Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

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cave hermit
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Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by cave hermit »

As much as I'm into retro gaming I've never really paid much attention to the N64, the system I actually grew up with. Sure I've got my nostalgia for Mario Party 2, Snowboard Kids 2, DK 64, and all those random blockbuster rentals like space station silicon valley, but I was too young to actually understand how to play most of those games, so I can't really say that I truly experienced the N64 properly. Looking back on the system now, it didn't seem to age as well as stuff like the SNES and playstation: The graphics were blurry, frame rates unbelievably choppy, and a focus on adventure style experiences to the detriment of simpler arcadey pick up and play stuff.

But my nostalgia was still powerful enough to get me to give it a more proper look.

So I dug out the jungle green N64 of my youth, found the side of it caked in what appeared to be some kind of brownish syrup, washed that shit off, and ordered a Everdrive 64 2.5 with an Amazon gift card I had left over from Christmas.

One thing I noticed immediately to my pleasant surprise was that there was a surprising amount of arcade style racing games for the platform, Wave Race 64, Diddy Kong Racing, Mario Kart (of course), 1080 snowboarding, etc.

Besides racing games, anyone else know of arcade style games for the system? Of course I plan on playing the Zeldas and Rare collect-a-thons and all those other adventure classics, but sometimes you just want a nice pick up and play experience.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by CIT »

I kind of hate the N64. Thought it sucked when it was released (the Saturn and PlayStation had the games I wanted, which then were JRPGs and 2D Fighters), and think it’s aged even worse. Regardless, it does have a few standout titles, apart from the decent 1st party games.

As far as arcadey fare is concerned:

- The Treasure games are obviously great, specifically Sin & Punishment and Bangaioh
- There’s basically one Shmup, Star Soldier, and it’s not toooo bad but also not too great
- There’s also a Sonic Wings, and it’s an Ace Combat like affair, believe it or not. :shock:
- Star Fox is a really nice Rail Shooter
- Fighter Destiny I & II are decent and unique 3D fighters
- There’s a bunch of arcade puzzle games too, like Puzzle Bobble, Irritating Maze (which is funny), etc
- Most of the Midway arcade games of the era got ports for N64. Stuff like Mace the Dark Ages, Rampage World Tour, Gauntlet Legends, etc. if that sort of thing floats your boat.
- The Sumo Games are kind of funny too.

I think that more or less covers it. Pretty slim pickings overall, sorry to say. ;)
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by DejahThoris »

While not arcade style, there's still a lot of unmentioned goodness on N64.

The wrestling games on N64 had a much nicer engine than the ones that hit PS1.

Bomberman games were great fun though not traditional Bomberman. Also the Chameleon Twist series is along the same lines.

The Mystical Ninja twosome are also good fun. And Space Station Silicon Valley is a great game.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Xyga »

Conker's Bad Fur Day
Ogre Battle 64
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
Paper Mario
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

Xyga wrote:Conker's Bad Fur Day
Ogre Battle 64
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
Paper Mario
Lots of other options for Conker thankfully. OB64 is legit tho.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by mycophobia »

Star Fox 64 is one of the best games ever
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Xyga »

Turok (2)
Doom 64
GoldenEye
Perfect Dark
Wave Race 64
Cruis'in USA
Killer Instinct Gold
the Star Wars games

etc, several of those games definitely demand the RAMpack.

PS: there's really a ton of racers, who played San Francisco Rush 2049 ?
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by kitten »

wetrix is one of my all-time favorite games ever and the n64 version has the best soundtrack. i really and genuinely think it's superb all-around, not just "for an n64 game." hyper-addictive 3D stacking game with a really chill aesthetic that gets into some surprisingly intense play as the game evolves. early game matters a lot and scoring actually has a lot of nuance to it, so there's not a boring or unimportant moment. you're never just waiting around, as you are in a lot of mediocre puzzle games from this era forward.

mischief makers has some pretty severe problems and mediocre elements but wins big-time on presentation. i'm not really a big treasure fan but this ranks up there among my favorites.

also,
mycophobia wrote:Star Fox 64 is one of the best games ever
^^ this.

aside from that, i really don't think there's much on there.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

Fun fact: Star Fox 64 was one of the very first video games I ever played. Maybe the actual first. It was that or SM64 my memory on this is hazy.

This might make me sound younger than I am, I wasn't into video games for a bit.

I've actually never played Mischief Makers but I have it coming soon, likely this week.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by cicada88 »

I'm not a huge N64 fan in modern times, but I'll use this opportunity to reminisce.

Before the launch, I was not super interested in N64 (had a PlayStation 1), but as the launch approached the Mario 64 hype and short supply of consoles
available caused me to trade in my PS1 for an N64 soon after its launch.

Shadows of the Empire, Wave Race 64, Mario 64, and GoldenEye 64 were all I really played. It was worth it for the number of hours I put into GoldenEye 64 alone.


One aside, N64 cartridges are GLORIOUS. They are so compact and heavy--they are like a compact brick of electronic goodness. The high-quality matte labels are superb!
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by kitten »

cicada88 wrote:One aside, N64 cartridges are GLORIOUS. They are so compact and heavy--they are like a compact brick of electronic goodness. The high-quality matte labels are superb!
??? what? i hate them. obtuse shape, weird size, no label on the tap making organizing them for quick play off a shelf a living hell, and on top of that some of the labels do not have any sort of finish protecting them. i was cleaning one and got some rubbing alcohol on a label - something i've done regularly when cleaning nasty nes/fc/snes/sfc/gen/md carts - and the printing on it just wiped clean off. i did a double take and could hardly believe my eyes.

- - - - - - - - - -

steamflogger, you seem to have a kind of affection for that era of anime goofiness, i think you'll dig mischief makers a bunch.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by cicada88 »

kitten wrote:
cicada88 wrote:One aside, N64 cartridges are GLORIOUS. They are so compact and heavy--they are like a compact brick of electronic goodness. The high-quality matte labels are superb!
??? what? i hate them. obtuse shape, weird size, no label on the tap making organizing them for quick play off a shelf a living hell, and on top of that some of the labels do not have any sort of finish protecting them. i was cleaning one and got some rubbing alcohol on a label - something i've done regularly when cleaning nasty nes/fc/snes/sfc/gen/md carts - and the printing on it just wiped clean off. i did a double take and could hardly believe my eyes.
I'm sure all of those are accurate, practical flaws, but they just feel so luxurious to me compared to anything else. Plastic quality, heft, and the matte labels. I haven't played N64 in almost 20 years, so this could just be nostaligic nonsense!
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by KAI »

WTH guys, where's the WCW vs NWO series love? those games are magnific.

Starfox 64 is not just a good rail shooter, is THE best game on the genre, playing the jp version without the meme dialogues is a perfect experience.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

kitten wrote:
steamflogger, you seem to have a kind of affection for that era of anime goofiness, i think you'll dig mischief makers a bunch.
Great to hear! I'm really looking for an excuse to even keep my N64. Going to try this and the Goemon games.
KAI wrote:WTH guys, where's the WCW vs NWO series love? those games are magnific.
WCW vs NWO is excellent. Wrestlemania 2000 is good too.

Stay away from WWF Attitude.

Edit: No Mercy would be amazing without the glitch.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by CIT »

I'm sure all of those are accurate, practical flaws, but they just feel so luxurious to me compared to anything else. Plastic quality, heft, and the matte labels. I haven't played N64 in almost 20 years, so this could just be nostaligic nonsense!
Nah man, I feel ya. N64 carts feel heavy duty, like they’re part if some fancy arcade hardware, and it really is a joy to play something like Sin & Punishment with zero load times. Too bad the console was never a significant home for arcade ports — Samurai Showdown 64 on N64, now that would have been cool!
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by mycophobia »

KAI wrote:WTH guys, where's the WCW vs NWO series love? those games are magnific.

Starfox 64 is not just a good rail shooter, is THE best game on the genre, playing the jp version without the meme dialogues is a perfect experience.
hey the meme dialog is essential
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by WelshMegalodon »

No mention of Jet Force Gemini? What about Last Legion UX? And I know BIL's admitted to liking the 3d Castlevanias.

The more I hear about N64 games not made by Nintendo or Rare, the more I lament the piss-poor state of N64 emulation.
Indie hipsters: "Arcades are so dead"
Finite Continues? Ain't that some shit.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Ajora »

I owned Goldeneye, Rogue Squadron and Ocarina of Time. All great games, but I sold my N64 and library in early 1999 so I could use the money towards buying PS1 games. In retrospect, it was a good decision. I guess my favorite N64 game is Doom 64, although my only experience with it is through Doom 64 EX, so I'm not sure if it counts as being my favorite N64 game or not.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

WelshMegalodon wrote:And I know BIL's admitted to liking the 3d Castlevanias.
Top ten anime betrayals.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by PerishedFraud ឵឵ »

Steamflogger Boss wrote:
WelshMegalodon wrote:And I know BIL's admitted to liking the 3d Castlevanias.
Top ten anime betrayals.
Idk man. N64 Castlevania has the big boners
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Ajora »

I've never played Castlevania 64, but I played through Legacy of Darkness maybe a year and a half ago. I rather enjoyed it.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by cave hermit »

Truth be told I'm starting to wonder if I made the right choice getting this everdrive :oops: It was mostly paid for by that gift card, but money is still money.
It's really the choppiness and low framerates that's getting to me. Then again I still haven't spent much time with it, still gotta try out wave race 64 even. The classic nintendo stuff is all gold, lots of fun racers, its just suffering from third party jank a bit.

I guess the thought process I had buying it was "hey, its an everdrive for a fifth generation console! 5th generation was great on Saturn and PSX, so why not for Nintendo?" That and the fact that N64 emulation still has tons of problems.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by PerishedFraud ឵឵ »

I mean you can always resell it. You seem to still consider it an ok purchase at least, so getting some money back after you've had your fun would help?
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Xyga »

Several of the popular flash carts and ODL are overpriced, yeah, but hey small niche businesses need to live.

(I've also bought one though I'm not playing right now because I'm...padless. :o Gotta find a new working one *sigh*)

PF you're right, it's an easy resell, espcially if you keep the original invoice as proof it's genuine.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by cave hermit »

I suppose you're right, wonder if Classic Game Junkie would buy it off my hands if it came to that :P
I don't necessarily have plans to sell it, I'm not really that strapped for cash, but the fact that I have the option to definitely takes a bit of the anxiety surrounding the purchase away.
Probably not the wisest purchase I've made, but hey I'm having fun with it and it was with christmas money so might as well bathe in that nostalgia a bit, heh.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Austin »

cave hermit wrote:Truth be told I'm starting to wonder if I made the right choice getting this everdrive :oops: It was mostly paid for by that gift card, but money is still money.
It's really the choppiness and low framerates that's getting to me. Then again I still haven't spent much time with it, still gotta try out wave race 64 even. The classic nintendo stuff is all gold, lots of fun racers, its just suffering from third party jank a bit.

I guess the thought process I had buying it was "hey, its an everdrive for a fifth generation console! 5th generation was great on Saturn and PSX, so why not for Nintendo?" That and the fact that N64 emulation still has tons of problems.
The N64 unfortunately doesn't have a lot of variety for many of us action and arcade-focused players. 2D gameplay outside of the puzzle genre is nearly non-existent, unlike the Saturn and PS1. The library is heavily geared towards racing games and 3D platformers, so if those don't top your list then a lot of the system's appeal is thrown out the window almost immediately.

FPS games were its bread and butter at one point in time too, but many haven't aged particularly well or have been made redundant in recent years. I.e., the Turok games have been remastered on newer platforms, as has Perfect Dark. Goldeneye is still great if you can get past the poor framerate at times, and Doom 64 at least still runs and plays well.

The good thing is you DO have a flash cart now, so experiencing games like Bangai-o and Sin & Punishment won't cost you an arm and a leg.

I'd personally hold onto the cart and dive further into its library slowly over time. There's interesting stuff on it, you just have to dig for it.

Definitely try some of the Nintendo titles though. Wave Race is a good start as you mentioned, great game. Lots of fun. Star Fox 64 was mentioned already, but it has aged very well and is still a lot of fun to play. F-Zero X is also top-tier IMO. It's usually the sole reason I bust out the system from time to time.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Xyga »

Well not much 2D sure, but it's packed with arcade-style games, even ports from arcades, just...polygonal.

Indeed essentially platformers, racing, lots of sports, FPS, mayhem games, back then as a PS1 owner hooked to rpg's and all kinds of jp imports, looking a the N64 library I was thinking "this is the most American console" :mrgreen:
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by MJR »

I didn't grew up with N64 - I'm waay too old - but it was remarkable for it's time, for couple of games alone:

Mario 64 - mindmelting when it came out, great level design
Zelda: Ocarina of time - first real "open world" game, one of the best games ever
Zelda: Majoras mask - arguably even better then Ocarina of time
Starfox 64 - Best Star Fox so far, very enjoyable rail shooter
Gauntlet 64 - one of the best conversions of the Gauntlet Legends arcade game that I love to bits.
Sin and punishment - maybe best rail shooter of all time, I am still not sure if sequel is better or not

Goldeneye was a blast when it came out, especially multiplayer, but it really hasn't aged so well.
Conker's bad fur day has some insane humor and set pieces, but the gameplay is terribly frustratingly hard
Perfect Dark has a strong reputation, so I list it here, but I havent played it, to be honest.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by BrianC »

Sin and Punishment isn't super expensive. It still ranges from 30-45 cart only and 60-80 USD CIB. Menu uses katakana for English words, but voices are in English. It's possible there may be a translation available. VC version is translated.

One thing I like about JP N64 and SFC carts is that they are referred to as cassettes on the back. Gold 'ol Nintendo tapes!

I definitely agree with the recommendations of Star Fox 64 and F-Zero X. Good stuff.
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Re: Get N or Get Out! The N64 thread

Post by Austin »

BrianC wrote:Sin and Punishment isn't super expensive. It still ranges from 30-45 cart only and 60-80 USD CIB. Menu uses katakana for English words, but voices are in English. It's possible there may be a translation available. VC version is translated.
Yeah, my "arm and a leg" analogy probably wasn't the best, but a lot of the greats are pricey enough to where his flash cart pays for itself pretty quickly.
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