Hero-of-Time Posted February 12, 2014 Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) Over the past couple of weeks i've been buying and playing N64 games, as seen in the DK64 and Mario 64 threads. I decided to get involved this year and get a nice collection of N64 games on the shelf. I figured I would do this now as some of the games are going for stupid amounts and it will only get harder and more expensive to obtain copies that are in good condition. I was thinking on how to tackle buying the rare and expensive games as they seem to be quite a few. I decided that I would treat myself to one or two a month, depending on how much they are. Last months rare game was Mario Party 3 but many more remain. The following games seem to go for around these prices, fully boxed with instructions. Kirby 64 £70-80 Smash Bros £40-50 Majoras Mask £40-50 Mario Party £40 Mario Party 2 £50 Banjo Tooie £70-80 Paper Mario £100 Conkers Bad Fur Day £100-£120 Even games such as Mario Kart and Yoshi's Story are starting to increase in value to the point where they are around £30. So, how is my collection going so far? Have a look. I actually started my collection last year and picked up Diddy Kong Racing and got a couple of consoles from nephew for £20. I started customizing the consoles last year but due to lack of time and the weather not being ideal I never got them finished. That being the case i'm just essentially playing on a motherboard at the moment. I've also been back and forth on how to store the games. I originally was going to just buy cartridges and store them in the universal game cases. As seen here. But when I started buying the games in the best condition I could find them I figured I would try another route. I've ordered some protectors for the boxes, which should arrive this week, and i'll see how things go from there. So, what am I playing on it at the moment? Well I completed Mario 64 and DK64 so far this year and the next game I went with was Pokemon Stadium. I loved this game as a kid and it still holds up to this day. The only issue I have is that it's a lot harder now as I don't have my own Pokemon to use. Instead i'm having to make do with the rental Mons, which is adding an extra bit of challenge. I also love the announcer. So far I have finished the Pika and Petit cups and all but the Masterball Cup in the Poke Cup. I took the N64 up to my mates house the other day and 3 of us sat and played No Mercy for an hour or so. We played the hell out of it as kids and we jumped straight back into it as if we hadn't stopped playing it. We had a Royal Rumble match and then a ladder match and just generally had a laugh. It was great being all of the old school wrestlers but also sad to see just how many of them on the roster have passed away. I will be posting in here whenever I get a new game or start playing something different. Edited February 12, 2014 by Hero-of-Time
Kaepora_Gaebora Posted February 12, 2014 Posted February 12, 2014 That mother board n64 looks both amazing and ridiculous at the same time! When ever me and my mates have a birthday celebration, we get a few beers in (a lot actually...) and get the N64 going. Usually start with Kart, then Goldeneye and PD, perhaps some Mario Party, and always finish with a No Mercy rumble. And you know what, I reckon we have more fun doing that than we do playing the latest FIFA, COD or even Mario 3DWorld multiplayer. I was a Megadrive child, but there is a gap between getting Lotus Challenge one Xmas (95 perhaps?) and then not playing games, or remembering any games, until my mate invited me over to play on his new N64 with Super Mario 64 (must have been 97) that moment changed my life, I can still remember just gawping at what I was seeing, this incredible world and experience, and then when I got to race Koopa the Quick up Bob-bomb battlefield... Wow! (Anyway you've done the Mario 64 nostalgia trip! ) I have a pristine copy of Conker I'm saving for a rainy day, didn't realise worth so much already... looking forward to reading your other N64 adventures!
Shorty Posted February 12, 2014 Posted February 12, 2014 Wow, didn't know my N64 games could fetch me so much on ebay :p I actually have two N64s... can't really remember how that happened. And about 8 controllers, all with wonky analogue sticks.
nekunando Posted February 12, 2014 Posted February 12, 2014 The N64 is the greatest console ever made I finally started Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon last night so may as well post some impressions in here when the time comes
Dcubed Posted February 12, 2014 Posted February 12, 2014 Those are some sexy custom cases! Might just have to look into them myself... BTW, for anyone looking to re-build their N64 collection, I would HIGHLY recommend these... http://www.ebay.com/itm/160655759083?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Replacement N64 analog sticks. They are built like Gamecube sticks (so they'll NEVER break!) but they feel like fresh official N64 controller sticks. I bought 4 of them for my N64 controllers and never looked back. They are a MUST for any N64 owner! Instructions on how to install them are here (It's a really easy fix - the only hard part is getting the damn controller case open. Once you get it open, it's really easy and simple to replace) They are a total godsend!
Hero-of-Time Posted February 12, 2014 Author Posted February 12, 2014 When ever me and my mates have a birthday celebration, we get a few beers in (a lot actually...) and get the N64 going. Usually start with Kart, then Goldeneye and PD, perhaps some Mario Party, and always finish with a No Mercy rumble. And you know what, I reckon we have more fun doing that than we do playing the latest FIFA, COD or even Mario 3DWorld multiplayer. The console really was the ultimate multiplayer machine. I have sooooo many fond memories of playing Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Goldeneye etc. with my mates. Happy days. The N64 is the greatest console ever made I finally started Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon last night so may as well post some impressions in here when the time comes That's on my list as i've never played it before. The first game is nicely priced but the sequel goes for around £70. BTW, for anyone looking to re-build their N64 collection, I would HIGHLY recommend these... http://www.ebay.com/itm/160655759083?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Yeah, i've been looking at them. It's certainly something I may do in the future. I've heard they're a bit pants with Smash Bros though. I picked up a couple of these off ebay the other week. They're 3rd party but the sticks are really tight. You can get them for a tenner each brand new and sealed. These will do me until I get around to getting some official pads and some new sticks.
Shorty Posted February 12, 2014 Posted February 12, 2014 Speaking of third party pads, anyone else kinda like these? GAME gave me one free when I pre-ordered Perfect Dark and I actually quite liked it. Until a "friend" of mine broke it.
Hero-of-Time Posted February 12, 2014 Author Posted February 12, 2014 Speaking of third party pads, anyone else kinda like these? GAME gave me one free when I pre-ordered Perfect Dark and I actually quite liked it. Until a "friend" of mine broke it. Where is the Z button on that thing? On one of the shoulders?
Shorty Posted February 12, 2014 Posted February 12, 2014 Under the analogue stick. That shape found more commonly with the pad named "Superpad 64", google image results yielded a pic
Dcubed Posted February 12, 2014 Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) Yeah, i've been looking at them. It's certainly something I may do in the future. I've heard they're a bit pants with Smash Bros though. Not the ones I have. They work flawlessly with SSB! Truly wonderful little things! Edited February 12, 2014 by Dcubed
Hogge Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Great idea for a thread. Am I the only one who thinks that the open worlds that were common on the N64 were what made the system? And are what's missing in modern Nintendo games? Speaking of third party pads, anyone else kinda like these? GAME gave me one free when I pre-ordered Perfect Dark and I actually quite liked it. Until a "friend" of mine broke it. I've considered buying one of those. Instead, I bought a Hori Mini. Great pad for the most part. Mine looks like this. If anyone's considering to buy one, bear in mind two complaints. 1) The analogue stick is very twitchy. Not good for aiming in Goldeneye, for example. 2) The middle part, where the D-pad is attached is kind of in the way, ruining what could have been the all-time most comfortable controller.
Sméagol Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Ok, let me tell you a little N64 story, one of those I still have in my memory.. I was very much looking forward to Starfox 64. I didn´t have a SNES, so my playtime with Starfox was limited, but it impressed me nonetheless, so much that I needed to have Starfox 64. Back then, I didn´t have internet, so I was informed by the Dutch official Nintendo magazine. On a sidenote, I still have all those magazine, almost complete safe for one issue I think, and I´m thinking of giving them away to a good home, as I´m cleaning my room and want to get rid of stuff I know I have no rational use for.. That said, I´m a sucker for nostalgia, so I may look through them one more time, or even keep them afterall. Anyway, Starfox 64. Also a thing of that age.. There were these shops that rented things called "VHS cassettes", which had films on them. Our local video rental shop also had videogames, and even the occasional import. So that´s how I got to play Starfox 64 before it was even out, and it got me my first taste of the rumble feature as well. The box was nice and compact, unlike its European equivalent. I liked the game so much, I rented it a second time, something I did not often do. The guy was like "you liked it that much, huh?". Yes I did, I liked it so much, that eventhough I already intended to buy the game anyway, I rented a Japanese copy twice before finally buying "Lylat Wars" (needless to say, I did not approve of that namechange, but it was an unavoidable legal issue as I recall). By renting it twice, I´ve obviously seen pretty much all the content, nonetheless the game entertained me for a long time to come. I even put a little effort in improving my highscores, something I generally do not care for. It´s of course also 100% completed, something I don´t really do anymore nowadays. It means I could play on foot in multiplayer, and I got the alternate openingsscreen. As for my actual highscore, it isn´t that high (I noticed in Youtube videos years later), but it was for me! I can´t recall the score exactly, I have to boot it up (which means getting out my N64 out of the box), but it was 1200+ I think. Haha, I´m actually quickly looking at some highscore videos right now, and 1200+ is even more paltry then I imagined! I love the menu / highscore screen music by the way, now I hear it again. Those wanting to take a trip down to memory lane, this looks like a with a narrator who isn´t actually annoying.
Oxigen_Waste Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 I really don't understand the N64... it had 3 of the best games ever (OoT/M64/Majora's Mask), but my pure hatred of Rare kind of makes me look at it as a bit of a limp dog since GoldenEye/PD/Banjo are trash in my eyes... Although it was still clearly the best in it's gen (5th gen was definitely the absolute worst gen, imo... psx and saturn were so obsessed about "being 3D" instead of being good that most games are unplayable nowadays and the N64 packed a punch but delivered too few times). Still, as much as I don't understand it, I sure do respect it. Quite a landmark!
Kaepora_Gaebora Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Speaking of third party pads, anyone else kinda like these? GAME gave me one free when I pre-ordered Perfect Dark and I actually quite liked it. Until a "friend" of mine broke it. Ah god don't remind me, I hated this freebie with a passion, especially as it was the 4th controller I owned, so SOMEONE always had to use it!
Shorty Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 I really don't understand the N64... it had 3 of the best games ever (OoT/M64/Majora's Mask), but my pure hatred of Rare kind of makes me look at it as a bit of a limp dog since GoldenEye/PD/Banjo are trash in my eyes... I don't even understand... how can you think that.... What is trash about those three amazing Rare titles? They're all packed to the brim with quality content, so much time and effort went into crafting deep, funny, well controlled, challenging, charming, immensely replayable titles.
Hero-of-Time Posted February 13, 2014 Author Posted February 13, 2014 Instead, I bought a Hori Mini. Great pad for the most part. Mine looks like this. If anyone's considering to buy one, bear in mind two complaints. 1) The analogue stick is very twitchy. Not good for aiming in Goldeneye, for example. 2) The middle part, where the D-pad is attached is kind of in the way, ruining what could have been the all-time most comfortable controller. N64 collectors/retro gamers have said this is a great pad. I've checked around and they seem to go for £40-50 second hand. Quite pricey but it would nice to have at least one for the collection. I really don't understand the N64... it had 3 of the best games ever (OoT/M64/Majora's Mask), but my pure hatred of Rare kind of makes me look at it as a bit of a limp dog since GoldenEye/PD/Banjo are trash in my eyes... Although it was still clearly the best in it's gen (5th gen was definitely the absolute worst gen, imo... psx and saturn were so obsessed about "being 3D" instead of being good that most games are unplayable nowadays and the N64 packed a punch but delivered too few times). Still, as much as I don't understand it, I sure do respect it. Quite a landmark! Wow. I don't think i've ever seen anyone hate Rare games during the N64 era. They pretty much kept the thing afloat during droughts. Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, Jet Force Gemini, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Donkey Kong 64, Blast Corps, Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, Diddy Kong Racing, all classics in my eyes. May I ask, what was it you didn't like about the games/company? Banjo, trash? Get out... I think this one from DK64 is more fitting. Audio
nekunando Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 5th gen was definitely the absolute worst gen, imo... psx and saturn were so obsessed about "being 3D" instead of being good that most games are unplayable nowadays and the N64 packed a punch but delivered too few times.. I actually disagree completely For me, the N64 had an outstanding and varied library of games, such as Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Goldeneye, 1080 Snowboarding, Wave Race 64, Lylat Wars, F-Zero X, Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo Kazooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Pilotwings 64, Yoshi's Story, Super Smash Bros, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Party, Excitebike 64, ISS 98, Top Gear Rally, Donkey Kong 64, Perfect Dark, F1 World Grand Prix and Killer Instinct Gold. That's a ridiculous amount of quality and, for me at least, they are all still amazing to this day My friends had PlayStations so I was also able to experience stuff like ISS Pro Evolution 2, Metal Gear Solid, Colin McRae Rally, Silent Hill, Ape Escape, V-Rally 2, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars and International Track & Field The amount of fun I had during that era without doubt made it the greatest there will ever be
Clownferret Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Tetris 64... the thinking mans multiplayer of choice. I would kill for this on VC and also a HD remake of Perfect Dark with online multiplayer. N64 was 4 player brilliance. I had one and sold it when Gamecube came out, then a few years later I realised the error of my ways and bought another one and then I sold that. Now reading this thread I'm thinking of getting another one. But come on Nintendo put these frickin games on VC.
nekunando Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 N64 was 4 player brilliance. I had one and sold it when Gamecube came out, then a few years later I realised the error of my ways and bought another one and then I sold that. Now reading this thread I'm thinking of getting another one. You don't deserve a Nintendo 64
Oxigen_Waste Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Banjo, trash? Get out... Banjo, Jak & Daxter, Ratchet And Clank, Sly Cooper, Crash Bandicoot, 3D Rayman... I hate "those types of games", for some reason. Cannot enjoy them in the slightest, they infuriate me! =/ I fully acknowledge it's my own personal bias, though! I don't even understand... how can you think that.... What is trash about those three amazing Rare titles? They're all packed to the brim with quality content, so much time and effort went into crafting deep, funny, well controlled, challenging, charming, immensely replayable titles. I really don't know what to tell you... I think Rare made mediocre games. I know they don't, but that's what I see when I look at their games. And yes, that does include the Donkey Kong Country games on SNES! I've completed GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, DKC 1&2, Conker and Starfox Adventures. Conker is the only game I genuinely enjoyed (and only because of the humor, the gameplay was serviceable at best)... all the others felt incredibly average. Wow. I don't think i've ever seen anyone hate Rare games during the N64 era. They pretty much kept the thing afloat during droughts. Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, Jet Force Gemini, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Donkey Kong 64, Blast Corps, Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, Diddy Kong Racing, all classics in my eyes. May I ask, what was it you didn't like about the games/company? I guess it's one of those "you had to be there" kind of things. I know I'm wrong but I literally do not understand. Rare's games feel like "keep you busy while you wait for the actually good stuff" kind of games, to me. Not terrible by any means, but so disappointingly average and underwhelming. =/ The gameplay was always my main problem with their games. It's way too mediocre. Especially with GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, I just don't get how people at the time could get so excited about something that felt so contrived when they could've been playing System Shock, Quake, Half Life, etc on PC, which still feel and play amazingly today. FPS games just plain and simply don't work on consoles without dual analogs, imo. What was the point in even making these games? Also, the fact that one of them was based on one of the lamest Bond movies ever (which everyone loves, for reasons I, again, completely fail to understand), and the other one utterly failed to grip me with it's tone/mood and narrative obviously didn't help, lol. DKC was ugly and the platforming sucked ass (though the soundtrack was incredible), Banjo represents everything I hate in 3D adventure platformers, gave up on it after 4 hours. If I had to define Rare in one word... it'd be "meh". My dad was anti-videogames, which meant I only seriously got into gaming at 15~16, when I could afford a console by myself (a Dreamcast, because it was dying and incredibly cheap but still had great games). I missed experiencing the 5th gen firsthand, which essentially means I can't enjoy most of it due to how awkward most games feel. They're games that have not aged well at all... and when you stack that against the previous generation, which aged marvelously, it kind of makes it hard to love. The curious thing about my hatred of Rare is... I didn't even know they were all Rare games until well after I played them. I knew GoldenEye and PD were Rare, but Conker, DKC 1&2, Starfox Adventures and Banjo were all games I played at a time when I didn't even care who the developers were, I was just getting started exploring outside the 128-bit gen and going off of "best N64 games"-type lists. I only realized they were all by the same dev years later. --- Disclaimer - although I passionately dislike Rare, it doesn't mean I can't see why the N64 holds such a special place in most people's hearts... It delivered some of the best games ever made AND it was a splitscreen beast! GoldenEye and PD could've been games I genuinely loved if I had experienced those legendary 4 player sessions with friends firsthand at the time. I did experience some amazing Mario Kart, Smash Bros. and F-Zero sessions at a friend's house, though. I didn't get many chances to do so, unfortunately, as I was the weirdly self destructive kid who ate bugs and managed to destroy property and get himself injured almost every single day and as such other moms weren't that keen on having me over. =D
Ike Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Instead, I bought a Hori Mini. Great pad for the most part. Mine looks like this. That reaaaly looks like a Dreamcast controller. Almost. I keep thinking it's a DC controller when scrolling past it. :p
Miharin Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Here are some of the N64 games I've bought last year (don't mind the SNES games), now too bad you can't actually see what they are with no labels! Reason I bought them loose is that I simply wanted to play the games. I have been collecting for ages but for N64 I suddenly got this fever last year and started amassing all the USA/JAP games I could find. I have given up on PAL gaming altogether because they are without exception, inferior. I want to buy one of those Hori controllers at some point, but I do like the regular one very much though so I'm not sure if it's wise. NTSC console superiority: one console plays both regions (just clip a piece of plastic) and supports S-video output. Games are all exactly as they were meant to be played, not squished and sloooooooow like PAL Mario 64.
Hogge Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 (edited) Banjo, Jak & Daxter, Ratchet And Clank, Sly Cooper, Crash Bandicoot, 3D Rayman... I hate "those types of games", for some reason. Cannot enjoy them in the slightest, they infuriate me! =/ I fully acknowledge it's my own personal bias, though! I really don't know what to tell you... I think Rare made mediocre games. I know they don't, but that's what I see when I look at their games. And yes, that does include the Donkey Kong Country games on SNES! I've completed GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, DKC 1&2, Conker and Starfox Adventures. Conker is the only game I genuinely enjoyed (and only because of the humor, the gameplay was serviceable at best)... all the others felt incredibly average. I guess it's one of those "you had to be there" kind of things. I know I'm wrong but I literally do not understand. Rare's games feel like "keep you busy while you wait for the actually good stuff" kind of games, to me. Not terrible by any means, but so disappointingly average and underwhelming. =/ The gameplay was always my main problem with their games. It's way too mediocre. Especially with GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, I just don't get how people at the time could get so excited about something that felt so contrived when they could've been playing System Shock, Quake, Half Life, etc on PC, which still feel and play amazingly today. FPS games just plain and simply don't work on consoles without dual analogs, imo. What was the point in even making these games? Also, the fact that one of them was based on one of the lamest Bond movies ever (which everyone loves, for reasons I, again, completely fail to understand), and the other one utterly failed to grip me with it's tone/mood and narrative obviously didn't help, lol. DKC was ugly and the platforming sucked ass (though the soundtrack was incredible), Banjo represents everything I hate in 3D adventure platformers, gave up on it after 4 hours. If I had to define Rare in one word... it'd be "meh". I gather from this that you perhaps are more fond of linear type game experiences? Because I'm not sure about System Shock, but I believe that Quake (Quake 2 I'm quite certain of) and Half Life (which I'm absolutely certain of, since I played about 5 hours into that campaign) had very linear level designs. I personally love games with more open-ended levels. Which is what defined Rare's games. To me, there hasn't really been a good single player campaign in a shooter since Hitman 2, or perhaps Contracts (if you don't count sandbox games). Edited February 13, 2014 by Hogge
Oxigen_Waste Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 I gather from this that you perhaps are more fond of linear type game experiences? Because I'm not sure about System Shock, but I believe that Quake (Quake 2 I'm quite certain of) and Half Life (which I'm absolutely certain of, since I played about 5 hours into that campaign) had very linear level designs. I personally love games with more open-ended levels. Which is what defined Rare's games. To me, there hasn't really been a good single player campaign in a shooter since Hitman 2, or perhaps Contracts (if you don't count sandbox games). Not at all. The more linear the worse, for me. You want my idea of good first person level design? Thief 2 and Metroid Prime are my kind of ideal level design. The level design in GoldenEye and PD was great, but that alone couldn't make up for the lousy (imo) gameplay, is all.
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