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Cube

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Posts posted by Cube


  1. Aero Fighters Assault

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    • NA release: 21st November 1997
    • JP release: 19th March 1998
    • PAL release: 12th April 1998
    • Developer: Paradigm
    • Publisher: Video System
    • N64 Magazine Score: 58%

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    I very rarely suffer from motion sickness in video games, but Aero Fighters Assault was so nauseating that I got a pretty bad headache as a result. The game has a very choppy framerate and the levels are so bland that they’re extremely disorientating. These are things that you need to take care of in an aircraft fighting game like this.

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    While this is the first jet game on the N64, it’s important to note that the PlayStation had received two Ace Combat games to set an example of what this genre should be offering, with some solid campaigns. Aero Fighters Assault has an extremely bare bones plot that doesn’t give you much of a clue of what is going on, even with the manual. Phutta Morgana (not sure if it’s a person or organisation) has melted the ice caps and flooded most of the world and has “totally immobilized the world’s ground units”. With the navy focused on rescuing people, it’s up to a squad of four pilots to save the world (even though it seems like the world has already lost).

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    There are seven main levels to play through (plus a couple of bonus ones). In most of them you have to destroy a massive boss vehicle. The biggest challenge is finding it due to the game’s terrible radar, but you can ignore other enemy craft for the most part – they present more danger to your teammates and you’ll miss out on a bonus star if they’re shot down (although good luck finding them when they’re in trouble, they don’t appear on the radar). One level has you defending a space shuttle from ground units and one you have to kill all enemy aircraft. There are no actual dogfighting manoeuvres, so if an enemy gets behind you, your only real tactic is to just fly as far away and hope they give up.

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    The final mission gives you the intel “Lar has been sent to Earth to destroy all humanity”. After flying through an ice cave, you enter a spaceship and destroy an alien eye. Was this eye leading the organisation? It’s never explained, but with how awful the game is to actually control, the lack of actual story is probably the most entertaining part of the game. There’s also not much excuse for such a dreadful feeling flight game as the developers worked on Pilotwings 64. Another thing that I noticed was the poor hit detection for collisions – many crashes seemed like I missed the object I blew up on.

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    Aero Fighters Assault is a bare-bones game and didn’t do anything special when it came out – other games in the genre had already set much higher standards. Time has also done the game no favours and it comes across even worse now than it probably originally did. For me, it was an utterly horrible experience, and that isn’t even counting how it made me feel physically ill.

    Quote

    You’re only allowed to be shot down once before you have to restart the level. Other than that, though, you can crash your aircraft as many times as you like, so boss disposal is simply a matter of firing as many missiles as you can, then crashing into the side of the lumpy metallic beast before you take too much damage. You then reappear next to where you ‘died’, and can repeat the process until the boss explodes. In fact, crashing as soon as you take a hit is the best method of survival.

    - Martin Kitts, N64 Magazine #16

    Remake or Remaster?

    The earlier games in the series had a good reception, so having a collection would be quite nice, with this included just for the sake of preservation. The third game is currently available on Switch.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get Aero Fighters Assault

    • Thanks 1

  2. The translation thing is unfortunate - still, luckily it's just a minor part of the game, I just found it amusing after Duke Nukem. I've updated my thoughts based on what @Dcubed said. 

    San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing

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    • NA release: 7th November 1997
    • PAL release: December 1997
    • JP release: N/A
    • Developer: Midway
    • Publisher: Midway (NA), GT Interactive (PAL)
    • N64 Magazine Score: 82%

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    When I hear the name “San Francisco Rush”, I think of one of this game’s sequels, 2049, as it was something N64 Magazine loved. I never saw a lot of discussion of the original. After playing this, I can understand why it got good reviews when it came out, but I can also see why it isn’t talked about too much.

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    San Francisco Rush still has remnants from the arcade game – such as the annoying checkpoint/timer system, but at least all the other racers start alongside you and feel like opponents. The tracks are quite interesting in this game. There are six of them (plus a hidden one that wasn’t fully finished – but is actually really fun) and can be played mirrored and/or backwards. They’re also not all basic loops, as some have different routes you can take – you can even go in the opposite direction to other racers on some parts.

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    The tracks also have hidden shortcuts and collectables to find, and even a hidden stunt area. These are best done in “practice” mode where you are given a lot more time. It makes the tracks feel much more real and exploring them is almost great – but the game respawn system is really annoying. When you crash (or don’t move for a few seconds) your car is whisked up and you’re taken to where the game thinks you should be, so if you’re going a different route to what the game intends, it will ignore it and put you on the “proper” one. What’s odd is that I’ve crashed and the respawn system put me in a higher position than I already was. This applies to practice mode, so if your car crashes in the stunt area, you’ll have to drive all the way back.

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    A lot of the shortcuts are also high risk, and some barely save any time but are just a ton of fun to do, jumping over rooftops and spinning in the process. The game is let down a little bit by the modes, though. The main circuit mode just chooses some random tracks (with backwards/mirror also being random) rather than set cups. There are some extra cars to unlock by winning (and by finding the collectables), but when the game only supports one other person, you expect a bit more.

    That said, San Francisco Rush is a very solid foundation to build upon, so I’ll see more as I reach the sequels.

    Quote

    The handling is too heavy – on every car -never allowing you to confidently manoeuvre through corners and ensuring you come a cropper at important junctures when you can’t afford to. And yet, it is a good game. A very good game. It’s fabulously inventive, for starters.

    - Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #11

    Remake or remaster?

    A new Rush collection would be quite nice – or even a game that combines the features, cars and tracks of the first three games in a new package.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing

    • Thanks 2

  3. Puyo Puyo Sun 64

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    • JP release: 31st October 1997
    • NA release: N/A
    • JP release: N/A
    • Developer: Compile
    • Publisher: Compile
    • N64 Magazine Score: 80%

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    My main experience with Puyo Puyo is Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine – a game I couldn’t enjoy because of colourblind issues, so I was dreading playing this one. However, in the options, you can adjust the colours of the different Puyo, even going as far as completely greyscale and relying on the (a bit too minor when the game goes fast) different shapes completely.

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    With the options set to how I like them…I actually really enjoy Puyo Puyo. It’s geared towards a 1v1 setup, as creating sets of four will send bad beans to the opponent’s screen – but if you score combos, you’ll send a load at once. This creates a risk factor as you can try to set up elaborate combos (something I’m not good at) but wait too long, and your opponents will scupper your plans with some bad blocks.

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    The story mode has you battling lots of colourful characters as you get amusing little snippets before each match, with some nice animation. It’s all very silly, but also quite entertaining – and there’s more swearing in this than Duke Nukem 64 (while the voice acting is in Japanese, a few words are in English, including the swearing).

    The story mode has you battling lots of colourful characters as you get amusing little snippets before each match, with some nice animation. It’s all very silly, but also quite entertaining, with lots of unfortunate events happening to absolutely everyone. Of course, every problem in life can be solved by a Puyo Puyo battle.

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    There’s also a good amount of different modes. Puzzle Puyo is essentially a training mode, giving you a guide to help you set up combos, and you can then test out these skills in a mission mode, which gives you tasks but you have to figure it out yourself. There are also endless, tournament and versus modes, giving you plenty to deal with.

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    I have not played any later Puyo Puyo games so I don’t know how this compares, but I found this to be genuinely entertaining and it was a blast to play.

    Quote

    It’s Puyo Puyo, still one of the finest competitive puzzlers to ever come between friends and have them growling under their breath at each other.

    - Zy Nicholson, N64 Magazine #10

    Remake or remaster?

    A collection and official localisation of the earlier Puyo Puyo games would be nice.

    Official ways to get the game.

    While there are newer Puyo Puyo games, this particular version is not available anywhere.

     

    And some completely random trivia - the name of Puyo Puyo Sun in this Saturn Power review - they called it Ijidkijidk Sun, mistaking the Japanese on the box for English characters. 

    • Like 1
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    • Haha 2

  4. If there's one person that would never steal a game, it's the Nintendo-approved version of...

    Duke Nukem 64

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    • NA release: 31st October 1997
    • PAL release: 14th November 1997
    • JP release: N/A
    • Developer: 3D Realms / Eurocom
    • Publisher: GT Interactive
    • N64 Magazine Score: 86%

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    Duke Nukem 64 is a port of Duke Nukem 3D, a PC game from a 1995. It still retains that “DOOM” feeling, although the levels are much more 3D. That said, it still has the sort of “puzzles” involving pressing random buttons and trying to figure out what has changed. On top of this, you are sometimes presented with a series of buttons and need to guess the correct combination to progress.

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    From a technical standpoint, Duke Nukem 64 has some graphical changes, with much better 3D explosions but lacking proper sky effects. One major problem is the sound: other than on the title screen, there’s no music whatsoever. It makes the game feel incredibly empty and lacking in atmosphere.

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    But those aren’t the biggest changes to the game. In order to release on the N64, Duke Nukem 3D is heavily censored. The voice acting has been completely redone to get rid of swearing, and women have been covered up with more clothes, with lots of posters changed completely. Some levels have been changed as a result, with an adult video store being replaced with a gun shop and a chapel being removed.

    The thing is, all that stuff is pretty much what Duke Nukem was about, the N64 version is just very toned down. There’s no reason to play Duke Nukem 64, stick to the main version. Especially as the main feature for the N64 version – co-op – has now been added to Duke Nukem 3D.

    Quote

    The mixed news for someone that has played Duke Nukem before is that, apart from the censorious changes enforced by Nintendo, the levels in Duke Nukem 64 remain largely unchanged.

    - James Ashton, N64 Magazine #10

    Remake or remaster?

    The proper version of Duke Nukem 3D has been remastered and updated over time, so stick with that version.

    Official ways to get the game.

    Duke Nukem 3D is available on Steam.

    • Like 1
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  5. 21 minutes ago, Josh64 said:

    I'm just wondering if games like that could end up in a Player's Choice if the Switch 2 isn't gonna be around in the next year or so 

    Or at least some complete editions, like Smash Bros, Mario Kart 8 and the Splatoon games.

    • Like 1

  6. I'm not as familiar with the newer Pokémon like these, but I have seen the anime that covers them.

    In terms of designs, the initial evolution of each one is great.

    Chikorita has some good evolutions, and from what I remember, had a full arc in the show. Bayleef razor leaf is a great aspect of the design, and this middle evolution is far more iconic than any of the other middle or final evolutions of these starters.

    Cyndaquil's evolutions...exist. They're both very boring.

    And as for poor Totodile, he has some really ugly designs to look forward to.


  7. Extreme-G

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    • NA release: 27th October 1997
    • PAL release: 9th December 1997
    • JP release: 29th May 1998
    • Developer: Probe
    • Publisher: Acclaim
    • N64 Magazine Score: 87%

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    This is one I played a lot when I was younger. An extremely fast futuristic racing game on tron-like sci-fi motorbikes. It’s a proper competition-based racing game (where all the racers start at the same place, not an overtaking arcade racer) and has a bunch of weapons thrown into the mix.

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    The biggest criticism about Extreme-G is probably the handling, which does not manage to keep up with the speed of the bikes. To counter this, the developers added a bunch of things to ease the frustration. Walls don’t slow you down that much (they do slightly damage your shields) and the sides of the track have a kind of “energy barrier” that keeps you on the track. Respawning after falling off is also very quick. Even using the cheat to make the game even faster, making mistakes in races never feels annoying.

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    There are weapons dotted across the track that you can pick up, which come in lots of slight variations. These have a smaller immediate impact on racers than the likes of Mario Kart, but do whittle away shields (you also have a laser you have access to at any time to do extra damage to shields). However, the weapons are difficult to use effectively and ones like the cannons are more likely to harm you than your opponents.

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    Extreme-G has a good amount of tracks (compared to other racers at the time on N64, at least), although they do tend to blur a bit together due to the winding nature of them. There’s a track set around some lava games that’s the most difficult track in the game (by a massive margin), and the final track is a futuristic forest with Santorini-inspired buildings and UFOs flying around and looks absolutely gorgeous.

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    On top of the standard league mode, there’s time trial, practice and a shoot-’em-up mode where you have to blast drones. The multiplayer also has a battle mode in unique arenas, so there’s a good amount of stuff to do in the game.

    Extreme-G is still a lot of fun, and manages to feel different to both Wipeout and F-Zero.

    Quote

    And, if nothing else, Extreme G is wonderful to look at. It marries Blade Runner and Alton Towers to awesome effect and, speed-wise, beats Wipeout at its own game.

    - Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #9

    Remake or remaster?

    An Extreme-G collection would be wonderful to see. Just do some minor improvements like properly implemented widescreen and customisable controls, perhaps even add weapon icons to the HUD. Unfortunately, IP owners Throwback Entertainment seem uninterested in the franchise, only re-releasing the poor PC port of the second game, lacking analogue steering or proper controller support.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get Extreme-G

    • Like 1
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  8. 22 hours ago, Dcubed said:

    Are you gonna cover the Sculptor's Cut version of Clayfighter as well @Cube?

    Unfortunately, yes. It counts as different enough. 

     

    Madden Football 64


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    • NA release: 24th October 1997
    • PAL release: December 1997
    • JP release: N/A
    • Developer: Tiburon
    • Publisher: EA Sports
    • N64 Magazine Score: 92%

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    So, American Football. I know almost nothing about it and this is my first proper experience with it. While Baseball is quite easy to understand (especially based on Rounders and Cricket), American Football seems to have very specific rules and even my basic knowledge of Rugby did not help me out at all.

    I can understand why sports games mainly target fans of the sport, but considering this game was released in Europe, I do find it odd that there’s no proper introduction or tutorial to entice new people into the sport. That said, I did learn some new things.

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    American Football is very stop-start. Every couple of seconds, with a bad pass or with a single tackle, the game stops, players regroup, discuss tactics, pick a plan and then wait for a new kick-off. You never seem to be able to play long enough to get used to the controls or actually enjoy the gameplay. I also found it interesting that wasting time by waiting as long as possible to choose tactics is a key part of the game, as the CPU player did it to me towards the end of the match.

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    American Football players also seem to spend most of their time just standing around, while the referee runs with the ball far more than the players. Even in this game (where you would expect that to skip these bits), I seemed to watch the referee more than the players. He’s clearly the most athletic person on the pitch.

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    It also seems that flopping over is a huge skill. Any slight touch will cause anyone with the ball to hit the ground instantly. Even if I barely scraped an opposing player (who does not make any kind of tackle animation), my player will pitifully fall over. I’m not sure if that’s the sport or if that aspect of Madden 64 is just broken.

    N64 Magazine seemed to think it faithfully recreated American Football, though, rating it as one of the best games on the platform. I didn’t enjoy anything about this, but I found this more difficult to understand than any of the Japanese-only games.

    Quote

    But it’s the gameplay that counts, and Madden manages the difficult task of combining the complex strategic elements of American football that make it such a compelling sport, with the action packed athleticism and glamour.

    - Tim Tucker, N64 Magazine #10

    Remake or remaster?

    These games evolve over time.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get Madden 64

    ---

     

    NFL Quarterback Club 98
     

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    • NA release: 24th October 1997
    • PAL release: December 1997
    • JP release: N/A
    • Developer: Iguana
    • Publisher: Acclaim
    • N64 Magazine Score: 86%

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    Another American Football game released on the same day as Madden 64, and it feels mostly the same. This done does seem a bit quicker without having to watch the referee as much, and all tackles looked like actual tackles instead of players just flopping over for no reason. Based on that, I would say that this is better, but I don’t know the sport at all.

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    I did get some enjoyment out of this one, too. The cheats add some quite funny options, such as making players move like old electronic American football games, making them spin around or making them all bum shuffle. I have no idea if this is a good American football game, but I got a couple of laughs from it.

    Quote

    There’s also a good deal of effort put into the management aspects of the game, that you can indulge in if the fancy should take you, including the ability to join in the annual player draft, trad real-life superstar players, plus indulge in the disturbingly Frankenstein-ian “Create your own players” option

    - Tim Tucker, N64 Magazine #10

    Remake or remaster?

    These games evolve over time.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get NFL Quarterback Club 98

    • Like 1
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  9. Microsoft announced today that four games, all over a year old, will be coming to Switch. Two are more "indie-like" and two are live service games.

    Very likely Hi-Fi Rush, Penitent, Sea of Thieves and Grounded.

    Hi-Fi Rush is a lot of fun, but I'd love for Sea of Thieves to get a proper offline mode. The game looked amazing on my old PC, so it should look great on Switch.

    • Like 1

  10. ClayFighter 63⅓

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    • NA release: 23rd October 1997
    • PAL release: 19th November 1997
    • JP release: N/A
    • Developer: Interplay
    • Publisher: Interplay
    • N64 Magazine Score: 24%

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    The Clayfighter series are parody games that supposedly make fun of other fighting games. Previous entries made fun of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, while this one tackles Killer Instinct. When I think of a parody fighting game, it brings up the idea of a creative and funny game that has over-the-top moves that is enjoyable but likely quite simple. Clayfighter 63⅓ is none of those things.

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    Clayfighter aims for a claymation style, but this is completely spoiled by the very low quality sprites and extremely poor animation. On top of that, none of the characters were anything I wanted to play with, being a mixture of generic things, things 6 year olds find “gross” (fat, snot) and racist caricatures. Oh, and Earthworm Jim. Every character also has extremely annoying voice clips, a complete waste of the talent they hired (which includes legends like Frank Welker, Tress MacNeille, Jim Cummings, Rob Paulsen and Dan Castellaneta).

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    The arenas are slightly more interesting than fighting games. They’re not as deep as Mace: The Dark Age, but you can hit your opponent through doors and reach other arenas. Unfortunately, the camera is terrible and you can end up fighting behind scenery. The fighting itself is also really dull, being incredibly slow and clunky, with button mashing working very well.

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    The game is also very light on content, with just one mode of fighting random opponents (with no attempt of putting it inside a story) and…options. No practice or additional modes and not very many options. It’s an atrocious game devoid of anything fun or amusing.

    Quote

    If only there was a decent combat system to base the whole thing around. If only it was fast, fluid and exciting. If only there was a game that was genuinely fun to play then perhaps the alleged ‘humour’ wouldn’t grate so much.

    - Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #9

    Remake or Remaster?

    No. A remake was in development for DSiWare and WiiWare, but never made the light of day. Thankfully. Oh, and it was going to be called “Call of Putty” so you know the humour would have been non-existent.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get ClayFighter 63⅓

    ---

    J.League Eleven Beat 1997
     

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    • JP release: 24th October 1997
    • PAL release: N/A
    • NA release: N/A
    • Developer: Hudson
    • Publisher: Hudson
    • N64 Magazine Score: 52%?

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    The fourth different football series for Japan, this one has a much more cartoony/anime style, and I think it suits he N64 quite well. It’s much better than Dynamite Soccer but at the same time, because it’s simply a decent game, there’s really not a huge amount to say about it.

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    Eleven Beat keeps things nice and simple, but also functions quite well. The CPUs mistakes in this game felt more natural than other football games and you have a few different kinds of passes and shots. When defending, you do control two different players, but at least you have a cursor to show which ones.

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    The modes are just a few basic ones, along with a practice that’s just got your team on the pitch. There’s also a “Red Vs Blue” mode where each team can pick the players they want from all the teams, or let a lucky dip decide.

    Eleven Beat is a simple but fun football game, but not much more than that.

    Quote

    At least Dynamite Soccer had a speed-up button. Elven Beat doesn’t and, as a result, feels about as exhilarating as a George Graham slide.

    - Tim Weaver, N64 Mgazine #10

    Remake or remaster?

    I do think a fun anime-inspired twist on Football could be fun to see today, especially as games can fully pull off the anime style now.


    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get J.League Eleven Beat 1997

    • Like 1
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  11. Tommy Thunder (Prototype)

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    • NA release: N/A
    • PAL release: N/A
    • JP release: N/A
    • Developer: Player 1
    • Publisher: Player 1
    • N64 Magazine Score: N/A

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    Tommy Thunder was a game in development by Player 1. It eventually moved to the PlayStation before getting cancelled. A fan or Robotron happened upon an open FPT while trying to find out when Robotron 64 was released and found some files, eventually cracking them 10 years later and discovering this very early prototype of Tommy Thunder.

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    This prototype mainly seems to be a test of the level design, as you can just move around and enemies don’t harm you – you also walk on water. That said, the level itself is very impressive in scope, with a few underground areas. This map was also just one “block” and the developers were trying to figure out a way to load new chunks of the level on the fly – this is something open world games do now, but was extremely ambitious for the early N64.

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    From the very few quotes about the game, it seems like this game was going to be a 3D, open world Metroidvania. You would find weapons as you explored, and equipment (such as anti-grav boots) would alter how you can move throughout the environment, opening up new areas in previous sections. The game never made it past prototyping stages and the company eventually closed down after putting all of their eggs into the Sega Dreamcast.

    Should it be finished?

    With retro-inspired games for this era gaining popularity, it would definitely be interesting to see a “what if” take on if the developers could pull off what they wanted with Tommy Thunder.

    • Like 4
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  12. Top Gear Rally

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    • NA release: 30th September 1997
    • PAL release: November 1997
    • JP release: 5th December 1997
    • Developer: Boss Game Studios
    • Publisher: Midway (NA), Kemco (PAL/JP)
    • N64 Magazine Score: 86%

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    Top Gear Rally was loved so much by N64 Magazine that they dropped Multi-Racing Championship’s score from 81% to 71%, claiming that it was scored high because it was first. As much as I wanted to love this, this just felt like it had the same kind of “early days” bias as it’s still another arcade style racer where you work from the back of the pack with very few tracks.

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    The racing itself feels pretty decent with a lot of options to change to alter the handling of your vehicles, and the graphics are very nice for their time, with some nice water effects. In championship mode, you play through a bunch of seasons as you race across the same four tracks multiple times. The weather does change and, while the effects are quite lovely, the rain and slow just make the handling a nightmare. In total, you play across these four tracks a total of 21 times – and then again in mirror mode.

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    There are some nice touches to the game, for example, you can create custom paint jobs for your cars in a surprisingly nice (for the time) image editor. There’s also “arcade” mode where you can have a 1v1 race against the CPU or another player. The music on the jungle level is also absolutely lovely, although the rest of the music is quite poor. There’s also a hidden track.

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    If you play through the whole 21 track season and win every single race, you’ll unlock the final track. You can’t race this in the main mode, only arcade and practice. When N64 Magazine wrote their review, they knew it existed but had no idea how to unlock it, it’s that much of a pain to do. Yet it’s easily the best track of the game, with a ton of interesting shortcuts. It’s strange how the best 20% of their game is locked away so hard – another fun vehicle would have been much better, and would allow for a bit more variety in the game’s main mode.

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    One other thing I noticed is that it doesn’t feel like the other racers have any kind of AI – it just feels like they’re on a set path. They don’t react to you and if you get in their way, they’ll barge you away without slowing down. If you try to crash into them, they’ll be unaffected. They’re more obstacles than opponents.

    Top Gear Rally is a fun game, but shows its age with its arcade nature and lack of content. At the time of release, it was definitely the best car racing game on the system.

    Quote

    Top Gear Rally is pretty much as state-of-the-art as it gets, rivalling most coin-ops with its smooth, high-speed 3D graphics. It uses the N64’s analogue joystick to allow you to steer your car precisely, it’s got four tracks (plus a hidden extra one), it’s got varying weather, and it’s not nine cars of differing speed and ability.

    - Jonathan Davies, N64 Magazine #8

    Remake or Remaster?

    A collection of the various Top Gear games would be quite nice.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get Top Gear Rally

    • Like 1
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  13. Mace: The Dark Age
     

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    • NA release: 30th September 1997
    • PAL release: December 1997
    • JP release: N/A
    • Developer: Midway
    • Publisher: Midway (NA), GT Interactive (PAL)
    • N64 Magazine Score: 81%

    mace-005.jpg

    Most of what I said about War Gods remains true to Mace: The Dark Age. It’s another bare bones Mortal Kombat clone with a small amount of 3D movement, once again with extremely generic stereotypes for characters, this time based on medieval times. The one stand out character to me was the training dummy character from the basic practice mode, called Spanky.

    mace-008.jpg

    Mace does have two points in its favour, though. First are the graphics, which look great for the time. The 3D models for the characters are very well made, with detail in the model itself rather than pasting on photographs. The detail also extends into the stages, with impressive detail. On top of that, the stages aren’t just backdrop.

    mace-003.jpg

    While it’s awkward to move around the stages, you can try to use the different layers to your advantage. Some stages even have hazards that cause damage. It creates a feeling that you’re actually fighting in a location, instead of fighting in an empty void with artwork pasted behind you.

    As I’m not skilled at these kind of games, I’m not really sure how the fighting itself compares – it felt just like War Gods to me – but N64 Magazine rated it highly, so there must be something more to it.

    Quote

    All of which is a rather convoluted way of saying that Mace: The Dark age is shin-splinteringly good fun, and almost makes up for the uninspired excess that N64-owning fighting fans have so far been privy to. Almost

    - Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #9

    Remake or remaster?

    With War Gods, this can be re-released as some kind of Midway fighting came collection.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get Mace: The Dark Age

    • Thanks 2
    • Weird 1

  14. I love all of the starters here, and the final evolutions are great. The middle evolutions are a bit of a letdowns, with Ivysaur and Wartotle being forgettable.

     

    Chameleon is by far the most notable of the three, having by far the coolest design and having a significant personality in the show.

     

    Squirtle is the best first stage, Chameleon is the best middle and Charizard is the best final evolutions (sorry Bulbasaur, you're still great).


  15. Bomberman 64
     

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    • JP release: 26th September 1997
    • NA release: 27th November 1997
    • PAL release: 3rd December 1997
    • Developer: Hudson
    • Publisher: Hudson (JP), Nintendo (NA/PAL)
    • N64 Magazine Score: 50%

    bomberman-017.jpg

    Bomberman is a much loved multiplayer game, and with the Nintendo 64 having four controller ports built in, an N64 version seems like a no-brainer, you could even have 8 players by having players sharing controllers, one using D-pad and L and the other using C-buttons and R.

    Bomberman 64, however, leaves multiplayer to be an afterthought, focusing instead on a 3D puzzle-platform game.

    bomberman-003.jpg

    The start of Bomberman 64 is immensely more difficult than the rest, with the main challenge working out the mechanics of the game. The controls feel extremely imprecise and the game gets you to use the barely-working method of dropping a bomb and then pressing b to pick it up – except if you get close to a bomb, you’ll kick it and it will slide away.

    Then, after you’ve completed the first world, the game tells you “oh, if you press A and B together, you’ll hold it straight away”. It’s strange that the game lets you struggle with it before telling you the proper way to play.

    bomberman-008.jpg

    Little frustrations plague the game. From thin platforms that aren’t suited to the game’s controls, the game hiding objects in places where the game’s bad camera struggles to see and that once you’ve figured out the main mechanics, you realise that there aren’t really any puzzles other than roaming around, hoping you’re going the right way.

    Your bombs also explode in a circle, with the blast radius increasing slightly every time you collect a power up, which makes it very difficult to judge how far your bomb will explode, although even at the maximum, it’s nothing compared to the + shape explosions we know and love from Bomberman, one that is integral to the gameplay.

    bomberman-014.jpg

    To get to the credits, there are 5 zones, each with 2 levels and 2 bosses. The bosses are quite tedious and not exciting, and Bomberman can only take one hit. There are also golden cards to collect. To collect these, you have to search every nook and cranny, as well as attack bosses in certain ways – with no clues for any of them.

    If you find all 100, and fight the boss again, you’ll unlock the secret final world, but when the game is so tedious to play, is more even a good thing?

    bomberman-011.jpg

    Bomberman 64 is slow, tedious and the transition to “3D” has taken away everything that made Bomberman fun and enjoyable. It’s no surprise that Bomberman ended up returning to its 2D gameplay.

    Quote

    When it isn’t being tedious, this mode just about works. There’s not much to it, admittedly, and it suffers from all sorts of minor annoyances – such as having to work blind when the environment obscures your view; enemies who regenerate out of sight, in places you’ve thought you’d cleared; exploration puzzles that hide things from the usual perspectives.

    - Zy Nicholson, N64 Magazine #8

    Remake or remaster?

    There are much better Bomberman games to focus on instead.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get Bomberman 64

    • Like 1
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  16. @lostmario The 2018 Battletoads game starts off fine for the first hour or so, but the rest of it is atrocious. The fighting levels stop and you have

    - Discount Rayman Origins levels that are very simple and not enjoyable.

    - A really boring vertical scrolling space shooter with multiple levels.

    Followed by a terrible minigame where you have to repair something by hitting random buttons.

     


  17. J.League Dynamite Soccer 64

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    • JP release: 5th September 1997
    • PAL release: N/A
    • NA release: N/A
    • Developer: A-Max
    • Publisher: Imagineer
    • N64 Magazine Score: 66%

    dynamite-003.jpg

    The third Japanese football game has a very different feel to both Konami and EA’s games. On paper, this is easily the worst football game I’ve played so far (and not just on the N64) and yet…it’s oddly enjoyable. If you paid money for this game, you would no doubt be annoyed, but giving it a quick blast to see how bad it is truly is quite fun.

    dynamite-005.jpg

    You may notice that there’s no cursor showing who you are currently controlling – that’s because you never control any individual players. Instead, you control a random assortment of players who are near the ball, all moving in the same way. Even when you have the ball, the other players will “kick” an imaginary ball at the same time the player with the ball does.

    dynamite-007.jpg

    The a and b buttons are different kinds of kicks, these are just in a general direction and not a proper pass – that’s on the C down button, and you have no control over who you pass to (it often goes to a player behind the current one). The goalkeepers are also amazing at what they do, and the CPU even struggled to score when I gave them lots of chances.

    dynamite-010.jpg

    Fouls are very loose in the game, as sliding tackles rarely result in a foul. There is a shoulder barge button that does usually give a foul, and I had a lot of fun seeing how many players I could get sent off the pitch. It turns out that after four players are sent off, you can no longer get cards. And even with four players sent off, the absence of a defence didn’t make a huge difference due to the goalkeeper’s skill.

    dynamite-011.jpg

    It also helps that the sprite-based players are also funny to look at, often looking like gingerbread men. The graphics combined with the way you control multiple players at once, it feels like a hybrid of football and foosball.

    This is a wonderfully dreadful game.

    Quote

    So, how’s it managed to sneak into the mid-60’s, then? Well, persevere with it (and, strewth, does it take some perseverance) and you’ll discover that, for all it’s stinking great, size 15 faults, there’s something strangely enjoyable about it.

    - Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #8

    Remake or remaster?

    This isn’t worth buying in any way, just emulate it (with the English translation patch) to see how enjoyably bad it is.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get J.League Dynamite Soccer 64.

    • Like 1

  18. Now the next one was the right game at the right time.

    Goldeneye 007
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    • JP release: 23rd August 1997
    • PAL release: 25th August 1997
    • NA release: 25th August 1997
    • Developer: Rare
    • Publisher: Nintendo
    • N64 Magazine Score: 94%

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    The legendary game GoldenEye. This is the game I got with my N64 and I spent all day searching around the dam level for bungee rope as it wasn’t in my inventory. It was a landmark game for not just first person shooters, but video games in general.

    GoldenEye had the brilliant idea of adding objectives that were more than just pushing buttons then going through the level again to look for something that has changed. You had to protect certain people, blow up certain objects and find objects. On higher difficulty options, you have more objectives to complete.

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    The praise of GoldenEye has been done countless times before, but one aspect I think is overlooked is the level design, in terms of how the levels feel like actual places and buildings and not a nonsensical string of rooms and corridors.

    Part of this is due to how the developers made the game: the GoldenEye team had never made a video game and was a risky experiment from Rare to throw people who had never worked in the video game industry to see if they would come up with unique methods. It’s quite shocking that they were willing to do this with an IP like James Bond, but it paid off.

    Typically, the objective and player path is made first and then the level is built around that, but for GoldenEye, the levels were constructed and then they added the objectives and decided where the player would start. This meant that some rooms are essentially “pointless”, but it helps makes everything feel real.

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    The muiltiplayer was another huge surprise – a few of the developers started it with 6 weeks of development left and without getting permission to do so first. It was simple, but at the same time extremely enjoyable and is still one of the most famous multiplayer modes in a video game.

    Some aspects of GoldenEye haven’t aged well, particularly the controls (although there are dual analogue options hidden in the settings, requiring two controllers), but sort that out and it’s still an absolute joy to play.

    Quote

    In truth, this is so far ahead of Doom 64, and even Turok, that comparisons are pointless. You’ll look at GoldenEye’s filmic feel, lashings of originality and – yes -frequent genius, and wonder why id or Iguana couldn’t have done similar things. And the reason? Because Rare, like Nintendo themselves, know the N64 inside-out and, plainly, are breathtakingly talented to boot.

    - Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #9

    Remake or remaster?

    There was an XBLA version of GoldenEye that was nearly finished. You could swap between old and new graphics (although the “old” graphics weren’t fully finished) and it played great on a modern controller. Finish that version and release it, as it’s what GoldenEye deserves.

    Official ways to get the game.

    You can buy the game by purchasing a digital copy of Rare Replay on Xbox One/Series. It is also available for subscription as part of Xbox Game Pass or Nintendo Switch Online

     

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 4

  19. Tetrisphere


    tetrisphere-box-l.jpg

    • NA release: 11th August 1997
    • PAL release: February 1998
    • JP release: N/A
    • Developer: H2O
    • Publisher: Nintendo
    • N64 Magazine Score: 69%

    tetrisphere-006.jpg

    If you thought that Tetrisphere is a Tetris-like game that is played on a sphere then, surprisingly, you would be wrong. It didn’t even start out as a Tetris licensed game, but rather a game called Phear on the Jaguar, before ended up going to the N64 instead and published by Nintendo with the Tetris branding.

    I remember playing it as a kid and being confused, but the tutorial explains the game quite well and it’s quite simple. You’ll see a shadow of your next piece. You have to line it up so it connects to two or more matching pieces, they’ll disappear – get rid of large amounts and you’ll get power ups. There are different modes, but the general goal is to clear enough of the inner sphere.

    tetrisphere-010.jpg

    While the starting pieces need lining up exactly, the more complex just seem to need one part touching a matching piece, which ends up making them much easier to score combos with. The power ups come in different types, but seem to be just different animations for removing large amounts of blocks.

    To help with combos, you can also drag pieces around by lining them up with the shadow and holding B. Tetrisphere is quite relaxed for a puzzle game, and the failure state is making three mistakes, although the shadow showing your target handily shows if your placement is good or not.

    tetrisphere-012.jpg

    It’s an entertaining puzzle game, although while it has a lot of modes, they all still feel like the same game. The game doesn’t mix things up enough, so ends up feeling a little bit basic.

    Quote

    It’s in no way an essential purchase, but it has a strange lure about it – hypnotic almost, which is probably enhanced by the eye-glazing tempo of the acid house dance tracks.

    - Steve Jarratt, N64 Magazine #13

    Remake or remaster?

    A re-release is fine for Tetrisphere.

    Official ways to get the game.

    There is no official way to get Tetrisphere.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

  20. Power League 64

    powerl-box-l.jpg

    • JP release: 8th August 1997
    • NA release: N/A
    • PAL release: N/A
    • Developer: Hudson
    • Publisher: Hudson
    • N64 Magazine Score: 42%

    powerl-008.jpg

    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.

    powerl-004.jpg

    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.

    powerl-006.jpg

    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.

    Quote

    When it’s all said and done, baseball is plainly just rounders played by men in tights who spit a lot and skid around on the floor. Power League adds nothing and is outclassed by both its rivals. Avoid it with the enthusiasm you would a contagious disease.

    - James Ashton, N64 Magazine #7

    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

    • Thanks 1
    • Haha 1

  21. 10 hours ago, Julius said:

    I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who bought an Xbox this gen, I remember saying not too long back that the time to make a drastic move like this (be it shifting away from consoles or exclusives) should be at the start of the gen, not halfway through one. Not the loud ones who flame the console wars, mind. 

    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.

    • Like 1
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