. Actually, I can't use the word "failed" here simply because it shifted more than 30 million units worldwide. A failure? Only by comparison. The N64 to me was a success and always will be. If only for making an analog stick a default part of any controller today.

It would appear a similar situation could quite happen two gen along...

[NESaholic]

I like some of the games alot but most aren't all to cool IMO. I have a weird tick that i buy consoles for Zelda games that come on it. The N64 has great Zelda games.;)

[Parpunk]

MAN I LOVE THE N64!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUPER MARIO 64 like changed my life. lol. i was only like 10 years old when it came out and it blew me away! i never had a Ps1 and i thought the n64 tore up the ps1. goldeneye was like the greatest game ever! man i had no idea so many disliked it. the games i had were, mario 64, clayfighter, sanfrancisco rush, tony hawks pro skater, bomberman 64 (still get the guys together to rock this one) donkey kong 64, zelda OOT (how could anyone not like this one) zelda majoras mask, banjo kazooie, banjo tooie, yoshis story. all great clasics man. although i was more of a kid when it came out though so that might have something to do with it lol.

[jcalder8]

I'll be the first to be flamed for this but....

I love the N64 and think that it is the second best Nintendo system(putting the NES first) I was never impressed with the SNES and it is the only system that I have owned and sold without regret. I have never found the N64 controller to be uncomfortable and I don't remember the graphics being worse on the N64 than the PS.

What makes me love the 64 more than the others? Simply, 4 players right out of the box and no need of a memory card. I had just entered high school when it came out and if there was a group of friends you knew we were going to play the 64. I'll admit that there weren't a lot of great games that came out but the ones that did I still enjoy today.

[Dire 51]

The NES controller also had two main buttons and a d-pad. You couldn't do shit with that. Well, not that you'd need to, as the system was too primitive to handle anything even remotely complex or entertaining.
Funny, I've played many, MANY entertaining and complex games for the NES and thoroughly enjoyed them, which is more than I can say for the N64.

[AMG]

I loved the N64, I spent countless hours playing that machine (and still do today). The lack of RPGs did hurt, but I had my PSX for those.

[mario2butts]

I love the N64. It was the first console I ever got band-new, and it was my first "3D" console, so granted, my love for it may be tinted with nostalgia. In retrospect, I see how it was disappointing on many levels: poor sound, expensive games, lack of games, crappy analog stick, lack of third pary support, lack of variation. So to the haters: I get it. I understand. Still, the N64 has some strengths that IMO cannot be easily overlooked.

Cartridge format. Yes, this meant more expensive games with lower quality sound, less detailed graphics, and little or no FMV. But think about what Nintendo was evaluating when deciding between carts and CD's. Every CD based system of the previous generation had been a total failure: Sega CD, Turbografx CD/ Duo, 3DO, Neo Geo CD, CDi, etc. What format did the most sucessful consoles of the 16-bit era (Genesis/ SNES) use? How could Nintendo have known that the use of the CD would take a dramatic turn for the better? Hindsight is 20/20, but given Nintendo's perspective at the time the choice to use cartridges was a perfectly reasonable one. And the cartridge does have its advantages. Durability: ever find a totally broken N64 cart? I havent. They're more difficult to pirate. AND, most importantly: NO LOAD TIMES!!! Not too long ago I had a friend over while I was revisiting Ocarina of Time. Link went through a door and immediately appeared in a new area on the other side. "HOLY SHIT!!!" my friend exclaims. "There load times are AMAZING!!! How'd they DO that???" That gave me a good chuckle.

The Controller. I don't understand the haters on this one. I agree that the stick blows in comparison to later versions of the analog stick on other consoles, but it was FIRST. The alternative was no stick at all. Would you have preferred Nintendo ditching their slippery stick in favor of just a D-Pad to control Mario 64? And the rumble pack was another awesome innovation. Sure, the Dual Shock was better in this regard (replacing AAs sucks hard), but who's to say there would BE a dual shock without the rumble pack?? Nintendo should be praised for its innovation. And the three handled controller: brilliant! It essentially becomes a 3D and 2D controller just by switching between the center and left handles, each control apparatus having plenty of room around it. 2- handled solutions always have some degree of compromise, with the stick and D-Pad so close together. Sure you get used to it, but the N64 controller is still an impressive design.

The Games. There werent as many. Some genres were totally unrepresented. But there were still a collection of games on the N64 that make the system worth having. Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, Shadows of the Empire, Zelda OOT, Zelda MM, Rogue Squadrun, Ogre Battle 64, Blast Corps, DK 64, Jet Force Gemeni, Perfect Dark, Pilotwings 64, Episode 1 Racer, Turok 2, Wave Race 64, Wipeout 64 (comparable to XL IMO), all awesome. Of course, the N64's biggest advantage over the PlayStation: multiplayer!! Goldeneye, Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros, WCW vs NWO, WWF No Mercy, all party favories that the PlayStation simply could not do, and each individually reasons why ALL my friends owned N64s and the main draws of social gatherings in my adolescence (and even today!!).

The N64 rocks for all these reasons. History may smile on the PlayStation, and hell so do I, but I also smile on the N64.

[BocoDragon]

I love the N64. It was the first console I ever got band-new, and it was my first "3D" console, so granted, my love for it may be tinted with nostalgia. In retrospect, I see how it was disappointing on many levels: poor sound, expensive games, lack of games, crappy analog stick, lack of third pary support, lack of variation. So to the haters: I get it. I understand. Still, the N64 has some strengths that IMO cannot be easily overlooked.

As long as you understand why a large percentage of people can't have completely golden memories of the 64, I can totally agree with your appraisal of its strengths. It hosts a small handful of the best games of all time, and it is definitely worth owning.

Also, people remember the N64 blurriness, but PS1's 3D capabilities definitely weren't as good. N64 had some of the largest areas I had never seen, until 128-bit came along (OoT Water Temple and some areas in DK64 come to mind as something which had a scale that hadn't been seen on PS1).

It is important to remember that in the 32/64-bit era, real time graphics were not nearly as impressive as pre-rendered graphics. Most of the big hits in that era were driven by their pre-rendered backgrounds and FMV (Resident Evil, Final Fantasy). This was something PS1 could excel at with its CD format providing for lots of pre-rendered information, but N64 couldn't really accomplish (with rare exception: RE2 N64 for example). All of N64s games were true 3D games, while most of PlayStation's greats used pre-rendered CGI to impress. People think of N64 and they think of blurry 3D, people think of PlayStation 1 and they think of CGI backgrounds and CGI movies. If more of PlayStation's greats had actually been real-time generated (like MGS1 or Vagrant Story), they would compare its low resolution textures and jaggy low-polygon models with something like Zelda or DK64. In that case, N64 would clearly be the graphics winner.

Also, I guarantee you that our collective memories of the N64 analog stick get worse and worse as time goes on, because too often we go back to playing the actual hardware with the inevitable broken stick. If we all had factory fresh controllers again, the analog stick might not be so hated.

[Mayhem]

Cartridge format. Yes, this meant more expensive games with lower quality sound, less detailed graphics, and little or no FMV. But think about what Nintendo was evaluating when deciding between carts and CD's. Every CD based system of the previous generation had been a total failure: Sega CD, Turbografx CD/ Duo, 3DO, Neo Geo CD, CDi, etc. What format did the most sucessful consoles of the 16-bit era (Genesis/ SNES) use? How could Nintendo have known that the use of the CD would take a dramatic turn for the better? Hindsight is 20/20, but given Nintendo's perspective at the time the choice to use cartridges was a perfectly reasonable one. And the cartridge does have its advantages. Durability: ever find a totally broken N64 cart? I havent. They're more difficult to pirate. AND, most importantly: NO LOAD TIMES!!! Not too long ago I had a friend over while I was revisiting Ocarina of Time. Link went through a door and immediately appeared in a new area on the other side. "HOLY SHIT!!!" my friend exclaims. "There load times are AMAZING!!! How'd they DO that???" That gave me a good chuckle.

And I totally agree there. I also agree with Bocodragon about the use of the ingame engine for cut scenes compared to the spangly new FMV present on the PS1.

It sounds like people should pick up Retro Gamer #31 when it hits the US (I hear #30 has just come out over there) and read my N64 piece. Praise and damnation in 3000 words. I've got a lot of good response back for it here in the UK so I hope anyone else who gives it a lookover thinks the same as well.

I probably won't get in trouble for quoting a bit which is relevant to the current angle of the discussion here...


Not that cartridges didn’t still have advantages: they were more robust than CDs, less likely to be damaged via general use; they could hold save data via design instead of making the user buy memory cards; and loading times were non-existent compared to CD, which a generation of gamers, unfamiliar with loading tapes into 8-bit machines, were about to discover anew. Loading times disrupted the flow of playing a game, something that Nintendo were keen to avoid.

However, there was one over-riding link connecting all these features; they benefited the end user and not the publisher. Cartridges were expensive to manufacture, and as Nintendo still controlled their production, it profited directly from every one made. Cartridges were also harder to pirate, which is likely to be another reason for sticking with that format. They also held far less data than CDs could, so publishers were in effect being asked to support a console that had a far higher space-to-cost ratio than say the PlayStation.

[Kevincal]

:?

Man, I freakin loved the N64... 007 + Mario Kart 64... Thats all anyone needed

There are no 2 better games for you and 3 other buddies...Imo...

[Kevincal]

not so much hate...but for me it was the awful fuzzy graphics.

and don't give me that 'tune in your tv properly' crap...what is it with you yanks? you don't tune in your tv properly? whats that for a joke?
since 80s here in europe tvs have automatic tuning control, which always gives the best picture. you guys should try this

anyway, a few good games on the system, eg tigger's honey hunt, pokemon snap, perfect dark....forget the rubbish which is goldeneye...

nice little system with easy to collect games if you want to start a new collection, just don't play 'em.

"RRRR" Wrong answer...Most tv's I've come accross with the automatic tuning control need to be tweaked to look better. Some of the base settings I've come accross were downright laughable... I'm really picky about the picture settings on tv's though...You could say I'm obsessive/compulsive about it to a degree. :P So you say...TIGGER'S HONEY HUNT!? (LOL), Pokemon Snap (:/) and Perfect Dark are the best games? My god... :( Sorry but I think Goldeneye is significantly better than Perfect Dark.

[tom]

wow, you sure have shitty TVs in California

....and of course we all use Peritel in Europe, which gives the best picture

[cyberfluxor]

The biggest reason I like the N64 over the Playstation are the 4-player party games. Goldeneye, Mario Party, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing, Bomberman, Bust-A-Move '99, Super Smash Bros. and F-Zero to name most of them. There were also quite a few cool 2-player games like Wave Race, Quake, Doom, Duke Nukem, Snowboard Kids, Hydro Thunder and Cruis'n USA (Oh hells yes). As for first player action titles such as Asteroids Hyper, Banjo-Kazooie, Command & Conquer, Paper Mario, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Mario, Mischief Makers, AeroFighters Assault, Jet Force Gemini and Yoshi's Story.

Obviously I like my N64 and enjoy the games I bought for it. The graphics are blurry but it's insignificant to me because it just doesn't bother my gameplay or the plots. Most PS1 games I play today are grainy and pixelated but it's not keeping me from playing those either.

However, I do have some beef with the double analog stick controllers because they are just annoying to me. Since I grew up on the PC first my 2 greatest input devices are mouse and keyboard. I don't mind An analog stick but 2 becomes a bit annoying and most games made then only really need a D-pad and an analog stick. The N64 controller worked wonders for me with absolution no issues my end and everything ran smooth.

As for the CD-ROM/Cartridge battle, I still prefer carts because the access is by far faster and the life is potentially longer. The only problem I have with carts are the connectors need a cleaning from time to time, but then again if a disc gets scratched it's gone and if dust gets on it there is a required cleaning. If everything is stored correctly and handled properly a disc and cart will live many years.

[Predatorxs]

These are always good threads (good reads!) I'm a ninty fan, so have had pretty much everything nintendo put out (barring the VBoy)

I think alot of people hate on the N64 since gamers were made to wait for a really long time, it got pushed back so many times, so many promises, and all the buzz about silicon graphics and having virtual reality graphics. When it did finally show up it didnt hit the spot.

Although i'm a fan i can't say i collected or played every game for it, but there were some games i really enjoyed Mario Kart, Zelda, Jet force gemini, Snowboard kids etc, etc.

But compared to the PS1 at the time, they were firing out games all the time, i had a japanese PS1, me and my brother wanted it first, so we got the jap console.. and the games were good, it just seemed like there was loads of games to choose from. (some really bad titles, but still alot of good games too)

But in saying that i played some of those games back (a few months back), and some of them arent that good, and have ruined alot of nice memories i had! :(

Someone mentioned how games get stale or age badly? i think alot do!.. when you have more detailed games coming out every year, there just light years ahead of games that are only 5 - 10 years old. thats apart of gaming life.

Also the whole argument about the NES controller, it was it's simplicity that made it so good and the snes controller was just an upgrade and they still hold up even today. The N64 controller wasn't that bad at all.

I think some people just jump on the smallest thing to moan about.. But everyone has there own take on different things, i still think the Genesis controller was a poor weak controller (or if i'm hatin!.. a cheap ass 6 six button wanna be snes controller!) lol

I liked the Ps1 controller it worked well, but again, with new controllers and next gen machines arriving the older systems start to pale in significance.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

....and of course we all use Peritel in Europe, which gives the best picture
Not on the N64, you don't. The N64 doesn't output RGB, so even if you're using a peritel plug, you're only getting composite video. You'd be better off using s-video assuming TVs in Europe accept that. You're also confusing tuning (which adjusts the recpetion of RF signals) with picture adjustment (which changes things like sharpness and contrast).

I notice that a lot of the criticisms people have about the N64 are sort of historical and don't apply in the present. Cartridges too expensive? I don't know about where you guys live, but I can find just about any game I want for $5-10. Long dry periods bvetween good releases? Maybe so, but now we have access to the system's entire library at once, so that doesn't matter. A letdown coming after the SNES? Disappointing compared to the Playstation? Again, these are criticisms based on the historical context of 1996 and don't apply today when we can judge a system and its games on their own merits not how they compared at the time.

Most of the ciriticisms about the system's library seem to be that th eonly good games were Nintendo's flagship franchises. Anyone who thinks that Mario/Starfox/Zelda and maybe Rare's titles are the only worthwhile games on the N64 must just not have any real knowledge of the system's library. The Goemon games have already been mentioned in this thread, but how many people who think that there weren't any good third party titles on the N64 have played them? How about Space Station Silicon Valley or Body Harvest? How about the LucasArts games? How about a dozen great arcade racers from a variety of developers? How about imports like Bangaioh, Custom Robo and Rakuga Kids? Point is, there's lots more to the N64 than just Nintendo and Rare, which is not to say that the system doesn't have a limited library--it does, in my opinion, and a somewhat strange one as well as has been pointed out already--but there's lots of good stuff to play and quite a variety even.

As for the controller, I hate it just as much as the next guy that hates it, but some time after the original Intellivision came out, console manufacturers realized that they could make the controllers modular allowing the users to unplug them and plug in new or third party ones as needed, you guys should look into that new-fangled feature. There's a couple good third party pads for the N64, though none of them that I've tried are truly excellent, they're good enough and certainly better than Nintendo's.

I think the the hate for the N64 is a kind of pack mentality. People see other people ragging on the N64 and since they don't have any particular love for the system and, in fact, don't even know much about it or its library except what they remember from 10 years ago, they jump on the bandwagon.

I don't think it's an all-time great system, but it's good and a lot of its games holds their own even today. It is most definitely not deserving of the disrespect it receives. People should give it a second look, I think.


...word is bondage...

[Push Upstairs]

Name 20 good games for the N64 that Nintendo/Rare didn't make/release/develope and are not Japanese imports.

Game series (similar to the non-qualifying "Mario Party" games) only count as 1.

[.Goomba24]

The N64 was a masterpiece in my eyes. Well, at the time it was. Yes, it had "those" games, but there weren't that many bad games for the system as there were for the PSX (Which was a remarkable system, too). The PSX reminded me of the Atari 2600 in a way. The producers of those games overloaded it with horrible hunks of crap that could hardly be called "video games". This wasn't as big of a problem for the N64, but it showed little effects on it. Rare was probably the main third party leader for the N64, with games like Diddy Kong Racing, Perfect Dark, and Goldeneye. Similar to Square Enix with the PSX.


I enjoyed that time of life in gaming, actually. I was stuck between the PSX and the N64 for awhile..

[tom]

can't comment on cartridge prices, as they were alway expensive in Europe, so i never had a problem with that (1985 ....DM 125.00 ($90.00) for Golf (VCS)) from a gaming shop, yes sad but true).

Virtual Boy, my second fave Nintendo console (after Game Boy)

[Xizer]

Name 20 good games for the N64 that Nintendo/Rare didn't make/release/develope and are not Japanese imports.

Game series (similar to the non-qualifying "Mario Party" games) only count as 1.

Name 20 good games for the PS1 that anyone put out.

Game series only count as 1.

[mario2butts]

Name 20 good games for the N64 that Nintendo/Rare didn't make/release/develope and are not Japanese imports.

Game series (similar to the non-qualifying "Mario Party" games) only count as 1.

I accept your challenge. Granted, what defines a "good" game is pretty subjective, but hell I thought I'd give it a try anyway:

007: The World is Not Enough
Beetle Adventure Racing
Castlevania series
Extreme-G series
Harvest Moon 64
International Superstar Soccer series
Mega Man 64
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
Mystical Ninja starring Goeman
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
Quake
Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Resident Evil 2
San Francisco Rush series
Spider-Man
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
StarCraft 64
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series
Turok series
Vigilante 8 series
WWF No Mercy & all the other THQ/Asmik wrestling games
Wipeout 64

That's 22 ;)

[DDCecil]

I'm saddened to see not one mention of Goemon's Great Adventure in this topic. That's what I keep my N64 around for (well that, and Mischief Makers). 2D at its finest, and leagues way ahead of Mystical Ninja 64, minus the songs.

[bangtango]

I just looked through some of the earlier posts about N64 from this year and wow, so many people were saying they "******* hate the N64" and "would rather play a PC game 10 years older than any game on N64".

I used to go to stores, pick out a N64 game and would like the game I bought almost every time. I also had a Playstation then and had a VERY hard time finding something I enjoyed. I didn't like Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy VII (I still don't like this game), WipEout got boring fast. Vigilante 8 was about the only game I enjoyed a lot. Legacy of Kain was cool. Maybe I wasn't playing the right games?

So why are people so mean to N64?

I'm sure the anti-Nintendo ads Sony constantly ran (mainly with Crash Bandicoot) had something to do with it. You may recall that Sega's anti-Nintendo ads took a toll, at least temporarily, mainly due to the Sonic/Super Mario World comparisons and the whole "blast-processing" vs "slowdown" discussion. For a brief period of time, Sega made Nintendo look like a joke to a lot of people. Of course, Nintendo eventually gained momentum because of their Super NES library (first and third party). I think Sony managed to do the very same thing to Nintendo that Sega did, whether they (Sony) were producing the PS1/PS2 games or not (and the majority of them they couldn't take credit for since they were third party titles).

I am not saying this board is full of people who took what Sony said as gospel and decided Nintendo was uncool just because Sony said so, but plenty of people bought into the hype. You can't complain since their Playstation system had a library of games which did back up some of their talk and Nintendo sort of tripped over a jump rope on their way into that particular hardware generation. The difference between Sony and Sega is that Sony's criticism did more long-term damage to Nintendo's market share (across two hardware generations) and stuck with consumers for a much longer period of time. Whether or not Nintendo is to blame for some of their troubles is another story altogether.

[rpepper9]

Yeah, So I wouldn't say that I have a hate for the N64. I just never bought one when it was new, and feel no need to purchase one now. I went from SNES to PS2 without ever looking back.

I think that I may purchase some games on my Wii (when I get one) but the controller just was too craptacular for me to think of purching one at this time.

I think that all the gimics that N64 had turned some people off. Just think of all the colors and the "Pokemon" editions that were out there. It was as if they had a average piece of eqiptment that they made no real improvements on but that they kept molding in other colors.

[tom]

Basically the Nintendo boys are just jealous that it is Sony now who has the worlds most (best) selling console, not Nintendo.

[BocoDragon]

I'm sure the anti-Nintendo ads Sony constantly ran (mainly with Crash Bandicoot) had something to do with it. You may recall that Sega's anti-Nintendo ads took a toll, at least temporarily, mainly due to the Sonic/Super Mario World comparisons and the whole "blast-processing" vs "slowdown" discussion. For a brief period of time, Sega made Nintendo look like a joke to a lot of people. Of course, Nintendo eventually gained momentum because of their Super NES library (first and third party). I think Sony managed to do the very same thing to Nintendo that Sega did, whether they (Sony) were producing the PS1/PS2 games or not (and the majority of them they couldn't take credit for since they were third party titles).

I am not saying this board is full of people who took what Sony said as gospel and decided Nintendo was uncool just because Sony said so, but plenty of people bought into the hype. You can't complain since their Playstation system had a library of games which did back up some of their talk and Nintendo sort of tripped over a jump rope on their way into that particular hardware generation. The difference between Sony and Sega is that Sony's criticism did more long-term damage to Nintendo's market share (across two hardware generations) and stuck with consumers for a much longer period of time. Whether or not Nintendo is to blame for some of their troubles is another story altogether.

I think marketing and image had very little to do with it. In its early days "PlayStation" was not a particularly cool name, and the hardware design wasn't exactly hot. It even had a couple of lame advertising campaigns (Polygon Man and U R Not Red E) that didn't especially resonate in the mainstream. People didn't rally around PlayStation just because Crash Bandicoot talked trash outside of Nintendo HQ in their ads. The real reason for their success had already been deployed: A phalanx of mature games.

I don't mean Mortal Kombat. Mature RPGs exploded on PS1 (the seeds of FFVI and Chrono Trigger come full bloom), Anime games appeared, Skateboarding and snowboarding games, Music games... these things hadn't been seen in modern videogames. The CD format was put to full use on ever more mainstream subjects.

It wasn't advertising that swayed public opinion, it was the culture that grew out of PlayStation's diverse titles. I assert that PlayStation succeeded despite lame marketing, and prospered due to its modern and hip game titles. The "hype" you speak of was very much content driven. I know exactly why my school went wild for it.

Interestingly, Nintendo seemed to go in the opposite direction in those years: It looked like it was marketing as a kids company with the N64 and Game Boy Color.... And I bet Pokemon had a stratifying effect.... rallying the younger gamers around the Nintendo brand, and alienating older gamers from it (teenagers tend to rebel against fads). It wasn't until Metroid Prime that "my" Nintendo seemed to return (just one non-cutsy title in a million years is appreciated!) :)

[Kevincal]

Basically the Nintendo boys are just jealous that it is Sony now who has the worlds most (best) selling console, not Nintendo.

I bought the PS and N64 on launch day and love them equally. :)

[Iron Draggon]

I wish that I still had an N64... and I really wish that I could've afforded to keep collecting for it... but what killed the N64 for me was the fact that I could get almost every game made for it on the PS1 for alot less money, and the difference in how they looked and played was negligible... bye-bye N64!

yeah, the N64's graphics were blurry, and the PS1's graphics were pixelated, but beyond that they were nearly identical systems with nearly identical games, except the PS1 had alot more of them for alot less money... I could often get two or more PS1 games for the same price of just one N64 game...

but let's not just single out Nintendo... actually the whole 64BIT generation of consoles was a huge disappointment... the Jaguar was no better, and its games were equally expensive... worse yet, the Jag's games are still just as expensive now as they were then... even though most of them still suck...

I wouldn't say that the N64 wasn't and still isn't worth owning though... it's still a great system, much more so than the Jag, and it still has alot of great games for it... but I can't agree with the only first party games consensus though... there were plenty of great third party games for it too... maybe not as great as the third party games for other systems of the time, but many of them were on par with the first party games, if they didn't surpass them...

the N64 did ROCK, it just didn't rock HARD... but it sure emptied your wallet!

[RegSNES]

Already been said why so many hate on the system so I won't get into that. Me, I love the N64. Super Mario 64 = best 3D platformer. Period. THIS is how 3D games should play and I'll be getting it for the Wii's Virtual Console when I get the system.

And only sick freaks that shoot monkeys would hate Blast Corps, one of the greatest, most original games to ever come out for the system.

I don't really need to get into Ocarina of Time's greatness, even if the Water Temple was probably responsible for making people drop more than F-Bombs than Good Will Hunting.

Super Smash Bros. let me fulfill a dream: I was finally able to smack the crap out of Pikachu!! How can anyone hate a system that lets you do that?

[Fuyukaze]

Few RPGs, few shooters (FPS doesnt count), few RTS games, and a controler that didnt feel user friendly to anyone over 4 years old made me hate the N64. As such there's only a handfull of titles I'd want for it and almost half of those were released on one collectors disc for the gamecube. Nintendo realy droped the ball on this one and did a fine job of distancing themselves from a number of their most loyal customers here in the states. I dont hate Nintendo, but damned if I dont hate the N64.

[Push Upstairs]

Name 20 good games for the PS1 that anyone put out.

Game series only count as 1.

I don't even own 20 games for my Playstation & I don't play it that much really. (I don't even think its plugged in)


But if you can't compile a simple list to show that this system has more to offer than that which Nintendo/Rare cranked out then I don't know what to say to you.

mario2butts mentioned 22 games but he is just one person.

[dbiersdorf]

Best. System. Ever.


EVER

[Emuaust]

Name 20 good games for the PS1 that anyone put out.

Game series only count as 1.

Ill take that challenge

Tekken
Metal Gear Solid
Resident Evil
Gran turismo
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Mega Man X
Mortal Kombat 4
Crash Bandicoot
Spyro
Syphon filter
Driver
Point Blank
Legacy Of Kain
Ridge Racer
Parappa the Rapper
Bushido Blade
Tenchu
Parasite Eve
Silent Hill
Medievil

There quite easy and didnt even have to mention any of the big RPG's, Why do you ask?
well I didnt have to there where plenty of good PSX games that 20 decent
ones is rather easy, but meh arguing this is stupid as there is no grounds on which
is better, only the individuals perspective.

[Kevincal]

Of course the PS had a lot more great games than the N64...But that doesn't mean it's ok to say the N64 sucked...That's just being irrational and sounding like a Sony, Sega, or MS fanboy...

[Emuaust]

The thing is that I, as in ME did not like the 64, if that makes me a fanboy in your
eyes then you have missed the point of my previous post entirely.

I suggest you read the bottom part again carefully.

Your post sounds more like a fanboy rushing to the console's defense, but meh
as I said each to there own

[Cryomancer]

Why does it need to be compared to anything? It's fun on it's own, that's good enough to me.

20 bucks might be better than 15 bucks but shit I'll take either gladly.

[Vectorman0]

I was going to make a post quoting a bunch of people pointing out a bunch of things regarding their posts, positive and negative, but then I realized exactly why there is so much N64 hate.

It's because of the sharp transition Nintendo made from 2D to 3D. Everyone who loved the games they enjoy on the SNES and other 2D systems hate/dislike the N64 because they associate it with the major change in gaming that happened between 2D and 3D. PSX was Sony's first, and Sega had a buch of stuff inbetween, but nintendo changed overnight.

NES to SNES was just a bump in graphics, the actual gameplay was nearly identical. Same goes for most systems before that. Later on with Starfox and the like, this started to change, but there were still predominantly 2D games. You can't think of Super Mario 64 as a Mario game, because all it shares with past Mario's is a few characters and a name. It truly is a new generation and a new genre. Same with Zelda and 95% of the other games on the N64.

Gaming changed, don't blame the N64 for it.

[Xizer]

Meh, I still say that 99% of the PS1's supposed "great" library was average. The N64 had a wave of about 20 AAA games that you still remember today after playing them; I.E. true classics. I can't say the same for the PS1.

[dbiersdorf]

Name 20 good games for the N64 that Nintendo/Rare didn't make/release/develope and are not Japanese imports.

Game series (similar to the non-qualifying "Mario Party" games) only count as 1.

Who the hell cares if the majority of the system was carried by Nintendo and Rare? Each created some of the greatest games of all time.

Again - best system ever.

[Lothars]

The reason the N64 gets alot of hate is because it really hasn't aged well, I cannot stand the controller anymore plus well some games are great but majority of the games are mediocre at best.

I think for the most part the PS was a way better system mainly for the caliber of games it had but N64 had such awesome multiplayer games that it made it alot of fun.

I have to say some of the best times playing games were playing 4 players with Goldeneye, Perfect Dark and Super Smash Brothers used so many lunch hours doing that.

I still like the N64 but I can't believe anyone likes the controller at all especially now.

It's horrible

[Snapple]

I had a few problems with the N64.

First off, the library just wasn't big enough. For every N64 game that came out, about 10 PS1 games came out.

Secondly, no RPGs. Quest 64 sucked, while PS1 had FF7, FF8, FF9, FFTactics, Star Ocean 2, Chrono Cross, and so many more.

Thirdly, games were limited by the cartridge medium, both in size and in sound quality.

Also because of the cartridge medium, games were more expensive than CD games on the average. That I did not like.

Little third party support. Nintendo has great in-house development, but all the great third-party games were for other systems, and some of the multi-platform third-party games stunk on N64.

All that being said, I don't hate the N64. I own one, and there were some great games for it. Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Mischief Makers, Goldeneye, Smash Bros. There were a lot of games I spent a lot of time playing.

[BocoDragon]

I was going to make a post quoting a bunch of people pointing out a bunch of things regarding their posts, positive and negative, but then I realized exactly why there is so much N64 hate.

It's because of the sharp transition Nintendo made from 2D to 3D. Everyone who loved the games they enjoy on the SNES and other 2D systems hate/dislike the N64 because they associate it with the major change in gaming that happened between 2D and 3D. PSX was Sony's first, and Sega had a buch of stuff inbetween, but nintendo changed overnight.

NES to SNES was just a bump in graphics, the actual gameplay was nearly identical. Same goes for most systems before that. Later on with Starfox and the like, this started to change, but there were still predominantly 2D games. You can't think of Super Mario 64 as a Mario game, because all it shares with past Mario's is a few characters and a name. It truly is a new generation and a new genre. Same with Zelda and 95% of the other games on the N64.

Gaming changed, don't blame the N64 for it.


i really don't agree. 3D gaming was like a gold rush in 95/96: everyone was excited for it and didn't look back. Nintendo's hits were also some of the first great 3D games, and they're universally agreed to have held up today. 3D Mario and Zelda had long been expected (they had been hyping "Project Reality" for years), and when they were released, the 3D was seen as a success. Once and awhile you find a bitter 2D fanboy, but I'm sure this is less than 1% of gamers.

No one disses the N64 because of 3D. That's really not it. I might as well say that PSX's success was because of 3D. I think it's a non-factor.

The main issue really is that PlayStation scooped all of Nintendo's third party support. The true successor to the NES and SNES was the PS1, in everything except for Nintendo's titles. At the time, I felt sorry for people who bought a 64 looking for the next version of the SNES. I didn't think they "got the memo". I knew that it was for Mario, Zelda and StarFox only, and whatever new they would come up with during that generation. (at the time that didn't just mean Rare games..... but frankly, tons of crappy motocross and wrestling games). The rest of the NES and SNES legacy had clearly moved on to PlayStation.

On a separate but related point, I just played Treasure/Nintendo's "Sin and Punishment" import for N64 recently. If they had released games like this in North America, there would be almost nothing to bitch about.

Trust me N64 fans, there is a reason its library does not satisfy certain folks. It's not an intangible feeling, it's a quantifiable fact: N64 is missing entire genres of gameplay. Whether or not that matters to you is another story.

[sabre2922]

i really don't agree. 3D gaming was like a gold rush in 95/96: everyone was excited for it and didn't look back. Nintendo's hits were also some of the first great 3D games, and they're universally agreed to have held up today. 3D Mario and Zelda had long been expected (they had been hyping "Project Reality" for years), and when they were released, the 3D was seen as a success. Once and awhile you find a bitter 2D fanboy, but I'm sure this is less than 1% of gamers.

No one disses the N64 because of 3D. That's really not it. I might as well say that PSX's success was because of 3D. I think it's a non-factor.

The main issue really is that PlayStation scooped all of Nintendo's third party support. The true successor to the NES and SNES was the PS1, in everything except for Nintendo's titles. At the time, I felt sorry for people who bought a 64 looking for the next version of the SNES. I didn't think they "got the memo". I knew that it was for Mario, Zelda and StarFox only, and whatever new they would come up with during that generation. (at the time that didn't just mean Rare games..... but frankly, tons of crappy motocross and wrestling games). The rest of the NES and SNES legacy had clearly moved on to PlayStation.


Agreed

I hate to repeat myself AGAIN but I never liked the N64 controller and now I get almost physically sick when I see one -seriously mmmmmmk

The cartridge format was SOO freaking limiting in so many ways it practically crippled the N64 to about half its actual overall power and performance capabilities no matter how the Nintendo fans try to explain it away-in all respect I know there are a LOT of them on this board , including ME.

The decision to go with the cartridge format destroyed what the original Ultra/N64 hardware was actually capable of; music,graphics capability more content etc.

Sure there are no load times, that never mattered to me nor does it seem to matter to over 100 million other gamers -playstation- .

I Liked the N64 for the Zeldas,Doom64-yes DOOM,Paper Mario and a few other games BUT I disliked it for MANY other reasons.

OH and NO METROID64!? for shame Nintendo for shame