N64 - all the reasons you should own one

[veronica_marsfan]

You do realize that the Nintendo 64 is the single worst mainstream console ever released....right? The N64 sucking has been the general consensus of (non 13 yr old) gamers since its demise.

Fzero X
Mario Kart
Diddy Kong Racing
Star Wars Racer
Banjo Kazooie 1
Banjo Kazooie 2
Mario 64
Zelda Ocarina of Time (a masterpiece)
Zelda Majora's Mask
Goldeneye
Perfect Dark
Beetle Adventure Racing
..... and on and on and on.

[fishsandwich]

There are always going to be N64 haters. There's going to be someone who hates something cool and worthwhile no matter WHAT it is. Videogames attract the worst kind of fanboys... anti-Nintendo, anti-Sony, anti-Microsoft, anti-everything. There's nothing you can do about it.

Just love your N64 and all its goodness and it will love you back.

[Nebagram]

Agreed with the sarnie above- there will always be people who fail to listen to reason and shun one particular console for no good reason.

That said though, 'consensus of non 13 yr old gamers' lol. Improper plural use there. :)

[CosmicMonkey]

Pilotwings on the 64 was absolutely fabulous. It may have been a launch title (or close to) but it's definitely one of my favorite games on the system.

And then there's the wonder that is Sin & Punishment.

N64s are quality. Get an NTSC unit so you can mod it for RGB, get a Hori mini pad and off you go.

[DigitalSpace]

Again, it's "Majora's Mask."

Most of those games are worth playing (Star Wars Racer and Perfect Dark were highly overrated, imo). Most of them will likely never see a release on the Wii Virtual Console. I don't see why you needed to start a new thread to state this point, though.

[slip81]

your still here veronica?

anyway as DS said above, this thread has been done countless times over.

[Oobgarm]

What's with the trolly threads? Just because someone knocks a system you like doesn't mean you need to start up a thread in its defense.

[heybtbm]

Fzero X
Mario Kart
Diddy Kong Racing
Star Wars Racer
Banjo Kazooie 1
Banjo Kazooie 2
Mario 64
Zelda Ocarina of Time (a masterpiece)
Masks of Majora
Goldeneye
Perfect Dark
Beetle Adventure Racing
..... and on and on and on.

When you've been playing games as long as I have, you eventually get something called "perspective". You can look upon every generation of consoles and see what went well, what went poorly, and most important of all...what you liked personally.

I have all the games mentioned above (sans Diddy Kong) and think they're all great. I bought each one when it originally was released and enjoyed them in the proper context of their times.

The quote you decided to feature is from the Gamecube-bashing thread now moved to Modern Gaming. It is taken out of context (it's really me defending the GC, as opposed to just randomly dissing the N64) and is not my opinion of the N64 overall.

My point is simple. The N64 has some great games (every console does), but every other Nintendo console has had more great games. The simple fact was that the N64 was a huge dissappointment to most people when it was released...especially to adults (I'm talking about most people 18 and up). You guys think the N64 bashing is bad now...you should've seen some of the hate directed towards it on the internet and magazines in early 1997. Even the Saturn got more love back then.

If you have any nostaligic feelings towards the N64...fine...I'm not here to bash your good times and memories. However, please realize that most gamers think the N64 was Nintendo's weakest console and that's going to be its legacy for a long time.

[veronica_marsfan]

When you've been playing games as long as I have, you eventually get something called "perspective". I've been playing videogames since 1979. And you? (wink)

What's with the trolly threads? Just because someone knocks a system you like doesn't mean you need to start up a thread in its defense.

Okay. Sorry. It just annoyed me to hear "N64 sucks ___". I think that console had very few games, but what it had were masterpieces of gaming art. N64 provided QUALITY over quantity.

Too many of the "other" consoles provide a tons and tons of games, but they're mostly mediocre & middling quality, not great. (Like Zelda Wind Waker. In no way, shape, or form is that game as great as its N64 ancestors.)

[Poofta!]

When you've been playing games as long as I have, you eventually get something called "perspective". You can look upon every generation of consoles and see what went well, what went poorly, and most important of all...what you liked personally.

I have all the games mentioned above (sans Diddy Kong) and think they're all great. I bought each one when it originally was released and enjoyed them in the proper context of their times.

The quote you decided to feature is from the Gamecube-bashing thread now moved to Modern Gaming. It is taken out of context (it's really me defending the GC, as opposed to just randomly dissing the N64) and is not my opinion of the N64 overall.

My point is simple. The N64 has some great games (every console does), but every other Nintendo console has had more great games. The simple fact was that the N64 was a huge dissappointment to most people when it was released...especially to adults (I'm talking about most people 18 and up). You guys think the N64 bashing is bad now...you should've seen some of the hate directed towards it on the internet and magazines in early 1997. Even the Saturn got more love back then.

If you have any nostaligic feelings towards the N64...fine...I'm not here to bash your good times and memories. However, please realize that most gamers think the N64 was Nintendo's weakest console and that's going to be its legacy for a long time.




quoted for truth.

you see, most of the 'adults' that bought the n64, are the same people that played the snes to death, and the n64 is no heir to the snes throne. that is where 90% of the n64 hate comes from (including my own opinion). if the n64 was the first system you had, or a system you had when you were 12-16, then yeah you'll go gaga over it, but for people who are adults, now as well as then, the n64 just isnt what it shouldve (couldve) been.

worse console ever? no. worse nintendo home console? definately.

[xtremegamer]

N64 has always been one of my favorites because of the Wrestling titles. I am refering to the AKI/THQ releases.

[neuropolitique]

Was the N64 recently on Veronica Mars?

[DigitalSpace]

I've been playing videogames since 1979.

Wow, you must have reviewed quite some reviews.

[jasonlotp]

you totally forgot to put at the top of the list Smash Bros. I'll forgive you

[PentiumMMX]

...but every other Nintendo console has had more great games.

Let's see...sure the NES and Super NES had a lot of great games, but want about Shitcube-err Gamecube? Let's see...Other then Super Smash Bros. Melee, there was nothing else worth owning (Super Mario Sunshine? Hell No. Phantasy Star Online and Sonic Adventure? Both on Dreamcast. Lego Star Wars? On PlayStation 2. Soul Calibur 2? On Xbox)


...the N64 was Nintendo's weakest console and that's going to be its legacy for a long time.

Gamecube was the weakest. That's all you need to know.

[Nebagram]

However, please realize that most gamers think the N64 was Nintendo's weakest console and that's going to be its legacy for a long time.


You do realize that the Nintendo 64 is the single worst mainstream console ever released....right? The N64 sucking has been the general consensus of (non 13 yr old) gamers since its demise.

Getting conflicting messages here. Runt of the litter=/=utter shitheap. Not by a long margin.

[SaturnFan]

I like it because it was the last cart based system made and I always liked carts over cd's for thier long term lifespan.

[BocoDragon]

NES: A+
SNES: A+
N64: C-
Cube: B-

[heybtbm]

Getting conflicting messages here. Runt of the litter=/=utter shitheap. Not by a long margin.

Oh please.

Again...taking random quotes out of context. To all the people who got their little feelings hurt...

1.) Nintendo's weakest console = N64
2.) Worst mainstream console ever = N64

These statements don't conflict in the least. This isn't rocket science.

[Arcade Antics]

N64 provided QUALITY over quantity.

LOL Bwahahahahahaha

[bangtango]

Oh please.

Again...taking random quotes out of context. To all the people who got their little feelings hurt...

1.) Nintendo's weakest console = N64
2.) Worst mainstream console ever = N64

These statements don't conflict in the least. This isn't rocket science.

N64 the "weakest"? :) I'll get to that later.

I'm not living in denial and saying the N64 ruled. However, Atari and Sega released product that could give Nintendo a run for its money in the "Worst mainstream console ever" claim.


Gamecube was the weakest. That's all you need to know.

Everybody using the term weakest is a little misleading, too. I tend to think Game Cube and the N64 can pump out better graphics and music than the Super NES or NES. Do those two have Nintendo's weakest libraries? Perhaps. They aren't the "weakest consoles", though.

[Nebagram]

Oh please.

Again...taking random quotes out of context. To all the people who got their little feelings hurt...

1.) Nintendo's weakest console = N64
2.) Worst mainstream console ever = N64

These statements don't conflict in the least. This isn't rocket science.

And pray, which context am I supposed to take "The N64 sucking has been the general consensus of (non 13 yr old) gamers since its demise." in? :) All I want to hear is you come out and say the N64 sucked balls. Then I'll be happy. :)

[Moo Cow]

I'm almost 17, and I've always hated the N64. Sure, it has some great games, and I own one to play those games. But I still hate the system. I hate the oversized, clunky controller, I hate the lack of good games when compared with most other mainstream systems (similair to the GameCube and the XBox). I love my SNES and my NESm they're my favorite systems, so I'm not hating Nintendo. I'm hating the N64.

[Kevincal]

I would like to know what games N64 bashers were playing in September 1996 on a home console that could even come close to the quality of Super Mario 64, PilotWings 64, and Waverace 64? I bet most of you N64 haters were either Playstation or Saturn fanboys... Or, the first time you played an N64 was in the late 90's or even more recent...

[GarrettCRW]

Was the N64 recently on Veronica Mars?

Actually, it's on hiatus until May 1st.

[Arcade Antics]

I would like to know what games N64 bashers were playing in September 1996 on a home console that could even come close to the quality of Super Mario 64, PilotWings 64, and Waverace 64?
Kaboom! and HERO on the Atari 2600 are vastly superior games IMO, but it's all a matter of opinion.

[Pilotwings]

Yeah well i just turned 27 recently and i love the N64 big style. The console reminds me ov a little turtle that hasn't peeked its head out and the controller reminds me of a claw. Plus i think its probably the best controller ever and i think it has lots of great games 2 play.

[heybtbm]

All I want to hear is you come out and say the N64 sucked balls. Then I'll be happy. :)

The N64 sucked balls. Now everyone is happy.

Seriously...there are plenty of N64 games that I love. It has some true gems. You have to understand that when I say "weakest" it's somewhat of a compliment, seeing as it implies I have a higher standard for Nintendo hardware. Since I'm in a good mood...I'll even go so far to say maybe...just maybe the Saturn sucked more balls. I'm not ready to make a 100% commitment to that statement. Yet.

[heybtbm]

Yeah well i just turned 27 recently and i love the N64 big style. The console reminds me ov a little turtle that hasn't peeked its head out

I agree with that if you're referring to the Fat Bastard phrasing of "turtle head".


...Yes, that was an Austin Powers 2 ref.

[Dire 51]

I don't consider myself a fanboy of any system or company (except for maybe Konami, Capcom and Sega during the 8/16 bit heyday), but I personally would not buy an N64 or a Gamecube. Why? Not enough types of games that I want to play. Same thing goes for the XBox and 360. I won't say that none of those systems have great games (because they all do), they just aren't games I want to play.

[Kid Ice]

The simple fact was that the N64 was a huge dissappointment to most people when it was released...especially to adults (I'm talking about most people 18 and up). You guys think the N64 bashing is bad now...you should've seen some of the hate directed towards it on the internet and magazines in early 1997. Even the Saturn got more love back then.

I wouldn't go calling that a "fact". It looks like we read different magazines and knew different people back then. I thought the initial reaction to the N64 was extremely positive. After a while I think people got tired of waiting so long between good games. I certainly don't think people thought less of the N64 than the Saturn at the time, with the possible exception of the fanboys that creamed themselves over the imports.

[JerseyDevil65]

I personally would not buy an N64 Why? Not enough types of games that I want to play.


Considering that you could buy an N64 for under $20, if you only found a couple of games that you would like to play, it would probaby be worth it. :)

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Okay, I guess a discussion like this just has to happen every few months. That's okay with me.

Last time we did this, I focused on showing that there were plenty of good games on the N64 not developed by Nintendo. THis time I think I'll try to tackle this "N64/Nintendo/insert-fun-thing-here is for kids" dealie.


My point is simple. The N64 has some great games (every console does), but every other Nintendo console has had more great games. The simple fact was that the N64 was a huge dissappointment to most people when it was released...especially to adults (I'm talking about most people 18 and up).
How old are you? Or maybe a better question would be how old were you during the N64's lifetime since people's opinions about the N64 seem to me to still be based on the original opinions they formed about the system in 1996 and 1997. My guess is that the answer would be that you were a teenager at the time. Is that correct?

The thing is, teenagers tend to exagerate their maturity. They like to watch movies with lots of violence in them, like to listen to music with lots of cussing in it and like to play video games with overly dark color palettes, overly serious or h@rdc0r3 characters and generally shitty gameplay. This is what passes for "mature" in video games, but the term "mature" is clearly a misnomer here. A better term would be "post-adolescent," though of course that would ruin the brilliant marketing scheme of calling games "mature" when they're in fact aimed at teenagers.

People who are actually mature, on the other hand, don't want that kind of crap. They're over it. They're secure in their maturity and can get back to what playing video games was always all about: having fun. Now, just like "shitty games designed for teenagers" are called "mature," video games that are fun are also called something counter-intuitive. They're called "kiddie." It's true that kids like to have fun, but generally adults do as well.

So with these definitions of "kiddie" and "mature" in mind, I suppose that I really have no problem with the N64 being considered a "kiddie system," in fact, I would agree. Although, I would say that it is the least "kiddie" of all of Nintendo's systems, which is an odd situation considering it has the most "kiddie" reputation of all their systems aside from maybe the Gameboy Color, but I think this is probably because the system it was competing with was the Playstation which pretty much invented this whole kiddie vs. mature paradigm in the video game market. Probably there were also a lot of teenaged gamers at that time as the NES generation was generally in its teenage years in the mid- to late-'90s, so all those gamers will still tend to remember the N64 as "that kiddie system that my little siblings annoyed me about when I was playing mature games on the Playstation" while they just remember the NES and SNES as "fun" since they were kids themselves in those days and therefore enjoyed fun.


...word is bondage...

[bangtango]

Nintendo can only produce so many first-party games for any given system. They can't pull software out of thin air just because people are tired of waiting for games, it requires work to release their own games. As for third party games, one of their biggest supporters was Acclaim of all people. So needless to say, they were at a disadvantage when it came to software.

You just can't make anyone happy with this system. Half the people are saying the N64 just didn't have enough games period, that they came too few and far between. Meanwhile, you have other people in the Game Cube thread discrediting most of the library on that system because "a lot of those games came out for PS2." Let me get this straight. N64 sucks because there were hardly any games, good or otherwise. Meanwhile, Game Cube sucks because all the good third party games came out on PS2 anyway. Look at it this way. A third party would have to be a moron to completely pass on a Sony system, particularly the PS2, and depend on all of their sales to come from Nintendo buyers who own a Game Cube. What the hell does someone expect for third party exclusives? I could be wrong but I suspect the real problem for at least a couple of people is the fact that the name "Nintendo" appears on those systems (N64/Game Cube). Time for a couple of people to just come clean and admit it.

So even if the N64 had "more games", you'd still have a segment of the population criticizing the system because "those games already came out on Playstation." I'm sure Nintendo made as many games as they possibly could for the N64. Any additional software support that could have come in would had to have been games that had already come out on PS1 anyway. As it was, the N64 had a number of PS1 ports, i.e. Tony Hawk, Resident Evil 2, etc.

[fishsandwich]

Let's see...sure the NES and Super NES had a lot of great games, but want about Shitcube-err Gamecube? Let's see...Other then Super Smash Bros. Melee, there was nothing else worth owning (Super Mario Sunshine? Hell No. Phantasy Star Online and Sonic Adventure? Both on Dreamcast. Lego Star Wars? On PlayStation 2. Soul Calibur 2? On Xbox)

Gamecube was the weakest. That's all you need to know.


I don't know what to say to this. Are you sure you're on the right board?

[bangtango]

I don't know what to say to this. Are you sure you're on the right board?

Yeah, heaven forbid someone who was "stupid enough" to buy a Game Cube have a chance to play Sonic Adventure or Soul Calibur 2 on their system. Forget whether or not someone might own Dreamcast or XBox. I guess they should have never been released on the system at all.

Looks like I wasted my $50 on Nintendo's weakest system. I should call them and get my money back and use it to cover the warranty and sales tax on the PS3. Better yet, I'll do the "sensible" thing and stop buying Nintendo consoles so they start losing money and are forced to release their Zelda games on Playstation 3. Let's send a message to them. Go away Nintendo. S-O-N-Y!!! ;)

[CreamSoda]

I love the N64, I think it was the greatest thing ever(it's actually my most favorite system besides the Dreamcast). It is probably my favorite Nintendo system to date.

Reasons why I love the N64...

-4 gaming memories
-extreme nostalgia
-The cheap(very cheap) price of hardware/controllers/games/ect
-Games still fairly easy to find
-Super Mario 64/Goldeneye/ect, all the classics from the era.
-All the laughably bad and horribly crappy games that sucked then, now add 5 to 10+ years of aging and you have a comedy in each one! XD

Lets put it this way, I'm 18 now. so I was just young enough to really be sucked in by a game system and spend countless hours on it's games. Yet I was old enough to apriceate it and enjoy it. So yes I was a kid in the N64 days, and I have a mindset of the 64 that is highly clouded with nostalgia.

As for the haters, I say hate away guys. That means more games for me. ;)

[heybtbm]

Last time we did this, I focused on showing that there were plenty of good games on the N64 not developed by Nintendo. THis time I think I'll try to tackle this "N64/Nintendo/insert-fun-thing-here is for kids" dealie.

How old are you? Or maybe a better question would be how old were you during the N64's lifetime since people's opinions about the N64 seem to me to still be based on the original opinions they formed about the system in 1996 and 1997. My guess is that the answer would be that you were a teenager at the time. Is that correct?

The thing is, teenagers tend to exagerate their maturity. They like to watch movies with lots of violence in them, like to listen to music with lots of cussing in it and like to play video games with overly dark color palettes, overly serious or h@rdc0r3 characters and generally shitty gameplay. This is what passes for "mature" in video games, but the term "mature" is clearly a misnomer here. A better term would be "post-adolescent," though of course that would ruin the brilliant marketing scheme of calling games "mature" when they're in fact aimed at teenagers.

People who are actually mature, on the other hand, don't want that kind of crap. They're over it. They're secure in their maturity and can get back to what playing video games was always all about: having fun. Now, just like "shitty games designed for teenagers" are called "mature," video games that are fun are also called something counter-intuitive. They're called "kiddie." It's true that kids like to have fun, but generally adults do as well.

So with these definitions of "kiddie" and "mature" in mind, I suppose that I really have no problem with the N64 being considered a "kiddie system," in fact, I would agree. Although, I would say that it is the least "kiddie" of all of Nintendo's systems, which is an odd situation considering it has the most "kiddie" reputation of all their systems aside from maybe the Gameboy Color, but I think this is probably because the system it was competing with was the Playstation which pretty much invented this whole kiddie vs. mature paradigm in the video game market. Probably there were also a lot of teenaged gamers at that time as the NES generation was generally in its teenage years in the mid- to late-'90s, so all those gamers will still tend to remember the N64 as "that kiddie system that my little siblings annoyed me about when I was playing mature games on the Playstation" while they just remember the NES and SNES as "fun" since they were kids themselves in those days and therefore enjoyed fun.


...word is bondage...

I agree with most of the things you mentioned above. I apparently didn't make my point (about adults at the time being disappointed with the N64)clear enough.

What I was meant was not that the N64 was a "kiddie" system (the GC takes that title IMO), but that the majority of people who liked the N64 (more than other Nintendo consoles) are people who were kids when the N64 was released. That's all I meant. I could care less who plays what at any particular age. I don't consider PS games "adult" or Nintendo games "kiddie". Hell, I'm buying the new Pokemon this Sunday for Christ's sake.

I was 23 when the N64 came out BTW.

[bangtango]

I love the N64, I think it was the greatest thing ever(it's actually my most favorite system besides the Dreamcast). It is probably my favorite Nintendo system to date.

Reasons why I love the N64...

-4 gaming memories
-extreme nostalgia
-The cheap(very cheap) price of hardware/controllers/games/ect
-Games still fairly easy to find
-Super Mario 64/Goldeneye/ect, all the classics from the era.
-All the laughably bad and horribly crappy games that sucked then, now add 5 to 10+ years of aging and you have a comedy in each one! XD

Lets put it this way, I'm 18 now. so I was just young enough to really be sucked in by a game system and spend countless hours on it's games. Yet I was old enough to apriceate it and enjoy it. So yes I was a kid in the N64 days, and I have a mindset of the 64 that is highly clouded with nostalgia.

As for the haters, I say hate away guys. That means more games for me. ;)

That's cool. People know where you are coming from, that you're 18 and grew up on it. I'm 27 and got mine for Christmas somewhere around 1998. I don't buy "new" games often enough that I am always desperate for the next big thing right around the corner. Back then and even now, I only buy a couple of new games a year (mostly I buy used) so I tend to spend more time with each game and don't need as many to "feed the need." So the slow spells between new (or good) releases wasn't the end of the world for me.

I don't wax nostalgia that much but I'll never forget spending somewhere around $60-70 for the N64 port of Resident Evil 2 and wasting entire afternoons being in awe of the game. Keep in mind I didn't have a PS at the time so I had nothing to compare it to. Even though I was good enough to beat the game, I used to use the infinite ammo codes and just spend the whole time blasting every single enemy in the game instead of running past them to save time and ammo for a "better ending." I'll go to my grave saying the N64 had the best version of RE2. If I didn't have the N64, I'd drop anywhere between $20-40 on a used one just to play some of my favorites and nothing anyone posts here is going to change that point of view.

[Arcade Antics]

Back to the original subject of this thread:
"N64 - all the reasons you should own one"

Reason 1). It's a video game system.

End of story. :)

[Push Upstairs]

I would like to know what games N64 bashers were playing in September 1996 on a home console that could even come close to the quality of Super Mario 64, PilotWings 64, and Waverace 64? I bet most of you N64 haters were either Playstation or Saturn fanboys...

September 1996.....hmmm.....probably Duke3D. My PC gaming years were from late 1994 to about 2001...when I got a PSX at a yard sale for $20.


Or, the first time you played an N64 was in the late 90's or even more recent...

You got me there. I did demo "Excite Bike 64" at Best Buy but it wasn't until 2003 that I really had a chance to play an N64 and assess it's library.

[heybtbm]

I wouldn't go calling that a "fact". It looks like we read different magazines and knew different people back then. I thought the initial reaction to the N64 was extremely positive. After a while I think people got tired of waiting so long between good games. I certainly don't think people thought less of the N64 than the Saturn at the time, with the possible exception of the fanboys that creamed themselves over the imports.

Of course the intial reaction (in 1996) was extremely positive. I specifically said 1997. The first 6 months of 1997 to be exact. That's when people got tired of waiting for new games. There was Mario Kart 64, Doom 64 and that was about it. Nintendo took a beating in the gaming press and the internet (usenet too).

[Hwj_Chim]

IMO The N64 was very lacking game wise. Unless you liked the games Nintendo made, you were left high and dry with the system.

[bangtango]

Back to the original subject of this thread:
"N64 - all the reasons you should own one"

Reason 1). It's a video game system.

End of story. :)

You wish that was the end of the story. Actually it should be but this thread probably has enough legs for 1-2 more pages.

I'd like to add:

Reason 2). I already own a 32X, 3DO and Jaguar so why not?

[mills]

Chad Warden

[veronica_marsfan]

NES: A+
SNES: A+
N64: C-
Cube: B- Great idea! :-D Except I would reverse the N64 and the Cube.

[edit] [My point of view is from a 30-something adult, which is what age I went back & played all these consoles. NES. SNES. N64. And of course Gamecube. So my POV on all these consoles is identical. (I was in the computer gaming scene from 1985-2000, and never touched a Nintendo console.)

Are the 1st and 2nd party games on each console fun or not? NES? Yeah sort of. SNES? Absolutely! N64? Yes. Cube? No.]



Okay back to my job

(yes I'm supposed to be working... on what, I'm not sure... but I should at least LOOK like I'm reading something, not surfing the net).

[CosmicMonkey]

Chad Warden

It's the Triple, baby, the Triple!!

But on a slightly more serious note, StarFox 64 FTW. Infact, Starfox 64 > all other SF games. In fact, I'd probably have an N64 set-up just for SF64, Pilotwings and S&P.

EDIT: I really should re-phrase the above comment: Shiiiiiit, StarFox 64 is ABAP baby. ABAP.

[Kid Ice]

Of course the intial reaction (in 1996) was extremely positive. I specifically said 1997. The first 6 months of 1997 to be exact. That's when people got tired of waiting for new games. There was Mario Kart 64, Doom 64 and that was about it. Nintendo took a beating in the gaming press and the internet (usenet too).

Didn't Goldeneye come out in 1997? What web sites were you going to? What magazines were you reading?

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Let's see...sure the NES and Super NES had a lot of great games, but want about Shitcube-err Gamecube?
I'm sorry, but the proper comical pun of the Gamecube name is "Gamepube," not "Shitcube." Also, XCrotch and Poostation.

"Shitcube"...sheesh! That's not clever in the slightest.


...word is bondage...

[heybtbm]

Didn't Goldeneye come out in 1997? What web sites were you going to? What magazines were you reading?

Yeah, Goldeneye came out in August/September if I remember correctly. It was released a week or so before FFVII. Anyway, to answer your question, I used to read Gamefan, EGM, Nintendo Power (no negativity there of course), and misc. computer gaming mag's. The internet sites are all long gone, but usenet (newsgroups) were the 1997 version of message boards...at least in terms of popularity. You can do searches on Google for every usenet article ever composed. I should also add that I worked in the electronics department at Target during that time (1st half of '97) and from retail point of view...many customers were pretty vocal in their negativity towards Nintendo. A combination of all these factors "painted a rich tapestry" as they say.

[heybtbm]

I'm sorry, but the proper comical pun of the Gamecube name is "Gamepube," not "Shitcube." Also, XCrotch and Poostation.

"Shitcube"...sheesh! That's not clever in the slightest.

Someone regularly defaces the Gamecube Wikipedia entry with, "Gaycube".

[mr_nihilism]

Star Fox 64 !!!

[agbulls]

Nintendo Playboy FTW!!

[Push Upstairs]

I'm sorry, but the proper comical pun of the Gamecube name is "Gamepube," not "Shitcube." Also, XCrotch and Poostation.

"Shitcube"...sheesh! That's not clever in the slightest.


...word is bondage...


What about "Lamecube" is that an officially recognized "clever" twisting of the system name?


XCrotch LOL

[j_factor]

At the time, I was a big time N64 hater. Especially in its first year or so. It had so few games! I couldn't understand why it was so popular when the number of noteworthy games could be counted on your fingers. I've since mellowed a bit, but I still don't like N64, and I really never understood why it was so popular right off. Wow, two whole games at launch? I also thought that people had a tendency to overhype and overrate what was coming out to compensate for the overall lack of software. Perhaps games seem better when you have fewer points of comparison.

Overall, I'd say it wasn't the worst system ever, but still, it only had like 23-25 games I find worth playing. Better than Jaguar, but not even close to a fraction of what's good on Playstation or Saturn.


I would like to know what games N64 bashers were playing in September 1996 on a home console that could even come close to the quality of Super Mario 64, PilotWings 64, and Waverace 64?

I was playing consoles that had more than three worthwhile games. While you were choosing which of your three games to play and waiting for when the fourth decent game would come out, I was having a hard time keeping up with everything.

Also, I was highly disappointed in PilotWings 64. I felt that after 5 years, they could've given us a better sequel, one that actually differentiated itself from its predecessor. It was way too much deja vu for me -- they even recycled a bunch of missions. Lame.

[Richter Belmount]

Snes(in some fans opinons best console of all time) > n64

Seriously I remember when I was a kid and I thought the nintendo 64 kicked ass . But after a few months its flare ran out. I didnt have much to play for it especially since the games were pretty expensive. Also there werent many titles that interested me (I remember zelda and how long it took to come out)

But that all changed when I got playstation. My parents were willing to let me get games for playstation occasionaly because the games were significantly cheaper.Then I realized How much variety was on the system then I became a dedicated playstation fanboy for a while.

[goemon]

Didn't we already have this conversation? I seem to remember it ending with racist remarks about Shigeru Miyamoto last time...

I think that the N64 was a good system, but I agree that the choice to use carts was very limiting, especially to PS and Sega fans who were used to CD music. I think that Sony is going in the direction that Nintendo went in with the N64. Like the 64, the PS3 (the triple, beetches) is more expensive, came out later than the competition, and has fewer "must-have" titles. I think that Nintendo was in the same position ten years ago as Sony is in today: they both had the arrogance that comes with dominating the market. Like Sony has done recently, Nintendo must have thought that people would flock to the N64 because of Nintendo's brand recognition, even though the competition has less expensive systems with more available games. Of course, Nintendo got its act together and now the Wii and DS are dominating in Japan and are doing well in the US too.

[greedostick]

Fzero X
Mario Kart
Diddy Kong Racing
Star Wars Racer
Banjo Kazooie 1
Banjo Kazooie 2
Mario 64
Zelda Ocarina of Time (a masterpiece)
Zelda Majora's Mask
Goldeneye
Perfect Dark
Beetle Adventure Racing
..... and on and on and on.

I don't see

Legend of the Mystical ninja (prolly the best game on the system next to ocarina)

Fighters Destiny
Mace the dark age
WCW NWO Revenge
Wave race
Star fox
Super smash bros. Melee
Conkers bad fur day
Goemons great adv.

[Rob2600]

There are so many reasons to own a Nintendo 64! My favorites:

Super Mario 64
Wave Race 64
Mario Kart 64
StarFox 64
Mischief Makers
Diddy Kong Racing
1080 Snowboarding
Rayman 2
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Mario Party
Bust a Move 99
Mario Golf
Pokemon Puzzle League
Perfect Dark
Conker's Bad Fur Day
etc.

I also had fun playing Blast Corps., Tetrisphere, Wheel of Fortune, Killer Instinct Gold, Goemon's Great Adventure, Turok 3, Mario Tennis, Mace: The Dark Age, Wetrix, Space Station Silicon Valley, Mortal Kombat 4, Pokemon Snap, Star Wars Episode One Racer, Castlevania, Paper Mario, and several others.

There were some other highly rated games that I never really got into, like BattleTanx: Global Assault, Goldeneye 007, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Super Smash Bros., Quake II, Body Harvest, etc.

[Three-P]

You forgot, "Ogre Battle 64," a well-made RPG.

[greedostick]

Yep you didn't mention ogre attle 64, and I forgot to mention Super bowling 64, and doom 64

[vaportransmitter]

Bomberman 64!!!

Love. That. Game.

[FantasiaWHT]

Fzero X - Played it, the original's much better
Mario Kart - Played it, the original's much better
Diddy Kong Racing - Played it, meh.
Star Wars Racer - Played it, hated it
Banjo Kazooie 1 - Played it, not impressed
Banjo Kazooie 2 - No interest after disliking the first one
Mario 64 - Hated it
Zelda Ocarina of Time - Hated it
Zelda Majora's Mask - Never played
Goldeneye - Not a FPS fan
Perfect Dark - Not a FPS
Beetle Adventure Racing - Never played it

As much as I love Nintendo, nothing on N64 does ANYTHING for me. Well, that's not quite true, I did like SSB, but the sequel is so much improved the original has nothing to offer.

[Frica89]

ThQ's wrestling titles were amazing...I still play WWF No Mercy as my primary wrestling game.

Something that I believe no other system has matched is the amount of awesome multiplayer games on the N64. Sure, the age of online play is among us, but in my opinion online play can in no way compete with gathering three friends into one room and playing something like Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Mario Party, or the aforementioned No Mercy together.

[ShenmueFan]

The N64 is a solid investment, especially considering how cheap & common most of the good games are.

I think the N-64 controller is very unique and quite comfortable and the A-list games so many others have listed in this thread are worth the price of this system, no doubt.

On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate the N64 as a 8.5 or 9, easy.

[ShenmueFan]

Fzero X - Played it, the original's much better
Mario Kart - Played it, the original's much better
Diddy Kong Racing - Played it, meh.
Star Wars Racer - Played it, hated it
Banjo Kazooie 1 - Played it, not impressed
Banjo Kazooie 2 - No interest after disliking the first one
Mario 64 - Hated it
Zelda Ocarina of Time - Hated it
Zelda Majora's Mask - Never played
Goldeneye - Not a FPS fan
Perfect Dark - Not a FPS
Beetle Adventure Racing - Never played it

As much as I love Nintendo, nothing on N64 does ANYTHING for me. Well, that's not quite true, I did like SSB, but the sequel is so much improved the original has nothing to offer.

Alright....wow....you REALLY don't like certain types of games. Since Mario 64 is like the pinnacle of 3D platformer games, I can assume any other, newer 3D platform74er game is not your cup of tea. Goldeneye is close to the top of best FPS games ever and if you don't like FPS games at all, again, wow. Zelda 64 and Majora's Mask not only brought adventure gaming to 3D, they set the standard for all future games in that genre pretty much...so again, it's safe to assume you don't like that type of game either on any of the newer systems.

So really, I would say that not only does the N64 not do anything for you, the Playstation, PS2, Dreamcast, X-Box, 360, Gamecube, Wii and most modern PC games do absolutely nothing for you either, which is a shame. If I got this all wrong and you are simply a RPG / Sports / Racing / Fighting type of gamer nothing but those genres interest you, yeah, I could see how the N64 is lacking.

I'm just curious - what kinds of games and what systems do you LIKE playing???

[greedostick]

Alright....wow....you REALLY don't like certain types of games. Since Mario 64 is like the pinnacle of 3D platformer games, I can assume any other, newer 3D platform74er game is not your cup of tea. Goldeneye is close to the top of best FPS games ever and if you don't like FPS games at all, again, wow. Zelda 64 and Majora's Mask not only brought adventure gaming to 3D, they set the standard for all future games in that genre pretty much...so again, it's safe to assume you don't like that type of game either on any of the newer systems.

So really, I would say that not only does the N64 not do anything for you, the Playstation, PS2, Dreamcast, X-Box, 360, Gamecube, Wii and most modern PC games do absolutely nothing for you either, which is a shame. If I got this all wrong and you are simply a RPG / Sports / Racing / Fighting type of gamer nothing but those genres interest you, yeah, I could see how the N64 is lacking.

I'm just curious - what kinds of games and what systems do you LIKE playing???

Must be a Madden fan.

[ShenmueFan]

^^^ No, really, I'm extremely curious about what this guy likes. It just floors me that he pretty much hates the entire N64 first-party lineup, which pretty much make up a large chunk of the best games ever!

[rcgamer]

I'll tell you one game the N64 had that I never thought I would like but ended up loving it was Pokemon Puzzle League. I could play that game to death.

[j_factor]

Alright....wow....you REALLY don't like certain types of games. Since Mario 64 is like the pinnacle of 3D platformer games, I can assume any other, newer 3D platform74er game is not your cup of tea. Goldeneye is close to the top of best FPS games ever and if you don't like FPS games at all, again, wow. Zelda 64 and Majora's Mask not only brought adventure gaming to 3D, they set the standard for all future games in that genre pretty much...so again, it's safe to assume you don't like that type of game either on any of the newer systems.

I know you weren't talking to me, but I feel like I need to butt in, because this really annoyed me. I mean jeez, he was just giving his opinions. No need to be like "oh my god WOW I can't believe there's a single person that doesn't like that game!!!!". Also I find your 'assumptions' to be assinine.

Super Mario 64 may or may not be the pinnacle of 3D platformer games, and no you can't assume that he hates every single one just because he didn't like that one. Personally, I didn't find Super Mario 64 to be all that fun -- I found myself fighting with the camera way too much, I didn't enjoy the repetitive nature of the levels, and good god the boss fights downright suck. I enjoy many other 3D platformers, especially ones with better cameras and level design, such as Rayman 2.

I've known a lot of people that don't like FPS games at all; I don't see what's surprising about that. I've even known a few people who did like FPS games but didn't care for Goldeneye. Myself, I enjoyed it, although I didn't think it was as great as many people say.

I also completely disagree that Zelda 64 "brought adventure gaming into 3D". Adventure gaming is pretty much no different whether the game is 2D or 3D, and Zelda 64 is not an adventure game. Zelda 64 was more of an action-adventure game (yes there's a difference, adventure games have either no action or only action segments, games like Monkey Island and King's Quest etc.) or possibly action-RPG, and 3D action-adventure games had been done before, with Tomb Raider, Fade to Black, and so on. Not to say that Zelda 64 wasn't important or influential -- it certainly was -- but by 1998 3D gaming was no longer brand new. In any case, it's certainly not unthinkable that there are people out there who don't like Zelda 64 and maybe enjoy Okami or something.

Sorry to be long-winded, but mainly my point is, (which should be rather obvious) you can't equate a person's opinion of one game with their opinion of an entire genre, and there aren't any games that nobody doesn't like. It is quite unusual and somewhat surprising that he said nothing on N64 does anything for him, but then again, he never played Beetle Adventure Racing, so there's probably a significant number of lesser-known N64 games he hasn't tried, and he just never cared for any of its big hits.

[FantasiaWHT]

Alright....wow....you REALLY don't like certain types of games. Since Mario 64 is like the pinnacle of 3D platformer games, I can assume any other, newer 3D platform74er game is not your cup of tea. Goldeneye is close to the top of best FPS games ever and if you don't like FPS games at all, again, wow. Zelda 64 and Majora's Mask not only brought adventure gaming to 3D, they set the standard for all future games in that genre pretty much...so again, it's safe to assume you don't like that type of game either on any of the newer systems.

So really, I would say that not only does the N64 not do anything for you, the Playstation, PS2, Dreamcast, X-Box, 360, Gamecube, Wii and most modern PC games do absolutely nothing for you either, which is a shame. If I got this all wrong and you are simply a RPG / Sports / Racing / Fighting type of gamer nothing but those genres interest you, yeah, I could see how the N64 is lacking.

I'm just curious - what kinds of games and what systems do you LIKE playing???

Definitely an RPG guy, definitely not sports/racing/fighting. Enjoy an occasional action game, dig adventure games, some puzzle games, most strategy games.

3D platformers? Yeah, dislike the majority of them. Cameras. Cameras. Cameras. Trying to deal with a camera should NOT have to be part of the gaming experience. I much more enjoy fixed camera games like God of War, for instance.

I'm a Zelda fan, but Ocarina doesn't do anything for me. I've tried to play it a handful of times to give it its fair shake but I can't get into it. All the 2D Zeldas are fun, I enjoyed WW, although I thought it was way too easy to really be a great game, and I absolutely love TP.

Like I said for some of the other games, they might be ok but I enjoy their prequels or sequels more. Part of it might be the controller, part of it might be the graphics. 3D graphics I STILL think are by-and-large ugly (they try too hard to be realistic) even on the recent generation of consoles, so obviously my view of the aesthetic value of early 3D console graphics is pretty dim.

[ShenmueFan]

^^^ Cameras are a BIG problem in a lot of modern games, especially the ones that are thrown together and not playtested just to get 'em out the door. I guess I adjusted to Mario's cameras fairly quickly and while they aren't 100% perfect, I've never seen a 3D game that is and of all those I've played, Mario 64 still seems to be the most polished in that area.

It's funny, I didn't care for WW and TP too much because I felt like I had already played 3D Zeldas on the 64! That's sortof amusing :)

Yeah, I could see how you could dislike the N64 controller. I found it comfortable for many games but then there were others that made me think, "Alright, this stupid controller should have never been made"...Killer Instinct, Mischief Makers, Mario Party... blech! :)

Concerning 3D graphics, I actually find the early 3D visuals much more tolerable than the stuff you see on the PS3 and 360 now. Like you said, everyone's trying way too hard to make their stuff look photorealistic and it still doesn't, a decade after 3D became mainstream. 32-bit era visuals were mostly crude, pixelated and choppy and I feel like game makers put more time into making the games play well than look pretty back then.

[bangtango]

I hated Ocarina of Time the first dozen times or so that I played it, because of the control scheme and the 3D environment. However, it became much better the further I got into the game. What I'm getting at is that I wonder how far into the game some people actually played before writing it off. 10 minutes? One dungeon? To the Temple of Time? The end of the game?

[ShenmueFan]

^^^ Honestly, if I knew very little about Zelda 64 I wouldn't have bothered playing through the first Tree dungeon w/ Link as a little kid in the forest. Really stupid beginning and much longer than 10 minutes, unfortunately.

I give modern games 2 hours now to prove the majority of their worth to me, that's it. High-profiles games like Halo or Half-Life *might* be given more slack, but I'll drop even those titles if its just the same ol', same ol'.

[Rob2600]

I guess I adjusted to Mario's cameras fairly quickly.

I adjusted to Super Mario 64's camera quickly, too. It was the first free-roaming 3D adventure game I'd ever played, so I didn't know what to expect and just considered the camera controls to be part of the game. I never looked at it as a problem.


It's funny, I didn't care for WW and TP too much because I felt like I had already played 3D Zeldas on the 64!

I agree with your Zelda comment, too. The three-day concept of Majora's Mask seemed interesting and the art direction in Wind Waker was great, but I never got into them as much as I had wanted to because I felt like I had already played through the perfect 3D Zelda game (Ocarina of Time). I did play through quite a bit of Twilight Princess with my brother on the Wii and I was impressed with the graphics, art direction, and controls, and we wanted to keep playing to see what would happen next. Someday I'll finish it and find out.


Killer Instinct, Mischief Makers, Mario Party... blech! :)

I thought Killer Instinct was pretty good, especially for a launch title. It had nice graphics and the music was amazing. It wasn't the best fighting game out there, but it was much better than a bunch of horrendous fighting games that came out for PlayStation (Criticom, Vs., Boombots, Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi, etc.).

I really enjoyed Mischief Makers. I kept playing it until I achieved a perfect "S" score and unlocked the complete ending. The boss battles were creative, as were many of the stages. Overall, I thought it was a fun, underrated game.

Mario Party was fun and fresh. It's not my favorite series of all time, but it's definitely a solid, enjoyable multiplayer game that appeals to all sorts of people...young, old, male, female.


everyone's trying way too hard to make their stuff look photorealistic and it still doesn't, a decade after 3D became mainstream.

To be fair, 2D home video game graphics were still far from perfect a decade after they had become popular. At that point, we were only at Sega Genesis and Turbo Grafx 16 quality.

You have a point though...many developers focus too much on photo-realism and not enough on solid art direction.

Another point is that there's still a huge difference between how real a TV show or movie looks in 640x480 standard definition (very real, obviously) and how a video game looks in standard definition (cars look fairly real sometimes, but people still do not even come close). None of the current consoles have enough power to display TV-quality graphics in standard definition, so why are so many developers already moving on to high definition? Shouldn't they perfect 640x480 graphics first?

I'd be much more impressed with a game that runs in 640x480 and looks as realistic as a TV show than a game that runs in high definition and looks like a typical 3D video game.