The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
I'm sure you all know of the N64. A console from Nintendo, released in 1997 in the UK, and now on it's way to the Old Consoles Home.
First of all lets start with the console itself. It's black in colour, and has quite a strong casing. As it's a cartridge based console there's a slot on top. Also on the top of the console is the power switch, a reset button, and an expansion port, into which the 'Expansion Pak' can be fitted to give your N64 that little bit of extra RAM needed for certain games.
On the front of the console there are 4 controller ports, and an LED, which is red when the power is on.
Whilst on the subject of controller ports, the N64 has one of the best controllers to plug into them! The controller features a D-pad, a control stick, two shoulder buttons (one on each side), a 'Z' trigger button, two action buttons (named 'A' and 'B') and 4 'camera' buttons. With it's three pronged style it is very easy to hold when using either the D-pad, or the control stick.
At the bottom of each contoller is an slot into which accessories can be plugged. These accessories were the Memory Pak (used to store game information), the Rumble Pak, which was battery powered, and would vibrate with the action, and the GameBoy transfer pak with which data could be transfered between a Gameboy and an N64.
Now onto the games. The games were on a cartridge format, which meant that they didn't have the same storage capacity oas the disc based consoles. It could be said that this was one of the consoles weak points. the advantage of cartridges is that data can be stored on them, saving you on costly memory paks.
Initially games were slow to appear on the N64, as third party support was poor, but now the console is at the end of it's life cycle there are many great games available, some at bargain prices too.
Platform/Adventure Games:
Nintendo had many games to fill this genre, so there's plenty to choose from. Even though it was the first N64 game Super Mario 64 still looks stunning and plays unbelieveably well, it is a sizeable quest too, that will keep you busy. Banjo Kazooie, and more recently Banjo Tooie are another two excellent examples of the genre from Rare. Like Mario both are large quests that will keep you busy!
Other notable games in this genre would be Conkers Bad Fur Day, an adult title that's fun of toilet humour, and DK64 which is another huge quest.
RPG:
A genre that wasn't well represented in numbers, but was in quality! Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been called the greatest console game of all time. It's cetrainly up there amongst the best, with some awesome dungeons, and evil enemies. The sequel, Majora's Mask, was also excellent, adding a time feature in which certain events would only occur at certain times of the day.
The only other RPG worth mentioning would have to be Paper Mario. It has yet to get a UK release, but reports from the US are pleasing. If it gets a launch here it's worth getting hold of.
First Person Shooters:
The N64 had it's fair share of quality FPS games! Goldeneye is a classic. Based on the movie of the same name, you control Bond on a mission that will require quick thinking and a keen trigger finger. The multiplayer Deathmatches are simply fantastic, and have to be played with friends to get the most out of. Rare followed this up with Perfect Dark. Another classic FPS, without the binds of following a movie storyline. It has been argued that this is superior to Goldeneye!
Other great FPS include a second Bond title, TWINE, and the Turok series.
Racing:
The N64 was a little short of traditional racers, with only a few being worth playing. When it comes to something different, there aren't many better than the N64's! Mario Kart 64 features all of the great racing thrills that made it's SNES counterpart so popular, with Cup modes, and battle modes. It's fast paced and tremendous fun with friends! A better single player racer is Diddy Kong Racing. There are more tracks to find, hidden challenges, and bosses to race.
If you want a realistic racer, try San francisco Rush, or if you'd prefer two wheels, Excitebike. If you want to race on snow, then there's 1080, and if that's not wet enough for you, try Wave Race!
Shooters:
There weren't too many of these titles available, but what was there was awesome. Lylat Wars is the sequel to the SNES's Starwing, and plays in a very similar vein. Guide the Arwing through enemy territory to face Andross. It's fun, and with medals to collect on each level it will keep you busy. Star Wars fans may also like Rogue Squadron, and Battle For Naboo. Both play very similarly, countless enemies to destroy, and a Star Wars theme!
Beat Em Ups:
Good beat em up's are hard to come by on the N64. Fighters Destiny deserves a mention because of it's clever points system, and the opportunity to practise moves on a cow. the best Beat Em Up, is no doubt Super Smash Bros. It features many of Nintendos main characters, and is fast and frantic, with 4 human characters able to battle at the same time.
If you're a wrsetling fan there are plenty of games to give a go, though No Mercy is without doubt the pick of the litter.
Sports:
The N64 can boast some impressive and different sports titles. For football fans theres FIFA and ISS, with the best version of FIFA being '99, and the best version of ISS being 2000, as it features a rather funny basic RPG in which you must guide a young player into the National Team. Tennis fans might like to check out Mario Tennis. It looks cute, and basic at first, but physically it's very impressive indeed, and highly entertaining.
Other notables would have to be Mario Golf, and Quaterback Club if thats your kind of thing!
Puzzle/Others:
Tetris is always good, and a number of different versions are available, such as the innovative tetrisphere, and a Disney themed version. If you're after something different, a a decent Multiplayer game then Mario Party 2 is a must have. It's highly entertaining as you try to collect more stars than opponents and play against each other in mini-games.
Also worth a squirt is Pokemon Snap, a game in which you travel around, taking pictures of Pokemon, and getting points for better pictures!
So, summing up, I'd say that the N64 is a very good console that everyone should have played. If you don't have one, get one second hand. There's so much fun that can be found in the games!
First of all lets start with the console itself. It's black in colour, and has quite a strong casing. As it's a cartridge based console there's a slot on top. Also on the top of the console is the power switch, a reset button, and an expansion port, into which the 'Expansion Pak' can be fitted to give your N64 that little bit of extra RAM needed for certain games.
On the front of the console there are 4 controller ports, and an LED, which is red when the power is on.
Whilst on the subject of controller ports, the N64 has one of the best controllers to plug into them! The controller features a D-pad, a control stick, two shoulder buttons (one on each side), a 'Z' trigger button, two action buttons (named 'A' and 'B') and 4 'camera' buttons. With it's three pronged style it is very easy to hold when using either the D-pad, or the control stick.
At the bottom of each contoller is an slot into which accessories can be plugged. These accessories were the Memory Pak (used to store game information), the Rumble Pak, which was battery powered, and would vibrate with the action, and the GameBoy transfer pak with which data could be transfered between a Gameboy and an N64.
Now onto the games. The games were on a cartridge format, which meant that they didn't have the same storage capacity oas the disc based consoles. It could be said that this was one of the consoles weak points. the advantage of cartridges is that data can be stored on them, saving you on costly memory paks.
Initially games were slow to appear on the N64, as third party support was poor, but now the console is at the end of it's life cycle there are many great games available, some at bargain prices too.
Platform/Adventure Games:
Nintendo had many games to fill this genre, so there's plenty to choose from. Even though it was the first N64 game Super Mario 64 still looks stunning and plays unbelieveably well, it is a sizeable quest too, that will keep you busy. Banjo Kazooie, and more recently Banjo Tooie are another two excellent examples of the genre from Rare. Like Mario both are large quests that will keep you busy!
Other notable games in this genre would be Conkers Bad Fur Day, an adult title that's fun of toilet humour, and DK64 which is another huge quest.
RPG:
A genre that wasn't well represented in numbers, but was in quality! Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been called the greatest console game of all time. It's cetrainly up there amongst the best, with some awesome dungeons, and evil enemies. The sequel, Majora's Mask, was also excellent, adding a time feature in which certain events would only occur at certain times of the day.
The only other RPG worth mentioning would have to be Paper Mario. It has yet to get a UK release, but reports from the US are pleasing. If it gets a launch here it's worth getting hold of.
First Person Shooters:
The N64 had it's fair share of quality FPS games! Goldeneye is a classic. Based on the movie of the same name, you control Bond on a mission that will require quick thinking and a keen trigger finger. The multiplayer Deathmatches are simply fantastic, and have to be played with friends to get the most out of. Rare followed this up with Perfect Dark. Another classic FPS, without the binds of following a movie storyline. It has been argued that this is superior to Goldeneye!
Other great FPS include a second Bond title, TWINE, and the Turok series.
Racing:
The N64 was a little short of traditional racers, with only a few being worth playing. When it comes to something different, there aren't many better than the N64's! Mario Kart 64 features all of the great racing thrills that made it's SNES counterpart so popular, with Cup modes, and battle modes. It's fast paced and tremendous fun with friends! A better single player racer is Diddy Kong Racing. There are more tracks to find, hidden challenges, and bosses to race.
If you want a realistic racer, try San francisco Rush, or if you'd prefer two wheels, Excitebike. If you want to race on snow, then there's 1080, and if that's not wet enough for you, try Wave Race!
Shooters:
There weren't too many of these titles available, but what was there was awesome. Lylat Wars is the sequel to the SNES's Starwing, and plays in a very similar vein. Guide the Arwing through enemy territory to face Andross. It's fun, and with medals to collect on each level it will keep you busy. Star Wars fans may also like Rogue Squadron, and Battle For Naboo. Both play very similarly, countless enemies to destroy, and a Star Wars theme!
Beat Em Ups:
Good beat em up's are hard to come by on the N64. Fighters Destiny deserves a mention because of it's clever points system, and the opportunity to practise moves on a cow. the best Beat Em Up, is no doubt Super Smash Bros. It features many of Nintendos main characters, and is fast and frantic, with 4 human characters able to battle at the same time.
If you're a wrsetling fan there are plenty of games to give a go, though No Mercy is without doubt the pick of the litter.
Sports:
The N64 can boast some impressive and different sports titles. For football fans theres FIFA and ISS, with the best version of FIFA being '99, and the best version of ISS being 2000, as it features a rather funny basic RPG in which you must guide a young player into the National Team. Tennis fans might like to check out Mario Tennis. It looks cute, and basic at first, but physically it's very impressive indeed, and highly entertaining.
Other notables would have to be Mario Golf, and Quaterback Club if thats your kind of thing!
Puzzle/Others:
Tetris is always good, and a number of different versions are available, such as the innovative tetrisphere, and a Disney themed version. If you're after something different, a a decent Multiplayer game then Mario Party 2 is a must have. It's highly entertaining as you try to collect more stars than opponents and play against each other in mini-games.
Also worth a squirt is Pokemon Snap, a game in which you travel around, taking pictures of Pokemon, and getting points for better pictures!
So, summing up, I'd say that the N64 is a very good console that everyone should have played. If you don't have one, get one second hand. There's so much fun that can be found in the games!
Page:
Stop posting good stuff Meka :P
Ya big show off ;)
Ya big show off ;)
LOL!
Great post Meka!
You could of added that the N64 is really cheap, but the games are quite expensive due to the games being cartridge though.
Apart from that you more or less covered everything.
I am now waiting for your "My final GAMECUBE post!!" ;-)
You could of added that the N64 is really cheap, but the games are quite expensive due to the games being cartridge though.
Apart from that you more or less covered everything.
I am now waiting for your "My final GAMECUBE post!!" ;-)
I don't think either of these posts shouldn't win watch this space. (:)
Dan's slightly better except this is shorter.
If this wins i'm going to shoot myself!
If this wins i'm going to shoot myself!
Look, if the Amricans can drop letters wherever they like, so can I!!!
Page: