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Firstly, let’s face it – the Nintendo 64 is all but dead, particularly in Japan and North America where Nintendo’s next home console has already been released. Annoyingly, a lot of people say the N64 was a flop. I say – what a load of tosh.
With their 64-bit baby, Nintendo (and fellow 3rd party developers) have been able to open up new gateways in gaming and take us in a direction that’ll affect future consoles and their games. The Nintendo 64 redefined the term ‘freedom’ in videogames and also gave us a few innovations along the way.
In this post (which will probably take me the best part of ten minutes), I’m going to re-live a few of the Nintendo 64’s greatest gaming moments and also pinpoint the advancements made by the N64 that have put gaming where it is today. Oh, and also say a big thanks to Nintendo & co. at the end!
For me, there were four games on the N64 that I believe revolutionised gaming in one way or another. These four games are Super Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Body Harvest. Now I’m sure there’ll be quite a few who disagree or are perhaps even angered by my selection. Perhaps why you’re wondering why a title like Perfect Dark isn’t on the list or why the heck I’ve chosen Body Harvest. Well, read on, and you shall discover my reasoning!
First up – Super Mario 64. Strictly speaking, this game shouldn’t really need an introduction, seeing as we all know and love games in here! However, for the purpose of this topic, I’ll do so anyway!
Super Mario 64 was, and still is in my eyes, a truly remarkable game. Released as one of the N64’s few launch titles (in all regions), this one game made a huge difference to Nintendo’s profits during launch period! If this game never existed, the public would’ve never known what the N64 was capable of until it would’ve been too late (ala Dreamcast). Super Mario 64 allowed the player to explore vast 3d environments, filled with imaginative characters and visuals. However, all this simply would not have been possible without the N64 pad. The analogue stick allowed the player to run at the desired pace and angle. In 1996, realism got a whole new meaning!
Next up comes Goldeneye 007 – a first-person shooter based on the film of the same name from UK-based Rareware. Not only did this title create a whole new sub-genre, it was the first of a kind that, some people believe, has yet to be beaten. For the first time in the history of videogames, the enemy were fairly intelligent. They’d roll across the floor to dodge your bullets and run off to sound the alarm if they thought back up was required.
The player had to learn different playing styles. Sometimes, a simple burst-in-and-shoot-everything-that-moves tactic got the job done no problem. However, of other levels situated in completely different environments with different numbers and types of guard, a more stealthy approach was required. Get spotted by that panning camera in the adjacent corridor and it was game over. An alarm would be triggered and wave upon wave of diamond-hard enemy would hunt you down.
This was a thinking-man’s game, a style that perfectly suited the Bond exterior. Without the existence of Goldeneye, we wouldn’t have nowhere near as many PC classics such as Half-Life, Deus Ex or No-One Lives Forever.
At this point, let’s just get one thing clear – I was disappointed with Perfect Dark. Yes, it had a vast amount of imaginative weapons and gadgets. Yes, the enemies were smarter, harder and generally more impressive. Yes, the graphics were sharper and more detailed. But at the end of the day, Perfect Dark could never do what its forbearer could – redefine the genre. Perfect Dark was based on the same game engine and, therefore, never really had a chance of evolving that much from the original. I don’t really think that we can look back and say ‘We wouldn’t have Game X if it wasn’t for Perfect Dark’.
The next game I feel deserves a huge mention shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is hailed by many as the greatest videogame of all time, and for good reason. Perhaps it can be said that this owes a bit to Mario 64, in terms of the ‘go anywhere you like’ feature, but that wouldn’t be very fair, as these are two very different types of game. Zelda 64 is very much story-driven, and all the better for it. Although the game doesn’t feature character voice-overs, the enchanting little creatures and people of Hyrule certainly capture the imagination.
This game is absolutely huge. However, while the likes of Final Fantasy VII would take you longer to complete, Zelda 64 has much greater variety in gameplay and has a replayability factor like no other. Throughout Links adventure, you’ll encounter many vast bosses that’ll truly draw your breath away.
Ofcourse, all this would stand for nothing if the actual combat wasn’t up to scratch. Thankfully, this isn’t the case. With the aid of the intuitive ‘z-targeting system’, the z trigger on the back of the N64 pad could be used to target the enemy before moving in for the attack. This eliminates the usual problem of camera glitches (something which Banjo Kazooie got marked down for) and provides fast, non-stop action that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
Finally, Body Harvest. A lot of people reading this will currently be thinking something along the lines of ‘is our wise, old Uncle barking up the wrong tree?’ well in my mind, the answer to that is no.
As far as I can remember, Body Harvest was a bit of a first for me and many others. While Super Mario 64 allowed the player to freely explore realistic (for the time) 3d environments, Body Harvest took it one step further – these environments were gigantic. What’s more, due to the N64’s cartridge-based system, the player faced no loading screens whatsoever.
Another impressive aspect featured in Body Harvest was the enemy design. Clearly inspired by films like Starship Troopers, the alien scum were huge, 6-legged beasts which often sent a shiver down your spine when you saw them marching towards you in the distance.
So there’s a few of games exclusive to N64 owners that made the machine (and the industry) what it is today. But quite clearly, these games couldn’t of existed is the N64 itself didn’t exist! So what was so special about the N64?
Well, to be honest, not a lot! For a machine which claimed to be the ‘most powerful console on the planet’, the less-advanced Playstation was producing much sharper graphics.
Another point against the N64 is the design of actual console itself (from a technical point of view). Developers often complained of finding the machine difficult to develop for and resulted in there being a lack of games. Thankfully, Nintendo have realised and now the situation is the complete opposite when it comes to comparing PS2 and Gamecube.
So, what was it that set the N64 apart from the rest at the time? Quite clearly, the controller. Although not actually being the first controller to feature an analogue stick (that award goes to Sega with it’s analogue pad specially designed for Nights on Saturn), it was the first analogue controller that would be taken advantage of by pretty much all of the machine’s titles. As previously mentioned, the fact that this control stick was analogue meant that gamers playing titles such as Mario 64 could run at any speed and at any angle (depending on the plumber’s ability, ofcourse). The analogue was an ingenious design that was so successful, it’s now an industry-standard on all control pads.
So there you have – the Nintendo 64 was home to the finest and most original, evolutionary games of the time. Nintendo, despite your arrogant attitude towards us European gamers (and particularly us Brits), we love you. As long as they keep churning out the consoles and Miyamoto keep thinking up creative, enjoyable ideas for games, I think we’ll all be satisfied. Nintendo – I salute you.
*Tear forms in corner of eye*
I thank you for reading, as usual.
Uncle Albert
With their 64-bit baby, Nintendo (and fellow 3rd party developers) have been able to open up new gateways in gaming and take us in a direction that’ll affect future consoles and their games. The Nintendo 64 redefined the term ‘freedom’ in videogames and also gave us a few innovations along the way.
In this post (which will probably take me the best part of ten minutes), I’m going to re-live a few of the Nintendo 64’s greatest gaming moments and also pinpoint the advancements made by the N64 that have put gaming where it is today. Oh, and also say a big thanks to Nintendo & co. at the end!
For me, there were four games on the N64 that I believe revolutionised gaming in one way or another. These four games are Super Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Body Harvest. Now I’m sure there’ll be quite a few who disagree or are perhaps even angered by my selection. Perhaps why you’re wondering why a title like Perfect Dark isn’t on the list or why the heck I’ve chosen Body Harvest. Well, read on, and you shall discover my reasoning!
First up – Super Mario 64. Strictly speaking, this game shouldn’t really need an introduction, seeing as we all know and love games in here! However, for the purpose of this topic, I’ll do so anyway!
Super Mario 64 was, and still is in my eyes, a truly remarkable game. Released as one of the N64’s few launch titles (in all regions), this one game made a huge difference to Nintendo’s profits during launch period! If this game never existed, the public would’ve never known what the N64 was capable of until it would’ve been too late (ala Dreamcast). Super Mario 64 allowed the player to explore vast 3d environments, filled with imaginative characters and visuals. However, all this simply would not have been possible without the N64 pad. The analogue stick allowed the player to run at the desired pace and angle. In 1996, realism got a whole new meaning!
Next up comes Goldeneye 007 – a first-person shooter based on the film of the same name from UK-based Rareware. Not only did this title create a whole new sub-genre, it was the first of a kind that, some people believe, has yet to be beaten. For the first time in the history of videogames, the enemy were fairly intelligent. They’d roll across the floor to dodge your bullets and run off to sound the alarm if they thought back up was required.
The player had to learn different playing styles. Sometimes, a simple burst-in-and-shoot-everything-that-moves tactic got the job done no problem. However, of other levels situated in completely different environments with different numbers and types of guard, a more stealthy approach was required. Get spotted by that panning camera in the adjacent corridor and it was game over. An alarm would be triggered and wave upon wave of diamond-hard enemy would hunt you down.
This was a thinking-man’s game, a style that perfectly suited the Bond exterior. Without the existence of Goldeneye, we wouldn’t have nowhere near as many PC classics such as Half-Life, Deus Ex or No-One Lives Forever.
At this point, let’s just get one thing clear – I was disappointed with Perfect Dark. Yes, it had a vast amount of imaginative weapons and gadgets. Yes, the enemies were smarter, harder and generally more impressive. Yes, the graphics were sharper and more detailed. But at the end of the day, Perfect Dark could never do what its forbearer could – redefine the genre. Perfect Dark was based on the same game engine and, therefore, never really had a chance of evolving that much from the original. I don’t really think that we can look back and say ‘We wouldn’t have Game X if it wasn’t for Perfect Dark’.
The next game I feel deserves a huge mention shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is hailed by many as the greatest videogame of all time, and for good reason. Perhaps it can be said that this owes a bit to Mario 64, in terms of the ‘go anywhere you like’ feature, but that wouldn’t be very fair, as these are two very different types of game. Zelda 64 is very much story-driven, and all the better for it. Although the game doesn’t feature character voice-overs, the enchanting little creatures and people of Hyrule certainly capture the imagination.
This game is absolutely huge. However, while the likes of Final Fantasy VII would take you longer to complete, Zelda 64 has much greater variety in gameplay and has a replayability factor like no other. Throughout Links adventure, you’ll encounter many vast bosses that’ll truly draw your breath away.
Ofcourse, all this would stand for nothing if the actual combat wasn’t up to scratch. Thankfully, this isn’t the case. With the aid of the intuitive ‘z-targeting system’, the z trigger on the back of the N64 pad could be used to target the enemy before moving in for the attack. This eliminates the usual problem of camera glitches (something which Banjo Kazooie got marked down for) and provides fast, non-stop action that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
Finally, Body Harvest. A lot of people reading this will currently be thinking something along the lines of ‘is our wise, old Uncle barking up the wrong tree?’ well in my mind, the answer to that is no.
As far as I can remember, Body Harvest was a bit of a first for me and many others. While Super Mario 64 allowed the player to freely explore realistic (for the time) 3d environments, Body Harvest took it one step further – these environments were gigantic. What’s more, due to the N64’s cartridge-based system, the player faced no loading screens whatsoever.
Another impressive aspect featured in Body Harvest was the enemy design. Clearly inspired by films like Starship Troopers, the alien scum were huge, 6-legged beasts which often sent a shiver down your spine when you saw them marching towards you in the distance.
So there’s a few of games exclusive to N64 owners that made the machine (and the industry) what it is today. But quite clearly, these games couldn’t of existed is the N64 itself didn’t exist! So what was so special about the N64?
Well, to be honest, not a lot! For a machine which claimed to be the ‘most powerful console on the planet’, the less-advanced Playstation was producing much sharper graphics.
Another point against the N64 is the design of actual console itself (from a technical point of view). Developers often complained of finding the machine difficult to develop for and resulted in there being a lack of games. Thankfully, Nintendo have realised and now the situation is the complete opposite when it comes to comparing PS2 and Gamecube.
So, what was it that set the N64 apart from the rest at the time? Quite clearly, the controller. Although not actually being the first controller to feature an analogue stick (that award goes to Sega with it’s analogue pad specially designed for Nights on Saturn), it was the first analogue controller that would be taken advantage of by pretty much all of the machine’s titles. As previously mentioned, the fact that this control stick was analogue meant that gamers playing titles such as Mario 64 could run at any speed and at any angle (depending on the plumber’s ability, ofcourse). The analogue was an ingenious design that was so successful, it’s now an industry-standard on all control pads.
So there you have – the Nintendo 64 was home to the finest and most original, evolutionary games of the time. Nintendo, despite your arrogant attitude towards us European gamers (and particularly us Brits), we love you. As long as they keep churning out the consoles and Miyamoto keep thinking up creative, enjoyable ideas for games, I think we’ll all be satisfied. Nintendo – I salute you.
*Tear forms in corner of eye*
I thank you for reading, as usual.
Uncle Albert
Look i have a cube controller (console, mem card, 5 games but i dont need to talk about that).
The clicky thing is simply the furthest depression point of the L and R buttons when you push it all the way it makes a click at its limit (on purpose)
When playing starwars rogue squadron for example you know that when r is about to click (a little resistance is given by the click) you are at your maximum speed at to press it any further (and make it click i should add) means your s-foils will close and you will go faster even still but wont have your lasers. This is about the only game so far that it has any relevance on (that i own).
There you go skolskjaer.
i dont think any one will have problems adjusting to the pad
rogue squadron is a good game to play to get used to teh pad.
The clicky thing is simply the furthest depression point of the L and R buttons when you push it all the way it makes a click at its limit (on purpose)
When playing starwars rogue squadron for example you know that when r is about to click (a little resistance is given by the click) you are at your maximum speed at to press it any further (and make it click i should add) means your s-foils will close and you will go faster even still but wont have your lasers. This is about the only game so far that it has any relevance on (that i own).
There you go skolskjaer.
i dont think any one will have problems adjusting to the pad
rogue squadron is a good game to play to get used to teh pad.
I found that Mario 64 was a great game to help me get used to using the N64's controller. I also think that Luigi's Mansion will do the same, as you're required to use the C-stick for the vacum, and other buttons for other things.
I don't know about the Z-button or that clicky thing though, maybe we'll need a game or two for that??
I reccomend that you get Luigi's Mansion with you're GameCube if you feel that you won't be able to adjust to the pad too easily.
I don't know about the Z-button or that clicky thing though, maybe we'll need a game or two for that??
I reccomend that you get Luigi's Mansion with you're GameCube if you feel that you won't be able to adjust to the pad too easily.
A great post there Albert. Gad worthy but is posted in the wrong forum.
I partly agree with what you said about Perfect Dark being dissapointing as not introducing new gamplay but I disagree as it is better than GoldenEye even if it play the same way, I think thats the whole point of Perfect Dark, a GoldenEye sequel with out the 007 licence.
I partly agree with what you said about Perfect Dark being dissapointing as not introducing new gamplay but I disagree as it is better than GoldenEye even if it play the same way, I think thats the whole point of Perfect Dark, a GoldenEye sequel with out the 007 licence.
Firstly, let’s face it – the Nintendo 64 is all but dead, particularly in Japan and North America where Nintendo’s next home console has already been released. Annoyingly, a lot of people say the N64 was a flop. I say – what a load of tosh.
With their 64-bit baby, Nintendo (and fellow 3rd party developers) have been able to open up new gateways in gaming and take us in a direction that’ll affect future consoles and their games. The Nintendo 64 redefined the term ‘freedom’ in videogames and also gave us a few innovations along the way.
In this post (which will probably take me the best part of ten minutes), I’m going to re-live a few of the Nintendo 64’s greatest gaming moments and also pinpoint the advancements made by the N64 that have put gaming where it is today. Oh, and also say a big thanks to Nintendo & co. at the end!
For me, there were four games on the N64 that I believe revolutionised gaming in one way or another. These four games are Super Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Body Harvest. Now I’m sure there’ll be quite a few who disagree or are perhaps even angered by my selection. Perhaps why you’re wondering why a title like Perfect Dark isn’t on the list or why the heck I’ve chosen Body Harvest. Well, read on, and you shall discover my reasoning!
First up – Super Mario 64. Strictly speaking, this game shouldn’t really need an introduction, seeing as we all know and love games in here! However, for the purpose of this topic, I’ll do so anyway!
Super Mario 64 was, and still is in my eyes, a truly remarkable game. Released as one of the N64’s few launch titles (in all regions), this one game made a huge difference to Nintendo’s profits during launch period! If this game never existed, the public would’ve never known what the N64 was capable of until it would’ve been too late (ala Dreamcast). Super Mario 64 allowed the player to explore vast 3d environments, filled with imaginative characters and visuals. However, all this simply would not have been possible without the N64 pad. The analogue stick allowed the player to run at the desired pace and angle. In 1996, realism got a whole new meaning!
Next up comes Goldeneye 007 – a first-person shooter based on the film of the same name from UK-based Rareware. Not only did this title create a whole new sub-genre, it was the first of a kind that, some people believe, has yet to be beaten. For the first time in the history of videogames, the enemy were fairly intelligent. They’d roll across the floor to dodge your bullets and run off to sound the alarm if they thought back up was required.
The player had to learn different playing styles. Sometimes, a simple burst-in-and-shoot-everything-that-moves tactic got the job done no problem. However, of other levels situated in completely different environments with different numbers and types of guard, a more stealthy approach was required. Get spotted by that panning camera in the adjacent corridor and it was game over. An alarm would be triggered and wave upon wave of diamond-hard enemy would hunt you down.
This was a thinking-man’s game, a style that perfectly suited the Bond exterior. Without the existence of Goldeneye, we wouldn’t have nowhere near as many PC classics such as Half-Life, Deus Ex or No-One Lives Forever.
At this point, let’s just get one thing clear – I was disappointed with Perfect Dark. Yes, it had a vast amount of imaginative weapons and gadgets. Yes, the enemies were smarter, harder and generally more impressive. Yes, the graphics were sharper and more detailed. But at the end of the day, Perfect Dark could never do what its forbearer could – redefine the genre. Perfect Dark was based on the same game engine and, therefore, never really had a chance of evolving that much from the original. I don’t really think that we can look back and say ‘We wouldn’t have Game X if it wasn’t for Perfect Dark’.
The next game I feel deserves a huge mention shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is hailed by many as the greatest videogame of all time, and for good reason. Perhaps it can be said that this owes a bit to Mario 64, in terms of the ‘go anywhere you like’ feature, but that wouldn’t be very fair, as these are two very different types of game. Zelda 64 is very much story-driven, and all the better for it. Although the game doesn’t feature character voice-overs, the enchanting little creatures and people of Hyrule certainly capture the imagination.
This game is absolutely huge. However, while the likes of Final Fantasy VII would take you longer to complete, Zelda 64 has much greater variety in gameplay and has a replayability factor like no other. Throughout Links adventure, you’ll encounter many vast bosses that’ll truly draw your breath away.
Ofcourse, all this would stand for nothing if the actual combat wasn’t up to scratch. Thankfully, this isn’t the case. With the aid of the intuitive ‘z-targeting system’, the z trigger on the back of the N64 pad could be used to target the enemy before moving in for the attack. This eliminates the usual problem of camera glitches (something which Banjo Kazooie got marked down for) and provides fast, non-stop action that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
Finally, Body Harvest. A lot of people reading this will currently be thinking something along the lines of ‘is our wise, old Uncle barking up the wrong tree?’ well in my mind, the answer to that is no.
As far as I can remember, Body Harvest was a bit of a first for me and many others. While Super Mario 64 allowed the player to freely explore realistic (for the time) 3d environments, Body Harvest took it one step further – these environments were gigantic. What’s more, due to the N64’s cartridge-based system, the player faced no loading screens whatsoever.
Another impressive aspect featured in Body Harvest was the enemy design. Clearly inspired by films like Starship Troopers, the alien scum were huge, 6-legged beasts which often sent a shiver down your spine when you saw them marching towards you in the distance.
So there’s a few of games exclusive to N64 owners that made the machine (and the industry) what it is today. But quite clearly, these games couldn’t of existed is the N64 itself didn’t exist! So what was so special about the N64?
Well, to be honest, not a lot! For a machine which claimed to be the ‘most powerful console on the planet’, the less-advanced Playstation was producing much sharper graphics.
Another point against the N64 is the design of actual console itself (from a technical point of view). Developers often complained of finding the machine difficult to develop for and resulted in there being a lack of games. Thankfully, Nintendo have realised and now the situation is the complete opposite when it comes to comparing PS2 and Gamecube.
So, what was it that set the N64 apart from the rest at the time? Quite clearly, the controller. Although not actually being the first controller to feature an analogue stick (that award goes to Sega with it’s analogue pad specially designed for Nights on Saturn), it was the first analogue controller that would be taken advantage of by pretty much all of the machine’s titles. As previously mentioned, the fact that this control stick was analogue meant that gamers playing titles such as Mario 64 could run at any speed and at any angle (depending on the plumber’s ability, ofcourse). The analogue was an ingenious design that was so successful, it’s now an industry-standard on all control pads.
So there you have – the Nintendo 64 was home to the finest and most original, evolutionary games of the time. Nintendo, despite your arrogant attitude towards us European gamers (and particularly us Brits), we love you. As long as they keep churning out the consoles and Miyamoto keep thinking up creative, enjoyable ideas for games, I think we’ll all be satisfied. Nintendo – I salute you.
*Tear forms in corner of eye*
I thank you for reading, as usual.
Uncle Albert
With their 64-bit baby, Nintendo (and fellow 3rd party developers) have been able to open up new gateways in gaming and take us in a direction that’ll affect future consoles and their games. The Nintendo 64 redefined the term ‘freedom’ in videogames and also gave us a few innovations along the way.
In this post (which will probably take me the best part of ten minutes), I’m going to re-live a few of the Nintendo 64’s greatest gaming moments and also pinpoint the advancements made by the N64 that have put gaming where it is today. Oh, and also say a big thanks to Nintendo & co. at the end!
For me, there were four games on the N64 that I believe revolutionised gaming in one way or another. These four games are Super Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Body Harvest. Now I’m sure there’ll be quite a few who disagree or are perhaps even angered by my selection. Perhaps why you’re wondering why a title like Perfect Dark isn’t on the list or why the heck I’ve chosen Body Harvest. Well, read on, and you shall discover my reasoning!
First up – Super Mario 64. Strictly speaking, this game shouldn’t really need an introduction, seeing as we all know and love games in here! However, for the purpose of this topic, I’ll do so anyway!
Super Mario 64 was, and still is in my eyes, a truly remarkable game. Released as one of the N64’s few launch titles (in all regions), this one game made a huge difference to Nintendo’s profits during launch period! If this game never existed, the public would’ve never known what the N64 was capable of until it would’ve been too late (ala Dreamcast). Super Mario 64 allowed the player to explore vast 3d environments, filled with imaginative characters and visuals. However, all this simply would not have been possible without the N64 pad. The analogue stick allowed the player to run at the desired pace and angle. In 1996, realism got a whole new meaning!
Next up comes Goldeneye 007 – a first-person shooter based on the film of the same name from UK-based Rareware. Not only did this title create a whole new sub-genre, it was the first of a kind that, some people believe, has yet to be beaten. For the first time in the history of videogames, the enemy were fairly intelligent. They’d roll across the floor to dodge your bullets and run off to sound the alarm if they thought back up was required.
The player had to learn different playing styles. Sometimes, a simple burst-in-and-shoot-everything-that-moves tactic got the job done no problem. However, of other levels situated in completely different environments with different numbers and types of guard, a more stealthy approach was required. Get spotted by that panning camera in the adjacent corridor and it was game over. An alarm would be triggered and wave upon wave of diamond-hard enemy would hunt you down.
This was a thinking-man’s game, a style that perfectly suited the Bond exterior. Without the existence of Goldeneye, we wouldn’t have nowhere near as many PC classics such as Half-Life, Deus Ex or No-One Lives Forever.
At this point, let’s just get one thing clear – I was disappointed with Perfect Dark. Yes, it had a vast amount of imaginative weapons and gadgets. Yes, the enemies were smarter, harder and generally more impressive. Yes, the graphics were sharper and more detailed. But at the end of the day, Perfect Dark could never do what its forbearer could – redefine the genre. Perfect Dark was based on the same game engine and, therefore, never really had a chance of evolving that much from the original. I don’t really think that we can look back and say ‘We wouldn’t have Game X if it wasn’t for Perfect Dark’.
The next game I feel deserves a huge mention shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is hailed by many as the greatest videogame of all time, and for good reason. Perhaps it can be said that this owes a bit to Mario 64, in terms of the ‘go anywhere you like’ feature, but that wouldn’t be very fair, as these are two very different types of game. Zelda 64 is very much story-driven, and all the better for it. Although the game doesn’t feature character voice-overs, the enchanting little creatures and people of Hyrule certainly capture the imagination.
This game is absolutely huge. However, while the likes of Final Fantasy VII would take you longer to complete, Zelda 64 has much greater variety in gameplay and has a replayability factor like no other. Throughout Links adventure, you’ll encounter many vast bosses that’ll truly draw your breath away.
Ofcourse, all this would stand for nothing if the actual combat wasn’t up to scratch. Thankfully, this isn’t the case. With the aid of the intuitive ‘z-targeting system’, the z trigger on the back of the N64 pad could be used to target the enemy before moving in for the attack. This eliminates the usual problem of camera glitches (something which Banjo Kazooie got marked down for) and provides fast, non-stop action that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
Finally, Body Harvest. A lot of people reading this will currently be thinking something along the lines of ‘is our wise, old Uncle barking up the wrong tree?’ well in my mind, the answer to that is no.
As far as I can remember, Body Harvest was a bit of a first for me and many others. While Super Mario 64 allowed the player to freely explore realistic (for the time) 3d environments, Body Harvest took it one step further – these environments were gigantic. What’s more, due to the N64’s cartridge-based system, the player faced no loading screens whatsoever.
Another impressive aspect featured in Body Harvest was the enemy design. Clearly inspired by films like Starship Troopers, the alien scum were huge, 6-legged beasts which often sent a shiver down your spine when you saw them marching towards you in the distance.
So there’s a few of games exclusive to N64 owners that made the machine (and the industry) what it is today. But quite clearly, these games couldn’t of existed is the N64 itself didn’t exist! So what was so special about the N64?
Well, to be honest, not a lot! For a machine which claimed to be the ‘most powerful console on the planet’, the less-advanced Playstation was producing much sharper graphics.
Another point against the N64 is the design of actual console itself (from a technical point of view). Developers often complained of finding the machine difficult to develop for and resulted in there being a lack of games. Thankfully, Nintendo have realised and now the situation is the complete opposite when it comes to comparing PS2 and Gamecube.
So, what was it that set the N64 apart from the rest at the time? Quite clearly, the controller. Although not actually being the first controller to feature an analogue stick (that award goes to Sega with it’s analogue pad specially designed for Nights on Saturn), it was the first analogue controller that would be taken advantage of by pretty much all of the machine’s titles. As previously mentioned, the fact that this control stick was analogue meant that gamers playing titles such as Mario 64 could run at any speed and at any angle (depending on the plumber’s ability, ofcourse). The analogue was an ingenious design that was so successful, it’s now an industry-standard on all control pads.
So there you have – the Nintendo 64 was home to the finest and most original, evolutionary games of the time. Nintendo, despite your arrogant attitude towards us European gamers (and particularly us Brits), we love you. As long as they keep churning out the consoles and Miyamoto keep thinking up creative, enjoyable ideas for games, I think we’ll all be satisfied. Nintendo – I salute you.
*Tear forms in corner of eye*
I thank you for reading, as usual.
Uncle Albert