Super Robot Spirits - All N64 Games

[Dcubed]

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

[Jonnas]

On 10/02/2024 at 8:27 AM, Cube said:

 

 

Oh wow, I didn't know there was a Captain Toad game for the N64!

[Cube]

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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
 

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

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.

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

[Jonnas]

Huh, those screenshots for NFL QC 98 look really good for the N64. When I first glimpsed them, I thought I was looking at a PS2 for a moment.

[Cube]

Extreme-G

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

[darksnowman]

Hail mary and dancer and donner and blitz em. Hut hut hut! Sources said there was a Chargin' Chucks Gridiron game to be shown at the Superbowl last weekend but it didn't materialise because... yeah, sources...

Xtreme G was all right! Tided things over until F-Zero. It's a pity the series ended because like you say, despite the similarities, it was still different to F-Zero and Wipeout.

[Glen-i]

I actually owned this game!

And to this day, I still don't remember how I came to own this game...

[darksnowman]

20 hours ago, Glen-i said:

I actually owned this game!

And to this day, I still don't remember how I came to own this game...

The old five-finger discount.

[Glen-i]

1 hour ago, darksnowman said:

The old five-finger discount.

So, flat out accusing a 7-year old of theft? That's low.

[darksnowman]

1 hour ago, Glen-i said:

So, flat out accusing a 7-year old of theft? That's low.

Don't see you refuting it.

[Glen-i]

31 minutes ago, darksnowman said:

Don't see you refuting it.

Plausible deniability. Literally can't remember how I got it.

[Hero-of-Time]

I'm now expecting Dcubed to come in here and say that he owned the game but somewhere down the line he lost his copy....

Edited February 18 by Hero-of-Time

[Glen-i]

Just now, Hero-of-Time said:

I'm now expecting Dcubed to come in here and say that he owned the game but lost his copy somewhere down the line.....

He most certainly didn't. In fact, it's one of the rare times in the 90's where he borrowed a game off of me at one point!

Anyway, I remember Extreme-G being thoroughly OK. Then again, I don't really like F-Zero, so this game probably never stood a chance with me.

[Cube]

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

Duke Nukem 64

• 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%

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.

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.

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.

[bob]

How are you playing these games if there's no official way of getting them?

[darksnowman]

I had such a top, top time with Duke 64. Loved it, and in some ways preferred it to GoldenEye! A few other differences to Duke 3D off the top of my head are mirrors are gone in the N64 version, there are different weapons (dum dums and explosive shotgun shells ftw), most levels were tweaked in some way or another and a few were Dukematch-only. The final boss is rendered in full 3D! Cutscenes were cut back to still images. And of course steroids became vitamin x. You also rescue the babes rather than kill them.

I spent a ton of time on Duke 64 in solo and with friends. Dukematches had Dukebots (GoldenEye didn't have Bondbots) and I just had a great time exploring levels in single-player and co-op—particularly loved the interconnectivity via air vents and hunting out vantage points and hiding spots for Dukematches. Take the first level, you can see a shop on the CCTV and it took me yonks of exploring to finally find the teleporter to get there. Worth every minute of exploration.

 Can't say I don't like the silence of it on the N64. You feel isolated and it made it all the more sinister when something happened. 

Back then when Duke Nukem 4ever seemed to be around the corner, my imagination was in overdrive with the possibilities. What if you could phone people or just stupid hotlines? Play proper games of pool and pinball. Imagine if you could jetpack between the streets and space stations. Basically, a lot of open-world faff I wouldn't entertain nowadays.

Probably the worst thing I can say about Duke 64 is it was a memory pak game. Otherwise, easily one of my favourite N64 titles. Back then I played a good bit on Duke 3D as well (online death matches on dial-up!) and I think both versions are excellent.

Duke Nukem 3D's also on the eShop. Though I wasn't able to get into it the same with the Pro Controller, it remains a great package. Some day I'm going to try to reconfigure the Switch controls for the N64 controller.

1 hour ago, bob said:

How are you playing these games if there's no official way of getting them?

Got a war chest thanks to supporters like yourself!

[Dcubed]

Surprisingly, the N64 got precious few direct PC ports; despite being the most powerful console of its generation.  Duke Nukem 3D is a rare exception here (and it's not a particularily impressive port.  Even though it was the best of the console ports from a technical standpoint, the N64 certainly could've done better).

Even the likes of Quake 2 were actually entierly original games that only shared the same setting & base mechinics; with wholly original level designs (as @Cube will no doubt get into when he eventually gets round to reviewing Quake 2 N64).  It's a bit strange when you think about it.  The one console of the 5th generation that was actually equipped to handle accurate PC ports ended up getting the least accurate ports; as the N64 versions tended to be original experiences, while the PS1 & Saturn versions tended to try and replicate the original PC versions.

Same goes for Doom 64.  Totally original game (despite what the title would have you believe), while PS1 and Saturn got actual ports of Doom.

It's an odd situation, but that ironically makes Duke Nukem 3D actually pretty unique within the N64's library as a result.

Edited February 18 by Dcubed

[Cube]

1 hour ago, bob said:

How are you playing these games if there's no official way of getting them?

Good old fashioned piracy. Although I did only use a legitimate website dedicated to archiving the digital history of humanity. 

[bob]

I'm telling my uncle (he works at Nintendo)!

 

 

[EEVILMURRAY]

On 2/16/2024 at 3:11 PM, Cube said:

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.

 

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.

Great isn't it? Super Bowl lasted only 4 hours last week

[Cube]

Puyo Puyo Sun 64

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

[Dcubed]

The Sun mechanic in this game is completely unique to this third entry in the Puyo Puyo series (outside of Puyo Puyo 20th Anniversary, which allows you to mix & match rules from multiple series entries); as it proved somewhat divisive amongst series fans.  The name “Puyo Puyo Sun” is also a stupid Japanese pun, since “san” is the Japanese word for the number “three”.

Also there is a modern re-release of this game… kinda… as a cut-down multiplayer only port of this game was included as part of the Mega Drive Mini 2.

Finally, this game was originally made for the SEGA Titan Video Arcade board (which is essentially a SEGA Saturn that runs games off of cartridges rather than CDs) and got its first console release for, unsurprisingly, the SEGA Saturn; making this one of the only former SEGA Saturn exclusive games to ever get ported to the N64.

BTW @Cube, I'm pretty certain that none of that swearing was in the original game; since you're playing the fan translated version (the cutscenes did not have voice acting originally, not even in Japanese).  A fine example of why I tend to avoid unofficial translations, even when they're reportedly well done.  They never manage to properly capture the original developer's intent.

Edited February 19 by Dcubed

[darksnowman]

6 hours ago, Cube said:

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).

Swearing like pirates are they!

4 hours ago, Dcubed said:

A fine example of why I tend to avoid unofficial translations, even when they're reportedly well done.  They never manage to properly capture the original developer's intent.

A winner is you.

[Cube]

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

• 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%

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.

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.

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.

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

[Dcubed]

I've never played the N64 version, but I have played the Xbox version in Midway Arcade Treasures Vol 3 (Which is a port of the Dreamcast version, which is a port of the arcade version); so it's basically a Brother's Uncle's Sister's Former Roommate situation going on here.

From what I hear, the N64 port of this game and its sequel are pretty solid, though not as good as the Dreamcast release (duh).  I... don't really rate either game TBH.  They've always come across as fairly middling arcade racers in a sea of much better arcade racers.  Typical Atari Games stuff (who would later be acquired by Midway, who would be later acquired by Warner Bros... which is another Brother's Uncle's Sister's Former Roommate situation; except the uncle has been estranged for his drinking and gambling addiction, while the sister is a crack addict who is scamming children with microtransactions in order to feed their habit while forgetting that the brother even exists).