Support NeoGAF

[oreomunsta]

Sorry, but the machine that gave us Mario 64, OoT, MM, Banjo, GoldenEye, Paper Mario, and many others is far from Ninty's worst.

The Wii is the worst, in terms of the quality of gaming that came from it. MKWii sucked, WarioWare suffered, Skyward Sword was a slog, Brawl is the worst Smash, and the only big redeeming games were the Galaxy games.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

Mario 64 and OOT almost make up for a shitty controller and lacking library... almost. Plus you could get those two games on better gaming consoles.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

I recently played Mario 64 on an emulator with a DS4 and it's amazing how well that game holds up when you're not using that N64 controller.

That said, if you had a PS1, the library did feel lacking but the good games were very, very good.... even though, personally, I never felt Mario going 3D was ever as good as the 2D iterations and Zelda was a massive downgrade (controversial) but you had the golden era of Rare and quite a few really strong titles to choose from.

 

[nkarafo]

There's also Doom 64. This game wipes the floor with any crappy DOOM console port at the time. And it's the best looking Doom Engine game and probably the one game that has aged better fro any other console game from that generation, except maybe the low res sprites.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

It's a defensible premise, certainly, though it would categorically seem that the Wii U was worse.

 

[antibolo]

OP, you said the N64 controller was 'awkward to hold', now did you hold the controller like this?

lol this photo illustrates pretty well how the N64 controller design didn't make any sense unless you had tiny hands.

 

[Madness]

You completely ignored Rare's games... Calling it Nintendo's worst gen and era is laughable with Wii and Wii U, games that were hardly any sort of blockbusters or improved on anything for thr industry.

Unlike 3D platformers and open world, analog joysticks, rumble and other things which are now common. Motion controls are dead, the Wii was dead in 4 years and by 2011 was a ghost town releasong shovelware. Wii U was dead even quicker. 3DS did not come close to the library or games of GBA and DS/DSi.

Super Mario 64, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazoooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Mario Kart 64, Majoras Mask, Banjo-Tooie, Quest 64, Super Smash Bros., Paper Mario, Star Wars Rogue Squadron, Mario Party, Diddy Kong Racing, Donkey Kong 6 etc. Nintendo was more platforming and multiplayer based than PSX which cornered JRPG and single player games. N64 games probably have influenced modern gaming more than any other Nintendo gen. Without Goldeneye and Perfect Dark on consoles, you wouldn't have had Halo or CoD, think about Super Mario 64 did for the industry. What Ocarina of Time did for open world games.

 

[FelipeMGM]

Well, I dont really fully agree. Many games of that era are still classics and some of my favorite of all time (Mario 64, Majora's, OoT, Smash Bros, both Banjo's, Conker, Goldeneye...) but still, I agree in general it did lack software compared to other consoles

And Mario Kart 64 and Donkey Kong 64 were complete trash which was a huge bummer at the time, since DKC trilogy was amazing and Super Mario Kart pretty fun

 

[VendettaRed07]

Another thing going for Gamecube over the N64 was, at least as far as I can remember, there was a better flow of games and less software droughts for the first few years. It fell off the rails after RE4 released as the system was on its way out, but it didn't have the same "ok the system's out now, but there's nothing more to play for another 8 months" type of situation that just killed the n64

 

[Oreoleo]

It's my favorite Nintendo console, but hey, opinions!

 

[-MD-]

N64 might not have the biggest most impressive lineup of games but it's got the highest highs. Easily my favorite Nintendo console, quality > quantity.

And who says Banjo-Kazooie doesn't hold up? Sorry but you're wrong.

 

[antibolo]

There's also Doom 64. This game wipes the floor with any crappy DOOM console port at the time. And it's the best looking Doom Engine game and probably the one game that has aged better fro any other console game from that generation, except maybe the low res sprites.

Doom 64 was arguably a completely different game, not a port.

And did it actually use the Doom engine? I'm 95% sure it didn't. Then again I think all Doom ports of its era had to basically rewrite the whole engine since it was not made with consideration for how consoles handle 3D at all.

 

[valkillmore]

Wow this thread is surprising. To me, the worst home system is clearly Wii U. Worst install base, games with good scores but overall not nearly as influential to Nintendo or the industry at large, abysmal and confusing messaging from the start, poor system UI, game pad bloated the cost and was tragically either under utilized or poorly utilized by at least 3rd party devs and in some cases Nintendo themselves, and to top it off, your digital purchases are still tied to the system itself. Not to mention weak release schedule of software and games promised for release but then either cancelled or migrated elsewhere, and you end up with the first Nintendo home system I wish I hadn't bought at launch, and today barely play at all.

Very disappointed by Wii U and it's my pick for worst system.

My pick for best? SNES no question, followed by NES, Nintendo 64, Wii and GameCube.

 

[ZAMtendo]

The N64 is my best console of all time. Nothing more to say...

 

[Stone Ocean]

lol this photo illustrates pretty well how the N64 controller design didn't make any sense unless you had tiny hands.

The D-Pad and the L button were useless in 99% of the games. In the games that they were used in an important capacity, the analog stick wasn't required.

There wasn't a single situation where you had to hold the controller like that and as someone with big hands holding the controller normally was super comfortable.

 

[HotHamBoy]

If you consider each console's contribution to the mindshare and the influence the software had on gaming, N64 is far more successful and had a much, much larger impact than Gamecube or Wii U.

Wii U may have a some of the best games Nintendo has ever made, but the impact those games have had on the industry have been virtually nil.

Meanwhile, Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Zelda OoT, Animal Forest and Smash Bros, just to name a few, had huge sway in the industry.

 

[MisterHero]

Yeah the N64 had Z-buffering but honestly, the PS1 and Saturn's games aged way better even with the texture warping.

Lol

you're entitled to your opinion though

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I completely agree -- I hated the N64. It was frustrating having that as my system as a kid, because I watched as all the cool stuff -- all the fighting games, the action games, the weird stuff, etc. - all came out on Playstation instead of the system I had. I didn't want to play another goddamn collect-a-thon platformer. So that was the era that basically turned me from a Nintendo fanboy to someone who kinda despised them.

So, I hated the N64 at the time, and I think it's even worse in retrospect. The games also ran like garbage, and there were exceptionally few actually worth owning. There's a few gems beyond the completely obvious Mario and Zelda stuff, like F-Zero X and Mischief Makers... but even today, it's kind of mind-boggling how badly they bungled that whole thing.

They brought me back with the GC, though.

 

[phanphare]

right there with you OP

the small library and poor game performance are what ding it most for me. I know it's implied by agreeing with the thread and thread title but give me the NES, SNES, GCN, Wii, Wii U, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, DS, and the 3DS over the N64.

 

[Pizza]

Wii was way worse, imo

Probably something like

Wii

GameCube

Wii U

NES

N64

SNES

Not that any of them are bad, just varying levels of great. Wii is a cool idea I just got sick of it really fast and cool games like Galaxy felt held back by the hardware to me. Wii U and GameCube felt like similar generations, but I feel like Wii U is just a bit better. NES is sweet and I like the arcade feel the games have now in comparison to modern stuff. N64 is one of my favorites, and a good sweetfx setup does wonders for the aesthetic. SNES still looks sweet as fuck and I feel like even some of the garbage tier games are fun enough to play for a good chunk of time.

You're entitled to your opinion op, I totally see why you feel that way

 

[NekoGeo]

Yes, you can be sorry.

 

[Jumeira]

For me, Wii & Wii U are the worst, gimmicky motion controls and Wii Sports shit. Wii U was an extension of the terrible Wii concept. No disrespect to the guy, but I feel Iwata's Nintendo was a passive and uncompetitive Nintendo focusing far too much on handhelds, gimmicks and pushing weak machines.

I really was hoping to the return of powerful Nintendo.

 

[tapedeck]

That's just like your opinion man..a few of my thoughts..

- Super Mario 64 is the greatest 3D platformer ever made and quite possibly one of the most influential games in history. I won't even go into the rest of the library cause of 'lol list warz' but the 64's notable lineup is freaking stellar..albeit limited in numbers.

- It's the best looking console ever made and the controller was a literal game changer and the king of local multiplayer.

- No load times, when I fire it up nowadays I'm still taken aback by not having to wait for anything to load ever.

My vote for worst Nintendo console goes to the Wii..if I was forced to pick.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

You're probably right, OP.

I was super-hyped for it. Loved it at first with Star Wars and Mario but the hype quickly faded. It was just so held back by carts

Loving RPGs, Quest 64 basically crushed me, and when I saw MGS and FFVII it was over.


EBA/Ouendan, NSMB, publishing Dragon Quest, Pokémon, Mario Kart, Bowsers Inside Story, Super Princess Peach... there are tons of good/unique first party DS games that hold up well

Games like NSMB and Bowser's Inside story that I kinda like don't come even neeeeeaar stuff like Mario 64 and Paper Mario IMO.

 

[Jawmuncher]

I don't care what anyone says here. The N64 still strands as the worst controller from a system released by the big three.

 

[Celine]

Maybe in the USA.
Just Super Mario World and Allstars for the SNES should be close at beating the complete first party lineup of the N64.

No worldwide.
If you think N64 first-party software sold just slightly over 30 million units then you are very wrong:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=963700

nope. overall Nintendo's own games sold more on N64.

if you catch a glimpse at a sales thread with old Nintendo data, you'll see Nintendo's N64 million sellers were more and sold a lot more than their SNES million sellers.

(also, bundles aren't counted for this, so that disqualifies SMW, which has like 20 million units sold)

Bundle software is always counted as it should be.

 

[nkarafo]

Doom 64 was arguably a completely different game, not a port.

It was still Doom.

 

[Lucumo]

Diddy Kong Racing, Pokemon Stadium, Donkey Kong 64, Starfox 64, Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark...

The Nintendo 64 had a loaded game library.

OP has probably only played three or four games or maybe none at all, considering he said the controller was awkward to hold which wasn't the case at all (never heard anyone complain back in the day).

 

[Zvonimir Boban]

Nah. The PS1 had plenty of masterpieces. Its probably the greatest console of all time. It had quality and quantity.

As far as generation defining games, the Wii and Wii U had absolutely nothing, and the Gamecube had RE4, which was ported to the PS2 with extra content less than a year later.

GC had Super Monkey Ball which automatically puts it into contention for GOAT.

Wii and WiiU can get fucked.

 

[-MD-]

I don't care what anyone says here. The N64 still strands as the worst controller from a system released by the big three.

That'd be the wiimote.

 

[120v]

as somebody who grew up on nes and snes, suffered through the delays, followed every bit news on "project reality" and the insane graphics we were going to see, all the while assuming castlevania, final fantasy, mega man ect were going to make a glorious 64 bit debut.... yeah, it was a massive fucking letdown.

a lot of it had to do with my age, the concept of a nintendo console playing second fiddle was just unconscionable to me, but looking back and trying to be objective, if you were an N64-only owner it was slim pickings. i notice the younger crowd seems to remember that era more fondly, i think that's because they didn't have the snes era to compare it to

 

[GLAMr]

A lot of that classic N64 look comes from the severely limited texture cache. With only 4kb to work with, developers had to use very small textures and then stretch them out and apply bilinear filtering. This is why the games have a very dull, flat cartoony look to the graphics, or why others used straight up flat color polygons with shaders applied.

The N64 was a beast for its time in terms of shading and filtering. It was just held back by some bad design choices and bottlenecks (e.g. Low cache, DMA issues, poor dev tools, heinous sound capabilities, draconian licensing).

 

[PdotMichael]

No worldwide:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=963700


Bundle software is always counted as it should be.

Interesting.

Though Nintendo released twice so many games for the N64 to archive that. Not sure if the narrative is so correct and not misleading.

 

[entremet]

Quality over Quantity.

 

[7DollarHagane]

There are some great games, but I do agree.

Playstation/Saturn were worlds better.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

Not much to choose from other than Mario 64 and OoT? Banjo not holding up today? What the hell am I reading??

OP is a dingus.

 

[Tavernacle12]

Diddy Kong Racing, Pokemon Stadium, Donkey Kong 64, Starfox 64, Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark...

The Nintendo 64 had a loaded game library.

Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Puzzle League, Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, Pokemon Snap, Kirby 64, Wave Race, Turok, Pokemon Snap, MAJORA'S MASK, Mega Man 64, Sin and Punishment, Mario Party 1 and 2, Rogue Squadron, Blast Corps, F-Zero, Excitebike, Harvest Moon, Pokemon Snap, Pokmon Snap, and also Pokemon Snap.

Obviously nostalgia's a big part, but as much as I love the Wii U the N64 is better historically and has more games. Neither should hold 'the worst' as an insult. It's like being called the worst Toy Story movie.

 

[inpHilltr8r]

Mario 64 and the two best Zelda's say you're wrong.

Worst is GameCube. Worst controller. Worst Mario.

 

[Godzilla's Left Toe]

You can't be the worst when you have the greatest game of all time aka Mario 64

 

[Crankshaft]

I certainly didn't like the price tag for the games back in the day. I also wasn't a fan of the fuzz blur graphics at the time.

But the game library? You can't deny that the N64 had some incredible games.

Not to mention the 4 controller ports built into the system. Oh the times my friends and I had playing 4 player Mario Kart and Goldeneye.

Now a days I play my 64 games on the Wii hooked up with component cables which helps tremendously with the graphic murk. The games still hold up today too. I hadn't played Ogre Battle 64 back in the day, but I put 60 hours into it last year on the wii and I thought the game was incredible.

 

[Celine]

lol this photo illustrates pretty well how the N64 controller design didn't make any sense unless you had tiny hands.

N64 controller is actually pretty big.
This image highlight something else thought.

 

[nkarafo]

The D-Pad and the L button were useless in 99% of the games.

Wrong.

If you used them in FPS games you had a similar controller scheme like in modern FPS games (D-pad for movement, analog for camera, L for aim and Z-trigger for shooting). It was the only controller with one analog stick that allowed this. Unfortunately it seems like most people didn't even bother exploring other controller options and only used the defaults.

I don't care what anyone says here. The N64 still strands as the worst controller from a system released by the big three.

See above.

 

[phanphare]

That'd be the wiimote.

the wiimote nunchuck combo allows for some of the most comfortable gaming you can have

 

[Guardian Monkey]

Can't wait for 15 years where all the people who are kids now are coming in and saying the PS4 is the worst system. Because it has bad graphics and you have to play it on a TV with a controller. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Megalosaro]

I agree. It's p bad. There are definitely some highlight games though. That Co trolley was god awful though. My hand never recovered from mario party

 

[VendettaRed07]

WiiU was definitely the weakest overall lineup for any Nintendo system (even though I think their first party support for it was incredible)

But 3DS is one of their best machines ever, and it really elevates this "era" for Nintendo for me. Same goes for the Gamecube and the Gameboy Advance era

During the n64 era, Nintendo's handheld efforts were piss poor by their standards. There was very little outside of Pokemon.

 

[Waylon Drums]

I never had a problem with the N64 controller. I never got what the big issue was that people had with it.

 

[Benzychenz]

You're correct.

Hardware wise they made some crippling decisions that were probably worse than the Wii U. Imagine where Nintendo could be now if Final Fantasy and other third parties never left.

The controller is an abomination.

There are some good games, but quantity wise is probably the worst, and it doesn't have a good mix of genres.

 

[Celine]

Interesting.

Though Nintendo released twice so many games for the N64 to archive that. Not sure if the narrative is so correct and not misleading.

What narrative?
The only thing you should take note with my statement based on Nintendo data is that it's an approximation of the total first-party software sales (only the million-selling games).

 

[Stilton Disco]

The both of 3D gaming might have aged terribly, but at the time it was gorgeous and flat out revolutionary.

And the N64 was more often than not had titles that were the crowning glory of 5th gen, Nintendo's most diverse and innovative period of creativity by a mile, with Mario 64, OoT, Goldeneye, Mariokart 64 and Smash bros. setting the standard for both Nintendo's titles going forward but often the industry full stop.

Sure, third party was hit or miss and lacking more often than not, but it had so many brilliant titles, started so many new trends and IP's, and it was the last time Nintendo felt like it had a truly multinational outlook to the gaming market.

Ever since, they've been more insular, Less diverse, and cared more about hardware gimmicks than expending their repertoire and genre appeal.

Far from their worst era, it was the last days of their golden age, and no console since has come close to matching it.