N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

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Stalvern
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby Stalvern » October 25th, 2019, 11:37 am

jon wrote:But SM64 has stood the test of time, and is a classic. There is a huge amount of nostalgia for me though, as it was the first N64 game I played and got me so psyched for the system. I think SM64 is getting better with age.

It really is a perfect game. Mario's movement alone is a work of genius and downright unbelievable for 1996.

Zack Burner
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby Zack Burner » October 25th, 2019, 2:17 pm

CaptainCruch wrote:I always liked Pokemon Puzzle League & I think it's still great today. I never played GoldenEye back in the days and to be honest, I find it very hard to enjoy nowadays. I have no nostalgic feelings for that game and I don't think it aged very well.



Love love love Pokemon Puzzle League! I even did a review in the reader review section as well. Being a fan of the show myself, it holds up quite nicely capturing the spirit of the show and even Mewtwo from the first movie makes an appearance as well! As for Goldeneye, yeah I know the graphics a heavily dated, but at least the gameplay is still awesome. My favorite levels include the train level, the chemical plant, and the aztec temple factory where you acquire my favorite weapon the laser. powerful, and fast without the need to reload. What more could you ask?

JWK
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby JWK » November 7th, 2019, 4:34 pm

You guys said most that I would say. With one exception: I didn’t see anyone recommend F Zero X. (Apologies if someone did!) Nintendo actually made a smart technical decision on a first party N64 game and went with frame rate over graphics and it’s SO much better for it. It may not be the most visually appealing or complex game, but racing at 60 FPS means the fast, aggressive gameplay is doable. It’s still a crazy amount of fun today. It’s my second favorite N64 game after Paper Mario. It’s a well known fact that Nintendo absolutely dropped the ball with 3rd party devs and publishers for the JRPG genre during the 5th generation and were greatly outplayed by both Sega and especially Sony. But they still got one of the best, most charming games in the genre for the entire generation in Paper Mario. The character, humor and active battles that the series would be known for got a great start here.

I like some of the other suggestions, like Pokémon Puzzle League. Tetris Attack (SNES) tends to get most of the attention on “best of” lists but Pokémon Puzzle League is probably the best entry in Nintendo’s long running Panel de Pon/Puzzle League series. I don’t even care about the source material and I still think it’s possibly the best puzzle game I’ve ever played. I also like that Jon recommended NBA Hangtime by Midway. Sure it’s been outclassed by the PS3/360 NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, but it’s still an excellent NBA Jam game (the unofficial third in the series). It also manages to be a great 2D game on a console that bet the farm on 3D. It also avoids the “Vaseline” smeary look that even plagued 2D games like Treasure’s Mischief Makers. Speaking of which, I’m surprised no one mentioned that one. I know it has its fans, but I’ve never been one of them.

Hey, look at that! I got through a whole post about the N64 without whining about how much I hated the console and how overrated I still find it and how much...

Oops. So close. ;P

goldenband
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby goldenband » November 7th, 2019, 5:16 pm

Matchstick named a bunch of the ones I had in mind: BattleTanx, Gauntlet Legends, and Pilotwings 64. The latter two, especially, are easily in my top tier for the system.

The N64 also has a surprisingly decent tennis library percentage-wise, since 2 of the 3 games -- Mario Tennis and Centre Court Tennis -- are still a pleasure to play. (The third, All-Star Tennis '99, is trash.)

The Japanese-exclusive Bomberman game is pretty fun. It's a compilation with an RPG mode slapped on top, and it's not perfect, but I enjoyed playing through it a year or two ago with a fan translation.

Chopper Attack isn't a great game by any standard, but it offered enough for me to see it through. It's basically a dumbed-down Desert Strike in 3D, and offers a combination of mindless fun and real challenge, in bite-sized pieces. Sometimes that kind of video game junk food is really nice.

Finally, spare a thought for Tigger's Honey Hunt: a kid-oriented game, but not without its share of challenges, and it manages to be sweet without being sickening. Maybe it was just me, but the skillful art design and music made it a really soothing experience. Also available on the PS1, of course.

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DrLitch
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby DrLitch » November 8th, 2019, 7:41 pm

I will Second F-Zero X per JWK's recommendation. Stands tall today and is more fun than the game that came out on the Gamecube.

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Matchstick
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby Matchstick » November 8th, 2019, 10:01 pm

DrLitch wrote:I will Second F-Zero X per JWK's recommendation. Stands tall today and is more fun than the game that came out on the Gamecube.


Image

In my mind, there is no universe or timeline that exists in which F-Zero X is a better game than F-Zero GX. Sure, X has aged just fine for a N64 game, but in my mind, GX has aged beautifully for a video game, period. Way, waaaaay too challenging for its own good, but back at the time of its release, me and my buddies would play the game for ages, pushing each other to learn the stages inside and out in an attempt to, as they say, "git gud." I honestly wonder how one buddy of mine's records stack up against what are considered so-called World Records for the game. Guy was an absolute animal, and I never beat him in any head-to-head race, never not once. And I am someone who's beaten even episode of story mode and unlocked all the Diamond / AX Cup races.

Dr. Hester, if you're reading this, you were, are, and always will be on a whole 'nother level when it comes to that game. And I still want a rematch!!

I did like X's soundtrack and edgy comic book illustrations. Not that I hate the game (not at all!) but I just think GX blows it out of the water in every single way. Seems like an unpopular opinion on this site, but I assure you there are plenty of losers like me out there that think GX is one of the finest racing games ever made, and I ain't too proud to admit it 8-)

For some perspective, though, I also feel that the Gamecube was a bit garbage by console standards (especially Nintendo) while also thinking the N64 was one of the company's finest hours. Also unpopular opinions on these boards. It's cool, really - some healthy debate and disagreement never hurt anybody, eh? But when taking my perspective about the two F-Zero titles into account, I think it's important to understand my take on the two consoles, too. I find GX to be a fantastic release on a generally disappointing console, while X is merely an OK release on an otherwise great console. But again, just my opinion, man.

Shifting gears... goldenband, you rule for mentioning Chopper Attack. While I agree that the game is no gem, I rented it several times during the period around its initial release and always had a great time with it. In many ways, it's the perfect rental, and covers the "three 'esses' of entertainment" well - simple, straightforward, and stupid. Turn it on. Shut up. Have fun. While I will certainly not argue that it has stood the test of time well, it is an under-appreciated arcade action title in the N64 library, and brings to mind memories of some 32-bit games of the time, mainly Krazy Ivan, Assault Rigs, and WarHawk. Kind of seemed like a game that would have worked better as a PlayStation or Saturn launch title. As it were, it was a game I was glad to have in the N64 library back in the day.

Hm... I wonder what it goes for used these days. I might have to look it up and give it another go if it's cheap enough.

EDIT: Well, what do you know, it is pretty cheap! Look like an old beater copy goes for about $7 on eBay, with free shipping. Done. Deal. It's this a great time to be alive, that we can occasionally buy old games for more or less what it cost to rent them for a weekend back in the day?

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DrLitch
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby DrLitch » November 9th, 2019, 12:01 am

Matchstick wrote:In my mind, there is no universe or timeline that exists in which F-Zero X is a better game than F-Zero GX. Sure, X has aged just fine for a N64 game, but in my mind, GX has aged beautifully for a video game, period. Way, waaaaay too challenging for its own good, but back at the time of its release, me and my buddies would play the game for ages, pushing each other to learn the stages inside and out in an attempt to, as they say, "git gud."


You hit the nail on the head. Gx is one hard racer. Graphically phenomenal with awesome music but above my ability to stay on the track. It probably is a top 10 racer for someone with mastery of the control pad and the game's frenetic pace. Sega at that time must have employed game testers with zen-like focus. I class this title along with Dark Souls, to a person with the right sort of acquired taste, top 10.

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Matchstick
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby Matchstick » November 9th, 2019, 12:45 am

Agreed, sir. A "casual racer," it is not.

In that respect, F-Zero X is a much, much better entry point for a newcomer the series. GX's challenge level is so high, I can absolutely understand how it can turn people off or scare them away too early. I guess it came out at just the right time for me, during a time where I wasn't playing anything else of substance and me and my group of buddies had all the time in the world to learn the game inside and out.

Thinking about it some more, if I were just trying the game for the first time right now, at this point in time, I might be scared away by its overall challenge, myself!

thunderjohn
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby thunderjohn » November 9th, 2019, 1:59 am

I forgot to mention Sin & Punishment. This game was a blast to play. Couldnt believe the graphics in the stage with the carriers. Too bad that the game never reached the States or Europe.Treasure knew their stuff.

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Stalvern
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Re: N64 Games That Stand The Test Of Time

Postby Stalvern » November 9th, 2019, 4:32 am

Matchstick wrote:I did like X's soundtrack and edgy comic book illustrations. Not that I hate the game (not at all!) but I just think GX blows it out of the water in every single way. Seems like an unpopular opinion on this site, but I assure you there are plenty of losers like me out there that think GX is one of the finest racing games ever made, and I ain't too proud to admit it 8-)

It's perfect. The only racing game I like more is Hot Pursuit 2 on the PS2 (not the botched multiplatform version that the GameCube got), and I wouldn't even call that one "perfect" in the way that GX is.


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