Back to the N64

[buster_broon]

Well I think that Blast Corps, Wave Race and Pilotwings still have an attractive look to them even if technically they are dated.

Played Pilotwings recently and the rounding and shading is pretty poor but the game is still amazingly playable

still loved flying around in the gyrocopter

even the cannon game is still a hoot

shame it never made it too the gamecube, just hope the gamecube2 version can do the games name proud

[jpred88]

Ah, the N64. What a console some brilliant games there.

I do agree that the N64 control stick is a problem with frequent use but I have actually found that unofficial controllers have a more reliable analogue stick. I have used the SuperPad and the Mako Pad and both still work very well. The only downside to unofficial controllers is the look. Some of them are so ugly

[MartyG edit - eBay link removed, please see the forum rules]

[Alf-Life]

Goldeneye still looks absolutely stunning to this day.

I so agree. Since we're talking about N64 visuals, right... get an emulated copy and take screenshots of GE and then PD. Look at them as thumbnails and GE is still the more accomplished due to the nicer colour palette used... lots of blacks-greys-whites and then white, red, yellow and blacks from hazard stripes. I mean, the bevelled grey concrete textures are just so much nicer than, say a wall in Pelagic II in PD.
Even walking around the Dam when you set off everything feels so solid and arcadey... the mountains, the terrain, even the guards feel more 'solid' (I can't find any other way to describe it) when shot - their animations still hold up today I reckon in 'feel'.
The only thing that doesn't stand up really is the blurring in the distance.




A similar thing with Waverace, I can stand Blue Storm, but WR64 is sublime... not only are the physics brill but think about the locations - they practically thought of every single cool and original locale you can have - an oily port, a seaside with moving tide, a placcid lake with dwindling fog and lovely flute in the background... the mandatory iceberg level, etc.

[jezzace]

Conkers bad fur day still looks incredible, i reckon. Considering it doesn't even use the expansion pak it looks just like a cartoon.

[Saurian]

Killer Instinct looks great! I only wish I could remember how to play it >_<

(go Saurian!)

N64 Killer Instinct yeah? It all works off a formula, all characters follow a combo chain formula - you cant take the piss like you could in KI 1.

Six button layout as follows:
123
456

The buttons chain backwards - hards to mediums to lights, light chains to hard (and light punch to light kick and vice versa), you work down the buttons in this way (sort of) during combos.

The aim of the round is to perform all 5 combo enders - the 5th is accessed only when the other 4 are performed, each time you perform one it adds a hit to the next (still with me? - This is Rare's thinking, I take no responsibility if your head explodes trying to find any reasoning behind it)

Performing all 5 enders extends the Ultra Combo, the Ultra combo activation motion is usually the 5th ender.

Joystick represented by numeric keypad
7 8 9
4 # 6
1 2 3

Buttons
lp, mp, hp
lk, mk, hk

To take a combo apart - Sabrewulf as an example working through all enders:

Starters:
46+mp
46+mk (howl to increase hits to 4)

Basically it goes - starter - link - ender

Linking is done by chaining the buttons, auto-link is when you hit the next button in the chain after the one used to open, you score 2 hits. Manual link is when you use a move not part of the chain to link - Sabrewulf's 6+hk,hk is a manual linker. Auto linking can mix into manual linking, so that means you can do something like:

46+mp (starter), lp (auto 2 hit), hp (manual 1 hit), mp (manual 1 it), 46+mp (starter), lp, hp, mp, 46+hk (ender)

That was Starter, auto, manual, manual, starter, auto, manual, manual, ender. Experiment using the formula and you'll find a few more variations.

It may seem complex but it's actually totally and completely linear and exactly the same for every character and doesnt allow you to make up anything on your own without exploiting bugs.

Anyway about the enders - getting all 5...
Sabrewulf again - you just do a simple low damage starter to linker combo then tag:

1. 46+hp (punch ender)
2. 46+hk (kickflip ender)
3. 46+mk (uppercut ender)
4. 46+lp (howl ender)
5. 46+lk (multiple kickflips)

Once you have all the enders the Ultra can be extended, the command for the 5th ender will activate the Ultra combo. To do an Ultra you do any standard combo when the opponent is at critical life and end it with the 5th ender. There are ways of extending the Ultra further with superlinkers into manual combos and super motions during the combo as I remember - but it's hazy.

[Commander Marklar]

Cheers for that refresher there, Saur... **** me though man, it's hazy for you? I couldn't even get simple combos >_< I love Sabrewolf though, glad you used him as an example ^_^

[Molloy]

The vanilla N64 is only good for multiplayer. Emulated N64 trounces the real thing. You get a clean, high resolution picture and 30fps on every game. Lots of good analogue controllers for the PC too.

[Commander Marklar]

It's not about good analogue control though, its getting the damn buttons configured comfortably

So what is the deal with emulated N64 multiplayer then? Do all players use the same PC (God, that'd be ****e) or is LAN-multiplay play possible?

I love the real thing like, just curious...

[Valken]

The vanilla N64 is only good for multiplayer. Emulated N64 trounces the real thing. You get a clean, high resolution picture and 30fps on every game. Lots of good analogue controllers for the PC too.

As is almost always the case I much prefer playing the real thing.

Via RGB on a modded NTSC machine the vaseline-vision isn't so bad and it's not *too* powerpointy.

[Alf-Life]

Have you been to http://www.rarewitchproject.com ? They figure out face-mapping for GoldenEye 'real' and GoldenEye 'emulated'. I think they're trying to get some online multiplayer for emulated GE which would just r0x0r my b0x0rz.

[Dramlin]

A quick question about the RGB mod.

Do i need to remove the capacitors on the RGB cable to get a clear bright picture? I'm using a ntsc n64 on a ntsc LCD (if that matters).

I've got my rgb cable stripped and soldered to the lcd with the capacitors attached and I would rather not remove them if I dont have to.. (this cable also hooks up to my snes and saturn with a GREAT picture so I'd rather not mess with it.)

thanks everyone

[UnclePadda]

I personally consider the Nintendo 64 to be the best console ever.
Why? Well, there are rather many reasons to this. One of them is naturally my favourite game of all time; Perfect Dark.
The second is my second favourite game of all time; Conker's Bad Fur Day. Apart from that, one can find masterpieces such as Goldeneye, Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64 and Banjo-Kazooie extremely cheap these days!
Just look at this bargain; DK64 and Mario Kart 64, only the cartridges, for just ?2.

[Leon Retro]

When I saw Mario64 running in ACE in carnaby street I was amazed and knew I had to get a US machine in October. People compare the N64 to the PS1- but imo they are totally different flavours. The N64 was always distintive and played host to games that felt and looked totally different to PS1 games.

My favourite early game was WaveRace- and it still is my no1 N64 game. BlastCorps is a game that got shunned by the public- but it really was a unique and thrilling game with brilliant graphics!

StarFox64 is a pure AAA experience. Nintendo were on fire when they made this- it just gives so much to the player.

GoldenEye was staggeringly good back in 97. This game made PS1 FPS's look like garbage. The control and design were so gripping- I would replay the game with a big smile- it really was a defining moment in gaming history.

The N64 didn't have many great games- but the small selection of brilliant games make it a classic. Pilotwings-DiddyKongRacing- F-ZeroX etc.. are all games that are still worth playing.

The downpoints of the system for me were MarioKart and the lack of racing titles. Ridge Racer came to late- and wasn't what I had hoped for.

Overall I love the system- the last hurrah for cartridge consoles!

[Richard.John]

I decided to buy another N64 in 2001, after having owned and sold an original '96 JPN unit, modded to RGB (just beautiful) and a US machine as well. So off I went to HMV on Oxford St., asked for the machine just to be told that all they had left was the bloody Pikachu style, and that no more regular units were coming into the country. So I had to make do with Pika, Pika, Pikachu staring me in the face everytime I wanted to play PD. Not good.

[Richard.John]

Speaking of ram enhanced games, did anyone ever try F1GPII with the ram pack? It was soooo bloody smooth everywhere. With the steering wheel it was very very good.

I loved that game. To me it was one of the most realistic racers of its time, because of the way the camera used to shake and judder as you went over the rumble strips,etc. It really made it feel as though you were watching onboard camera footage from the real thing.