Nintendo 64: Decade Retrospective - Your Thoughts

[importaku]

Back in the day (god i sound old) i was very glad that there was lots to collect & do. Game carts were expensive so having lots to do was value for money for me.

Donkey kong was another game that i played nonstop for months till i eventually 101% it.

Some of the jiggys in banjo & bananas in DK64 were mega hard to get, but i loved them still the same. The buzz i got from 101% DK64 was great.

Some of the enviroments in banjo were far more impressive than mario 64, but mario 64 beats it in the sheer amount of precision control you have over your character.

[MikeRox]

Yeah, I'm jus not really into collecting and prefer just traversing well designed environments to plinky plonky music

Rayman 2 was perhaps the best N64 platform game after Mario 64 for me, though I never did get around to trying Tonic Trouble. Precise controls, nice music and well designed levels, and what I think are some fantastic visuals for the system.

[AdamJW]

Would Sin & Punishment play on a US N64?

You don't even need to do the mod really, just get a small size gamebit and change the back of the Japanese cart for that of a USA one, and it will work in your US console.

Better still is just get the bigger size gamebit open up the console and take the piece that it is showing you to cut away out entirely using the gamebit, and either Jap/US carts will work. Then just put that piece back in if you ever want to sell it on, or you want to just go back to playing just US games. Eitherway is just as easy though, but this way saves having to cut anything at all because that piece of plastic doesnt serve a purpose apart from the cartridge stops.

Helluva game though??
8)

[Geoff D]

Another game(s) I had big love for is the ISS series - many an hour was spent having tournaments with chums, particularly on the 1998 revision. never had so much fun with a footy game.

I haven't played them in a loooong time though, so they probably don't hold up any more.

[charlesr]

It's a bit more expensive to muck around opening a S&P cartridge than it is to cut a bit out of a 2p piece of plastic though.... Removing the piece completely is a good option though. It's only a dust shield.

[AdamJW]

Its not any more expensive if you've already got a small Gamebit and is really easy, but only a hassle if you've got loads of games and are doing it everytime. It does only take seconds to do it every time anyway. You can take the backs off entirely, and they still work also everyone has games they don't use anymore just remember to put the S&P one back after.

Its just an easier, quicker and cheaper solution to having to get hold of some decent tools to a do decent & neat looking cut done in the dust cover piece of plastic. When there's really no point anyway just remove that piece in its entirety. It serves no real purpose - really.

[charlesr]

Sounds entirely too fiddly to me. Have you considered just buying a broken N64 for ?1 and messing around with the dust shield from that?

[AdamJW]

Its alot easier than you are making out. The fiddling and cutting of the dust shield is the harder job than just leaving it out completely. This way you don't have to do the fiddly part by cutting it and butchering anything. It is alot easier than finding a decent way of cutting of it anyway.

I did cut those tabs out on a console I had without even taking the console apart at one stage. Thats because I have access to milling machines, but I realised there's just no need for that dust shield at all it serves no real purpose. I do have 3 N64s anyway, and have a PAL one for spare bits.

Its only a suggestion, an alternative to consider when there's really no need to do any cutting, modding, or buying of a spare console - if you want to that is.

[Wools]

I've brought the N64 out of the cupboard for a final fairwell, or to keep in funnily enough, and it made my heart sink.

I've Played on all my games and I can only play Mario 64 and nearly GoldenEye. This isint being fussy or not caring, it's just the games have aged so badly. The framerate is so low, the PAL fuzz aches your eyes, the muddy textures look terrible and the fabled analog pad is just not up to today's standered.

There's no question Mario 64, GoldenEye, Pilotwings and Zelda Ocarina of time changed gaming forever but apart from Mario & Zelda it's a terrible shame how the games hold up today.

Only Mario with it's slick framerate, primary colours and smooth control mixed with Zelda's massive freedom, beautiful levels and complex design make the 10 year gap intact.

Still what two games they are.

[Keitaro]

That's a shame as I don't think it's aged that badly at all for the most part. Every so often I just have to go back and putz around in this or that game on the system.

[charlesr]

master chief, you forgot a few, although I'll hold off till they get the write up.

[TheForce]

master chief, you forgot a few, although I'll hold off till they get the write up.

I can help you a bit.....

how about: WaveRace, Starfox64, 1080, BlastCorps, Pilotwings and MarioKart. They still play as good as they did back then

[Wools]

Technically I would say I forgot none! There are games which are playable but the big games, apart from the epic Mario and Zelda like I mentioned, are just so crippled it's a chore to play.

It's not limited to the Nintendo 64 though. Almost all 3D Saturn, Jaguar, SNES and Mega Drive games look horrible by today's standerds. Whereas the 2D games on those machines are brillant!

Strangely, apart from a few dodgey 1st gen stuff, the PSone got through almost unschathed. Although the games are showing their age I can still play Tomb Raider, Ridge Type 4, FF7, Broken Sword and Tekken 3 and be utterly stunned by the gameworld's.

I feel the 1st 3D machine that'll still look brillant in 20 years time will go exclusivly to the Dreamcast.

[Leon Retro]

Nice one! That package looks really good!

[charlesr]

Day 4