N64 Expectations
The N64/PS1 era was huge for me, and the lead-up to it was the best part. Nothing will ever beat what it was like to read Next Generation in school each day, awkwardly hidden in my textbooks. I had no idea what was going on in class, but it didn’t matter. My expectations for N64 were so great that they never could have possibly been met.
Doug Perry is authoring a series of articles analyzing Nintendo’s fall in the late 90s, and in the first two entries from last month, he used the exact issues of Next Generation I’m talking about to good effect. Part one took a look at 1996, and part two at 1998.
Disappointments aside, N64 is quickly becoming my favorite system ever in retrospect, and I know I’m not alone on that. Something so special about it. Even the blur is cool.
Blur > Pixellation.
I can’t stand it when people say that the PSX looks better than the N64. Granted, not all N64 games are winners, but when I go back and play them, I can at least tell what’s going on. Not the case when playing 99% of PSX games. SOTN, FF9 being some exceptions.
Anyway, the N64 is awesome. The 3D platformer genre has drastically gone downhill since then, local multiplayer hasn’t been the same, and the overall feel of the games in that time has all but disappeared (Super Mario Galaxy is one of the few recent games that just brought joy to me as I played it).
rbelmont000 - 05.05.09, 3:01 pm
I completely agree with you, I’d have to say the 64 is probably my favorite system ever. Though, that may well just be my childhood speaking, as I grew up on the thing.
I don’t know, there was just something magical about its games. Maybe its experience 3D on a major console for really the first time, maybe its something else, but there’s this inexplicable feelings all the games seemed to have that just made them special, even some of the 3rd party games.
Not to mention that Rare was actually still producing good games back then.
And I don’t care what you say, that three pronged controller was the stuff!
Anyway, now that I’m done reminiscing, off to read those articles…
Captain_404 - 05.05.09, 4:35 pm
Yeah, I have never been so excited for a new console as I was for the N64. I remember getting Nintendo Power in the mail where they showed the first pictures of the Ultra64 and it’s games–my mind was blown that Mario was in 3D.
I even eased my boredom while mowing the lawn by imagining how awesome Killer Instinct was going to be on Nintendo’s new system (while listening to Silverchair on my portable CD player).
The best was that I was the recipient of multiple VHS tapes sent out by Nintendo Power to promote the system’s new games. No 5th grader could resist their charms…
Adam - 05.05.09, 6:18 pm
Found the video online: http://www.dailymotion.com/vid.....videogames
Best quote: “Whoa! Mario jumps a mile!”
Adam - 05.05.09, 6:29 pm
I know that I still have all of those VHS tapes somewhere, and I will admit that I think Harvest Moon 64 was the best of the series, I don’t know if I can agree with you here.
My husband and I recently went out and bought a Retro Duo, and as I’ve been playing Earthbound, Super Mario RPG, Chrono Trigger, Illusion of Gaia, Secret of Evermore, Final Fantasy III, Link to the Past, and a plethora of other games that we have collected over the years, I think my heart will always remain firmly in the 16-bit realm of the Nintendo family.
Amauriel - 05.05.09, 10:48 pm
I feel your sentiments Amauriel,
My roots are deeply seeded in the past. Although my childhood was absolutely grounded in 8-Bit… surprisingly even though I only had an NES for two years probably I got a plethora of the classic greats, such as Super Mario Bros. 1,2 and 3, Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, Metroid, Mega Man (I believe I only had 2 and 4 can’t remember)… oh and of course the better one of the Ninja Turtle games.
After that though 16-Bit gaming took over for me and were probably my best gaming years ever, if not some of my fondest.
The N64 lived up to everyone of my expectations. I personally was never envious ever of the PSX… simply because I wasn’t into RPG’s or the Final Fantasy series at all (the bragging rights of some of my friends) I didn’t even play FF3 (better known as FF6 today) until almost 2002.
The N64 had all my favorites from Rare’s awesome titles, to Nintendo’s own finely hued first party games. I even discovered much to enjoy in more obscure titles like Quest, Goemon, Bomberman 64….. damn I could go on for a long while.
Overall the only thing I ever knew people played on their PS1′s were sports titles, racing games or RPG’s. Oh and Crash Bandicoot… which I personally felt was disappointing to play coming from a background of vivid, very detailed, tight controlled platformers from days past.
Heck since I wasn’t on the internet in that period of time I didn’t even know that the PS1 had done that well… heck that it had ever out shone the N64 at all.
The Maverickk - 05.05.09, 11:14 pm
@Adam:
I knew that Kirby’s Air Ride was in development for the N64, but I didn’t know it had been in dev since before the N64 came out!
I guess you learn something new every day.
I love my N64. I’m never getting rid of it… I got the DK Jungle Pak with the green console and controller, DK 64, and the expansion pak. Too bad it didn’t come with a memory pak. I later got one for Hot Wheels Turbo Racing, which is the best racing game I’ve ever played. So much fun. I still haven’t beaten the Twinmill challenge.
AJ - 05.06.09, 9:19 pm
You guys are all awesome.
Funny how PS1 doesn’t have near the following/legendary status that N64 has, despite having been far more popular.
Nick - 05.06.09, 9:52 pm
PS1 was always generic, not to mention it’s once shining stars are now all multi platform franchises of questionable quality (see Spyro or Crash)… there’s nothing distinctly identifiable to the PS1 in my mind except for FF7, FF8, FF9…. and at the time I was only envious that they ever got the Mega Man X 4-6… which in the end after playing on the Mega Man X Collection learned… although they looked sharper they were not as memorable as the classic x1-3 trilogy…
Also X4-6 are no where near as valuable either. Follow the Links;
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Snes-Super-.....=72%3A1215|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50
Also PS1/PSX lost it’s identity altogether at the release of the PS2… which essentially replaced the system altogether. The N64 on the other hand was the last cart system, a dying breed… and was thus left as an indiviual and great entity in my mind.
The Maverickk - 05.06.09, 10:23 pm
@Adam
My favorite part:
4 Controller Ports
4 Players Play
Z Button
The last bit just seemed kind of out of place and made me lol for some reason.
Star Wars dude bugged me, though.
MisterSmith - 05.06.09, 10:41 pm
N64 was excellent, but I think nintendo nostalgia is clouding your memories a little: THE BLUR WAS NOT COOL. IN. ANY. WAY. It felt like I constantly had vaseline smeared over my eyes.
chipperkwah - 05.07.09, 2:28 am