The 100th Retro|Spective arrives and with it we look back at Nintendo's answer to the 32-bit era console race, its 64-bit cartridge fed console the Nintendo 64. A system that struggled in its early days and lost a lot of ground to rivals but also left a run of games fans have adored throughout the years. Here we highlight one off games that largely remain heritage titles to the system.
Entry 01 - Beetle Adventure Racing
Other Formats: None
EA's offshoot of the Need for Speed series in many ways took the odd decision to limit car selection to just Volkswagon's Beetle redesign thereby placing the burden of variety on skins and track design. That was unless you lived in Australia where the Beetle's were swapped out for HSV Commodores. Tracks featured occasional events like dinosaurs as well as a range of shortcuts and jumps with players able to boost via nitro crates. The games limited release hurt it as sales were stunted despite widespread acclaim. A sequel entered development but never saw release.
Entry 02 - Blast Corps
Other Formats: Xbox One
During their golden run on the system, Rare released this gem that saw the player race against the clock to clear the path of a runaway nuclear carrier truck. Players used a range of vehicles from a simple bulldozer through to a futuristic robot to demolish buildings before disaster. From an overhead view players worked through 57 missions taking you from suburbs all the way to the moon. Though the game sold more than a million copies this was classed as an underperformance for Rare and so no sequel was ever made, it's only life extension coming from a belated Xbox One port.
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Entry 03 - Body Harvest
Other Formats: None
Adam Drake investigates when aliens arrive on Earth to harvest the human population, what followed in DMA Designs game was a precursor to other 3D open world titles. With the game taking place over five time periods and levels, the player had to destroy all the aliens within a certain radius before the creatures wipe out the local population. Using a mixture of weapons and vehicles, Adam would race from attacked area to attacked area. The game suffered from heavy performance issues but that didn't stop many of those who played it from falling for its charms. Though Nintendo ultimately chose not to publish the game, this was an interesting project due to the companies involvement in its development also.
Entry 04 - Mischief Makers
Other Formats: None
Treasure brought several projects to Nintendo over the course of both the N64 and Gamecube's lifespans but an early example was this title that saw players tackle side on stages by controlling Marina as she worked through 52 levels using a catch mechanic. In the new 3D era the game struggled to draw attention to itself and middling reviews didn't help, however it drew fondness from many fans of the developer and those who gave the game a try.
Entry 05 - Rocket: Robot on Wheels
Other Formats: None
Coming from a pre-Playstation Sucker Punch, this 3D platformer used a physic engine to direct the gameplay meaning puzzles in the game could utilise weight, intertia, friction and others into their solutions. Working through six worlds, the game presented a distinct spin on the emerging genre and received positive reviews as a result yet its appeal with the public proved limited and so the title never received a sequel or port.
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Entry 06 - Jet Force Gemini
Other Formats: Xbox One
The third person shooter represented another effort by Rare to establish its own franchise away from Nintendo's and its own very similar offerings. Offering both a single player campaign and multiplayer modes, the game required players to complete 15 levels whilst saving every single Tribal they came across - a requirement that cost the game a few fans alongside the awkward controls the system required the game to use. The later port to Xbox One as part of Rare Replay added the option to use dual analogue controls.
Entry 07 - Space Station Silicon Valley
Other Formats: Game Boy Color, Playstation
DMA Design gave the N64 another go with this title that saw players control a robotic microchip to take possession of a range of animals in order to solve puzzles in a 3D environment. The game used fairly rudimentary visuals that masked fairly inspiring game design, this design helped the game win all manner of positive acclaim in reviews however the rope look of the title meant players overlooked it at retail. A 2D handheld version arrived a year later with an even later port to PS1 but the game never met the commercial success to match its critical response.
Entry 08 - Conker's Bad Fur Day
Other Formats: Xbox 360, Xbox One
Rare said goodbye to the system with this ambitious platformer that proved too much for Nintendo to publish. Featuring large amounts of movie pastiche, spoken dialogue and risqué humour the game pushed the hardware to deliver arguably a 3D platformer using linear 2D like design. The game remains something of a visual showcase for the system and retains a loyal following, ever waiting for the sequel they'll never get.
Share your thoughts and memories of these N64 one shots
Entry 01 - Beetle Adventure Racing
Other Formats: None
EA's offshoot of the Need for Speed series in many ways took the odd decision to limit car selection to just Volkswagon's Beetle redesign thereby placing the burden of variety on skins and track design. That was unless you lived in Australia where the Beetle's were swapped out for HSV Commodores. Tracks featured occasional events like dinosaurs as well as a range of shortcuts and jumps with players able to boost via nitro crates. The games limited release hurt it as sales were stunted despite widespread acclaim. A sequel entered development but never saw release.
Entry 02 - Blast Corps
Other Formats: Xbox One
During their golden run on the system, Rare released this gem that saw the player race against the clock to clear the path of a runaway nuclear carrier truck. Players used a range of vehicles from a simple bulldozer through to a futuristic robot to demolish buildings before disaster. From an overhead view players worked through 57 missions taking you from suburbs all the way to the moon. Though the game sold more than a million copies this was classed as an underperformance for Rare and so no sequel was ever made, it's only life extension coming from a belated Xbox One port.
Entry 03 - Body Harvest
Other Formats: None
Adam Drake investigates when aliens arrive on Earth to harvest the human population, what followed in DMA Designs game was a precursor to other 3D open world titles. With the game taking place over five time periods and levels, the player had to destroy all the aliens within a certain radius before the creatures wipe out the local population. Using a mixture of weapons and vehicles, Adam would race from attacked area to attacked area. The game suffered from heavy performance issues but that didn't stop many of those who played it from falling for its charms. Though Nintendo ultimately chose not to publish the game, this was an interesting project due to the companies involvement in its development also.
Entry 04 - Mischief Makers
Other Formats: None
Treasure brought several projects to Nintendo over the course of both the N64 and Gamecube's lifespans but an early example was this title that saw players tackle side on stages by controlling Marina as she worked through 52 levels using a catch mechanic. In the new 3D era the game struggled to draw attention to itself and middling reviews didn't help, however it drew fondness from many fans of the developer and those who gave the game a try.
Entry 05 - Rocket: Robot on Wheels
Other Formats: None
Coming from a pre-Playstation Sucker Punch, this 3D platformer used a physic engine to direct the gameplay meaning puzzles in the game could utilise weight, intertia, friction and others into their solutions. Working through six worlds, the game presented a distinct spin on the emerging genre and received positive reviews as a result yet its appeal with the public proved limited and so the title never received a sequel or port.
Entry 06 - Jet Force Gemini
Other Formats: Xbox One
The third person shooter represented another effort by Rare to establish its own franchise away from Nintendo's and its own very similar offerings. Offering both a single player campaign and multiplayer modes, the game required players to complete 15 levels whilst saving every single Tribal they came across - a requirement that cost the game a few fans alongside the awkward controls the system required the game to use. The later port to Xbox One as part of Rare Replay added the option to use dual analogue controls.
Entry 07 - Space Station Silicon Valley
Other Formats: Game Boy Color, Playstation
DMA Design gave the N64 another go with this title that saw players control a robotic microchip to take possession of a range of animals in order to solve puzzles in a 3D environment. The game used fairly rudimentary visuals that masked fairly inspiring game design, this design helped the game win all manner of positive acclaim in reviews however the rope look of the title meant players overlooked it at retail. A 2D handheld version arrived a year later with an even later port to PS1 but the game never met the commercial success to match its critical response.
Entry 08 - Conker's Bad Fur Day
Other Formats: Xbox 360, Xbox One
Rare said goodbye to the system with this ambitious platformer that proved too much for Nintendo to publish. Featuring large amounts of movie pastiche, spoken dialogue and risqué humour the game pushed the hardware to deliver arguably a 3D platformer using linear 2D like design. The game remains something of a visual showcase for the system and retains a loyal following, ever waiting for the sequel they'll never get.
Share your thoughts and memories of these N64 one shots
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