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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.

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".

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.

@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.

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.

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

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.

Borders all the way round for Nintendo-published games. Third party games tended to have the black bar on the right.

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).

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)

@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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Blast Corps JP release: 21st March 1997 NA release: 24th March 1997 PAL release: 22nd December 1997 Developer: Rare Publisher: Nintendo N64 Magazine Score: 88% This game takes a silly concept and just has a ton of fun with it. The story is simple: there is a nuclear missile being transported on an automated truck. The truck malfunctions and heads to a location in a straight line. If it collides with anything, it will explode. Your mission is to destroy everything in its path. I played this game as a kid but never got far due to the difficulty, but gave it a proper play a few years ago via Rare Replay and loved it. It was great giving it another blast for this. At its core, Blast Corps is an action-puzzle game. You have a limited time to destroy everything in the missile’s path (the game will highlight vital buildings), but while it starts off as simply ramming into everything, the game will introduce new elements in the way of different vehicles, using TNT for large buildings and also filling up gaps. Some levels are straightforward, while others will require you to explore the level to find the vehicles you need to proceed. The vehicles have a massive variety, with cars, weaponised bikes, dump trucks, various mechs and some with specific uses – such as the Sideswipe which shunts panels sideways or the Skyfall, which has a sturdy undercarriage that requires you to use jumps to land on buildings from above. Some of them – like cars and trains – aren’t used for damage, but more to solve puzzles and to get between different vehicles. Then there’s the Backlash. A dump truck that is the most difficult vehicle to use. When ramming, it does very little damage, instead, it causes damage by hitting stuff with the rear end – but reversing is too slow. You need to use its “slide” ability to drift the back of the truck into buildings, which is extremely difficult to get to grips with. I did get competent enough to get through the game, but I still didn’t enjoy it as much as other vehicles. Once you’ve cleared a path and beaten a level for the first time, you can return to complete the remaining objectives. With no timer, this part of the game is a welcome relaxation to contrast the frantic main mission. You need to demolish other buildings (the game claims you are rescuing survivors), activate little light bacons and search for beacons to unlock bonus missions. You also need to scour some of the levels for hidden scientists. One this is over, the game isn’t over. You can now try to unlock medals. The levels are restored and now you have to try and beat them as quick as possible (although the time from the first playthrough counts, so you don’t need to do it again if you were already fast enough), which unlocks a few bonus challenges across different planets. Blast Corps is immensely fun to play and there really hasn’t been anything like it since. It took a fun, simple concept and did a lot with it, focusing on the gameplay and enjoyment. There hasn’t been anything quite like it since it game out, and that’s a massive shame. While you can get the game on Rare Replay, Blast Corps definitely deserves a spruced up remaster. Remake or Remaster? A remaster would be great. Widescreen, some control options, framerate improvements and a few graphical touches. Perhaps include a “easy” option for the Backlash. A new game would also be lovely. Official ways to get the game. This is available via Rare Replay on Xbox One/Series.

Power Pros Baseball 4 JP release: 14th March 1997 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Diamond Head Publisher: Konami N64 Magazine Score: 54% Original Name: Jikkyō Pawapuro Puroyakyu 4 Another Japanese only baseball game, this time from the long running Power Pros series, with its bobblehead style design and rather charming graphics. I am vaguely familiar with this franchise due to a baseball player in this style appearing in the great Konami Krazy Racers on GBA. Right off the bat, this plays very much like King of Pro Baseball, aiming your bat with the analogue stick (although the cursor is much, much better) while the batter aims without a cursor. I could actually hit the ball much more, although not consistently enough to get a run. This isn’t helped by how great the computer is at fielding. Their fielders are extremely quick, so will get to your base to get your out, and that’s if they don’t catch is outright, which is a very common occurrence. I do wish these games had more practice modes where you could practice hitting as long as you want. One major feature of these games is one that has a bit too much text for me to keep up with: the success mode. This is a RPG-like mode where you pick choices for training and relaxing as you slowly become a successful baseball player. It was definitely an interesting mode, but one with a big translation barrier – for Japanese-speaking players, this is probably a great mode. Remake or Remaster? I don’t know enough about baseball games, but they are testing the waters with a new game. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Power Pros 4, although there is a current version of the game on PS4 and Switch for less than a quid (no RPG mode, though).

Yes, I enjoyed it a lot. Very cute and charming.

ISS isn't even the next football game in my list (but it's not long after that). Turok: Dinosaur Hunter PAL release: 4th March 1997 NA release: 4th March 1997 JP release: 30th May 1997 Developer: Iguana Publisher: Acclaim N64 Magazine Score: 91% The Nintendo 64’s first first person shooter is in some ways what you would expect from first person shooters in the early N64 days – something along the lines of Doom and Quake, but focusing a bit more on movement. I played this as a child but never got far, even using cheats I never quite understood what I was supposed to be doing. That’s because Turok isn’t just a shooter: it’s a platformer game where you have to find collectables. The version I’m playing is the remaster of the game – it still has the look and feel of the N64 game, but with a few improvements, the biggest one being fog. Due to the detail of the original game, the render distance was extremely low, so fog was added to hide the lack of level. The PC version moves the fog much further away – it doesn’t remove it completely as the levels were designed with the fog in mind, so you’d just see all the broken geometry the fog was removed completely. Even with the increased view, navigating the levels isn’t easy. They’re very maze-like and you get warped between different parts, with no reference point to help you get your bearings. It doesn’t help that the levels have little graphical variety within them. You’ll need to scour these levels in order to find keys to unlock later levels, so most of the game will be ambling around, fighting respawning enemies. The gunplay, at least, it a lot of fun, with a great variety of weapons and lots of different enemies. The story (which you’re not told at all in the game) involves an area of space where things from the past and future exist, so while you start killing tribesmen and dinosaurs, you’ll work up towards aliens, robots and dinosaurs with guns. Enemies to become more bullet sponges as you progress, though, so you need to use more ammo. Movement is an important part of Turok and it provides a great sense of speed. You run around and jump in a very fluid way. For navigating the main parts of the levels, it’s a lot of fun, but then you reach the many platforming segments of the game, and it all fall down (or you will at least, a lot). The movement feels great when there’s leeway, but it doesn’t feel precise enough for jumping on the many pillars the game requires you to jump on – and with the game’s checkpoint system, some of these jumps can be a good distance away from the last one. Turok was definitely great when it came out, but I can’t really recommend it now. but it is a game well worth remembering. It has a lot of flaws, but the flaws are also what make the game unique. Turok is very much a product of its time, but is also a piece of gaming history, especially with environments that are much more 3D than previous first person shooters. Remake or Remaster? The Nightdrive remaster is exactly what Turok needed. Official ways to get the game. The faithful remaster of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is available on GOG, Steam, Switch, Xbox and PlayStation.

I always thought that licensing prevented re-releases of sports games, so it's interesting that its been sold in that one specific way (also, they seem to do a singleplayer version of that unit, which is a bit odd). FIFA 64 NA release: 28th February 1997 PAL release: 17th March 1997 JP release: N/A Developer: EA Canada Publisher: EA Sports N64 Magazine Score: 39% When I was younger, I used to be very much into football, the era of the football games I’ve been playing will have the players I remember in them. FIFA 64 has official licences for a few countries – although they do so little with it that I’m not sure why they bothered. The players in FIFA 64 are horrific, nightmarish creatures with distorted arms and legs, and with no proper team management – you can only change formation, there aren’t even substitutions – the only time you ever see a player’s name is when scoring a goal. While Perfect Striker only had a small amount of Japanese teams, it still feels like it had a lot more stuff than FIFA 64 in every other department. The HUD in FIFA 64 is dreadful, showing just the time (no score!), although you can get a picture-in-picture with a different camera angle that covers up far too much of the main screen. You can make the pitch “damp” but you can’t really tell the difference, there’s no rain effects. The gameplay itself is equally dismal, being extremely slow and clunky. Even passing feels completely broken, as your players will often kick the ball backwards or just tap it forward slightly. Every match is tedious – which is probably why you can skip matches in the league mode (which seems pointless without any kind of management). FIFA 64 is a very dismal football game and is not nice to play. It very clunky, looks ugly and the game pelts you with annoying sound effects as you play. Remake or Remaster? There are so many much better FIFA games. Official ways to get the game. There is currently no official way to get FIFA 64.

I have no interest in buying a game tied to servers. It just means that they can disable the game for everyone whenever they want, where the game is only playable if a group of dedicated fans develop the software to get it working again (like Star Wars Galaxies). While it wasn't a good game, The Avengers showed that it could be done, even for online-focused games: it fully works offline. Even the store and unlocking the battle pass stuff works. I also have no interest in supporting subscription services that deal with exclusive stuff for games, such as Apple Arcade and Nintendo Switch Online. I'm fine with subscriptions as an option, and I've used Game Pass and PS Now to try out all sorts of games that I would have never played otherwise. In terms of digital vs physical, I'm not too bothered. I'm fine with going into unofficial routes to access games that are no longer sold. Companies like Limited Run Games use preservation as a marketing point, but really, their versions aren't very accessible, as physical copies just get more expensive over time. I'm hoping for complete editions of Smash Bros and Mario Kart 8, but don't have much faith.

@Dcubed one of the N64 Mahjong games is particularly interesting, but the rest are more like this (but with worse interfaces) NBA Hangtime NA release: 16th January 1997 PAL release: 1st September 1997 JP release: N/A Developer: Midway Publisher: Midway N64 Magazine Score: 52% The Nintendo 64’s first basketball is a straight up arcade conversion, which means there’s nothing to the game except matches and very few options. It’s a 2-on-2 basketball game where scoring is so east that most games will be back and forth of constant scoring from both teams. With four players, you might find a bit of fun, but this is the kind of game best suited left in the arcades, as it’s something that can be fun for a quick go, but playing for more than a few minutes quickly wears thin. For an arcade game, it’s fine. For a console game, it’s pretty terrible. I know that some people love this game, but it needed a lot more to it. Remake or Remaster? A collection of Midway’s arcade NBA games would be worth having. Official ways to get the game. There is currently no official way to get NBA Hangtime.

Mahjong Master JP release: 20th December 1996 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami N64 Magazine Score: 69% In English speaking countries, Mahjong is known as a solitaire tile matching game. This simple game is actually just one of many variants of Mahjong, with traditional Mahjong being a 4 player (no more, no less) game. This is Japanese-only game so I did read up a bit on how to play this style of Mahjong. I was still confused to begin with, but got the hang of it. The object of Mahjong is a game where you’re trying to create sets (three/four of a king or a straight of three/four) in your hand, playing a “Mahjong” when complete (there’s usually a single pair in a Mahjong, other sets are bigger). Each turn, you pick a tile to discard and get a new one. As others play tiles, you have the opportunity to match them up with two more of your tiles – thankfully, Mahjong Master shows you when these are available. In Mahjong Master, you join “South End” club and get introduced to the players there, most of them casual players of Mahjong. You can play individual matches or take part in tournaments as you move up the leagues, meeting more dedicated players as you progress. The characters also comment on actions in the matches, making it seem a bit more personal. I manged to win a tournament, although for true “completion”, you need to get to the top league and win tournaments for 12 months in a row. There are a lot of options available that I didn’t mess with, and I also struggled with getting straights in one of the suits (others are self explanatory, but one is Japanese characters). There’s also a quiz where you can answer questions about Mahjong, so there are quite a few options for fans of the game. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics has this flavour of Mahjong under the name “Riichi Mahjong”, which is a bit easier to understand with tutorials and numbering on the tiles. Remake or Remaster? It’s a Mahjong game, so other options exist for it. Official ways to get the game. There is currently no official way to get Mahjong Master.

Jikkyō J.League Perfect Striker JP release: 20th December 1996 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami N64 Magazine Score: 89% Jikkyō J.League Perfect Striker is essentially the N64’s first version of International Superstar Soccer (a franchise from Konami later known as Pro Evolution Soccer). While a game with very similar gameplay did get released elsewhere as International Superstar Soccer 64, the games are quite different, as this only features teams from the “J.League”, Japan’s football league. The international version was later released in Japan as Jikkyō World Soccer 3. The gameplay of Perfect Striker is solid. The controls are intuitive, with A and B being used for basic move and the c-buttons for lobs and quick passing back and forth. I haven’t been a fan of the sport itself for a while, but this is still an entertaining video game. Movement is fluid and, for the N64, lit looks nice and is animated well. Outside of the regular single match and league modes, there’s a “scenario” mode. Each of the 16 scenarios put you in the middle of a pre-set match and you need to try and win. Sometimes this is maintaining your lead, while other times you have to win from a losing position. It’s a nice little extra for when you’re on your own. Perfect Striker is a good football game and I’ll be delving into it more when I get to the international version. Remake or Remaster? It’s a sports game, which should improve over time – sadly, this franchise has collapsed and could to with looking backwards before it carries on going forwards. Official ways to get the game. There is currently no official way to get Jikkyō J.League Perfect Striker.

How can anyone here have not played Galaxy 2? That's crazy. (Don't look at me, cough, cough)