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[Boy Wander]

It's a paradox the N64 - on the one hand it has aged really badly on a visuals level, but on the other, having owned one since launch, it was revolutionary when it came out. Mario 64 blew my mind and Rares output was phenomenal. Even if the games don't play great today due to muddy visuals and janky framerates, at the time they felt like something nobody had experienced before.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

The game library is woefully lacking
You have Mario 64 and Zelda OOT which changed the industry, I would never take that away from them. But other than that? Not much to choose from. There are ZERO good RPGs on this machine unless you count Paper Mario, a couple of decent Mario 64 clones like Banjo that haven't stood the test of time and you can forget about quality 2D games, those were few and far between (Mischief Makers is the only one I can even think of). The only truly important N64 games (Mario 64/Zelda OOT and Majora's Mask) have received updates or remasters to other systems. Even though the Wii U is a flop, it's library trounces the N64's. It's interesting that I don't own a single N64 Virtual Console game, yet have several from the SNES, GBA, etc. The N64 was also the era where Nintendo infamously pissed off Square by going with cartridges over CDs, causing PS1 to get Final Fantasy VII exclusively which is a big reason it succeeded and JRPGs became mainstream. Going with cartridges at the time was such a massive mistake. Only now with the Switch are we ready for cartridges/cards to hold the same amount of data as a disc at a reasonable price. People who rag on the Wii U's small but incredible library of games have no idea how bad N64 owners had it back in the day

You mention JRPGs and 2D games but ignore everything else. Point taken about both genres but it's clear the N64 was never designed as a machine made for playing 2D games. JRPGs were certainly down to cartridge limitations, but consider how pretty much every game on the system played to its strengths:

We all like to say that Nintendo's 3rd party support was at an all time low during the N64, but looking at the titles we got, it wasn't really that bad. I also really don't understand how this machine had acquired the stigmata 'kiddie machine' by the end of its life cycle.

The N64 had decent 3rd party ports, like THPS2, we had sports games from NHL to Fifa, awesome ports like Rayman... but this thing was a monster shooter machine! It basically cultivated the Xbox demographic before it came to be.

It had an exclusive Doom, Quake 1, Quake 2, Hexen, and the exclusive Duke Nukem: Zero Hour, Turok 1-3 and Rage Wars, Daikatana, Duke Nukem 3D...

Besides that it had Shadow Man, Armorines, Body Harvest and the Mission Impossible games, it had for some weird reason Command & Conquer and Starcraft, it had the exclusive LucasArts games...
And this is all just western stuff, Bomberman was basically a Nintendo Icon during this time with 3 exclusive titles and Konami also had the 3D Castelvania titles going..

You get where I'm going. The titles weren't that well paced during it's life span, some titles where of questionable quality and hindsight is 20, but there are many titles I look back on fondly besides the obvious Nintendo titles.
I'd say that the shutdown of their American 3rd Party team, when Nintendo Japan/Iwata took the helm during the GCN era was one of the biggest mistakes Nintendo made during their last few generations.
I don't know if their relationships to the western dev teams were better than they are now, but they delivered results considering the Playstations 3rd Party policies were much better, the cartridge situation and that they were late to the generation.

---

The graphics were a soupy, foggy mess
Mario 64 wowed when it first came out, and it's simplistic graphics helped it age well. However, most games suffered from that N64 fog. Almost every game had extremely blurry textures, and usually had fog 10 feet in front of you. It was the trademark N64 look. Yeah the N64 had Z-buffering but honestly, the PS1 and Saturn's games aged way better even with the texture warping. Since the N64 used cartridges with low memory, they also couldn't squeeze large games with pre rendered backgrounds on a cartridge like you could with a PS1 disc.

Again, this ignores the bigger picture. N64's Z-buffering and perspective correction meant developers could draw much larger worlds with fewer polygons. On PS1/Saturn, polygons had to be spent to reduce the limitations of texture warping. It meant games made for N64 could only really exist on N64 due to this. The extra GPU power behind the N64 also meant that games like Wave Race 64 and 1080 Snowboarding could never be possible on other formats at the time..

A lot of complaints about the N64 basically seem to stem from it not being the PS1 (or Saturn), but let's be honest: the PS1/N64/Saturn generation is probably the last console generation where all three systems were wildly different from one another, and their strengths and weaknesses are to be celebrated, not derided. It led the industry down lots of different paths when it could have only been a few.

From enabling true 3D games to large worlds to massive RPGs with new forms of storytelling, there's a lot to appreciate among what all three systems brought to the table. I don't think one approach is necessarily better than the other in context.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

I honestly don't know how anybody coild say the N64 was worse than the Wii. Yes, the Wii might have been more popular, but in terms of quality games, it was pretty barren.

The N64 has aged relatively poorly, but I think it's fairer to judge consoles on their worth during their life cycle. And in that regard the N64 was outstanding.

 

[dreamlongdead]

I can't see what the Wii and WiiU have offered in output that trumps the N64

You can absolutely make a case for the original Wii. This system has solid third party support, and it has good genre variety. Wii covers Nintendo IPs very well.

Smash Bros, Mario Kart, and Animal Crossing are considered to be somewhat disappointing entries in their series. Wii owners were able to play two huge Zelda games, though Skyward Sword is polarizing.

Games like Mario Galaxy 1 + 2, Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, Prime 3, Punchout, Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, and Xenoblade receive much more unanimous praise than the previously mentioned. There are obviously a lot more games on Wii than this.

WiiU's library has a lot of holes, and it is not appealing enough to attract people to the console. It has a few high rated games, but it does not rank high compared to other Nintendo consoles.

GameCube suffers from WiiU's problem to a lesser extent.

A reasonable ranking would be SNES>NES>Wii>N64>GameCube=WiiU.

WiiU and GameCube are somewhat interchangeable.

 

[MagnesD3]

It always surprises me that so many people care so much about graphics and less about actual substance.

 

[Oreoleo]

What did you play that was better than OoT at the time? As in most 3D games back then, the framerate was bad at times, but the game was 3 years ahead of any other similar title.

Except for Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon that released over a year before it :X

 

[Oddish1]

I honestly don't know how anybody coild say the N64 was worse than the Wii. Yes, the Wii might have been more popular, but in terms of quality games, it was pretty barren.

If all you paid attention to was Wii Sports and Mario I could see how you might think that.

 

[Peru]

It was an era of breaking new grounds, and as such a bit of a messy era. Technology-wise the era is the one to age the most poorly, but it was still a fantastic time to game, also on the N64. I was blown away by game after game, even if many of the games released then in genres like racing and shooting have since been outdone by natural progression. The fact that the first attempts at 3D gaming in franchises like Mario and Zelda gave birth to absolute classics that people still play today is the bigger news.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

You can absolutely make a case for the original Wii. This system has solid third party support, and it has good genre variety. Wii covers Nintendo IPs very well.

Smash Bros, Mario Kart, and Animal Crossing are considered to be somewhat disappointing entries in their series. Wii owners were able to play two huge Zelda games, though Skyward Sword is polarizing.

Games like Mario Galaxy 1 + 2, Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, Prime 3, Punchout, Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, and Xenoblade receive much more unanimous praise than the previously mentioned. There are obviously a lot more games on Wii than this

By your own admissions, a lot of Wii instalments of Nintendo's flagship series were disappointing/divisive. And if you compare the cream of the Wii library to the N64 standouts, I don't see much of a contest. N64 had Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart 64, Mario Party 1 and 2 (before the series took a dive), Banjo-Kazooie, Pilotwings 64, and Diddy Kong Racing. And those are just the absolute highlights; there are plenty of other games that are loved (such as Banjo-Tooie, Mystical Ninja 1 and 2, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Space Station Silicon Valley, Harvest Moon 64, and more).

 

[Toadthemushroom]

I honestly don't know how anybody coild say the N64 was worse than the Wii. Yes, the Wii might have been more popular, but in terms of quality games, it was pretty barren.

The N64 has aged relatively poorly, but I think it's fairer to judge consoles on their worth during their life cycle. And in that regard the N64 was outstanding.

This just isn't true, and I say that as someone recently catching up on a few Wii curios that I missed: Eledees, Dewy's Adventure, Mercury Meltdown Revolution, Excite Truck, Go Vacation, Ghost Squad, The Last Story, with lots more on my list to try.

150 Wii games and I want more

140 Wii Games Worth Trying

Do you know what really gets me?

"Teh Wii haz no games"

It's honestly one of my favorite consoles ever and as a result I have played A LOT of games for it. On top of that I have added games that I have heard positive feedback on. The bulk of my experience has been underrated gems that were mostly bombs, but were the very types of games that people were complaining the console didn't have. Not all of them are as polished as the Galaxys or Zeldas of the world, but they're worth trying. So without further ado:

1. A Boy and His Bob
2. And Yet It Moves
3. Animal Crossing: City Folk
4. Arc Rise Fantasia
5. Art of Blance
6. Art Style: ORBIENT
7. Batalion Wars 2
8. Batman: The Brave and the Bold
9. Bit.Trip Complete
10. Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy
11. Bomberman Blast
12. Boom Blox
13. Boom Blox Bash Party
14. Bully
15. Call of Duty: Black Ops
16. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex Edition
17. Call of Duty: World at War
18. Castleania: Rebirth
19. Cave Story
20. Conduit, The
21. Conduit 2
22. Contra Rebirth
23. Cursed Mountain
24. de Blob
25. de Blob 2
26. Dawn of Discovery
27. Dead Rising: Chop Til You Drop
28. Dead Space Extraction
29. Deadly Creatures
30. Disney Guilty Party
31. Dokapon Kingdom
32. Donkey Kong Country Returns
33. Endless Ocean
34. Endless Ocean: Blue World
35. Epic Mickey
36. Excite Truck
37. ExciteBike: World Rally
38. Excite Bots: Trick Racing
39. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
40. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as King
41. Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
42. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
43. Fluidity
44. Fortune Street
45. Fragile Dreams
46. Geometry Wars: Galaxies
47. Ghostbuters: The Video Game
48. Godfather: Blackhand Edition, The
49. Goldeneye 007
50. Gradius Rebirth
51. Grand Slam Tennis
52. Harvest Moon: Animal Parade
53. House of the Dead: Overkill
54. Ivy the Kiwi?
55. Kirbys Epic Yarn
56. Kirby's Return to DreamLand
57. Klonoa
58. La-Mulana
59. Last Story, The
60. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The
61. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The
62. LEGO Indiana Jones
63. LEGO Star Wars
64. Little King Story
65. Lost in Shadow
66. Lostwinds
67. Lostwinds: Winter of Melodias
68. MadWorld
69. ManHunt 2
70. Mario Kart Wii
71. Medal of Honor: Heroes 2
72. Mega Man 9
73. Mega Man 10
74. Metroid: Other M
75. Metroid Prime Corruption/Trilogy
76. MLB Power Pros
77. Monster Hunter Tri
78. Monster Lab
79. Munchables, The
80. NBA Jam
81. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
82. No More Heroes
83. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
84. Muramassa: The Demon Blade
85. Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars
86. NyxQuest
87. Okami
88. Opoona
89. Overlord: Dark Legend
90. Pandora's Tower
91. Phantom Brave: We Meet Again
92. Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands
93. Pro Evolution Soccer (2009 or 2010)
94. Punch Out!!
95. Rabbids Go Home
96. Rage of the Gladiator
97. Rayman Origins
98. Real Heroes: Firefighters
99. Red Steel 2
100. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
101. Resident Evil: The Umbrealla Chronicles
102. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
103. Rhythm Heaven Fever
104. Rock Band (1, 2 or 3)
105. Rune Factory Frontier
106. Rune Factory Tides of Destiny
107. Sakura Wars: So Long My Love
108. Scarface: The World is Yours
109. Shaun White Snowboarding
110. Shiren The Wanderer
111. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
112. Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces
113. Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
114. Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing
115. Sonic Colors
116. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
117. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
118. Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People
119. Super Mario Galaxy
120. Super Mario Galaxy 2
121. Super Paper Mario
122. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
123. Swords & Soldiers
124. Tales of Monkey Island
125. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
126. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom
127. Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
128. Tiger Woods PGA Tour '10 (or '11 or '12)
129. Trackmania: Build to Race
130. Trauma Center: New Blood
131. Trauma Center: Second Opinion
132. Trauma Team
133. We Love Golf!!
134. Wario Land: Shake It
135. WarioWare: Smooth Moves
136. Wii Sports
137. Wii Sports Resort
138. World of Goo
139. Xenoblade Chronicles
140. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros Treasure

So any that I missed? Any that were on the list but shouldn't of been? I know I'll get panned for including a couple of these games. Keep in mind that me and my friends I have talked to about Wii games only ever had unmodded North American Wiis so anything that didn't come here we didn't get to play.

..the list also misses a few dozen other games that many adore. I'd say in terms of quality/quantity ratio, N64 has a higher proportion of quality games. But that's a ratio that just doesn't translate into anything meaningful to people with either an N64 or a Wii - you just buy the games you're interested in.

 

[manueldelalas]

I honestly don't know how anybody coild say the N64 was worse than the Wii. Yes, the Wii might have been more popular, but in terms of quality games, it was pretty barren.

The N64 has aged relatively poorly, but I think it's fairer to judge consoles on their worth during their life cycle. And in that regard the N64 was outstanding.

The Wii library runs circles around the N64 library, and I loved the N64, but come on!

The it had a ton of shit, it had; but setting those aside, it kills the N64 genre by genre; except in the collectaton genre.

And let's not even talk about the N64 life cycle, that shit was painful, waiting months for the next wave of releases and hoping one of those games was actually good...

This just isn't true, and I say that as someone recently catching up on a few Wii curios that I missed: Eledees, Dewy's Adventure, Mercury Meltdown Revolution, Excite Truck, Go Vacation, Ghost Squad, The Last Story, with lots more on my list to try.

150 Wii games and I want more

140 Wii Games Worth Trying



..the list also misses a few dozen other games that many adore. I'd say in terms of quality/quantity ratio, N64 has a higher proportion of quality games. But that's a ratio that just doesn't translate into anything meaningful to people with either an N64 or a Wii - you just buy the games you're interested in.

That list is actually quite good. I mean, Sonic 4 should be deleted and forgotten for eternity, but I have absolutely no problem with the other games there.

 

[PatjuhR]

It was my first gaming console, and I still have it.

Plus I had tons of fun with friends on that thing. In that aspect it's the best console I ever had. So I disagree.

 

[MagnesD3]

This just isn't true, and I say that as someone recently catching up on a few Wii curios that I missed: Eledees, Dewy's Adventure, Mercury Meltdown Revolution, Excite Truck, Go Vacation, Ghost Squad, The Last Story, with lots more on my list to try.

150 Wii games and I want more

140 Wii Games Worth Trying



..the list also misses a few dozen other games that many adore. I'd say in terms of quality/quantity ratio, N64 has a higher proportion of quality games. But that's a ratio that just doesn't translate into anything meaningful to people with either an N64 or a Wii - you just buy the games you're interested in.

Alot of that list is bad though... (although I do think wii has alot of good titles no one talks about0

 

[TriAceJP]

I'm horribly biased, as the N64 is by far my favourite console of all time, but I can't fathom how anybody old enough could think the Wii or Wii-U are better systems.

It's really sad to see how often the Nintendo 64 is overrated and the Wii/Wii U are underrated.

 

[Occam]

I agree with the threat starter. First and foremost the hardware was weak, resulting in blur (tiny texture RAM, vaseline filter) and low framerates.
While it had a small number of standout titles (Zelda, GoldenEye, Mario 64, Perfect Dark), its library was a mere shadow compared to the amount of quality titles available for other Nintendo consoles. My least favorite Nintendo system.

 

[manueldelalas]

Alot of that list is bad though... (although I do think wii has alot of good titles no one talks about0

What about that list is bad? I read the whole thing and while I personally don't like some of those games; that's a VERY good list.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Alot of that list is bad though... (although I do think wii has alot of good titles no one talks about0

If you're expecting a whole list of 9/10 games, sure. But the beauty of the Wii library lies in the curios or the experimental games, flawed gems if you will.

I'm currently playing Dewy's Adventure, and while it would never get universally praised, it's still a fun little game that I regret missing out on back in ~2008. Wii's about games like that, and I think there's a lot to like and try once you're done with the top-tier titles.

The list is also missing a bunch of other games:

I'd also suggest:

428: Fuusa Sareta Shibuya De
Another Code R: A Journey into Lost Memories
Captain Rainbow
Castlevania Judgment
Disaster Day of Crisis
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Domino Rally
Dragon Quest X: Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Online
Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Earth Seeker
Elebits
Eyeshield 21 The Fields Strongest Warrior
Fishing Resort
Ghost Squad
Go Vacation
Hajime no Ippo Revolution
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
Kiki Trick
Klonoa
Let's Tap
Mario Sports Mix
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident
Ikenie no Yoru
One Piece Unlimited Cruise Episode 1: The Treasure Beneath the Waves
One Piece Unlimited Cruise Episode 2: Awakening of a Hero
Project Zero 2: Wii Edition
Rodea the Sky Soldier
Samurai Warriors 3
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Spectrobes: Origins
Spyborgs
Takt of Magic
Tales of Graces
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Wii Music
Wii Party
Wii Play
Wii Play Motion
Zangeki no Reginleiv
Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse.

And we haven't even begun to discuss WiiWare, which has more quality titles than people perceive it to.

 

[Patrick Young]

I got my Mario game about this sharp and this widescreen, so graphically I'm pretty happy with it, along with the rest of the games:

 

[dreamlongdead]

By your own admissions, a lot of Wii instalments of Nintendo's flagship series were disappointing/divisive. And if you compare the cream of the Wii library to the N64 standouts, I don't see much of a contest. N64 had Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart 64, Mario Party 1 and 2 (before the series took a dive), Banjo-Kazooie, Pilotwings 64, and Diddy Kong Racing. And those are just the absolute highlights; there are plenty of other games that are loved (such as Banjo-Tooie, Mystical Ninja 1 and 2, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Space Station Silicon Valley, Harvest Moon 64, and more).

Hey, I defended N64 vigorously against some absolute bullshit claims in this thread. I think it has a great library too, so we're mostly on the same page. I just think that Wii has a lot of real hidden gems too, so I had to prop that one up.

Smash and Kart are not everything. WiiU owners often cite Smash 4 and Kart 8 as reasons for its library being so amazing. I'm sure those games were extremely fun for most who played them, but they don't stop the library from looking poor to outsiders.

 

[etking]

I absolutely disagree. With Rareware, you had some if the best games of all time on any system. Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark and Goldeneye are timeless AAA classics. And you have the best Starfox, Mario Kart, Mario and Zelda games ever created.

For me, the N64 is the second best Nintendo system right after the SNES with its more than 100 JRPGs, which are still being fan-translated today.

Gamecube, Wii and Wii-U were huge disappointments for me, especially on Gamecube there is not a single game that I like. I even sold the system because I couldn't stand the drop in software quality. The Wii at least has Mario Galaxy and Xenoblade and the Wii-U has Breath of the Wild.

 

[Markitron]

especially on Gamecube there is not a single game that I like.

This seems almost impossible?

If the only 2 discs ever produced for that console were RE4 and Metroid Prime, I'd still think it was better than it's competition.

 

[HotHamBoy]

This seems almost impossible?

If the only 2 discs ever produced for that console were RE4 and Metroid Prime, I'd still think it was better than it's competition.

Wasn't RE4 on PS2?

 

[SmokedMeat]

I think I'd agree. Overall it's their worst showing despite a handful of good games.

 

[HotHamBoy]

I think I'd agree. Overall it's their worst showing despite a handful of good games.

Nintendo's output was remarkable. I don't think that can be debated. It just didn't get many good third party games.

Like I said earlier in the thread, the Wii U features games that could be considered some of the best ever. But they are all built upon the bones of Nintendo's previous work and had little-to-no impact on the industry or game design.

Mario 64 --> Mario 3D World
Smash Bros 64 --> Smash Bros. 4
Mario Kart 64 --> Mario Kart 8
Star Fox 64 --> Star Fox Zero
Yoshi's Story --> Yoshi's Whooly World
Zelda OoT --> Zelda BotW

A huge chunk of the Wii U's library just mirrors and refines/expands on the N64's, who innovated all of these titles.

Then, you have Zelda WW HD, a GC port; Pikmin 3, a GC sequel; Kirby Raindow Curse, a DS sequel; an extremely derivative (and fun!) 2D Mario, a Mario that's all the Marios, another DKC... It's easy to argue that each of these is the pinnacle entry of their respective franchise, but the Wii U itself has done very little innovating. It lacks the identity of an N64 or a Wii. Hell, it even has to share its name in a very confusing way.

Splatoon is the Wii U's only claim to fame. It's a damn good one. But you stack the Wii U library up against the N64's, not as how the games play to modern sensibilities, but how they impacted the culture, then there's no comparison.

 

[Fritz]

I completely agree. And I disagree with statements that the grafics were positive back in the day. I entered gaming during the nes era and loved my SNES. I bought a game every month from my pocket money.

Now I vividly remember that I was appalled by everything about the N64 especially the grafics. Got one at launch and it was an aggravating decrease in quality from the SNES. It completely threw me of gaming for a couple of years because I was so frustrated with the grafic quality and the output on the N64. Even Mario 64 and Zelda oot were inferior to their predecessors to me. Mind you back in the day I could have never afforded a second console. I only returned late into the Cube cycle.

Till now Nintendo is struggling to return to pre 64 glory albeit the problems are probably also rooted in the pre 64 era.


Wii is hands down the better console in every aspect. WiiU is a failure on a completely different level than the N64.

 

[Deleted member 74300]

Wasn't RE4 on PS2?

Headless Shinji Mikami regretfully says yes.

 

[Chubzdoomer]

Let's see: Arguably the best Mario and Zelda games of all time, by far Rare's best era of all time with one smash hit after another (Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Banjo Kazooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, so on and so forth), the birth of Super Smash Bros. ...

Yeah, not even close to their worst machine and era. Nintendo and Rare's catalog alone made it a legendary system, even if it was admittedly lacking when it came to RPGs. The Wii U is infinitely worse. Not even a single new Zelda game in 4 years, just one 3D Mario game that's basically a sequel to the 3DS one but blown up on a TV, a crappy Star Fox game...

 

[GhostTrick]

It's crazy how we now rewrite history about N64's library or GameCube's library to defend WiiU's terrible library.
N64 library being lacking when we had some of the best games from that era on that platform. GameCube library being safe when we had Nintendo experimenting a lot with their IPs. Wow, just Wow.

 

[petran79]

The irony is that Nintendo players from the NES, SNES, GB era would have felt more comfortable with Sega Saturn mostly and to a less extent PS1. It was the Saturn that had more games similar to the SNES, focusing mainly in 2d. One reason portable Gameboys were so successful. N64 games were the most expensive of all consoles due to carts.

For 3d games there were three options. Arcades that had the most advanced tech, Windows/DOS computers and lastly Nintendo64. Each with a different audience.

Nintendo knew that the new crop of 3d games, both east and west would shape the future. They were the first that did implement computer FPS ports so well, even controversial ones like Duke Nukem, Quake, Doom and even Mortal Kombat and Mace the Dark Age.

It is just that this kind of audience was mostly on PCs, so there was no need to go with the inferior and more expensive N64 version.

It is exactly that audience that later moved from PC to PS2 and Xbox later on, when PC developers focused on consoles.


Just like Sega were focusing to save the last of the old school players, Nintendo tried to embrace the new ones. But they could not risk their image and turn into an FPS/Sports/action adventure console like Sony. Sega pushed things further with the Dreamcast but they were in a similar boat.

Mario, Pokemon and Link tried to coexist with satanist Doom and Quake but their love proved too much for them.

 

[Chittagong]

Wii U is much worse though. There is almost nothing new or innovative, let alone groundbreaking like N64 had. N64 did a lot of very innovative stuff

- Super Mario 64 - groundbreaking 3D adventure
- WaveRace 64 - groundbreaking water physics
- Zeldas - groundbreaking 3D adventures, and day mechanic
- GoldenEye - groundbreaking console FPS
- Groundbreaking local multiplayer focus with split screen and four controller ports
- Groundbreaking analogue stick
- High resolution expansion pack, PS4 Pro without a new console

Don't get me wrong, N64 is my third least favourite Nintendo console after Wii U and GBC.

 

[Greddleok]

Despite holding a special place as my first ever games console, the N64 wasn't that great. The GCN was a huge step up in terms of games in my opinion.

The only thing thing that the N64 has over the GCN is OoT and Mario 64

Spoiler

and I didn't even like Mario 64 as a kid

 

[SmokedMeat]

Nintendo's output was remarkable. I don't think that can be debated. It just didn't get many good third party games.

Like I said earlier in the thread, the Wii U features games that could be considered some of the best ever. But they are all built upon the bones of Nintendo's previous work and had little-to-no impact on the industry or game design.

Mario 64 --> Mario 3D World
Smash Bros 64 --> Smash Bros. 4
Mario Kart 64 --> Mario Kart 8
Star Fox 64 --> Star Fox Zero
Yoshi's Story --> Yoshi's Whooly World
Zelda OoT --> Zelda BotW

A huge chunk of the Wii U's library just mirrors and refines/expands on the N64's, who innovated all of these titles.

Then, you have Zelda WW HD, a GC port; Pikmin 3, a GC sequel; Kirby Raindow Curse, a DS sequel; an extremely derivative (and fun!) 2D Mario, a Mario that's all the Marios, another DKC... It's easy to argue that each of these is the pinnacle entry of their respective franchise, but the Wii U itself has done very little innovating. It lacks the identity of an N64 or a Wii. Hell, it even has to share its name in a very confusing way.

Splatoon is the Wii U's only claim to fame. It's a damn good one. But you stack the Wii U library up against the N64's, not as how the games play to modern sensibilities, but how they impacted the culture, then there's no comparison.

N64 wasn't remarkable. It was their fall from grace generation where they went from king shit to a pauper in the streets begging for handouts.

Outside of a few (and I do mean a few) big first party games, the rest was forgettable.

Not sure why Wii U is being brought up, but if it has to then fine because it wipes the floor with N64.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

It's crazy how we now rewrite history about N64's library or GameCube's library to defend WiiU's terrible library.
N64 library being lacking when we had some of the best games from that era on that platform. GameCube library being safe when we had Nintendo experimenting a lot with their IPs. Wow, just Wow.

My opinion of the N64 has not changed since 1998. (and tbh, those first two years were spent in denial).

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Out of my top 10 games easily 5 are from the N64 so I Gott disagree heartily with OP.

 

[GhostTrick]

N64 wasn't remarkable. It was their fall from grace generation where they went from king shit to a pauper in the streets begging for handouts.

Outside of a few (and I do mean a few) big first party games, the rest was forgettable.

Not sure why Wii U is being brought up, but if it has to then fine because it wipes the floor with N64.

N64 has some of the most cult classic titles from that era. Heck, some of these became monuments of the media. You can't say "a few" when it was such a dramatic impact.

 

[Oddish1]

It's crazy how we now rewrite history about N64's library or GameCube's library to defend WiiU's terrible library.
N64 library being lacking when we had some of the best games from that era on that platform. GameCube library being safe when we had Nintendo experimenting a lot with their IPs. Wow, just Wow.

Well, my problem with the N64 is just that. Best games of that era is faint praise, because in general most game of that era have aged terribly, not just on the N64.

 

[Cindres]

I find it interesting people are complaining about the N64 being cloudy or the graphics not holding up. I think the N64 graphics tend to be cleaner and hold up better than PS1. I find the PS1 the harder to go back to.

 

[Haganeren]

Err, but what do we even discuss here ?

For some, the quantity of good games is what's important.
For other, it's how said games changed the industry.
For other, it's the individual quality of those game, having a very good game is better than a few good one.
For other, it's about how well it do against the competition
And finally, it could be UI itself of the machine and what it can do. (online, patch for Smash 4 which entertain the hype)

I don't think there is one way better than the other to describe what's a "good" machine but if someone use their own definition without alerting the other, nobody will ever understand each other.

 

[Lord British]

I think I prefer to Gamecube. Way more interesting games for my tastes...

 

[TheRedSnifit]

Splatoon is the Wii U's only claim to fame. It's a damn good one. But you stack the Wii U library up against the N64's, not as how the games play to modern sensibilities, but how they impacted the culture, then there's no comparison.

Great games stay great, they don't struggle to "play to modern sensibilities." Games don't somehow become worse over time, flaws that were always present simply become more blatant when put under the lens of modern gaming. Games that age poorly tend to have not been very good in the first place.

If N64 games need an *impactful for the time* qualifier to stack up to the games on other consoles, then maybe it's the weakest one.

It's crazy how we now rewrite history about N64's library or GameCube's library to defend WiiU's terrible library.
N64 library being lacking when we had some of the best games from that era on that platform. GameCube library being safe when we had Nintendo experimenting a lot with their IPs. Wow, just Wow.

I bought an N64, and was so disappointed I swore off Nintendo for a decade. Nice try though

 

[AppleSeason]

What did you play that was better than OoT at the time? As in most 3D games back then, the framerate was bad at times, but the game was 3 years ahead of any other similar title.

It's not about complexity. it was graphically terrible. I got the console just for Zelda, and I had to give up and sell it. By those times I was already on another league:

But even going back to consoles, playstation looked sharper and cleaner, regardless of polygon count. Playing anything on N64 was like shit smeared over the screen. I had to wait until the Gamecube port to play Ocarina decently (or being able to afford a PC capable fo emulating). Not to mention the capped RGB on pal consoles.


And for the record, I was an absolute nintendo fanboy back them. I had real trouble accepting that 64 was terrible, specially if compared with anything coming out for PSX or PC. No FMV or voices due to space limitations was a bad move, not to mention the prohibitive price of games.

 

[Trunx28]

Growing up during that era and being a die hard Nintendo fan, it was really disturbing to see the N64s lackluster performance against Sonys amazing PlayStation. I remember Christmas 1995, I just got my SNES with the Super Game Boy and stared fascinated at the first pictures of N64 games in a gaming mag. Boy was I hyped .. and boy was I disappointed by the name. Ultra 64, the projects name till then, resonated so much more this new generation. Nintendo 64 .. not so much.

Many of my friends ditched the 64 for the Playstation and I never got hold on the system till years later when I bought a used unit with a lot of games from eBay. It just failed to impress me.

But still, I have some fond memories playing Mario Kart with my friends. Nights and nights full of Block Fort (GOAT multiplayerlevel). Goldeneye was forbidden in Germany, I acquired it through Austria a few years later but never had so much multiplayer sessions with it. Turok 2 was impressive though (especially the brain sucker) and Conkers multiplayer was fun as well.

Playstation managed to do what Sega didn't: Make a cool product for growing ups, not for kids. I remember that this was the era that Nintendo got that "just for kids" mark that sticks till today. Playing Destruction Derby, Ridge Racer or Toshinden was exactly the "dope" that the teenage generation needed in the 90s.

And speaking of Zelda: My first playthrough was on the 3ds, even if I had the GameCube collection. The Cube was a different story as well: I liked the design, the Star Wars games (even finished the really bad Jedi Knight 2 port on it and spent a lot of time on multiplayer) and never understood how this could be Nintendos worst plattform. Still hook it up today for some Timesplitters 2.

 

[Octavianus]

I think it's the best console of that generation, but I'll agree that it's Nintendo's worst console.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Well, my problem with the N64 is just that. Best games of that era is faint praise, because in general most game of that era have aged terribly, not just on the N64.

The N64 is fondly remembered because its best games haven't aged terribly. Games like Mario 64, Wave Race 64 and 1080 Snowboarding are still as good today as they were back then. If anything they are *better* today since making games of their ilk today isn't financially feasible.

You could bring up how GoldenEye 007 has "aged", but it's only in the combat and shooting mechanics. The actual level and game design hasn't aged terribly at all -- it's peerless as far as tiered-objective, stealth-based gameplay goes in an FPS, and again, because you can't make a shooter today with that sort of game design it's aged better than it should have.

 

[SmokedMeat]

N64 has some of the most cult classic titles from that era. Heck, some of these became monuments of the media. You can't say "a few" when it was such a dramatic impact.

Yes I can. A few games is a few games. "Dramatic impact" means nothing to me. Games are all that matter, and looking back I owned far less N64 titles than any other Nintendo console.

It was by far their weakest showing.

 

[Chastten]

I agree with OP that the games were a foggy mess, but other than that, completely disagree.

I have over 50 great games on the little machine. Sure, most of them have aged terribly, but so did everything on Saturn and PSX. It's not something N64 related. And yes, there was a lot of fog in most 3th party N64 games, but I take that fog over the warping pixels of your average PSX game any day of the week. I sold my PSX and bought an N64 around 1998 and never regretted that decision.

I absolutely loved the controller. Sure, they broke easily and felt as flimsy as any PlayStation controller, but they were the most comfortable controllers I've used so far - beating out the X360 and NGC controller. It would be perfect if they were build to last, but ow well, can't have it all.

About the games - I guess the N64 didn't have a whole lot of games, but I still managed to collect about 50 awesome games in it's lifespan. That's more than one game per month - on a single console. I know some people on Neogaf play like 5 games a month, but for me that number is crazy good. There's only 2 devices I have more games for - one of them being the Game Boy, which was 'current' for a good 10 years, and the other being the X360, which again was 'current' for 10 years and had loads of games that can be bought for peanuts.

Also, most games on N64 I consider to be among the best of that era, with near infinite replayability at the time, so that helped as well. Games like Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, Pokémon Stadium 1 & 2, Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros, Wave Race 64, 1080 Snowboarding each saw 100s of hours of playtime, either in single or multiplayer. And Paper Mario is the only RPG I ever replayed besides the original Pokémon games (3 times even). And then I haven't even begun about the multiplayer possibilities of the little thing.

Anyways, to answer the OP's question: No, to me it's one of the best era's Nintendo's had. A lot of my best gaming related memories are on N64 and no one's ever gonna change that. The worst Nintendo era is easily the Wii for me. That era did everything wrong and produced maybe 6 or 7 good Nintendo games in a timespan of 6 years. Thats abysmal.

 

[Firemind]

Great games stay great, they don't struggle to "play to modern sensibilities." Games don't somehow become worse over time, flaws that were always present simply become more blatant when put under the lens of modern gaming. Games that age poorly tend to have not been very good in the first place.

If N64 games need an *impactful for the time* qualifier to stack up to the games on other consoles, then maybe it's the weakest one.

The N64 still has some of the most played games by speedrunners to this day. Nice try though

 

[sanstesy]

I hate basically all Rare games, so the platform only is relevant to me as in Majora's Mask is one of my favorite games off all time while Ocarina of Time & SM64 are pretty good games. I don't think there is any other major console that has this few games I care about.

 

[SCReuter]

GameCube for me. Not a big fan of its first-party lineup (it has an unusually large number of undercooked titles IMO) and the system itself is too similar to competing platforms.

Either that or Wii U.

 

[MrBadger]

I definitly agree. Nobody can deny the effects Mario 64 and OoT had on gaming as a whole, but other than that there's really nothing on the system I care about.