DCEmu Asks - Nintendo 64 a History & Whats the greatest Nintendo 64 Game Ever ?

[wraggster]

Continuing our network wide feature for just about every console thats emulated and that we own, in time it can be used as a reference point for people to look at what games are the very best on each system

Firstly heres a look at each system and a description to remind you of the history of the console.

http://console-history.dcemu.co.uk/dcemun64.jpg


Nintendo 64
Nintendo stretched the life of their 16-bit console for as long as they could. Their initial attempts at entering the market with a 32-bit CD add-on (see Playstation) never saw the light of day. After the releases of Sony and Sega?s 32-bit systems, Nintendo began spreading the word of their new console in development. The leap to a 64-bit console became known as Project Reality. The system was a joint venture by Nintendo and Silicon Graphics. Nintendo would later change the name to ?Ultra 64?.

Nintendo shocked developers and gamers alike with the decision to remain with a cartridge format instead of CD?s, which had become the most favorable game media for the time. This turned away many 3rd Party software developers who felt the cartridge did not have the storage capacity to handle their game projects (a weakness that hurt the Atari Jaguar). Nintendo stuck by the cartridge format saying that it was the best media to use with the Ultra 64, and that CD?s would be plagued with extreme ?load? times. Also carts were more durable then CD?s which are prone to scratching (particularly with younger kids). Eventually Nintendo would put all doubts to rest in 1995 with a playable Super Mario 64 shown at a Japanese trade show. Super Mario 64?s lush 3D visuals were enough to regain interest in Nintendo?s new console.

On June 20th, 1996, the console was again renamed Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan along with Super Mario 64, and two other games. It was then released in USA on 26 September of the same year. Other countries saw N64 releases soon after.

The console was an immediate success, but a shortage of quality games began to slow system sales. Games were released in small trickles. Developers found the cartridge format limiting. Effects such as Full Motion Video and large quantities of voiceover, music, and sound effects could not be reproduced due to the limited storage capacity (keep in mind however that N64 can produce CD quality sound). Gamers found some of the N64 3rd Party game releases cheaper on rival consoles CD formats (Carts had a high manufacturing price which was filtered down, naturally, to the consumer. The same held for other game titles large in size. The more megabits the cart the... the higher the price).

Even with the small amount of game releases, Nintendo managed to release amazing game titles based on franchise characters from their SuperNES / NES days. Also with help from RARE, the company that breathed new life into the SuperNES with ?Donkey Kong Country?, The Nintendo 64 saw some great game exclusives that kept gamers happy with their console choice. While 64-bit updates to popular SuperNES games was the way to go, it also generated a Nintendo 64 stereotype of being a ?Kiddy? console (although most of those supposed kiddy games are amazingly fun). Rival console manufacturers would use this stereotype to their advantage in an effort to attract older ?hardcore? gamers.

Nintendo clearly understood that the cartridge storage abilities would limit 3rd Party developers. In 1997 they began announcing a device called the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive or N64DD for short. It would be a magnetic disk drive, which connected to the N64?s expansion port. The device would add an addition 4 megabytes of RAM to the N64, and offer 64 megabytes of additional read / writeable RAM for developers to use. The device saw numerous delays, and eventually was released in Japan only. Other countries however did receive the N64 Expansion Pack. This accessory was released around 1998. It added an additional 4Mb of RAM . Games specifically made to take advantage of it?s capability could increase the game's resolution, improve graphics, make levels larger, etc. For other games however it did nothing.

In the end Nintendo 64 was a remarkable machine that brought about innovations such as controller ?rumble? effects, and analog / digital controllers. The console was supported well into 2002, and sold over 30 million units worldwide. It also marked the end of the ?Cartridge Era?.

FACT: The N64 console was developed in a wide assortment of colors. Even a special edition Pikachu(ph33r the Pikachu!) unit was created.

Thanks again to Dark Watcher for his info above.

Now heres our question to you - Whats the greatest Nintendo64 Game Ever ?

Check out N64 Homebrew (http://nintendo64.dcemu.co.uk/) for info on all things Nintendo64 Related.

More DCEmu Console History Can Be Found Here (http://console-history.dcemu.co.uk/)

[wraggster]

Mario 64 was the ultimate 3D Platformer and easily my fave on the Nintendo 64. Mario Kart wasnt too bad either

[joesnose]

goldeneye, for sure

[mike_jmg]

Super Smash Bros. hell yeah

Also Zelda Ocarina of Time

[pas]

Super smash bro was the most memorable game alongside Zelda:OoT, Zelda:MM.

[xg917]

All the Mario Games basicly. and Zelda of course.

[Nold]

Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie and the Star Wars games
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

[irishwhip]

back when rare were actually good, they made some
great stuff for the 64
my favourites:
goldeneye
perfect dark
banjo kazooie and tooie
donkey kong 64

[shorty_carnage]

mario 64 (top fav)
banjo kazooi

[mikebeaver]

Goldeneye, 4 players, death match on the Facility level.....Priceless :)

Mike..

[gutbub]

Wow, theres just too many to choose from on the 64, but I'll try.
1) Duke Nukem 3D- I loved that game.
2) Star Fox 64- The first 64 game I ever owned.
3) Golden Eye- Man, I don't even know how many hours I spent on that game, so much time beating my older brother in multiplayer, led to lots of trouble, and playing outside.

[ICE]

Perfect Dark.

[matt2k]

Mario 64 hands down.

[zeritooverride]

WWF No Mercy
Goldeneye
Jet Force Gemini
Zelda OoT
Zelda Majoras Mask
DK 64
Mario Kart
Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Earth (Loved this game, a frien of mine imported it and I used to play it all the time, too bad it never came to the US but it is on the Wii's VC look it up and get it I recommend it!!)

[goity]

While I wouldn't say mario 64 was the best 3d platformer of all time, it was still quite decent. However, the best N64 game for me has to be Zelda OOT, followed by Paper Mario.

[Hypershell]

Man, this is a hard choice. Most of N64's big hits (SM64, OoT, Mario Kart 64, Smash, Rogue Squadron, F-Zero X, and to a lesser extent Pokemon Stadium) have gone on to spawn superior sequels and/or enhanced ports that nearly render them obsolete. It's nice to revisit the originals for nostalgia's sake, and sometimes they include a nice treat or two that future titles neglected (F-Zero X Death Race, FTW), but their impact has been deadened a bit over time.

So far as titles that don't have a "younger brother" that steals its spotlight, it's gotta be Star Fox 64. Our furry pals just haven't had a solid hit since then (God willing, maybe Nintendo could crank out the unreleased Star Fox 2 on VC). Every Nintendo fan owes it to themselves to revisit this title if they haven't already.

Zelda: Majora's Mask is another one to watch out for. OoT has been revisited in Master Quest and for the most part outdone in Twilight Princess (though I admit, I miss Biggoron's Sword and a proper beast Ganon), but Majora continues to stand on its own merit after all this time, just as strong as ever. It includes numerous features unique to the series, not the least of which is rematchable bosses. You'll want to make full use of that once you nab Fierce Deity's Mask, which is quite possibly the most badass form of Link in existence.

Yoshi's Story is another unique entry that really stands out. It's short, and simple, yet its charm is undeniable, and there's lots of secrets to sniff out in your many replays. Whether you're a new gamer looking for a good place to get their feet wet in platforming, or a seasoned veteran who just happens to be a big fan of the little dinosaurs, you'll have a ball.

Also scoring an honorable mention is Goldeneye. Even to this day I normally avoid FPS games like the plague, and I'm not much of a 007 fan either. But somehow, someway, it still managed to suck me in. That's quite an amazing feat. And a meaty cheat list sure doesn't hurt its replay value, either. Anyone with a bit of pyromaniac in them cannot resist the mighty double rocket launchers.

[kojiro7]

Zelda ocarina of time is the best
Others include: Mario 64,Starfox 64,Waverace,Super smash bros

[jamotto]

Hybrid Heaven
World Driver Championship
Castlevania 64
Shadowgate 64: Trials of the four towers
Duke Nukem: Zero Hour
Killer Instinct Gold
Bomberman 64

[Kamon]

The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time, Is Not Just The Best Game On The N64, Its The Best Game In Video Game History!

[emenblade]

... i notice many of you have placed sm64 on the top.. but well i honestly cant say i agree... sure the story was well awesome and all... But still, Even to this day i still pull out the ol'64 and play smash bros with my friends(mostly impart to that fact that i don't own another Nintendo console newer then that {other then my ds}) I honestly believe That The next game Nintendo produces for the ds Should be Super smash Brothers. Even If they don't change a thing and copy it from 64 code to ds code. (btw i know absolutely nothing about code in any shape way or form...) just think The multi-player would indeed Be kickass, Hell even if the didn't even use the touch screen at all (which would be quite a shame) I would still pay twice the regular for it. But Listen to me ramble...

Im done here for now...


Emenblade

[Balthasar00]

Well, Zelda OOT is certainly the game that involved the biggest development budget and skilled devs. The story was also great but I had more pleasure with Mystical ninja Goemon. I'll have to vote for Konami instead of Miyamoto.

[Sharpy]

the best is so Goldeneye and Doom 64, phenomenal. :)

[bah]

Pilotwings 64.

[Qmark]

Overall, the N64 was an abortion scraped together from the fallout of the Sony CD attempt and then the Phillips CD attempt. Capable hardware utterly throttled by an obsolete and overly-expensive cartridge format. While the Sony and Sega machines were able to sell first-run games at around $40, no new N64 game was put on the shelf for less than seventy.
There was no surprise that the system rapidly devolved into racing game after racing game after racing game. The awkward three-hand controller didn't help either.


The best game was Paper Mario.

[Mew]

you all forget:

Turok 2
Conkers Bad Fur Day

:)

[JKKDARK]

Super Mario 64

[mr game porter]

conker's bad fur day, zelda 0oT, super mario 64 and Zelda majora's mask.

[Hawq]

I have no best just a few favourites, Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Goldeneye (also my nephews favourite), Perfect Dark, Pilotwings, Wave Race, Conkers Bad Fur Day, Blast Corps (highly underrated game by many) & Evangelion

[booradley1212]

First of all, I have to give a shoutout to the N64 controller...in my opinion, it was the best controller ever made. Anyone who's played Goldeneye and picked guys off with headshots through the small glass window in the door can tell you that you just can't get precision like that from todays controllers. The N64 was my all time favorite system so I'm just going to rattle off the games I loved:

All time favorite goes out to Mario Kart 64. If you've never played this game with 3 other decent players, you've missed out on one of the most fun experiences ever. Hands down the best Karts game ever made.

Blast Corps. I have to agree with Hawq...this game was awesome. I made it all the way to the Moon and loved every second of it. Pure fun.

Pilotwings 64. The grandfather of the current Grand Theft Auto games...the first game I ever freely explored. If you've never seen the rocket take off or Nessie or Mount Rushmore you've got to give this a play through. I'm still looking for the soundtrack on CD...I loved the birdman level music!

Space Station Silicon Valley. I didn't have high hopes for this one but I got it cheap and was blown away. Created by the guys who would later form Rockstar Games, this game was like imagination on crack. You play as a microchip that can take over the bodies of animals after they're dead. Another must play.

Mario 64. I was hooked right from the under water level. It was beautiful...its still hard to believe it didn't take them 10 years to put that game together.

Goldeneye. In my opinion, only Half Life 2 and Noone Lives Forever have come close to the magic that was the 1 player campaign. The multiplayer was incredible despite the lack of options. Why hasn't anyone ported this damn game???

Perfect Dark. At its heart it was Goldeneye 2. The ability to play coop made me squeal with glee. The multiplayer options (playing against bots, objective based missions) have yet to be matched and that's a damn shame.

Quake 64. I loved Quake and I loved it on the N64.

Zelda's. You've all played them...I still to this day haven't completed Majora's Mask!!!

Beetle Adventure Racing. I've always hated straight racing games...this one had you collecting boxes hidden throughout the level and exploring different paths. Dinosaurs and space ships made appearances. If you ever made it to the haunted level I think you know why this game is on this list.

Turok 2. Something about stomping around with that blade and cutting dudes heads off never got old with me.

Conker 64. Hilarious. I must have said "I can't believe they actually released this!" 100 times.

Command and Conquer 64. Hey, it's C&C!

Diddy Kong Racing. Not the best game ever made, but hey...its Mario Kart with an adventure to complete...I really enjoyed it!

Waverace 64. Anyone that thought the N64 was underpowered needs to play this until you hit a giant wave. An arcade level experience.

Excitebike 64. Probably the most underrated game for the system, it came out towards the end and nobody I know of played it. It was an amazing game.

New Tetris. I don't think this ever came out in the U.S. so I was quite pleased to be able to play it using emulation. The game we all know and love but with a cool techno soundtrack.

Paper Mario. This game was hilarious and the spiritual sequel to Mario RPG. A great game.

http://ign64.ign.com/index/reviews.html?ordering.attribute=game.lower_catalog _name&ordering.order=asc&constraint.return_all=is_true&constraint.letter.game.catalog_name=S

Star Wars Rogue Squadron. Come on...this game was a classic. The challenge level was perfect.

Superman 64. JUST KIDDING! GARBAGE!!! :)

Vigilante 8 1 and 2. Think Twisted Metal. I loved playing through these games and opening everything up. Great stuff.

WCW/NWO Revenge. This game made my blood boil. Playing 4 players often resulted in fights with my friends...its hard to dismiss the greatness of this game though!

There's alot more great games for the system, but these are the ones I want to be buried with! :) If I could play all these one day on my PSP I would be sooo psyched!!!!!!!

[bah]

...The awkward three-hand controller didn't help either....

Awkward perhaps, but at least it brought t he analog stick back to consoles.

[idapimp]

thats too tough of a question.

super mario 64
starfox 64
golden eye
zelda oot
smash bros.

those were my top 5 but if i had to narrow it down it would be either mario 64 or golden eye.

[SSaxdude]

Super Mario 64.

[Iceman^2]

My favorite is probably Super Smash Bros. because it still has great multiplayer and replay value. Both Zelda games were also amazing, but not that fun if you have friends over.

[Kyros]

Gauntlet Legends
Goldeneye 007
Jet Force Gemini
Mario Kart 64
Mario Party 3
Perfect Dark
Pokemon Stadium 2
Star Wars Episode I - Racer
Starcraft 64
Super Mario 64
Super Smash Bros.
The Legend of Zelda - Majora's Mask
The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time

[hmong]

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Mario 64, Starfox, Killer Instinct 2... the list goes on!

But hands down #1 is Zelda Ocarina of Time!!!!

[wolfychaos921]

Well,For me if i was playing single player games ide go for mario 64 /Super smash bro's/Zelda. But my all time fave would be Mario party jeesus that game could keep me and my friends Occupied for days

[booradley1212]

I always felt the one flaw of the controller was that the analog wore out from too much use. They could have fixed this by making the stick removable and replaceable. Just sell the sticks for a few $ and just screw it in! Man I miss those controllers...I wish there was a way to use them on the xbox.

[WhizzBang]

The N64s holy trinity has to be Mario 64, Zelda OOT and Goldeneye.
Mario Tennis, Pokemon Snap and Mario Kart also deserve honourable mentions.

I really liked the controller and found it comfortable, but 1/3rd of it was never really used. Bangai-o is the only game I can think of that made you use the dpad and anologue stick parts of the controller, instead of the more usual analogue stick and buttons parts.

[lipnox88]

goldeneye is the absolute best because its yet to be replicated anywhere near as good (except perfect dark but that was n64 too and it wasn't the same and not nearly as legendary as goldeneye) Mario 64 has been done in a new equal/better form with galaxy, Mario Kart DS is the best mario kart, smash bros melee/brawl replace them. though No mercy is also legendary. and ocarina of time though it can never be replaced was replicated pretty well in the form of twilight princess. I miss the 64 days soo many amazing games.

[Hypershell]

I haven't played Galaxy yet (I know, shame on me), but SM64DS alone pretty much leaves the original obsolete. If you can live without an analogue stick (you're through the worst of it after To The Top Of The Fortress), it is in every way superior.

I actually find the N64's analogue stick a lot more comfortable than either Sony's variants or the Wii Classic Controller. I simply don't like to bend my thumb that low for primary control, hence I use the control pad on PS systems whenever possible.

[booradley1212]

Mario Kart DS better than Mario Kart 64? NUTS!!!

MK DS was a GREAT game, no doubt...but to compare it to MK 64 is ridiculous. How many times did you play MK 64 with 4 players? I had 3 dedicated friends and we played the shit out of that game. No joke, I played it at least 5 times a week for 3+ hours a day. We explored every inch of those levels...and don't forget about the user-friendliness. I had girlfriends, kids...all trying it because it was so cutesy and no matter how bad they were they still had FUN. From the control to the feel of weight to the carts to the awesome and hard to master power slide system, you just can't beat MK 64!

[FBomb]

goldeneye

[keefurxxcore]

Well, My favorite game to now is Zelda: Majora's Mask, but everyone says that is because I never finished the first N64 zelda... :(

Otherwise, I really like the South park with the Turkeys, and that game when you have to destroy the giant bugs and all. I forget the name, but loved that game.

[Dan2670]

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA OCARINA OF TIME IS THE BEST N64 GAME EVER IN THE WORLD:thumbup:choco.-. chocolate cheese!

[VampDude]

Lylat Wars

[g4tidus]

hands down:
Super Smash Bros.




still one of my most played console games

[Eviltaco64]

Paper Mario, Mario 64, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Smash Bros, and Conker's Bad Fur Day! :thumbup:

[Mr.Peanut]

Body Harvest. An overlooked masterpiece flawed only by fog-limited view distance( a common problem in all early n64 titles), slightly kludgey controls while on foot and a crappy final level. Otherwise created the feeling of having a huge game world to explore in any of the vehicles you find.

Doom64. The scariest of all the original sprite based Doom ports. Ambient soundtrack was so much better than the original music tracks.

GoldenEye. The greatest FPS of its time.

[alanparker05]

mario kart 64 just a great pick up and play game

[Marcosll]

I've recently got Zelda Ocarina of time after having seen gamespot rate this as the top game of '97 beating out Starcraft (my favourite game of all time).

I must say, though Ocarina is a legendary console game it doesn't beat Starcraft (on the PC).

I would definately say Ocarina of Time is the greatest N64 game I've played. I think I'll download Super Smash Bro's next and rate that.

[wiggy fuzz]

legend of zelda ocarina of time, then super smash bros. mario kart 64 just didn't cut it for me, the karts handled horribly and the game looked horrible to boot (sprites?)

taking of n64, though, where are the n64 to ds ports i was sure somebody promised me?

[masterchief929]

i liked Ocarina of time and ssb64. mario kart was OK but i didn't really enjoy that much.