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Cube

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Everything posted by Cube

  1. Xbox Series S | X Console Discussion

    Microsoft will probably officially announce the next Series X hardware revision (the one with no disc) at the same time.
  2. Power League 64 JP release: 8th August 1997 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Hudson Publisher: Hudson N64 Magazine Score: 42% I had no idea that the Japanese loved American baseball so much, but this is the third Japan-exclusive game on the N64. This one has a more “realistic” art style, but the lack of faces make the players look absolutely horrific. Control is similar to the previous baseball games, except this time the batter has no aiming reticule, so you have no idea how close you were to hitting. When fielding, you also need to move your players more, although throwing to the bases is a nightmare as it never goes to the person you want it to go to. I did learn something about baseball from this game: seemingly a big part of the game is the pitcher deliberately throwing an “out” ball, as if the batter swings, it doesn’t count as out. The CPU in this game loves doing difficult shots as it knows about the lack of depth perception in a video game, and the minute screen space between in and out. If you do manage to hit the ball, the CPU fielders will catch it most of the time, so it doesn’t really matter much, while the CPU will manage to fill the bases and then get a home run. It’s a miserable experience. There is a mode that I thought could help practicing batting. It’s a home run competition where you try batting 10 times to get as many home runs as possible – except that this is completely unlike batting in the real game as it’s easy to hit the ball and you seem to get a home run every time you hit it. Remake or remaster? It’s a bad sports game, so doesn’t really need anything. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Power League 64
  3. Xbox Series S | X Console Discussion

    For me, it's Xbox or nothing. I'm not sure if the PS5 will ever get a price drop to a place where I can afford it. If there's no Series S equivalent next generation, I'll likely be shifting to getting second hand consoles when the generation after releases.
  4. Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon JP release: 7st August 1997 NA release: 16th April 1998 PAL release: 18th April 1998 Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami N64 Magazine Score: 90% I remember seeing the scores for Mystical Ninja in N64 magazine, but it didn’t seem like my kind of game. I was very wrong about that – Goemon’s first N64 game is kind of a hybrid of Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, mixed with edo era Japan and a gloriously absurd plot of musical performers trying to turn Japan into their stage. The game starts out in a Zelda-style town, but what’s impressive is that this is from before Ocarina of Time. You can swap between Goemon and Ebisumaru (plus more you meet along the way) at any time, each with their own set of weapons and abilities. These are uses sparingly throughout the game, so for the most part you can play as who you prefer. Connecting each town is a large overworld with some nice locations. The first one I encountered brought back strong childhood memories as I recognised the music from Krazy Konami Racers, but the rest of the music in the game is also great, with lots of great tracks throughout the game. I was bopping my head to quite a lot of the music which mixes classical and modern instrument sounds. Dungeons also play a big part in the game. While there are map/compass items to collect and keys to find, they’re a lot more platform-oriented than Zelda dungeons. One downside is the game’s camera (which can be turned holding R and using the c-buttons), but it’s something you get used to. While there are some bottomless pits, other areas just have you fall to a section where you work your way back – although one handy thing is that there’s no fall damage. There’s also a variety of other sections, including multiple giant robot boss fights, which treat you to a song each time you use your giant robot, Impact. Each starts off with an arcade-style section to build up your health and ammo before taking a first person perspective as you shoot and punch your opponent. It’s a lot of fun, although they do become more frustrating the longer they go on. Goemon is an incredibly charming game that’s still a ton of fun to play. Some of the puzzles do have a sign flat out telling you what to do, although these mainly relate to Ebisumaru’s camera item, which reveals hidden things, so I would probably get stuck without being reminded that the object exists. Even with that, the main story is amusingly silly and the game likes throwing new things at you. It’s a great game. Remake or remaster? An updated version of Mystical Ninja would be great, with a better camera and fine tuned controls. A bit of extra side content would also be welcome. And perhaps a quest log as instructions are a but unclear at times. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon.
  5. Mahjong Road 64 JP release: 25th July 1997 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Art Publisher: Video System N64 Magazine Score: 69% Original name: Jangou Simulation Mahjong Michi 64 The N64’s third Mahjong game and I’m running out out of things to say about Mahjong. The interface improves a little bit over Mahjong 64, but still isn’t as clear as Mahjong Masters. The main mode of Mahjong Road 64 is a competition where players are racing to be the first to earn 10 million G form playing Mahjong. You select from a pool of 16 anime-style characters and chose locations and characters to complete against until you earn enough money. It’s quite freeform in that you can choose who to play against. Another mode I’ve not seen is a 2-player mode (still only against an AI) on top of the traditional 4 player Mahjong, so it’s a bit of variety. You can change a few settings and one nice thing is you get a close up of the winning hand at the end of a round. Remake or Remaster? Another Mahjong game with nothing particularly special. Other options exists. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Mahjong Road 64 --- Mahjong Drifters Chronicles Classic JP release: 1st August 1997 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Alpha Unit Publisher: Imagineer N64 Magazine Score: N/A Original name: Mahjong Horoki Classic Right after Mahjong Road 64 is yet another Mahjong Game. However, this one is a little bit more interesting as it’s a visual novel as well as a Mahjong game. For the core UI, it’s nice that the tiles are more 3D, and it’s the second best interface after Mahjong Masters. You can play matches on their own or as part of the story. When I first booted up the game, I was quite baffled. The music on the menu, as well as the sepia-tone drawing of a woman made me think of old, seedy bars. Turns out that they managed to nail the atmosphere of the game with just the simple menu because that’s exactly where the game it set: in gambling dens in Japan just after WWII. Surprisingly, the game starts with a content warning saying that the game is set in the “chaotic period of the war” and that “there may be some areas in which the methods of copying and expression do not fit in with modern conventional wisdom”. Mahjong Drifters Chronicles is based on a novel (which previously had a film adaptation) by Takehiro Irokawa, and is based on his own past. The short version: After struggling to make ends meet working in a factory post-WWII, Boyatetsu (a fictional name, but based on Irokawa) ends up getting involved in Mahjong gambling dens and getting addicted to meth. It’s a brutal story as he tries to quit and make a life for himself (the real person eventually straightened out after getting a job for a newspaper). Throughout the story, you have to play mahjong, ensuring you don’t run out of money. There is also a “cheaters” mode. Here you learn specific tricks as you play and unlock passcodes for certain tricks which can be used in the story more. This mimics a way of cheating in Mahjong done by stacking the tiles in a certain way to ensure you have a strong starting hand, but now this issue is solved by shorting machines. As far as the Mahjong games on the N64, this is quite fascinating due to being based on a novel and featuring a grim story. Remake or Remaster? Out of all the Mahjong games, this one is probably worth a re-release in Japan for the unique story. It probably wouldn’t sell well enough for an official translation. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Mahjong Drifter Chronicles Classic
  6. MRC: Multi-Racing Championship JP release: 18th July 1997 NA release: 4th September 1997 PAL release: October 1997 Developer: Genki Publisher: Imagineer (JP) / Ocean (NA/PAL) N64 Magazine Score: 71% If you need to explain your acronym in the title of the game, don’t use an acronym. “Multi-Racing Championship” is fine on its own. This game has an interesting review history in N64 Magazine as they gave it an impressive 81% in their import review but then dropped to 71% for the UK review, stating that it scored high simply for being first (that wasn’t Crusi’n USA). In their directory towards the end of the magazine, it dropped even more to a 1/5. I can see why. The core racing mechanics of Multi-Racing Championship are decent, with a focus on tracks with different routes, one off-road and one for sports cars, and decent handling. The tracks themselves have a lot of variation within themselves, too. It still very much an arcade racer as it has the really annoying timer and checkpoint system and you start in last place with other racers far ahead of you. The major issue with the game is the amount of tracks. I’ve shown three screenshots so far, which encapsulate all the tracks in the game. Yup, there are only three tracks in the game. You can unlock backwards versions of the tracks, but that’s it. Winning is also down more to car choice. Pick the Kingroader (which actually has “This car is the best car” written on the side, which probably wasn’t readable on the N64) and you’ll breeze the medium and hard tracks – indecently, the first track (labelled “easy”) is actually the most difficult. There are a couple of cars to unlock, but there’s not much reason for doing so when there are only three tracks. This definitely had the advantage of being the first on the system and for taking advantage of the analogue stick, but throughout the N64’s life, racing games evolved a lot. Remake or Remaster? The concept of the game is worth revisiting. A rating game with different routes for different vehicles. They could even add additional options, perhaps a more dangerous route for motorbikes. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get MRC: Multi-Racing Championship
  7. Star Trek Masturbatathon

    https://roddenberry.x.io/ The Roddenberry Archive is back, you can walk around digital recreations of a load of bridges (plus the Promenade/Quarks from DS9).
  8. Dark Rift NA release: 8th July 1997 PAL release: 30th July 1997 JP release: 27th March 1998 Developer: Kronos Publisher: Vic Tokai N64 Magazine Score: 69% The N64’s early life was filled with disappointing arcade ports, but Dark Rift was the N64’s first fighting game that was specifically created from the ground up for it, so you would expect this to be more suited for home consoles, building upon what Killer Instinct Gold did. Unfortunately, this is another bare bones fighting game. One thing that did impress me with the game was how well the flat square round and the 2D backdrop merged together, creating a more fluid looking environment – even if it made the levels feel like they took place far away from the distant objects. You have tournament mode and practice, and that’s it. The practice mode is also more basic than Killer Instinct. The characters aren’t very memorable, but also aren’t as dreadful as War Gods, with a few interesting ideas. The actual fighting has special moves, which are often slow-moving projectiles which can be easily avoided by dodging (while the game never brags about being 3D, it works similar to War Gods). The main trick seems to be the c-buttons and mashing these and blocking at the right times seems to be the way to win. While incredibly bare bones, this is slightly better than War Gods simply due to the characters being fine. For something specifically built for consoles rather than arcade, it still feels like just another poor arcade port. Remake or Remaster? It doesn’t really deserve anything. Pico Interactive own the license, so that ensures we won’t get more than a terrible re-release. Official ways to get the game. Dark Rift is available on GOG and Steam, however reports from players indicate that it doesn’t run on Windows 10 or 11.
  9. Mischief Makers JP release: 27th June 1997 NA release: 1st October 1997 PAL release: 12th December 1997 Developer: Treasure Publisher: Enix (JP) / Nintendo (NA/PAL) N64 Magazine Score: 90% Mischief Makers is a 2D platformer from respected developers Treasure. It received glowing reviews for its originality, including a 90% from N64 magazine. Unfortunately, the game didn’t click with me, but I can definitely see why people would love it. Mischief Makers is made up of lots of short platforming levels, each one focusing one a single gimmick. What’s impressive is that these levels are extremely varied and feel unique. The main move that levels are based on are Marina’s ability to grab and shake objects – mainly NPCs, enemies and balls. These will cause various actions that you need to figure out how to use to progress. There’s also a secret gem hidden in each level that’s very difficult to find, unlocking the final cutscene if you get them all. The biggest issue I had with the game was the controls. Most of Marina’s movement abilities are performed by double tapping the D-pad. At first, I praised the game because the c-buttons were used as shortcuts to these abilities, providing a great extra way to perform these abilities, but then discovered that the c-button versions are less effective than tapping the d-pad, which is probably why I struggled with some basic jumps. I would love to see an updated re-release of Mischief Makers, making the c-buttons function the same as double-tapping the d-pad, plus higher details sprites. The game definitely deserves a new version. Remake or Remaster? A remake would be great. The game still feels unique and a new version would be lovely. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Mischief Makers.
  10. The graphics are certainly higher detail, but the change to "realistic" graphics makes it look lifeless, muted and lacking in colour. Something closer to the original style in higher detail would have been so much better.
  11. Hexen NA release: 25th June 1997 PAL release: 1st December 1997 JP release: 19th December 1997 Developer: Raven Software, Software Creations Publisher: GT Interactive N64 Magazine Score: 69% The N64 version of Hexen was very similar to the PC version, just with slightly different textures, so to play this I used a fan made updated PC version that, when testing out both for a bit, faithfully ports the game with the same feel, but with nicer textures (although I think I went a bit too far in choosing a version with textures as different as this). The blockiness is still there so it doesn’t impact the level design in any way, and I like giving games the best chance to impress me. Hexen is a sequel to Raven Soft’s previous game Heretic (although there’s also a Hertic 2 and Hexen 2 for added name confusion – no wonder they later worked on the Jedi Knight games). It takes the DOOM engine and stretches it to its max to create a more RPG-like fantasy first person melee/shooter game. You can look up and down and jump, so small walls are no longer an impassable obstacle. As a result, it feels much more suited to the N64 than DOOM did, although this is just the PC game with no new levels (there was an added deathmatch option, though). The biggest difference between DOOM and Hexic is the level design. The levels in Hexic are mini worlds, each having their own hub area which you’ll keep coming back to after exploring the various parts of the level. For the most part, beating a level involves hitting lots of hidden switches, but navigating around is a puzzle in itself. Unfortunately, most of this is just wandering around looking for keys and switches, then looking back to try and find what the switches do. The levels are very maze-like and you’ll end up going round in circles and backtracking a lot. At the start of the game, you can choose a character class: Fighter, Cleric or Mage. They have different strengths and weaknesses, but the biggest thing is the weapons, as each has four unique weapons. This would work if there were also some shared weapons as well, but no – in each playthrough, you’ll only encounter four weapons. For the fighter, that includes his fists. It means that in a single play of the game, there isn’t much variety in shooting the hoards of enemies. Hexen has a lot of interesting features, but it’s massively let down by an overreliance on having to look everywhere for buttons to press, along with limited weapon choice in each playthrough. Remake or Remaster? An official remaster similar to the version I played would be great. Perhaps throw in some hints or something, though. Official ways to get the game The PC version is available on GOG, the graphical mod is from ModDB.
  12. Another rumour is Sonic Generations. I'd expect nothing more than the PC version ported to newer systems. Perhaps a few costumes so they can sell a "deluxe edition".
  13. SimCopter 64 (Prototype) PAL release: N/A NA release: N/A JP release: N/A Developer: Maxis Publisher: EA N64 Magazine Score: N/A In my previous looks at franchises, I noted all cancelled games. Due to the amount of N64 games, I will be just looking at playable prototypes, the first of which is SimCopter 64, which was playable at E3 1997. It was planned to work as a standalone title, but would be compatible in some way with SimCity 2000, SimCity 64 and Mario Artist (all ended up being Japan-only games), although none of that was ever integrated. In this prototype, you fly around as you please and can help sort out emergencies such as traffic jams and speeding cars (the full game would have had more, like the PC version). These are solved by hovering your spotlight on the cars and pressing a “shout” button. You get money for completing these tasks (there’s a sound effect but no HUD display). You can also get out of the helicopter and walk around. In both flight and on the ground, none of the buildings have collision, so you go straight through them. The city looks nice, but draw distance is very low. It’s very likely that this was adapted into the free roam aspect of SimCity 64, which was from a first person view. Footage from a later build has been see, but this is just a few seconds of footage and the build itself hasn’t been shared. This version has some text explaining what to do, a HUD showing health and money and has collisions. SimCopter 64 is an impressive early demo of a 3D city on the N64, but I don’t think it would have performed well on the platform. Should it be finished? SimCopter was released on PC with better integration and better graphics, and other elements were likely reused in the 64DD SimCity, so there’s no reason to see the finished version of this. That said, I would be much more interested in SimCity if minigames like this were part of the package.
  14. @Dcubed Embracer also own Asmodee, a board game company that owns the majority of the modern board game market. Edit: for a view of their size, they were purchased for over $3 billion.
  15. That's a wonderful write-up @Dcubed. You certainly know these football games a lot more than I do. I already feel like your post about ISS 98 will absolutely dwarf what I have to say about it. You're also probably going to hate what I have to say about FIFA Road to World Cup 98 (I think it's down to the more arcade-like nature of that game for me, before FIFA went on to try and move closer to ISS, but not being as good at it). It seems like some of these sports games haven't so much as evolved, but rather changed completely over time. I do think it would be neat to see some games like this to get a "remaster" of sorts, an updated version running on modern hardware. We got NHL '94 Rewind in 2020 and then that was it.
  16. International Superstar Soccer 64 PAL release: 1st June 1997 NA release: 22nd August 1997 JP release: 18th September 1997 Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami N64 Magazine Score: 92% The international version of J.League Perfect Striker was a brand that has changed over time International Superstar Soccer later became Pro Evolution Soccer and its reputation has decreased over time. For the N64, though, ISS64 was lightyears ahead of FIFA 64. While the latter is clunky and broken, ISS64 is a joy to play. The biggest let-down with ISS64 is the teams. In this, you only have access to International squads, all with slightly odd names due to not having licensing (although FIFA 64 never told you who you were controlling anyway). You can still play matches, leagues and tournaments, along with a practice mode and 16 scenarios to play though, so there’s still a lot more to do. But it all comes down to the gameplay, and that’s where ISS64 shines. Passing feels spot on, especially the running pass where you kick the ball ahead of the next player, so they’re running forward to catch it. Basic moves are on the main buttons while more advanced ones are on the c-buttons, so everything works really well. The key thing about it is how it’s very tactics-based, you need to plan your lines of attack up the pitch, rather than trying to just run down the middle. While FIFA 64 has the appeal of playing as league teams, ISS 64 is just a much, much nicer game to play. Remake or Remaster? Konami definitely need to look back at this before proceeding with the mess that is “eFootball”. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get ISS64
  17. War Gods NA release: 20th May 1997 PAL release: 28th November 1997 JP release: N/A Developer: Eurocom Publisher: Midway (US) / GT Interactive (PAL) N64 Magazine Score: 46% Mortal Kombat in 3D was the big advertising for War Gods, with lots and lots of emphasis on the 3D. War Gods does not feel like a 3D game at all, though, with “3D” movement being relegated to holding a button and just being nothing more than a basic dodge. In terms of fighting, War Gods is the kind of game that I can do alright at. This is probably a bad sign for the game, as I’m dreadful at combinations and I’m what people call a “button masher”. I found a few cheap tricks that seemed to work to get through the game. Each character seems to have an annoying “trap” move. Characters make or break a game like this and War Gods has such an immensely dull cast. For the most part, they’re loosely based on ransom cultural gods or stereotypes and have none of their own personality, with a robot and a few scantily clad women thrown in. None of the characters were someone I actually wanted to play as. War Gods is also incredibly light on modes. You start, pick a character then fight through all the other characters. Player 2 can take over these characters and that’s it. There’s no training or practice – there’s not even a versus mode where player 2 can choose their character. It’s an extremely bare bones arcade port of an extremely boring game. Remake or Remaster? Perhaps throw it in as a bonus in a Mortal Kombat collection? Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get War Gods.
  18. Borders all the way round for Nintendo-published games. Third party games tended to have the black bar on the right.
  19. I am looking forward to playing as much of I can of a certain prototype (although it's a while away yet) I do find it odd that they re-recoded all the lines for Star Fox 64 3D when fans were able to find uncompressed versions of the original. @darksnowman I think it's amusing that the PAL N64 box art features massive black borders, considering that was a common issue with PAL versions of games (which is why I'm mainly using US box art, the art covers the full box).
  20. Mahjong 64 JP release: 4th April 1997 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Chat Noir Publisher: Koei N64 Magazine Score: 65% The N64’s second Mahjong game. This one has you graduating a Mahjong school rather than competing against against increasingly skilled players. The defining feature for me are the immensely creepy skeletal hands that come and place the tiles. This massively slows down the game, but can be turned off. I found the interface of this one to be a lot less intuitive than Mahjong Masters, not showing you various options clearly. The modes are different ways to play mahjong: through a classroom, through tournaments or individual matches. The opponents don’t make any comments throughout the matches, though. The only additional mode is a quiz where you select mahjong tiles, which seems better than a multiple choice quiz. I didn’t like this as much as the previous Mahjong game due to the interface not being as clear, but perhaps the classroom story becomes more meaningful in Japanese. Remake or Remaster? Other Mahjong options exist already. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Mahjong 64 --- Also, as this entry was fairly dull and I won't be at a computer tomorrow Star Fox 64 / Lylat Wars JP release: 27th April 1997 NA release: 30th June 1997 PAL release: 4th October 1997 Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo N64 Magazine Score: 91% Star Fox 64 (or Lylat Wars as I knew it as a kid) is a fast-paced on-rails shooter made by Nintendo. The gameplay is extremely solid. Fox’s Awring has lasers that you can charge up for a lock-on, along with limited bombs. Movement is fast and precise and you can perform loops and barrel rolls – the latter reflects bullets. If you complete levels normally, you’ll go through a really fun route through the game. On top of the on-rails levels, you’ll also encounter “all range mode” where you can fly in 3D. These typically aren’t as “cinematic” as the on-rails levels, but still a lot of fun. Slippy will get attacked by one of the bosses and will crash land on a planet, here you get to use the Landmaster, a tank that is also really fun to use. You can hover temporally and barrel rolls will now move you across most of the screen. To get to the credits for the first time, Star Fox 64 is a very short game, but that’s because it’s made to be replayed for a high score, and because it’s so much fun, you don’t mind doing so, trying to get a higher score than last time – but that’s not all of it. Most missions in the game has a secret objective, complete this and you’ll get “Mission Accomplished” and to a different mission, the “hard route” will take you across some more challenging missions, although personally this is my least favourite route of the games – while all missions but one of the missions in Star Fox 64 are good, I do think these are some of the weaker ones, plus the one bad mission is in this route. The underwater level. It’s slow, plodding and is rather boring. The bombs are replaced with infinite torpedoes which also light up the way, because the level is also dark and dreary. This is easily the worst part of the game, but at least it’s just the one mission. Some of my favourite missions are in the middle, including the best all-range mission as you fight an Independence Day-style UFO and the second Landmaster tank mission as you chase a train. Once you’ve played all the levels, there are also gold medals to unlock, which are extremely difficult. A level select at this point would be nice so you wouldn’t have to work through previous levels, but it does provide something to work towards. Star Fox 64 is a incredibly fun game, and one you can just have a quick blast through every now and then. Remake or Remaster? A new home console remaster would be great – have options to toggle between N64 and 3DS graphics, music and voices (using the higher quality original recordings from the N64 version), some level select options, (perhaps with separate leaderboards for doing induvial levels), widescreen and things like that. Official ways to get the game There is no way to buy a new copy of Star Fox 64, the only official way to play is to rent it via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pak. Other versions Star Fox 64 3D The 3DS got a remake of Star Fox 64, with various enhancements. I personally think the graphics lack the charm of the original (especially the water on Corneria), and the new voice acting and music aren’t quite the same. Re-releases 2003: iQue 2007: Wii Virtual Console 2016: Wii U Virtual Console 2011: Star Fox 64 3D (remake, 3DS) 2021: Nintendo Switch Online (subscription only)
  21. @Dcubed I don't think you'll like one of my later reviews. DOOM 64 NA release: 4th April 1997 JP release: 1st August 1997 PAL release: 2nd December 1997 Developer: Midway Publisher: Midway (US) / Gamebank (JP) GT Interactive (PAL_ N64 Magazine Score: 77% A name like DOOM 64 gives the impression that this is a port of the popular DOOM – especially as the original game did get a lot of ports. However, this is a sequel to the first two DOOM games, featuring completely new models. I played the very faithful remaster from Nightdrive (it doesn’t add any gameplay features, just some optional extra levels), along with a mod that restored a few more minor things from the N64 game. As far as DOOM goes, this is considered to be a great version, with some refined gameplay and graphics. The levels focus more on puzzles and horror, although the “horror” is more just really dark levels (I ended up turning up the brightness to see) and the puzzles are a lot of pressing buttons and trying to figure out what part of the level changed. The soundtrack was also changed to a more ambient sound, so it lacks the rocking soundtrack of the original games. If this was a launch title on the N64, it would have been even more impressive. However, Turok beat this to be the first FPS on the N64 and DOOM 64 feels very flat in comparison. Very low walls blocking the player now seem much more ridiculous and it seems like you’re still playing on a 2D plane, even when some stuff is higher – you can’t look up or down, but bullets will automatically move upwards. For fans of DOOM, this version is definitely worth playing. However, the genre had evolved by the time it was released and this doesn’t do much to update the gameplay of DOOM. Remake or Remaster? The current remaster does a great job of making the game nicer to play without changing so much. Official ways to get the game. The DOOM 64 remaster is available on GOG, Steam, Xbox One/Series, Switch and PS4/5.
  22. It was even called "Human Grand Prix" in Japan. J.League Live 64 JP release: 28th March 1997 PAL release: N/A NA release: N/A Developer: EA Publisher: EA J.League Live 64 is essentially FIFA 64 for the Japanese J.League. However, it does have notable differences from the Western version of the game, the most obvious being far fewer teams as it’s just the one league. However, there are some improvements. The HUD is miles better, showing the score and the name of the current player you control. There is also some team management, so you can change your starting squad and make substitutions. The “GOAL” and similar text is also nice an colourful. The gameplay, however, feels even more broken than FIFA 64. Passing once again is often wrong, with your player passing behind you or even empty space. This time round, it doesn’t recognise you pressing the button half of the time. To counter this, the opponent AI is pretty terrible, and even set up a few shots for me by doing a lob from near the corner into their own box. Slowdown is also a worse problem, with the game chugging and then rapidly speeding up, leading to mistakes. This really is a terrible game. Remake or Remaster? This is an even worse version of FIFA 64, nobody needs reminding of that. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get J.League Live 64.
  23. Palworld

    It's strange seeing the same websites and social media accounts that complained about the likes of Alan Wake 2 and Hellblade 2 setting a "dangerous trend" go on to celebrate the success of an unfinished digital-only game (incidentally, Baldur's Gate 3 also tends to not get mentioned, despite it being an example to publishers that digital only can be a huge success). I also think that "Early Access" (or Game Preview) is a completely irrelevant designation. If a game is being sold, then it has been released and should be judged the same as any other game being sold (after all, the updates are just promises and not guaranteed). As for the game itself, it looks completely and utterly unappealing. Just seems like just another average game in a genre that itself is rather tedious, just endless grinding to be able to grind more. Its popularity seems to be entirely based on the Pokémon rip-off side of things.
  24. The second game makes that much clearer. They're making fun of him being useless, and then he accidentally strands them in another world and sets an apocalypse in motion. F1 Pole Position 64 JP release: 28th March 1997 PAL release: 1st October 1997 NA release: 15th October 1997 Developer: Human Publisher: Human (JP) / Ubisoft (NA/PAL) N64 Magazine Score: 71% A racing simulation game about Formula 1. This features real racers and tracks, and a lot of options in terms of customising your car. You can play through a entire Grand Prix (10 laps per race, with qualifiers to improve your start position), individual races or time trials. It was the N64’s first racing simulation game. The biggest problem with F1 Pole Position is the draw distance. You can never see much of the track, so you can’t see upcoming turns at all. It’s also very distracting as stands and buildings appear out of thin air. The up-close graphics are well-detailed for the N64, but it doesn’t mean much when it hampers the gameplay severely. To make matters worse, your icon on the minimap is not very clear and blurs in with all the others. The driving feels a bit sluggish and unresponsive, too. It doesn’t feel broken, it just isn’t a lot of fun. I’m not very familiar with the history of racing simulation games (all I know is that this was shortly before Gran Turismo), so I can’t comment on how this fared for the genre, but it’s not really a game that needs to be looked back upon. Remake or Remaster? Other F1 games have eclipsed this one. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get F1 Pole Position.
  25. Doraemon: Nobita and the Three Fairy Spirit Stones JP release: 21st March 1997 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Epoch Publisher: Epoch N64 Magazine Score: 60% Original Name: Doraemon: Nobita to Mittsu no Seireiseki Doraemon is a very popular anime/manga character. I’ve definitely seen the robo cat’s design before. The first N64 outing took inspiration from Super Mario 64 – to the point that multiple reviewers at the time suggested it was close enough for Nintendo’s lawyers to get involved. While it looks a bit like Super Mario 64 (especially the first level, with trees looking like they were stripped out), but it doesn’t play like Mario. Doraemon is a 3D platformer and is a lot like Mario, but different in many ways. You have access to five different characters (plus a bonus one after beating the game) – Doraemon himself and the kids he hangs out with. There’s a girl that jumps higher than the rest and throws bombs, there’s kid that looks like Tommy Pickles that punches and does more damage, while Doraemon has an arm cannon. Interestingly, the title character, Nobita, is just a poor gameplay clone of Doraemon, so there’s no reason to ever use him. You can swap between them at will, but the game never makes use of this mechanic. Then there’s the actual movement. Mario had a wide moveset, in Doraemon you have one kind of jump. It’s stiff and clunky and to make matters work, your character comes to a complete stop when you land. When the movement of a platforming game is dull, it makes the whole game dull. There are a few minigames thrown in, such as a racing game and a scrolling vertical shooter, but these are similarly boring to control. The story is something I had to rely on Google translate, which baffled me as the first line came out as “Is it coronavirus?”, it turned out that the King’s name is “Korona”. Anyway, an ancient danger has awoken, the princess is sent to get help from another world because Doraemon has a magical pocket. The pocket gets stolen, but you get it back early on, but the objects are missing. Oh, and there are some fairy stones that you also need to collect pieces off to defeat the ancient evil. The stones are simple, as they’re just at the end of levels, but the other objects are hidden in chests across the world. Some are optional, some are required, and you have to do some really random things for some, including repeating previous levels (but only some). Doraemon isn’t atrocious, there’s just nothing good about it. The levels all feel random with no stand out visual design to them, and the gameplay itself is just boring. Japanese speakers who are fans of the show might get something out of the (fairly generic) story and random objects (I’m just guessing that they might be references), but it would still be tedious to play through the game. Remake or Remaster? There isn’t much reason to play this game. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Doraemon
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