Nintendo 64 Reviews M-R

This Nintendo All-Star sports extravaganza attempts to mimic the addictive gameplay of Sega's Virtua Tennis (Dreamcast, 2000), and with fairly decent results. Fourteen of your favorite Nintendo characters are represented, including Yoshi, Peach, Toad, Boo, and Donkey Kong. The courts look simple but clean and attractive. The big yellow ball is easy to follow, and the color of its streak indicates what type of shot was taken. My main issue with Mario Tennis is its control scheme, which is far less intuitive than Virtua Tennis. Hitting combinations of the A and B buttons result in a number of various shots, including lobs (hit A then B), drop-shots (hit B then A), low slices (hit B twice), high top-spins (A twice) and smashes (A and B). And that's not all. You can "charge" your shots by holding in A or B, but unlike Virtua Tennis this causes you to "freeze" in place, and you'll have to press Z to "snap" out of it. The fact that the manual dedicates twelve pages to explaining the controls says it all. Mario Tennis is fun and competitive once you get a feel for it, but even then the game lacks that natural "flow" of Virtua Tennis. One annoying feature is how the instant replay automatically kicks in after every shot! I don't think I've ever wanted to see any of those! The game supports one to four players, and a tournament mode lets the solo player ascend the ranks. There's a doubles tournament included, but for some reason you can only play with a CPU partner - not a friend! There are a few wacky "bonus" games included, but these range from headache inducing (rings mode) to vomit inducing (tilting court). Mario Tennis is a quality title with a lot of bells and whistles, but I wish Nintendo would have shown a little constraint in the control department. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

The Nintendo 64 is well known for slick kart racers, most notably Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo, 1996) and Diddy Kong Racing (Rare, 1997). Mickey's Speedway USA managed to fly under my radar however. It's developed by Rare, the makers of Diddy Kong Racing, so you know the quality is there. The racers include Mickey, Mini, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and some fat cat named Pete. This group may lack the street cred of Mario and Donkey Kong but they can still burn some rubber. The outstanding controls make it easy to powerslide around corners and unleash weapons like baseballs and toy airplanes. Rumble effects can be felt when kicking in your turbo or riding over a rickety bridge. The courses showcase scenic locations from around the country including the Grand Canyon, the hills of San Francisco, and the casinos of Las Vegas. The tracks all tend to have that hazy look, and sometimes the track boundaries are vague. The Seattle and Chicago tracks have you doing laps in the sewer! The laps are ideal in length - usually about one minute long - and there are some fun shortcuts. I noticed the city stages (including the docks of Philadelphia) tend to incorporate a lot of confusing 90 degree turns. The game waits a good 15 seconds before bothering to tell you when you're heading in the wrong direction (a "death sentence" according to my friend Brent). In terms of audio, it would have been nice had they recorded more than one voice sample per character. Hearing Mini squeal "weeeeeeeee!" every ten seconds will get on your nerves. Still, the game is cheery and a lot of fun. Playing solo lets you unlock new characters and enable cheat codes. The four-player split-screen includes a battle mode in addition to races. The game keeps a running tally of wins for each player, even as you move from mode to mode! If you enjoy kart games Mickey's Speedway USA probably deserves a place in your collection. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

As a huge fan of the Mortal Kombat, the idea of a side-scrolling adventure through its dark, mysterious world is stuff dreams are made of. Sadly, Mythologies turned out to be one of the most infuriating video games I have ever picked up. You really have to wonder what the designers were smoking. The fighters look similar in size and appearance to the MK fighting games, but they seem to be hand-drawn instead of digitized. The locations include a lot of dark temples and cliffs bathed in moonlight. The atmosphere is about right, but the environments lack the subtle details that fans of the series crave. I noticed that the live-motion video scenes of the PS1 version have been replaced with still frames and text. The control scheme is an absolute nightmare. You get all of the normal moves (two punches, two kicks, run, block), but there's an additional "turn" button. This was necessitated by the fact that you sometimes have to battle multiple foes at a time - one on each side. The problem is, this "turn" button is not particularly responsive and it's really awkward to use in the heat of battle. Adding insult to injury, your character will sometimes turn on his own to facilitate a certain attack. The bottom line is that you always seem to be facing the wrong way, and it drove me up a wall. The designers would have done us all a big favor by just limiting the battles to one-on-one. There are other problems as well. The jumping controls are inexact and the collision detection is horrible. You'll go to perform your trademark uppercut and half the time it will pass through the guy like he's a freakin' ghost. Combine unforgiving stage designs (pillar traps) with those awkward controls, and it's a recipe for frustration. It's a shame because with a little quality control this would have been a terrific companion to the series. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

I was a huge fan of the original NBA Jam (Super Nintendo, 1993), but it's been easy to pass up the mediocre sequels Acclaim has been pumping out year after year. Still, when I saw NBA Jam 99 for $7.99, it was tough to resist. I soon discovered that the franchise has evolved from a simple two-on-two slam-fest to a full blown five-on-five simulation. That transition was not entirely successful. The original Jam was simple, fast and fun, with some of the flashiest graphics ever seen in a video game. NBA Jam 99, on the other hand, offers none of that. What is does offer is sluggish animation, awkward controls, and unspectacular graphics. The players don't look bad, but when they shoot or make a move to the basket, the action slows to a crawl. The dunks don't look the least bit impressive and the controls are erratic. The shoulder buttons are used to cycle through the players, making it impossible to select any player quickly. The so-called "Jam Mode" is supposed to give the game an arcade flair, but it's saddled with the same problems as the normal mode. Announcers Bill Walton and Kevin Harlan sound like Jesse Ventura and Marv Albert respectively, saying stupid things like "He's so fast you need to rub your eyes!". NBA Jam 99 does do a few things right. The players play to their actual abilities - you won't see a John Stockton dunk, or a Shaq execute a killer crossover dribble. The foul shooting system is original, and I like how the referee actually tosses the ball to the shooter! It seems trivial, but details like that are missing from most modern basketball games. Frequent steals and blocks add unpredictability to the game, and I like how the ball rattles inside the rim. Still, by straddling the line between fantasy and realism, NBA Jam 99 probably won't strike a chord with too many b-ball fans. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

I fell head over heels in love with NFL Blitz on the Playstation in 1998. Like NBA Jam (SNES, 1993) did years before, Blitz transforms its sport into an over-the-top, arcade bonanza. Instead of realistic animation and sprawling playbooks, you get non-stop action, over-the-top hits, and showboating galore. Hell, unsportsmanlike conduct is actually encouraged. This N64 "Special Edition" follows the same formula, but what's so special about this? An updated roster and some lame mini-games? C'mon now! Oh well, I still had a ball beating the stuffing out of my friends and rubbing it in mercilessly. The controls are simple as can be (two buttons!), and you can play an entire game in about ten minutes! The action moves at a torrid pace, but why is there an annoying five-second pause after each play?! You can use the opportunity to apply a late hit, but once the novelty of that wears off, the delay is just irritating. The player models look very angular (at least up close), but the bone-crunching tackles look great. I really like the simple kicking controls, but the collision detection between the ball and goal posts seems way off. The commentator makes a lot of smart aleck remarks, but once he starts repeating things, you just tend to tune him out. I was very dismayed by the complete lack of a halftime show. Considering the menus are plastered with hot digitized cheerleaders, you'd think Midway could have come up with something. A few suggestive cheerleader poses would have been sufficient. I enjoyed playing this game against friends, but facing the CPU isn't nearly as fun. He's cheap as hell, and since there's no marker underneath a CPU-controlled ball carrier, it's hard to tell who has the ball! NFL Blitz Special Edition is a fun lighthearted romp, but it feels like a big step down from the original. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

Since its arcade debut in 1985 Paperboy has challenged gamers to deliver papers in neighborhoods with assorted hazards like cars, dogs, and runaway lawnmowers. I've enjoyed most home versions of the game, but this Nintendo 64 edition has got to be one of the weirdest [expletive] things I've ever played. The designers decided to go "full polygon" this time, and the results are downright frightful. Boxy graphics are to be expected on the system, but there appears to have been a concerted effort to make everything crooked and angular. The tacky music sounds like something from a cheesy 70's game show. The entire game has a creepy Pee Wee's Playhouse vibe. Your freaky paper boy looks like Pinocchio with that large, bulbous head and stick-figure legs. Instead of riding up a diagonally-scrolling street, the game adopts a free-roaming, sandbox model. You can now move freely from one side of the road to the other. Unfortunately, the camera doesn't usually cooperate, forcing you to veer in unwanted directions just to improve the viewing angle. The controls are bizarre. Holding either shoulder button displays a throwing arrow you can aim with precision. Hell, the game actually slows down as you adjust it. It seems like the closer you are to your target, the harder it is to hit. I will admit it's satisfying to see houses turn colors and point values appear. But what happened to the difficulty? Each stage has a suggested subscriber goal but apparently it doesn't matter if you reach it or not. Likewise there's little or no penalty for getting run over by a car or riding off of a pier. Can you even lose in this game? Stage locations include the suburbs, a national park, trailer park, seaside area, and a Halloween-themed gothic neighborhood. That last one is the visual highlight, with wandering werewolves and shapely witches (so that's where all the polygons went!). Each stage offers plenty of random targets but there's little if any incentive to hit them. As with so many 3D remakes, this modern Paperboy completely misses the mark. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.

As the spiritual successor to the wildly-popular Goldeneye, you can tell Nintendo spared no expense with Perfect Dark. This first-person spy thriller features menus so sophisticated and high-tech, I feel like I'm playing in the future! Instead of James Bond you control a redheaded heroine named Joanna Dark. In the action-packed opening stage you infiltrate a futuristic corporation while laying waste to scores of guards. I really dig the modern skyscraper with its big windows and exterior views. Perfect Dark's storyline offers some intriguing twists, like when an evil female executive dares you to shoot her! Photographic faces are mapped onto the polygon characters models and they look striking. Mowing down bad guys is satisfying in large part due to their comical agonizing screams. The auto-aim mechanism works like a charm, and you can always fall back on the right trigger to position your crosshair with precision. The blood is modest, but apparently it was enough to make this the first Nintendo-published game to earn a Mature rating. Perfect Dark was advanced for its time, predating spy games like Splinter Cell (Xbox, 2002). Special devices include password crackers and a remote-controlled drone that lets you scout out hazardous locations. One gadget I could do without are the night vision goggles, which gave me the worst case of eye strain ever. The framerate is generally smooth but during hectic combat situations it degrades substantially. In addition I found navigating tight spaces and stairwells to be a bit nauseating. The game can be played cooperatively with a friend via split-screen and it records your best times over three skill levels. The audio is strong, with bullets whizzing by your ear and an outstanding futuristic soundtrack conveying a palpable sense of urgency. Perfect Dark's four-player split-screen is highly customizable. Not only can you introduce CPU-controlled "simulants", but you can assign them a wide variety of behaviors, from preying on the weak to hoarding weapons. Where the game shows it aged is its cookie-cutter environments. Both in campaign and multiplayer, the repetitive, maze-like stages are really aggravating. All things considered however, Perfect Dark is still one heck of a title for the Nintendo 64. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

Like the first Pilotwings (SNES, 1991), this is as much a technical demonstration as it is a game. Pilotwings 64 is certainly a huge technical leap over its predecessor. Instead of flat, pixelated landing zones, you get scenic islands with sprawling castles, rolling hills, and soaring skyscrapers. I especially love the rocky, snowy terrain of Ever-Frost Island. Your goal is to complete a series of aerial challenges while earning points to unlock new areas and bonus games. You get a selection of wacky characters to choose from, and their high-pitched voices are comical. The main events are rocket-belt (jetpack), hang gliding, and a "gyrocopter" which looks like a helicopter but handles more like a small plane. The analog controls allow for fine adjustments, and a gentle touch is required to navigate the courses cleanly. The jetpack stages are much easier to control than the original game, but the severely limited camera angles make it hard to gauge your position. It's especially aggravating when you're constantly bumping against buildings in the city stage. Typically you'll fly through rings and land on pads, but certain missions spice things up by requiring you to take pictures of landmarks or blast targets with missiles. The islands have a lot of interesting nooks and crannies, making them fun to explore. Pilotwings 64 also contains three unlockable games which are arguably more entertaining than the main ones! These consist of skydiving, cannonball, and "jumble hopper". Cannonball lets you fire a cannon at a distant target, and it's hilarious to hear your character scream as he's launched. It's a shame Pilotwings is strictly single-player, because events like this would have made for a fun multiplayer contest. Jumble Hopper puts your character in bouncy shoes that enable him to leap great distances, and it's also a lot of fun. Pilotwings 64 was released when there wasn't much else available for the Nintendo 64 (besides Super Mario 64), and it didn't create much of a stir. I can't vouch for its long-term play value, but this game has its charm. © Copyright 2009 The Video Game Critic.

If you enjoy the classic first-person shooting action of Doom, you'll feel right at home with Quake. Its modest polygon count might make the dungeons look fuzzy and the demons angular, but its rich colors and fluid frame-rate manage to hold everything together. You'll face knights, chainsaw-toting ogres, and even rottweiler dogs while prowling dark, torch-lit corridors. The moody lighting effects are terrific, and the red skies with their swirling clouds are beautifully hypnotic. The monsters can be fairly unpredictable. They'll fall over and get back up when shot, and sometimes they even turn on each other! Cool new weapons are available early and often, including nail guns, double-barreled shotguns, and the nasty "thunderbolt" which unleashes electricity like a water hose. The thumbstick is used to move, the C buttons strafe, and the trigger fires. As in Doom, it's not necessary (or even possible) to aim up or down. As long as your target is centered on the x-axis, it's vulnerable. Quake also gives you the ability to swim (I'm not a fan), and there are plenty of secret areas to uncover. The graphics aren't bad for the Nintendo 64, and the brooding, bass-heavy soundtrack adds tension and a sense of foreboding. The single-player mode is incredibly challenging - even on the "easy" difficulty. When you die, you have to restart the entire level! Curses! And who says there are no load times in cartridges? It's takes about ten seconds to "build" each stage! There's a split-screen mode to accommodate two players, but its jerky frame-rate and dark environments render it practically unplayable. Like most first-person shooters, this game hasn't aged particularly well, but if you're up for a challenge and can stomach the graphics, Quake will serve up your demons medium rare. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

After missing out on the first Resident Evil, Nintendo 64 fans were thrilled to hear the sequel was headed for their console. It arrived late but fully intact. Resident Evil 2 is a horror spectacle that has aged like wine. Don't believe the critics who deride the stiff controls and fixed camera angles. These antiquated elements actually help make the game so effective! The pre-rendered scenery conveys a level of grungy detail rarely seen in today's games, and fixed camera angles add suspense. You never know what's around the next corner. The stiff, deliberate character movements demand the player be precise with the controls. The save system adds tension as well, as you only have a limited number of save opportunities. It's quite the relief when you find a typewriter (save point) after a lengthy stretch. I have to admit that the inventory system is annoying (you can't drop items), but thanks to the ubiquitous storage chests your stash is never more than a few rooms away. Resident Evil 2 takes place in the area surrounding the Raccoon City police station, and you'll assume the role of multiple characters. The slow, ambling zombies aren't too hard to contend with (usually) but there are plenty of other twisted creatures to worry about. The police station has an elegant, aged quality that makes it fascinating to explore. The understated audio track blends echoing footsteps with ominous music. The forboding atmosphere created by the game is so thick you can cut it with a knife. The slow, deliberate pacing makes it all the more jarring when something bursts through a window or the floor collapses beneath you. The game is thoughtfully constructed, gradually revealing new items and areas. The difference between this and the original Playstation version is negligible. The opening cinematic is more pixelated, but otherwise I did not notice any difference. Using the analog stick makes it hard to run straight, but you always have the option of using the digital pad instead. To appease concerned parents the options menu let you tone down the "level of violence", and even change the color of the blood. You save your process to several "slots" on the cartridge. Resident Evil 2 is true survival horror at its best, and if you think this game has aged poorly, you need to go back and take another look. © Copyright 2012 The Video Game Critic.

The original Robotron was a 1982 arcade hit featuring two joysticks - one to move and one to shoot. The idea was to clear out waves of robots on a single screen while saving clueless humans to earn bonus points. In 1996 Midway created a 3D edition called Robotron X for the Playstation, and everybody hated it. After that fiasco somebody tried to salvage the code in the hopes of turning it into a respectable Nintendo 64 title. They learned their lessons well and addressed most of the flaws of the Playstation game. Robotron 64's graphics are technically competent with smoother textures, fluid animation, and better frame rate. The camera is pulled way back so you can see about 90% of the playing field at a given time. You'll need to use the four small yellow buttons to fire, but it feels a lot better than mashing the Playstation buttons. I love the fact that the waves are short but sometimes it's hard to tell if the action stopped because I completed the stage or because I died. The wide camera angle is nice, but sometimes it zooms in for no reason - or did I just accidentally hit the shoulder button? This version makes better use of power-ups but they still don't last long enough. The intro screens between waves are shorter, but why do they exist at all? Unlike Robotron X, this game actually saves your high scores. The techno soundtrack matches the frenetic pace of the game, but that electronic burp effect in the later stages is truly annoying. Robotron 64 is more faithful to the arcade original than its degenerate Playstation cousin, but it's still missing one vital ingredient - the difficulty! When you can breeze through 30 stages without breaking a sweat, something is wrong - on the "insane" difficulty no less! It does eventually get harder, but mainly due to all the yellow robots in jet packs who have a tendency of landing on your head. Granted, I'm a skilled Robotron player, but even novices should have serious reservations about Robotron 64's long-term replay value. If there's a lesson to be learned, it's this: Stick to the original, classic Robotron 2084. It's incredibly addicting, infinitely more challenging, and available on a number of arcade compilation disks. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.