Why Is The N64 The System People Love To Hate?

by all accounts the Nintendo 64 was actually a pretty popular system for Nintendo it earned a total of 32.93 million total sales during its retail lifetime that's more than even the 30.75 million total sales for the Sega Genesis during its retail Lifetime and yet even today more than a quarter of a century after its original launch the Nintendo 64 remains a very polarizing game system let's check out the Nintendo 64 together and find out what's driving all the love and the hate for this classic system the Nintendo 64 launched in a highly competitive time in which the PlayStation 1 was starting to dominate the interesting thing is when you compare the specs of the Nintendo 64 to the PlayStation 1 side by side you might be surprised at what you discover in key categories like the cpu's number of bits clock speed and overall system addressable ramp the Nintendo 64 is the clear winner with this being the case how can anyone hate it well if there's one thing that history has taught us bits and bytes aren't everything game storage also matters and Nintendo made the Fateful decision to use cartridge based media rather than Optical media while low times are certainly improved it limited Nintendo 64 game size to a maximum of 64 megabytes a mere one tenth of the game size capable on one single PlayStation disc throw in the cost of manufacturing the cartridges and there was no way there were going to be multi-cartridge games like there were multi-disc games for the PlayStation and if that wasn't enough there was the controller yeah that controller there's not a lot of Middle Ground when it comes to Gamers and their opinions about this controller holded by the outside grips and it makes it difficult to access the analog stick in the center hold it by the left and Center grip and it makes it difficult to access the buttons on the right hold it by the center and right grip and it makes it difficult to access the d-pad anyway you slice it this thing was either your jam or it wasn't and for a lot of Gamers it wasn't but perhaps the most disappointing thing to Gamers that don't care for the N64 has to be its frame rate challenges some of its Premier titles even its first party Nintendo titles are capped at a puzzlingly low 20 frames per second and while there are certainly titles for the N64 that exceed this its competitors from the era were certainly capable of routinely maintaining 30 and even up to 60 frames per second in their Graphics combine these factors together and Nintendo lost its precious foothold on the marketplace because the old saying goes don't throw the baby out with the bathwater even back from the original launch date of the Nintendo 64 it was a huge hit with many gamers around the world Fox 11 and Los Angeles had this to say the Santa Monica Toys R Us store sold out in 15 minutes Yes you heard that right 15 minutes the fact is along with this challenge is the N64 also offered a number of Innovations for Nintendo among them were two new features introduced for the first time on a Nintendo controller for a Home console by adding in the controller pack to the back of the Nintendo 64 Controller you could save the progress from your favorite games off cartridge optionally you could also plug in a rumble pack to your controller and although it's ubiquitous and controllers today it was the first home System Controller to have support for rubble and about that analog thumbstick it was the first time a mainstream Nintendo home game system featured in a low control also a first for a Nintendo home video game system you could expand the ramp by plugging in a ram expansion cartridge directly into the top of the Nintendo 64. just remove the expansion bay door from the top and it plugs right in that is if you have one to actually plug in if you've ever watched a video on this channel before you'll know that I placed a real emphasis on a console's worth on its software Library especially with Nintendo system this is normally where I talk about the first party bangers that are out there seeing as how there were only 388 total games released for the Nintendo 64. I think it's worth expanding this discussion into second and third-party games instead to that end here are some games that weren't developed by Nintendo's first party development team that will give you a fresh perspective on why people love or hate the N64 and it starts with a really interesting game called Blast core it was developed by rare and then published by Nintendo it was actually rare's first game they ever designed for Nintendo all right here's the Scoop there's a runaway nuclear missile carrier because you know of course there is your objective is to clear a path of building so that the runaway nuclear carrier doesn't strike the buildings and cause catastrophe in your journey throughout the 57 total levels in this game you'll have to do things like transfer from vehicle to vehicle in order to solve puzzles interestingly enough the puzzle mechanics were inspired by another game I've looked at on this channel called Donkey Kong 94 for the original Game Boy the game is played from a three-quarter overhead view and is adjustable using the controller there are eight total Vehicles featured in the game and the game's difficulty increases as you progress alright you ready for me to drop some knowledge on you this game uses what's called soundtrack dissonance so you're dealing with the threat of a runaway vehicle carrying nuclear warheads in this game but the music is actually cheery and upbeat it's a contrast in themes that's often used in cinema and it's used effectively in this game and is the levels timer progresses the upbeat music increases in Tempo another really cool element of this game is kind of like with Mario games where once you beat a level oftentimes you can go back in and look for hidden secrets this game works in exactly that same way be the level and you can go back in and explore for the game's Secrets rare was well known for partnering with Nintendo to make high quality games and blast core is well a blast it can be nice to take a relaxing break and that's where games like Harvest Moon 64 come in published by Victor interactive Harvest Moon 64 is a Farm Simulator game where your goal is the player is to restore and maintain a farm left to you by your grandfather since you're now on a farm you're going to have Farm related tasks that you have to complete but don't worry it's not like doing real work otherwise it wouldn't be a game throughout your journey on the farm you'll have to take on tasks like raising and training a horse selling crops participating in town events and even falling at love and getting married you know just not with the horse don't sleep on this game it's considered by many to be one of the best non-nintendo games for the platform and what waiting for you on the other side of that restful romp in Harvest Moon is Jet Force Gemini this third person shooter is yet another gem developed and published by Rare for the N64 you play as a trio of members from a galactic law enforcement team and your goal is to stop a horde of drones led by an insectoid named mizor The Game's single player mode places its emphasis on shooting hordes of drones and dodging their shots there's also a multiplayer mode where two to four players can compete in a traditional match remember how there are three different members on your team you'll have to get proficient at using each of them based on their skill sets one member has special ground abilities one water abilities and one air abilities there are 15 three-dimensional non-linear worlds to explore here and you'll be presented with multiple weapons and abilities along the way to defeat enemies throw in a riveting soundtrack for good measure and Jet Force Gemini makes for a great action-adventure combat game on the 64. when you first insert Perfect Dark into your Nintendo 64 and Power on your console you realize right away from the opening logo and splash screen you're in for something a little little bit different this is yet another incredible game published by Rare for the Nintendo 64. if you're looking at this footage and thinking to yourself self this kind of reminds me of 007 GoldenEye for the N64 well you'd be right you see in some ways Perfect Dark is kind of a spiritual successor to that game it runs on an updated version of the game engine originally used in 007 GoldenEye rare spent three years developing this game and it shows as it's one of the most technically advanced games ever made for the platform you play as Joanna dark and agent of the Carrington Institute Research Center your goal is to attempt to stop an extraterrestrial conspiracy by a rival Corporation Called datadine I wonder if datadine got its inspiration for its name from another dine corporation that launched nuclear warfare Against Humanity back on August 29th of 1997. there's a single player mode where you have to complete various campaigns and there's also multiplayer modes where you can play as both Co-op and in match mode quick side note here you remember that Ram expansion module I mentioned earlier in the video you're going to need one of the those for your N64 if you want to tap into all the features that this game offers you while the game Rayman may have found its original 64-bit footing on a different platform when it came to the Nintendo 64 as a sequel it was a gem the game was developed by Ubi pictures and published by Ubisoft as Rayman your task was saving the mythical land of fairy glade from an army of robot Pirates led by the evil Admiral razorbeer the game is played from the third person perspective and you have control of both Ray-Ban and the camera angles along your journey you'll have to collect looms which are small shards of magical energy you unlock more information about the game in its backstory while you play the game and you also get additional information from Murphy a flying encyclopedia while rayman's main weapon is his fist you also gain additional abilities as the game moves on and there are even bonuses available to be earned in time trial levels Rayman 2 makes for a more light-hearted and family-friendly Adventure on the Nintendo 64. if you're like me you probably associate namco's Ridge Racer as being almost an exclusive on the PlayStation and for the longest time I thought that way too I figured that Ridge Racer was pretty much just a game that PlayStation Gamers got to play but lo and behold here's Ridge Racer 64 from the Nintendo 64. and the fact of the matter is it's really good the game has its own Vibe and style when compared to the original on the PlayStation and you know what I think that's a good thing this game was developed by what I would kind of call a first party and a half it was created by Nintendo software technology which is actually a subset of Nintendo and it's even housed inside Nintendo but since it's not the main branch of Nintendo's publishing it gets the half moniker you know sometimes you just get the sense that certain systems are just meant to excel at certain genres of gaming it seems like the Nintendo 64 really excels at racing games so about Ridge Racer 64. it was actually the first game in the series not released in Japan it's known for its casual arcade-based pickup and play style of racing it has a new mechanic that's called the drift and collision system where the game also maintains features that are not to the original release there are a total of 32 total Vehicles you can race and a total of 10 race tracks but it actually becomes 20 because each of the 10 race tracks can also be raced in Reverse if you're looking for a racing game that doesn't involve science fiction or combat Ridge Racer 64 makes a fine addition to any Nintendo 64 collection transitioning from a game that was never released in Japan to a game that was only released in Japan sin and punishment for the N64 is a classic it's another one of those first party and a half games it was actually co-developed by Nintendo and treasure it's a rail shooter game and is played from the third person perspective War has broken out as Humanity struggles to deal with a global famine and of course the best way to deal with the global famine in a video game is to blow up everything you place the Title Character Saki and Aaron as you fight to save the Earth from destruction the game takes place in the Year 2007 and hey wait a minute that makes sin and Punishment a game from the past talking about about events happening in the future that we're looking at as a game in the past with future events that are already in the past heavy it can be played as a single player game as shown here or you can play it as a two-player game in co-op mode this game struck a chord with so many gamers in the west that they would import the game from Japan and play it on Nintendo 64s that were Japanese region just to be able to enjoy their special title at home and I can't say I blame them because this is one great looking game with fast Shoot Em Up gameplay a great soundtrack and that special something you can only get by playing games that were never meant to be played in your region in the comfort and convenience of your own home the game Space Station Silicon Valley might have flown underneath your radar back in the day but it caught the attention of gaming Publications like IGN the game was created by dma designs and was published by Tito interactive you control the main character Evo reduced in size to a crawling microchip thanks to a recent ship crash to progress through the game you'll have to take control of various animals in order to solve puzzles and defeat enemies every level in the game also features features a number of sub-levels to enjoy activities include things like deactivating electric fences activating switches and collecting a set number of items the game's intuitive controls Innovative level design and comical concept make this game one of the titles not created by Nintendo but still stands out from the crowd I'm a big Star Wars fan so having a game like Star Wars Episode 1 racer for the Nintendo 64 seemed like a match made in heaven and there are so many things about this game that they got right that it had to be on this list first off the game has the original bunta Eve classic racetrack that was featured in the original Star Wars Episode 1 film the game also has all of the original Racers from the movie and their pots along with the original movie racetrack there are also tracks from other planets throughout the Star Wars Universe I absolutely love John Williams body of work from movies over five decades Star Wars Episode 1 racer features some of the great John Williams soundtrack from the film in the game and to top off the audio experience Jake Lloyd and Lewis McLeod reprise their roles as Anakin Skywalker and Soboba respectively just like good racing games of the era you can play this game as a single player or multiplayer two-player game this game has a maximum of Star Wars fun with a minimum of Jar Jar now that you've got the scoop let me know in the comments section are you on team 64 or team play it no more then join the discussion about the Nintendo GameCube by clicking the video on screen or link to the video description and pinned comments I'll be waiting for you over there in that video

Channel: Forever 8-Bit

Views: 12,220

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Id: WIbnSnHtz5o

Length: 12min 49sec (769 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 10 2023