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The Nintendo 64 Appreciation/Collecting/Emulation Thread.

W

Winnie the Pimp

Member
Just got a list of N64 games a friend is selling...

Can someone please point out which games are worth it here? We didn't talk prices yet but at least this way i can weed out the crap and start considering only a couple games!
Sorry for the wall of text but somehow i didn't manage to format it any better ;(

1080 SNOWBOARDING
AERO GAUGE
ALL STAR BASEBALL 2000
ALL STAR BASEBALL 99
Army men AIR COMBAT
ARMY MEN SARGE’S HEROES 2
AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI
Banjo Kazooie
BASS HUNTER
Basshunter 64
Bassmaster 2000
BIO FREAKS
BLAST CORPS
Bluse brothers 2000
Body harvest
BOTTOM OF THE 9TH
California Speed
Chopper attack
CRUIS’N USA
CYBERTIGER
DIDDY KONG RACING
F1 WORLD GRAND PRIX
FORSAKEN
FOX COLLEGE HOOPS 99
Gex 64
Glover
HARDCORE ECW REVOLUTION
HARDCORE ECW WRESTLING
Hexen
HEY YOU PIKACHU
HYBRID HEAVEN
IN THE ZONE 99
INDY RACING 2000
JEREMY MCGRATH SUPERCROSS 2000
Jetforce gemini
KEN GRIFFEY JR BASEBALL
Ken griffey Jr's slugfest
Mace the dark age
Madden 1999
MADDEN 2000
MADDEN 64
MADDEN 99
MIKE PIAZZA’S STRIKE ZONE
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
MRC
NAMCO MUSEUM
NASCAR 2000
Nascar 99
NBA live 2000
NFL BLITZ
NFL BLITZ 2000
NFL BLITZ 2001
Nfl QUARTERBACK CLUB 1998
NFL QUARTERBACK CLUB 1999
NFL QUARTERBACK CLUB 2000
NFL QUARTERBACK CLUB 2001
NHL BREAKAWAY 98
NHL BREKKAWAY 99
OLYMPIC HOCKEY 98
Pacman, Ms Pacman Galaga
PERFECT DARK
Pilot wings 64
PILOTWINGS
POKEMON SNAP
Pokemon Stadium
Rainbow six
RALLY CHALLENGE 2000
Rayman 2
Revolt
RIDGE RACER 64
SAN FRANCISCO RUSH 2049
Star wars Episode 1
STAR WARS ROGUE SQUADRON
Star Wars shadow of the empire
Super mario 64 (X2)
TONIC TROUBLE
Tony hakws Pro skater
TOP GEAR HYPER BIKE
TOP GEAR RALLY
TRIPLE PLAY 2000
Turok 2
TUROK DINOSAUR HUNTER
Turok DINOSAUR HUNTER
TUROK RAGE WARS
TWISTED EDGE SNOWBOARDING
V-Rally Edition 99
Wave race 64
WAYNE GRETZKY 3D HOCKEY
WAYNE GRETZKY 3D HOCKEY 98
WCW MAYHEM
WCW NITRO
WCW NWO REVENGE
WCW NWO WORLD TOUR
WCW vs NWO World tower
WF Attitude
WF no mercy
Win Back covered operations
WORLD DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
Yoshi's story
 
O

Orniletter

Banned
Winnie the Pimp said:
Just got a list of N64 games a friend is selling...

Can someone please point out which games are worth it here? We didn't talk prices yet but at least this way i can weed out the crap and start considering only a couple games!


1080 SNOWBOARDING

Banjo Kazooie

Body harvest

DIDDY KONG RACING

HYBRID HEAVEN

Jetforce gemini

PERFECT DARK

Pilot wings 64

POKEMON SNAP

Rayman 2

Super mario 64

Turok 2
TUROK DINOSAUR HUNTER

Wave race 64
Click to expand...

Those are the ones I would get.
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Winnie the Pimp said:
Just got a list of N64 games a friend is selling...

Can someone please point out which games are worth it here? We didn't talk prices yet but at least this way i can weed out the crap and start considering only a couple games!
Sorry for the wall of text but somehow i didn't manage to format it any better ;(

1080 SNOWBOARDING
Army men AIR COMBAT
Banjo Kazooie
BIO FREAKS
BLAST CORPS
Body harvest
California Speed
CRUIS’N USA
DIDDY KONG RACING
FORSAKEN
Glover
HYBRID HEAVEN
INDY RACING 2000
Jetforce gemini
Mace the dark age
PERFECT DARK
Pilot wings 64
RALLY CHALLENGE 2000
Rayman 2
Revolt
RIDGE RACER 64
SAN FRANCISCO RUSH 2049
Star wars Episode 1
STAR WARS ROGUE SQUADRON
Super mario 64
TONIC TROUBLE
TOP GEAR HYPER BIKE
TOP GEAR RALLY
Turok 2
TUROK DINOSAUR HUNTER
Turok DINOSAUR HUNTER
TUROK RAGE WARS
Wave race 64
WAYNE GRETZKY 3D HOCKEY
WORLD DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
Yoshi's story
Click to expand...

All of these are absolutely worth getting, depending on what you like!
 
K

-KRS-

Member
I haven't really thought about this until now, but I notice a lot (maybe most?) of PAL N64 games actually does fill the whole screen instead of letterboxing like the PAL NES and SNES does. Does that mean that PAL versions of games actually display 576 lines instead of 480? Or is it a 50hz PAL 480i signal? I don't know if that even exists lol.
 
B

bitesnintendog

Member
Winnie the Pimp said:
Just got a list of N64 games a friend is selling...

Can someone please point out which games are worth it here? We didn't talk prices yet but at least this way i can weed out the crap and start considering only a couple games!
Sorry for the wall of text but somehow i didn't manage to format it any better ;(

1080 SNOWBOARDING
Army men AIR COMBAT
ARMY MEN SARGE’S HEROES 2
Banjo Kazooie
BIO FREAKS
BLAST CORPS
Body harvest
DIDDY KONG RACING
Gex 64
Glover
HARDCORE ECW REVOLUTION
HARDCORE ECW WRESTLING
Hexen
HEY YOU PIKACHU
HYBRID HEAVEN
Jetforce gemini
NAMCO MUSEUM
NFL BLITZ
NFL BLITZ 2000
NFL BLITZ 2001
Pacman, Ms Pacman Galaga
PERFECT DARK
Pilot wings 64
PILOTWINGS
POKEMON SNAP
Pokemon Stadium
Rainbow six
RALLY CHALLENGE 2000
Rayman 2
Revolt
RIDGE RACER 64
SAN FRANCISCO RUSH 2049
Star wars Episode 1
STAR WARS ROGUE SQUADRON
Star Wars shadow of the empire
Super mario 64 (X2)
TONIC TROUBLE
Tony hakws Pro skater
Turok 2
TUROK DINOSAUR HUNTER
Turok DINOSAUR HUNTER
TUROK RAGE WARS
Wave race 64
WCW MAYHEM
WCW NITRO
WCW NWO REVENGE
WCW NWO WORLD TOUR
WCW vs NWO World tower
WF Attitude
WF no mercy
Win Back covered operations
Yoshi's story
Click to expand...

I can vouch for these. I didn't enjoy Hey You Pikachu but it's kinda interesting. Pricing is a big factor, see if he will discount for the whole lot or a large number of them.
 
K

-KRS-

Member
Winnie the Pimp said:
nah i wanna keep it simple.. besides i barely have time to play these retro games anyway :(((
Click to expand...

Probably for the best anyway. Once I saw how much better 60hz N64 games looked it's hard to go back to PAL. And I don't even have an NTSC unit. The 64drive flashcart lets you force the N64 into a 60hz mode. Everything becomes much sharper, even with only a composite cable. I dunno what's up with the PAL N64s but in 50hz the output is really blurry compared to how it looks in 60hz. So that's how I play most games these days. Even if I own the cart I play the game with the flashcart in 60hz.
 
G

GRIZZMEISTER

Banned
The fact that CRT TV's aren't being manufactured anymore has essentially rendered the actual N64 hardware obsolete. However, some of the better titles in the console's library like F-Zero X, Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros. and Wave Race 64 can still be enjoyed via emulation thanks to the Wii's Virtual Console service.
 
S

sixteen-bit

Member
GRIZZMEISTER said:
The fact that CRT TV's aren't being manufactured anymore has essentially rendered the actual N64 hardware obsolete. However, some of the better titles in the console's library like F-Zero X, Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros. and Wave Race 64 can still be enjoyed via emulation thanks to the Wii's Virtual Console service.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it makes the N64 hardware useless, I'd say it makes upscalers more useful.
 
G

GRIZZMEISTER

Banned
ZealousD said:
It's always better to play on the original hardware. Playing via an emulator always feels like settling.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I'd agree with that. Consider that if you emulate on the Wii you get to use the awesome GameCube controller, and if you emulate on the PC then you can use the equally fantastic Xbox 360 controller.

Many people find the weak link of attempting to game on the N64, aside from how bad it looks on an HDTV, is the system's controller which has an analog stick that wears out so quickly.
 
S

Shadow Hog

Member
GRIZZMEISTER said:
I'm not sure I'd agree with that. Consider that if you emulate on the Wii you get to use the awesome GameCube controller, and if you emulate on the PC then you can use the equally fantastic Xbox 360 controller.
Click to expand...
Neither of which have the N64's six-button layout. Yeah, you CAN use the right analog/C-stick, but it never really feels the same.

Also, this is sort of trumped by the rampant compatibility issues for pretty much anything that wasn't super popular.
 
G

GRIZZMEISTER

Banned
My opinion is that gaming on the actual N64 hardware would still be viable if cartridge prices weren't so high. Essentially, video game hoarders... excuse me, collectors... have driven prices of even common games like Killer Instinct Gold up to such ridiculous heights that many people can't even afford to play the system any more. This is made more evident when you consider that the brilliant SoulCalibur V for the Xbox 360 was just on sale for $3.74 the other day.
 
P

Peagles

Member
GRIZZMEISTER said:
My opinion is that gaming on the actual N64 hardware would still be viable if cartridge prices weren't so high. Essentially, video game hoarders... excuse me, collectors... have driven prices of even common games like Killer Instinct Gold up to such ridiculous heights that many people can't even afford to play the system any more. This is made more evident when you consider that the brilliant SoulCalibur V for the Xbox 360 was just on sale for $3.74 the other day.
Click to expand...

I think you mean resellers, lol.

Emulation that isn't done by Nintendo itself is utter crap. I'd much rather use the real hardware.
 
X

xandaca

Member
Finished GoldenEye and about halfway through Perfect Dark. Still consider the former a more subtle, replayable game, but PD is still more fun than I remembered (despite aiming being a bit fidgety) and a great action game. Not looking forward to the Skedar levels, but generally having a great time and have no inclination to return to my current gen - well, Wii U - backlog. The N64 was definitely my era for gaming perfection.
 
S

Shadow Hog

Member
I moved to Perfect Dark pretty much immediately after beating Goldeneye, enjoying the latter a lot more than I'd anticipated I would. I just couldn't get into the single-player for PD, though. MP was miles better, but I was quickly getting fed up with constantly failing critical objectives for not doing everything exactly perfectly, or not knowing exactly where to go within a tight time limit (well, amply generous if you do know where to go; tight if you don't).

It's basically Trial-and-Error: the FPS. And that'd be fine, since a lot of FPS titles are like that - except most of those games have quicksave, which the N64 couldn't realistically do. Restarting the entire level for messing up gets kinda aggravating after a while, IMO.
 
F

Friend of Sonic

Member
thoseAREmySHOES said:
Man, I really gotta get me one of these Hori mini controllers. They look incredible.
Click to expand...
It's truly lovely, and amazing that it even happened. Really, a controller for the previous generation that mimics the upcoming generation-- who would have ever thought. The sad thing is that it's so tiny and my big monkey hands cramp up. :( I wonder if there's a way to take the innards and somehow arrange it in a bigger shell.
 
nkarafo

nkarafo

Member
Peagles said:
To me the single stick aiming is fine, it's just like the reverse of wasd and mouse, c buttons are my wasd and the stick is my mouse.
Click to expand...
Or you can use the "solitare" option and it doesn't have to be reversed anymore. You move with the D-Pad and you aim with the stick. Exactly like WASD and mouse.
 
X

xandaca

Member
Shadow Hog said:
I moved to Perfect Dark pretty much immediately after beating Goldeneye, enjoying the latter a lot more than I'd anticipated I would. I just couldn't get into the single-player for PD, though. MP was miles better, but I was quickly getting fed up with constantly failing critical objectives for not doing everything exactly perfectly, or not knowing exactly where to go within a tight time limit (well, amply generous if you do know where to go; tight if you don't).

It's basically Trial-and-Error: the FPS. And that'd be fine, since a lot of FPS titles are like that - except most of those games have quicksave, which the N64 couldn't realistically do. Restarting the entire level for messing up gets kinda aggravating after a while, IMO.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been playing these games for so long I know what to do almost on reflex, although still enjoy trying slightly different ways of doing things each time. If you don't know where the mission critical stuff is, though, you need a fair amount of patience to persevere. That said, the mission briefings generally give decent hints as to what needs doing and the game holds your hand slightly better than GoldenEye, although the latter doesn't give you as many objectives you can fail instantly.

As for the replaying thing, I personally don't mind it too much as both games generally give you leeway to experiment and try different ways of achieving your aims, and I just enjoy playing the games enough on a mechanical level that going back for another run doesn't bother me too much - although, as you say, some of PD's more sensitive missions can get frustrating. The levels aren't really so big as to require quicksaving (maybe 5-10mins for most GE007 levels, 10-15 for most PD) and I find it raises the stakes and makes it a bit more tense by forcing you to start again. Horses for courses, though.
 
Coreda

Coreda

Member
GRIZZMEISTER said:
Many people find the weak link of attempting to game on the N64...is the system's controller which has an analog stick that wears out so quickly.
Click to expand...

Am I the only one who has never had their stick break? I had friends who wore theirs out quickly but in 10+ years both my well-used controllers are in pretty great condition.
 
R

Ramune

Member
nkarafo said:
Or you can use the "solitare" option and it doesn't have to be reversed anymore. You move with the D-Pad and you aim with the stick. Exactly like WASD and mouse.
Click to expand...

I was more of a "Turok" style guy myself. C-buttons to move, stick to aim. Then again, Turok was my first N64 shooter, so that's what I tended to choose. ;)
 
C

Coda

Member
My favorite N64 game is probably Star Fox 64.

But Mischief Makers had me going for hours and was an atypical N64 game.

mischief-makers-theo-kidnap.jpg
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Shadow Hog said:
I moved to Perfect Dark pretty much immediately after beating Goldeneye, enjoying the latter a lot more than I'd anticipated I would. I just couldn't get into the single-player for PD, though. MP was miles better, but I was quickly getting fed up with constantly failing critical objectives for not doing everything exactly perfectly, or not knowing exactly where to go within a tight time limit (well, amply generous if you do know where to go; tight if you don't).

It's basically Trial-and-Error: the FPS. And that'd be fine, since a lot of FPS titles are like that - except most of those games have quicksave, which the N64 couldn't realistically do. Restarting the entire level for messing up gets kinda aggravating after a while, IMO.
Click to expand...

Goldeneye and Perfect Dark do their mission objectives the exact same way, except that PD gives you better help towards exactly what they are -- some Goldeneye ones are very confusing, more so than anything in PD. So yeah, no. In both story and mission objectives PD is a strong improvement over PD. The same goes for options, graphics, modes, and pretty much everything else, too...
 
K

-KRS-

Member
Speaking of those games. I recently played both Goldeneye and Perfect Dark on the hardest difficulty because I rarely did that in the past and thought it'd be fun to complete them on hard. Goldeneye I could sort of manage at least for a few levels but man, Perfect Dark kicked my ass. Couldn't even finish the first level lol. Always got my ass handed to me down in the lobby.

The auto-aim "box" becomes ridiculously small on Perfect Agent. You basically can't rely on it at all because by the time it has activated and started tracking an enemy he has likely already shot you. You have to aim manually most of the time. And since I have those new third party analog sticks it gets even harder to aim properly. Enemies also react MUCH quicker, with way better aim, and seems to use animations that are faster to perform more often than not.

Gave me much more respect for that Perfect Agent speedrun. It's really insane when you think about how hard it actually is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-THNPs-RXg
 
X

xandaca

Member
synt4x said:
Speaking of those games. I recently played both Goldeneye and Perfect Dark on the hardest difficulty because I rarely did that in the past and thought it'd be fun to complete them on hard. Goldeneye I could sort of manage at least for a few levels but man, Perfect Dark kicked my ass. Couldn't even finish the first level lol. Always got my ass handed to me down in the lobby.

The auto-aim "box" becomes ridiculously small on Perfect Agent. You basically can't rely on it at all because by the time it has activated and started tracking an enemy he has likely already shot you. You have to aim manually most of the time. And since I have those new third party analog sticks it gets even harder to aim properly. Enemies also react MUCH quicker, with way better aim, and seems to use animations that are faster to perform more often than not.

Gave me much more respect for that Perfect Agent speedrun. It's really insane when you think about how hard it actually is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-THNPs-RXg
Click to expand...

It takes away all the useful exploits from GoldenEye too, like enemies being able to shoot you through windows, over the scenery and at close range. As ever, you learn to handle it after a while, particularly ducking behind corners until an enemy has completed his shooting animation, then popping back out and killing him. The reduced auto-aim is annoying though, as it emphasizes the inflexibility of the analogue + c-buttons for aiming. By no means unworkable, but given PD's willingness to fail you on certain missions for not killing a guard before an alarm is set off (or other variations), undeniably annoying.

The main difference, for me, between GE and PD's single player modes is that PD is much more story-driven and GE is more unashamedly gamey. By that I mean, GE has fewer mechanics, but each is much more nuanced, particularly in the stealth system. PD is a technical masterpiece, allowing you to shoot guns out of enemies' hands, shoot out the lights in a room, every gun has a secondary function, etc., although none of these are developed far beyond their initial use. Where GE is immersive through encouraging players to test the boundaries of its mechanics and relatively open level design, PD's immersion is built around putting each level in a more keenly felt narrative context and giving you a staggering diversity of situations and toys to play with, albeit within a fairly narrow framework. There's no question its multiplayer is far and away the better of the two - although that framerate, ouch - but I'd argue in SP, it lacks any levels as ingeniously constructed as Facility, Frigate, Bunker II, Control or Aztec.

For synt4x: a cheap and easy way of clearing the downstairs lobby on Perfect Agent is to let the programmer ('password problem') run away and follow him to a secret room where you can get a laptop gun. After descending to the lobby, throw it down the stairs as a sentry gun and watch it do the work for you. Alternately, either use the bulletproof lift doors as cover (ducking in and out for quick kills), or break the glass in front of you when you exit the lift and drop down to the ground floor, giving you more room to manoeuvre and divide the guards up a bit.
 
K

-KRS-

Member
Oh I didn't know about the laptop gun. That will make it much easier for sure. Thanks. I guess the secret room is the one on the end of the corridor by the stairwell and elevator that is locked normally? I always just ran up to him instead of letting him run away.

And yes, the fact that enemies can see you through guardrails, fences, scenery, glass etc makes it much harder because you can't cheese it like in Goldeneye by hiding behind the corner of a guardrail or something.

Enemies can also take ridiculous amounts of damage from some weapons on Perfect Agent. Like the CMP150 sub machine gun kills enemies with one bullet on Agent but they can take like 6-7 bullets sometimes on Perfect Agent unless you get a headshot.
 
S

Shadow Hog

Member
A Black Falcon said:
Goldeneye and Perfect Dark do their mission objectives the exact same way, except that PD gives you better help towards exactly what they are -- some Goldeneye ones are very confusing, more so than anything in PD. So yeah, no. In both story and mission objectives PD is a strong improvement over PD. The same goes for options, graphics, modes, and pretty much everything else, too...
Click to expand...
Bullshit. I know what I played, and I stand by everything I said. Started getting annoyed with the game at Area 51, where I had to bomb a wall, change into an outfit and find a certain room within a time limit with nary an indication to where that room was. Had to do that mission a good ten times before I finally got everything. I then officially dropped the game at the plane stage immediately after, where I used some kind of drone to try and scout the stage out ahead of time, only to immediately fail the mission when I put the drone away (didn't even get a chance to move - it just failed me on the spot).

And all of this was on the easiest difficulty setting. On Easy, you can basically just plow through Goldeneye. Failing stealth generally just means a lot of enemies will indefinitely spawn to swarm you; you can generally still run through it and succeed the mission. Perfect Dark ain't havin' none o' dat shit. You're spotted? Screw you, game over.
 
K

-KRS-

Member
Hmm. I don't remember having much difficulties on easy, although I will say that Area 51 is usually where I stop playing for the day. I also don't remember the drone thing you're talking about. If I remember correctly it's the Air Base level that comes after Area 51, right? You simply need to get a disguise in the beginning. Just run over to the cave on the opposite side of where you start the mission and there will be a flight attendant there. Take her and the guards out using the crossbow with a sedative bolt (which is the standard bolt).

The drone you're talking about is probably the DrugSpy. You don't need to use it on the level at all, at least not on Agent difficulty. Probably what happened is that while you were busy with the drone, the flight attendant walked past the point of where you could intercept her without anyone noticing and therefore the mission failed.

Edit: Also, regarding the mission objectives being confusing. The briefing before starting the mission explains what needs to be done and also gives tips etc. That info is more informative and usefull in PD compared to GE where the descriptions sometimes are very vague. Maybe that's what A Black Falcon meant?
 
S

Shadow Hog

Member
Probably is what he meant, but I don't think that really invalidates my experiences like he was arguing it does.

And no, I didn't need to use it, but Area 51 had me so tired of failing while trying to figure the level layout out that I should scope it out in advance. I wasn't expecting to fail because of it. Whether that's because I missed the "oh yeah you have to catch this specific woman before she walks beyond a point of no return" in the briefing or not, I can't say anymore - this was years ago.

I do intend to go back and beat it at some point, but I haven't yet bought a new Expansion Pak for my RGB-modded N64 (last N64 was my sister's, and I don't intend to steal her Expansion Pak because she owns Majora's Mask, which requires it).
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Shadow Hog said:
Bullshit. I know what I played, and I stand by everything I said. Started getting annoyed with the game at Area 51, where I had to bomb a wall, change into an outfit and find a certain room within a time limit with nary an indication to where that room was. Had to do that mission a good ten times before I finally got everything. I then officially dropped the game at the plane stage immediately after, where I used some kind of drone to try and scout the stage out ahead of time, only to immediately fail the mission when I put the drone away (didn't even get a chance to move - it just failed me on the spot).

And all of this was on the easiest difficulty setting. On Easy, you can basically just plow through Goldeneye. Failing stealth generally just means a lot of enemies will indefinitely spawn to swarm you; you can generally still run through it and succeed the mission. Perfect Dark ain't havin' none o' dat shit. You're spotted? Screw you, game over.
Click to expand...
In the first mission of Goldeneye, you have to bungie jump off the dam... except the game doesn't really make what you're supposed to do clear, doesn't make it obvious where you're supposed to go, and doesn't clearly tell you what to do when you're there, either. I remember being stuck on that for quite a while when I first played the game! I don't remember anything in PD being that annoying. And there were many moments later in GE which were no better. Have you played GE more times so you forget what it's like?

But yes, both games have mission objectives. This is a good thing, not a bad thing -- it's the thing that distinguishes the games from other FPSes from the time, and it's one of the things that makes them better than most of them. If you're suggesting that somehow having mission objectives beyond "kill all the enemies and get to point X" -- that is, a FPS which actually requires at least a little bit of thought and effort -- is somehow a bad thing, then all I can do is disagree with you very strongly. GE and PD, and PD especially because it's improved all around over GE, are better games because of their mission-based design. It makes them more interesting than the average FPS. Sure some things in both games require practice, but that's how videogames are. You seem to be saying that making the game better made it worse, and yeah, I definitely do not agree!

xandaca said:
It takes away all the useful exploits from GoldenEye too, like enemies being able to shoot you through windows, over the scenery and at close range. As ever, you learn to handle it after a while, particularly ducking behind corners until an enemy has completed his shooting animation, then popping back out and killing him. The reduced auto-aim is annoying though, as it emphasizes the inflexibility of the analogue + c-buttons for aiming. By no means unworkable, but given PD's willingness to fail you on certain missions for not killing a guard before an alarm is set off (or other variations), undeniably annoying.

The main difference, for me, between GE and PD's single player modes is that PD is much more story-driven and GE is more unashamedly gamey. By that I mean, GE has fewer mechanics, but each is much more nuanced, particularly in the stealth system. PD is a technical masterpiece, allowing you to shoot guns out of enemies' hands, shoot out the lights in a room, every gun has a secondary function, etc., although none of these are developed far beyond their initial use. Where GE is immersive through encouraging players to test the boundaries of its mechanics and relatively open level design, PD's immersion is built around putting each level in a more keenly felt narrative context and giving you a staggering diversity of situations and toys to play with, albeit within a fairly narrow framework. There's no question its multiplayer is far and away the better of the two - although that framerate, ouch - but I'd argue in SP, it lacks any levels as ingeniously constructed as Facility, Frigate, Bunker II, Control or Aztec.
Click to expand...
I've never understood why Goldeneye fans over-rate the game so much... I know a lot of people have nostalgia for it, but other than that and that people like Bond, I can't think of any reasons to prefer GE, not one. PD has more modes, bots in multiplayer, more maps, better graphics, more variety, a much better story (GE's was quite poorly done and presumes that you have seen the movie, which I had not when I first played the game in '00 I think it was), etc etc. I thought GE was okay when I played it, but immediately liked PD a lot more after getting the game in late '01, and that impression has held up. The N64 may be my favorite console, but the Goldeneye adoration is one thing I do not share, that's for sure. It's a good game, yes, but it's no Perfect Dark.

I mean, looking at your description there, you mention lots of ways that PD improved over GE, but the only real thing you've got the other way is "I like GE's more open levels more"... and I guess they sometimes are more open, but not always. So you might have part of a point there, about there being a personal opinion element, but I honestly think that that's probably more nostalgia than objective comparison of the two level design styles... PD might be a bit more focused, but I think you overstate how big the difference is, other than that PD's are better put together and definitely do have much improved narrative to them (given how badly done the story is in GE). You also quite exaggerate how much GE "encourages the player to test the boundaries of its mechanics" compared to PD... yeah, no, PD does everything GE does there and better, except for maybe having fewer open-ended level designs. And on that note, I strongly prefer PD's level design style to GE's.
 
S

Shadow Hog

Member
A Black Falcon said:
But yes, both games have mission objectives. This is a good thing, not a bad thing -- it's the thing that distinguishes the games from other FPSes from the time, and it's one of the things that makes them better than most of them. If you're suggesting that somehow having mission objectives beyond "kill all the enemies and get to point X" -- that is, a FPS which actually requires at least a little bit of thought and effort -- is somehow a bad thing, then all I can do is disagree with you very strongly. GE and PD, and PD especially because it's improved all around over GE, are better games because of their mission-based design. It makes them more interesting than the average FPS. Sure some things in both games require practice, but that's how videogames are. You seem to be saying that making the game better made it worse, and yeah, I definitely do not agree!
Click to expand...
Where on Earth are you getting that from? I'm not complaining about having objectives at all; I was complaining about bullshit instant-fail mission conditions, which are very different from your "I can't find the exit" Dam example. Goldeneye has them too, but only in the harder difficulties as I recall.

What I was saying was that, despite both games trying to be some kind of stealth-FPS scenario, on the easiest difficulty setting, Goldeneye punishes failed stealth by summoning hordes of mooks to kill - you can still fight through, get the mission objectives done and finish the level in spite of the added difficulty - while Perfect Dark flat out says "yeah you can't finish the level now, go replay the whole damn thing". You keep saying this is better - how in God's name is it?
 
S

SKINNER!

Banned
Woo! Got a boxed PAL copy of Conker's Bad Fur Day and Super Smash Bros coming. Can't wait to try them out.

Btw, probably a long shot but does anyone know where I can find a microphone clip for the n64? Like the one that came with Hey You Pikachu?
 
T

Teknoman

Member
GRIZZMEISTER said:
The fact that CRT TV's aren't being manufactured anymore has essentially rendered the actual N64 hardware obsolete. However, some of the better titles in the console's library like F-Zero X, Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros. and Wave Race 64 can still be enjoyed via emulation thanks to the Wii's Virtual Console service.
Click to expand...

Putting forth a case like that makes all systems that perform better on CRT obsolete.
 
Z

zephervack

Member
Hey guys, so recently knowing about the existence of the everdrive, im getting pretty excited about setting up my Nintendo 64.

I have vaguely heard about RGB mods and upscalers etc, but I honestly dont have any idea what is the best way to play games on my HDTV.

I read this http://retrorgb.com/displayrgb.html but im still lost.

What do you guys recommend, is an RGB mod enough? whats the best option to play N64 in an HDTV?
 
L

Later Alligator

Member
i grabbed an n64 at a garage sale recently, and was playing some goldeneye last night. much harder then i remember!

graphics look alright, better then i thought they would, considering im playing on a new LED tv. the brightness was all wonky so i had to jack that up a bit though

things like zelda, mario, mario kart, etc.. still all play great
 
Z

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
zephervack said:
Hey guys, so recently knowing about the existence of the everdrive, im getting pretty excited about setting up my Nintendo 64.

I have vaguely heard about RGB mods and upscalers etc, but I honestly dont have any idea what is the best way to play games on my HDTV.

I read this http://retrorgb.com/displayrgb.html but im still lost.

What do you guys recommend, is an RGB mod enough? whats the best option to play N64 in an HDTV?
Click to expand...

Well, you'll need an upscaler as well, like the xrgb mini. GAF has an upscaler thread you should check out.
 
Z

zephervack

Member
ZealousD said:
Well, you'll need an upscaler as well, like the xrgb mini. GAF has an upscaler thread you should check out.
Click to expand...

So to explain like im 5.

The solution is...

1) RGB mod the system. (amplify signal)
2) Connect N64 using S-Video to Upscaler?? (this is where I get lost, he keeps talking about SCART cables yet none of his guides say how he gets SCART out of a NTSC N64)
3) Connect Upscaler to TV using the best output it has
 
S

Shadow Hog

Member
S-Video can't carry RGB, so if you just want S-Video, don't bother with the mod.

RGB comes out of the same video output port that RF, Composite and S-Video does (separate pins, but still), even on NTSC-U units that never had cables to tap said pins. So, basically, you just buy an RGB cable that's got SCART on one end and the standard SNES/N64 video connector on the other. Simple enough.
 
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