Old Topic Rebirth: N64 Must Haves..
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DantesInferno
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Old Topic Rebirth: N64 Must Haves..
I recently picked up a Nintendo 64 after a long hiatus of not having one. I also snagged new copies of Perfect Dark and Sin and Punishment..and am looking at Mischief Makers too. What other games are must haves for the N64??
Seeing as how you already mentioned the biggest reason to hang on to your N64 (that being Sin and Punishment) I guess two other recommendations would be Paper Mario and Majoras Mask. Both are solid and totally worth owning imo. I always felt MM was the strongest entry in the 3-D Zeldas. I am sure I am in the minority on that one though.
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Super Laydock
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Super Mario 64 would be an obvious choice!
Also Bangai-o, and any of the RARE (Conker, Banjo K., etc. ,minus Jet Force Gemini which wasn't fun at all imo!) games for the system.
Also Goldeneye is overrated by todays standards (great game in it's time, but lacking in these days),
Also Bangai-o, and any of the RARE (Conker, Banjo K., etc. ,minus Jet Force Gemini which wasn't fun at all imo!) games for the system.
Also Goldeneye is overrated by todays standards (great game in it's time, but lacking in these days),
Barroom hero!
Bathroom hero!
Bathroom hero!
South Park Chef's Luv Shack is an excellent party game...trust me, it's great.
OOT is my favorite game of all time, so that's obvious.
Can't believe no ones mentioned the Goemon games yet
Those were the greatest things ever. Good luck finding a copy of them nowadays, especially for the second one (Goemon's Great Adventure).
OOT is my favorite game of all time, so that's obvious.
Can't believe no ones mentioned the Goemon games yet
Those were the greatest things ever. Good luck finding a copy of them nowadays, especially for the second one (Goemon's Great Adventure).-
TWITCHDOCTOR
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I loved Jet Force Gemini, and would place it up there as being one of Rares best. The music is simply stunning and Lupus the dog is cool as fuck! I think it is a game you either love or hate though.
Ikaruga review now up in PLASMA BLOSSOM
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animefanjr
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I'm glad you got Pefect Dark already. That game is one of the most clever first person shooters ever. The use of alternate fire on all the guns is notable (especially the disarm attack on the fist and the cloak on the RCP-120) as is the screen blur technique when you are injured by a concussion. Plus, super customizable multiplayer (which is actually the only thing good about the game).
I've been playing Timesplitters 2 as a substitute for Perfect Dark, but nothing satisfies quite like it.
Worth mentioning are 3DO's Battletanx and Battletanx 2. Both are good in their own right because they play so differently, very good CTF too.
I've been playing Timesplitters 2 as a substitute for Perfect Dark, but nothing satisfies quite like it.
Worth mentioning are 3DO's Battletanx and Battletanx 2. Both are good in their own right because they play so differently, very good CTF too.
As someone who shelled out a fair bit of money last spring on N64 games based on recommendations from the forum thread, I offer my closeminded and probably worthless opinions on:
Stuff I really liked:
- Paper Mario It doesn't have the "depth" of Final Fantasy (or whatever crap you play instead), but PM was very original and enjoyable both for its simplicity and gameworld design. Probably no need to play this if you have the GC sequel, however.
- Mario Tennis 64 Great fun. Enjoyed the strategy required when playing your weaknesses against the opponents' various strengths. Again, probably pales in comparison to the GC version.
- Ogre Battle 64 I won't take the time to play it through, but I regret that it's because I just don't have the time.
- Goemon's Great Adventure Does the system even have any other 2D platformers? I could do with a bit more action, and honestly suffers graphcally being 3D vs. 2D, but they did a decent job.
- Pokemon Puzzle League Not Tetris by a long shot, but still very enjoyable if you like the game.
Stuff I didn't care for (but you might):
- Mario Kart 64 This game's saving grace is multiplayer) Then again, I thought Double Dash sucked, too, because it was completely built around the gimmick. This one just looks bad in comparison and is really, really, freaking, slow. (And, yes, I would prefer to play the original over either of the 3D ones.)
- F-Zero X OK, it's lightyears beyond the original, but there's no in-car perspective; it's too difficult to actually knock cars off the tracks; not as fast as GX, but much speedier than the others I've mentioned here. There's nothing here that wasn't done much better by Sega on the GC, however.
- Super Mario 64 Yeah, blasphemy -- I know. I'm not saying it was bad -- but I was expecting something as revolutionary as the original SMB was a dozen years prior -- and this simply didn't compel me like that had.
- Jet Force Gemini It was cheap...but that didn't make me like it any more
- Starfox 64 For someone who grew up on real flight sims and Wing Commander, Starfox was not really special when it came out on the SNES (although it was somewhat interesting technically). Can't say this did anything for me, either.
- Blast Corps I feel like I must just not get this game....Think I'm the only N64 player on earth who doesn't think it's the best ever.
Stuff I hated:
- Extreme G Blarg.
- Wipeout 64 More blarg.
- Star Soldier 64 PUKE! Sure, it looks a lot like Star Solider games, but between the Raycrisis perspective and analog-only control, Hudson really wanked this one.
Stuff I haven't given a chance:
- Space Station Silicon Valley took me eight months, four states, and about two dozen game stores to find, however...
- Hybrid Heaven Again, a lack of time on my part dictates that I not give this game a real chance.
- Mischief Makers Liked what I've played...but the time thing...
- Perfect Dark Not sure there's anything here that hasn't subsequently been done far better on other platforms in a much less blurry manner.
- Zeldas (I've got the GC compilation, so what more can I say...)
- Bangaioh Have the DC version, though a lot of people decry that as inferior. I'm too lazy to find out.
- Sin and Punishment It's the sole game on my to-get list, however....
Anyway, sorry if I pissed on your favorite racing game -- I had been playing F-Zero GX for five months straight at the time I picked these up so I had little patience for much of what the N64 offered... After sampling what I think most people would agree are the bulk of the must-have games for the console, my estimation of the N64 as a console didn't improve too much. The games for this system just didn't really grab me. Granted, I'm ridiculously picky, and don't have a lengthier list of games I like for any other systems (possibly excepting the NES and SNES), but N64 as a console seemed to suffer like no other when the game industry transitioned from 2D to 3D. Simply put, the graphics processing capabilities of the system were vastly underpowered for what was necessary to make the 3D game environments as compelling as many of the ideas for the games really required them to be. Yeah, I should focus on gameplay; yeah, its gaming that pushes technology. But in the end, a system's greatest games should be the best of the best -- not the handful that are merely good.
edit: Recanted some of my F-Zero X blasphemy...moved it into the neutral category.
Stuff I really liked:
- Paper Mario It doesn't have the "depth" of Final Fantasy (or whatever crap you play instead), but PM was very original and enjoyable both for its simplicity and gameworld design. Probably no need to play this if you have the GC sequel, however.
- Mario Tennis 64 Great fun. Enjoyed the strategy required when playing your weaknesses against the opponents' various strengths. Again, probably pales in comparison to the GC version.
- Ogre Battle 64 I won't take the time to play it through, but I regret that it's because I just don't have the time.
- Goemon's Great Adventure Does the system even have any other 2D platformers? I could do with a bit more action, and honestly suffers graphcally being 3D vs. 2D, but they did a decent job.
- Pokemon Puzzle League Not Tetris by a long shot, but still very enjoyable if you like the game.
Stuff I didn't care for (but you might):
- Mario Kart 64 This game's saving grace is multiplayer) Then again, I thought Double Dash sucked, too, because it was completely built around the gimmick. This one just looks bad in comparison and is really, really, freaking, slow. (And, yes, I would prefer to play the original over either of the 3D ones.)
- F-Zero X OK, it's lightyears beyond the original, but there's no in-car perspective; it's too difficult to actually knock cars off the tracks; not as fast as GX, but much speedier than the others I've mentioned here. There's nothing here that wasn't done much better by Sega on the GC, however.
- Super Mario 64 Yeah, blasphemy -- I know. I'm not saying it was bad -- but I was expecting something as revolutionary as the original SMB was a dozen years prior -- and this simply didn't compel me like that had.
- Jet Force Gemini It was cheap...but that didn't make me like it any more
- Starfox 64 For someone who grew up on real flight sims and Wing Commander, Starfox was not really special when it came out on the SNES (although it was somewhat interesting technically). Can't say this did anything for me, either.
- Blast Corps I feel like I must just not get this game....Think I'm the only N64 player on earth who doesn't think it's the best ever.
Stuff I hated:
- Extreme G Blarg.
- Wipeout 64 More blarg.
- Star Soldier 64 PUKE! Sure, it looks a lot like Star Solider games, but between the Raycrisis perspective and analog-only control, Hudson really wanked this one.
Stuff I haven't given a chance:
- Space Station Silicon Valley took me eight months, four states, and about two dozen game stores to find, however...
- Hybrid Heaven Again, a lack of time on my part dictates that I not give this game a real chance.
- Mischief Makers Liked what I've played...but the time thing...
- Perfect Dark Not sure there's anything here that hasn't subsequently been done far better on other platforms in a much less blurry manner.
- Zeldas (I've got the GC compilation, so what more can I say...)
- Bangaioh Have the DC version, though a lot of people decry that as inferior. I'm too lazy to find out.
- Sin and Punishment It's the sole game on my to-get list, however....
Anyway, sorry if I pissed on your favorite racing game -- I had been playing F-Zero GX for five months straight at the time I picked these up so I had little patience for much of what the N64 offered... After sampling what I think most people would agree are the bulk of the must-have games for the console, my estimation of the N64 as a console didn't improve too much. The games for this system just didn't really grab me. Granted, I'm ridiculously picky, and don't have a lengthier list of games I like for any other systems (possibly excepting the NES and SNES), but N64 as a console seemed to suffer like no other when the game industry transitioned from 2D to 3D. Simply put, the graphics processing capabilities of the system were vastly underpowered for what was necessary to make the 3D game environments as compelling as many of the ideas for the games really required them to be. Yeah, I should focus on gameplay; yeah, its gaming that pushes technology. But in the end, a system's greatest games should be the best of the best -- not the handful that are merely good.
edit: Recanted some of my F-Zero X blasphemy...moved it into the neutral category.
Last edited by nullstar on Sat Feb 12, 2005 4:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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BulletMagnet
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I don't think anyone's mentioned the original Super Smash Bros. yet...if you plan on having friends over, methinks you ought to have some fun with it; it's a bit less complex than Melee, depending on your tastes that could be a good or bad thing. I also remember having a good time with Zelda: Ocarina of Time back in the day, though obviously it won't have the same impact now as it did then.
I actually found the second one for cheap at an EB. That game rocks. The first one is very common. I have seen it at quite a few places.LoneSage wrote:South Park Chef's Luv Shack is an excellent party game...trust me, it's great.
OOT is my favorite game of all time, so that's obvious.
Can't believe no ones mentioned the Goemon games yet
That info on F-Zero X is misleading. Love or hate the game, slow is one thing it's not. No offense Nullstar, but I just don't understand how a game as fast as F-Zero X on the N64 can be called slow. The graphics are undetailed, but the game runs at a smooth 60 FPS and is incredibly fast. Those half pipe levels are especially intense.
Star Fox 64 is one game I recommend if you want something shumppy on the N64. It's arcade like and has a cool combo system.
IMO, some must haves on the system are Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Super Mario 64, Goemon's Great Adventure, and the Zeldas.
Last edited by BrianC on Sat Feb 12, 2005 3:09 am, edited 2 times in total.
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crithit5000
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Here's some other fun ones that haven't been mentioned:
Rocket: Robot on Wheels - A really fun and inventive 3D platformer. It has a lot of really fun puzzles (like designing a roller coaster so that the loops and hills all connect right, go up and down in the right places so you can collect all the tokens, and while you're at it, try making it fun to ride too). Lots of fun vehicles to ride: race in a hotdogmobile, zip around painting stuff in a hovercraft with a paint cannon. Your robot jumps, makes ice platforms in water with his freeze ray, and uses a tractor beam to grab stuff, throw stuff, and swing like Spider-Man from knob to knob.
I also enjoyed the wacky character and level design and the music (sorta like Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts music played on a Hammond organ).
It's got some really difficult, possibly frustrating jumps in places, and there were a couple puzzles I had to check a walkthru for, but overall it was lots of fun.
If you like 3D platformers, Rayman 2 is also fun (but available on other platforms).
Diddy Kong Racing may be just a clone of Mario Kart, but it's really well done, and the single player mode is a whole lot deeper and more fun. I loved the idea of racing boss monsters (car vs. dinosaur, plane vs. dragon, etc.)
Robotron 64 is a lot of fun. The gameplay is essentially the same as the original, which means it totally rocks.
The only other N64 game I enjoyed that hasn't been mentioned is Duke Nukem: Zero Hour. It's not a must-have game, but had fun with it.
Other favorites that have been mentioned:
Sin and Punishment - fantastic game
Zelda: OOT and MM - I love all the Zelda games.
F-Zero
Paper Mario
Star Fox
Mario 64 - I enjoyed the Banjo games, but there's something about the simplicity of this game that I think makes it more fun, and especially more fun to replay. Mario feels more acrobatic. His moves are faster and more fun. I love the triple jump, wall jumping, jumping and diving, sliding, etc.
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Rocket: Robot on Wheels - A really fun and inventive 3D platformer. It has a lot of really fun puzzles (like designing a roller coaster so that the loops and hills all connect right, go up and down in the right places so you can collect all the tokens, and while you're at it, try making it fun to ride too). Lots of fun vehicles to ride: race in a hotdogmobile, zip around painting stuff in a hovercraft with a paint cannon. Your robot jumps, makes ice platforms in water with his freeze ray, and uses a tractor beam to grab stuff, throw stuff, and swing like Spider-Man from knob to knob.
I also enjoyed the wacky character and level design and the music (sorta like Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts music played on a Hammond organ).
It's got some really difficult, possibly frustrating jumps in places, and there were a couple puzzles I had to check a walkthru for, but overall it was lots of fun.
If you like 3D platformers, Rayman 2 is also fun (but available on other platforms).
Diddy Kong Racing may be just a clone of Mario Kart, but it's really well done, and the single player mode is a whole lot deeper and more fun. I loved the idea of racing boss monsters (car vs. dinosaur, plane vs. dragon, etc.)
Robotron 64 is a lot of fun. The gameplay is essentially the same as the original, which means it totally rocks.
The only other N64 game I enjoyed that hasn't been mentioned is Duke Nukem: Zero Hour. It's not a must-have game, but had fun with it.
Other favorites that have been mentioned:
Sin and Punishment - fantastic game
Zelda: OOT and MM - I love all the Zelda games.
F-Zero
Paper Mario
Star Fox
Mario 64 - I enjoyed the Banjo games, but there's something about the simplicity of this game that I think makes it more fun, and especially more fun to replay. Mario feels more acrobatic. His moves are faster and more fun. I love the triple jump, wall jumping, jumping and diving, sliding, etc.
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dave4shmups
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Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth is simply the best game in the series that I have ever played, and I've played all of 'em, with the exception of the recent Hudson Selection re-make.
I would also highly recommend Paperboy 64; much more playable then earlier games in the series. Robotron 64 is another one. Paper Mario is probably the most fun I've ever had with an RPG, and, of course Mario 64 is a must as well.
As far as imports go, most certainly get Sin and Punishment, and Bangai-Oh; if you don't already own that one on Dreamcast.
I would also highly recommend Paperboy 64; much more playable then earlier games in the series. Robotron 64 is another one. Paper Mario is probably the most fun I've ever had with an RPG, and, of course Mario 64 is a must as well.
As far as imports go, most certainly get Sin and Punishment, and Bangai-Oh; if you don't already own that one on Dreamcast.
"Farewell to false pretension
Farewell to hollow words
Farewell to fake affection
Farewell, tomorrow burns"
Farewell to hollow words
Farewell to fake affection
Farewell, tomorrow burns"
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magnum opus
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You're right -- it's not slow. I pulled the console out last night and played all the racing games I mentioned. F-Zero X is 2-3x faster than the other racers. Compared with GX (which is what I was measuring everything against last summer), I'll still argue the game is slow, but it was unfair of me to lump it in with the others. (Moves it into the neutral category...)BrianC wrote:That info on F-Zero X is misleading. Love or hate the game, slow is one thing it's not. No offense nullstar, but I just don't understand how a game as fast as F-Zero X on the N64 can be called slow. The graphics are undetailed, but the game runs at a smooth 60 FPS and is incredibly fast. Those half pipe levels are especially intense.
F-Zero X is one of my favorite arcade racers of all time...not sure how well the game's aged, but damn it was a helluva ride. I played it on end for months, and before the game was released, I played in an F-Zero tournament back when I was in 4th grade and won out of quite a few contestants. And back in August of 03 before GX was released, I got into a tournament yet again and got in a first place -- gots me a medal, a t-shirt, a GX card saying I own, etc. Hope to continue the tradition with the next F-Zero 
Kirby 64 never enchanted me like other Kirby games. I just felt kinda underwhelmed by it..hopefully I can find another copy one day and play it over again and see how I liked it now.
Kirby 64 never enchanted me like other Kirby games. I just felt kinda underwhelmed by it..hopefully I can find another copy one day and play it over again and see how I liked it now.
It's impossible to shower Rocket: Robot on Wheels with enough love. The game is amazing and I wish I had known about it back when it first came out instead of having to find out about Sucker Punch's badassity from Sly Cooper (which also rocked).
Other stuff I really love on the console are:
Body Harvest - Didn't really know what to expect with this one, but it's quite pimptight, which I guess is to be expected given that it's by DMA Designs. Pretty difficult, pretty awesome, everyone should get it.
Blast Corps - Pure fun. Shame there hasn't been a sequel, but this one will keep you busy for a while anyway. Some of the levels are insanely difficult, but god damn if it ain't a hell of a fun game.
Jet Force Gemini - Expected this one to suck, picked it up, loved it. It's got a lot of problems typically inherent to Rare's games: poor game engine, control is a bit off, and you don't really beat the game until after you go back through on a second run to save all of these little annoying furries from being killed, which is the most unfun "Second loop" ever. Still, the first time you play through the game is pure bliss.
Mischief Makers - Very...weird.....but enjoyable 2d platformer. Control takes a while to get used to, but the game will keep you busy for quite a while.
Pokemon Snap - Just pretend it's Panzer Dragoon with a camera instead of a gun
Hybrid Heaven - This game has an awesomely bad translation, some stiff controls, boring level designs, and washed out graphics. Why do i like it? The battle system is awesome.
Castlevania 64 - Legacy of Darkness - Think of this as Konami's way of saying, "Oh yea, here's the other half of the game you were supposed to get...sorry about the mix up". Don't get me wrong, unlike a lot of people I found some enjoyment in Castlevania 64 (the hedgemaze in particular really stood out to me), but the camera and control were still pretty iffy. Those problems haven't really been corrected in this more complete version of the game, but the new characters and new paths really make for a more enjoyable experience.
...and whatever a lot of other people said and stuff. Never liked Goldeneye or Perfect Dark, so ymmv.
Other stuff I really love on the console are:
Body Harvest - Didn't really know what to expect with this one, but it's quite pimptight, which I guess is to be expected given that it's by DMA Designs. Pretty difficult, pretty awesome, everyone should get it.
Blast Corps - Pure fun. Shame there hasn't been a sequel, but this one will keep you busy for a while anyway. Some of the levels are insanely difficult, but god damn if it ain't a hell of a fun game.
Jet Force Gemini - Expected this one to suck, picked it up, loved it. It's got a lot of problems typically inherent to Rare's games: poor game engine, control is a bit off, and you don't really beat the game until after you go back through on a second run to save all of these little annoying furries from being killed, which is the most unfun "Second loop" ever. Still, the first time you play through the game is pure bliss.
Mischief Makers - Very...weird.....but enjoyable 2d platformer. Control takes a while to get used to, but the game will keep you busy for quite a while.
Pokemon Snap - Just pretend it's Panzer Dragoon with a camera instead of a gun
Hybrid Heaven - This game has an awesomely bad translation, some stiff controls, boring level designs, and washed out graphics. Why do i like it? The battle system is awesome.
Castlevania 64 - Legacy of Darkness - Think of this as Konami's way of saying, "Oh yea, here's the other half of the game you were supposed to get...sorry about the mix up". Don't get me wrong, unlike a lot of people I found some enjoyment in Castlevania 64 (the hedgemaze in particular really stood out to me), but the camera and control were still pretty iffy. Those problems haven't really been corrected in this more complete version of the game, but the new characters and new paths really make for a more enjoyable experience.
...and whatever a lot of other people said and stuff. Never liked Goldeneye or Perfect Dark, so ymmv.
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DantesInferno
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