Cube Posted March 15 Author Share Posted March 15 Augusta Masters ’98 JP release: 26th December 1997 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: T&E Soft Publisher: T&E Soft N64 Magazine Score: 40% The second golf game on N64, and again it’s exclusive to Japan. This is a significant improvement over The Glory of St Andrews, but is still far from being a good golf game. Like St Andrews, this one also covers only one specific course. Augusta Masters doesn’t try anything new in terms of video game mechanics for golf, using the tried and tested bar system from Golf on the NES. There’s nothing wrong with it as it’s a good system, but the big flaw with Augusta is that it’s very, very difficult to correlate power to distance – it just never seems right. This is especially evident during putting, anything above 50% power is far too hard, and really anything over four tiny bars will cause the ball to spiral out of control. The balance for getting it right requires perfection, but you never know what level is needed. If you don’t land on the green very close to the hole, you’ll be adding 5 to your score. So with difficult gameplay, graphics that are detailed yet also extremely ugly and only one course, there isn’t much to this game. Quote For starters, it used digitised players. Like ‘blue screen’ special effects in old movies, this looks woefully dated, with golfers appearing divorced from the backgrounds they’re placed upon. - James Price, N64 Magazine #14 Remake or remaster? This game doesn’t need any special treatment. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Augusta Masters '98 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcubed Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 (edited) It's amazing just how much the original Mario Golf would just utterly blow this game out of the water hazard just a year and a half later. I mean, it's not even like this game actually appeared all that dated for its time. Contemporary releases on other platforms like PGA Tour 98, Everybody's Golf 1 & 2 and Actua Golf all used a similar presentation style, with 2D billboard sprites for your character and rather simple looking 3D graphics. Likewise, Golf games being based on a single course were also commonplace. And it's not like T&E Soft were strangers to the genre, in fact, they were perhaps THE most prolific golf game developer of all time (You may in fact know them as the developers of Nintendo Touch Golf on the Nintendo DS!). Mario Golf on the N64 was just that far ahead of everything else at the time. God bless you Camelot Edited March 15 by Dcubed 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Toukon Road: Brave Spirits JP release: 4th January 1998 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Yuke’s Publisher: Hudson N64 Magazine Score: 49% Another Japanese Wrestling game, Toukon Road: Brave Spirits doesn’t focus on real-life wrestlers, but instead creates its own brand new cast of wrestlers. Unfortunately, they haven’t really gone all out with creative or memorable designs, but rather tried to come up with “realistic” wrestlers. One thing that did impress me with Toukon Road was the animation, in particular how the ring bounces when wrestlers hit the floor along with the visible breathing. The gameplay itself isn’t bad and there are plenty of moves, but it also isn’t very gripping, either. Toukon Road is made to be fun in multiplayer and there are a fun options, but it doesn’t really do anything particularly unique in terms of how it plays. Quote Most of the options in Tokon Road seem to be neatly catered for, up to four players being able to grunt and moan their way through a respectable array of options. In one-player mode, though, there’s just a one-on-one or tag team game available. - Dean Mortlock, N64 Magazine #12 Remake or remaster? This game doesn’t need any special treatment. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Toukon Road: Brave Spirits 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 Robotron 64 NA release: 5th January 1998 PAL release: June 1998 JP release: N/A Developer: Player 1 Publisher: Crave (NA) GT (PAL) N64 Magazine Score: 75% With the advent of digital downloads, games like this have a great place now. But back in the N64 days, arcade-style games were sold on a cartridge the same price as much meatier games, making them difficult purchases. Robotron is an update to the original Robotron 2048, but the arcade mode of going though the 200 waves (or taking turns with another person) is really all there is. Robotron 64 is a really good update of the original arcade, now in a new perspective with a camera that mostly does a great job at showing the action. You can either use the analogue stick to move and c-buttons to shoot, or use two controllers to use two analogue sticks. The gameplay is solid and a lot of fun. Although with the camera moving and all the flashing effects, it can sometimes be difficult to see what is happening, with the projectiles of the brain enemies being particularly difficult to see, resulting in some unfair deaths. Robotron 64 is a lot of fun, but it really could have done with more modes and features. Quote I recommend Robotron 64 as an ace blast game, but you must understand something. It’s endlessly, enviably playable and even manages a few surprises but it’s not “there.” Its potential is unrealised. - Jonathan Nash, N64 Magazine #12 Remake or remaster? I’m quite surprised that there has been no XBLA style update for Robotron. It’s still a well respected name and an update could be great, potentially having new styles plus including options for the previous three: 2048, X and 64. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Robotron 64 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEVILMURRAY Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 I had Robotron 64 on the Playstation, if you stand in a corner and fire diagonally outwards, you'll be near untouchable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcubed Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 (edited) Fun fact. This game was released on the smallest, cheapest and nastiest N64 cart ever made available (just 4MB/32mbit; the same size as the DKC games on SNES); with the publisher even having the sheer gall to eschew on-cart memory for saves on top of it’s utterly puny ROM size, requiring the purchase and use of the notoriously flimsy N64 Controller Pak if you wanted to save. It is as slight and miserly as N64 games get. 9 hours ago, EEVILMURRAY said: I had Robotron 64 on the Playstation, if you stand in a corner and fire diagonally outwards, you'll be near untouchable. You mean Robotron 32 X, PlayStation ain’t got no 64bits! Those extra 32 bits make it a totes different game you fool! 13 hours ago, Cube said: I’m quite surprised that there has been no XBLA style update for Robotron. It’s still a well respected name and an update could be great, potentially having new styles plus including options for the previous three: 2048, X and 64. There was, it was called Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved Edited March 17 by Dcubed 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.C.G Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 I used to own the PAL version of Robotron 64... I think? Unless it was the PC version... one or the other, either way, not a bad game, but not very remarkable either. Although, this would probably do quite well today, as the gameplay doesn't seem to be that far removed from modern popular wave-based arcade games of the moment. As a digital download, put it on the Switch, £3... ??? Profit! I'd say put it on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack but the licensing could be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEVILMURRAY Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 11 hours ago, Dcubed said: You mean Robotron 32 X, PlayStation ain’t got no 64bits! Those extra 32 bits make it a totes different game you fool! Must've been. I always did wonder why I remember it being called that when it wasn't on the N64... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 NBA In The Zone ’98 JP release: 29th January 1998 NA release: 16th February 1998 PAL release: April 1998 Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami N64 Magazine Score: 71% With ISS64, Konami gave the N64 a solid start with Football games on the N64. Their take on Basketball is the first serious take on the sport on the N64, so you would hope for similar results. Unfortunately, NBA In the Zone 98 (or NBA Pro 98 in Europe) bounces off the basket rim and just misses the mark. Everything in NBA In The Zone feels slow and clunky, even swapping players seems unreliable. Helpful AI-controlled teammates are also an important part in sports games, and for a game like baseball it seems vital, but anyone you don’t control may as well not be there. From what little I know about Basketball, getting your players in a defensive position is a necessary part of the game, especially as you can’t tackle directly, but defending may as well not exist in this game. After FIFA 98, the players also seem extremely outdated, with stick arms and legs, looking more like abstract monstrosities than human. The courts and crowds also look rather flat, resulting in a game that’s just janky and ugly. Quote The speed of NBA Pro’s players is measured in digital terms, not analogue – there are sperate run buttons. You may as well be using a D-pad. Tsk. - James Price, N64 Magazine #14 Remake or remaster? Sports games have evolved over time. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get NBA In The Zone 97 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcubed Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 (edited) Konami were pretty much the only Japanese publisher that really gave the N64 some proper 3rd party support. While most of their non ISS and Goemon efforts didn't turn out all that great, they certainly weren't for lack of trying. Here's something you might be surprised by... combing through the credits as seen on Mobigames, not a single person who worked on NBA In The Zone 98 on the N64 had previously worked on any of the prior NBA In The Zone games that were released on the PS1; and stranger still? Looking at the credits for the PS1 version? Not a single person who worked on that game had worked on any of Konami's other two basketball series that predated NBA In The Zone (Double Dribble and Run & Gun). Konami have always been a very strange company. You'd think that they would've wanted to tap into the institutional knowledge that they had already built from their previous basketball games, but nope. This isn't even all that out of character for them. As I previously explained in my Your Gaming Diary writeup for my playthrough of Castlevania Dracula X for SNES, Konami would often just throw everything out and start from scratch with staff who were completely new to a given established series. It's no wonder that the company was so dysfunctional and it's no small miracle that it actually did manage to put out so many stone cold classics throughout the 80s to early 2000s. Edited March 18 by Dcubed 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnas Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 (edited) On 16/03/2024 at 9:05 AM, Cube said: New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Toukon Road: Brave Spirits Another Japanese Wrestling game, Toukon Road: Brave Spirits doesn’t focus on real-life wrestlers, but instead creates its own brand new cast of wrestlers. Unfortunately, they haven’t really gone all out with creative or memorable designs, but rather tried to come up with “realistic” wrestlers. I'm just now going through your recent reviews, and... That's not a brand new wrestler, that's Jushin Liger. There's probably a few other real-life wrestlers in that cast, if so. Edited March 18 by Jonnas 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 @Dcubed a fresh team worked for GoldenEye, but I imagine Konami's method was just randomly assigning a new project when a team has finished a previous one. @Jonnas thanks for the info! SimCity 2000 JP release: 30th January 1998 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Maxis, Genki Publisher: Imagineer N64 Magazine Score: 83% I didn’t touch this one that much. For the most part, it’s a straight port of SimCity 2000 on PC, but completely in Japanese (even with Google Lens, it’s a nightmare to play). On top of that, the joystick moves a cursor and is really not suitable for this kind of game. I did try to get somewhere with it, but I couldn’t even attract a single person to my city. This version of SimCity 2000 does have some additional features I never got to, mainly in the form of minigames. You can bet on horse races, breed monsters (to defend your city from other monsters), defend your city in a Sci-fi shooter and take part in a dating sim. I am curious to see what they’re like, but the barrier is just too high – I’ll save my SimCity effort for the N64’s other, more custom, SimCity game. Quote If this review has whet your appetite for an N64-based city management role, you’d do well to consider the following: Sim City 2000 is due for UK release in a few month’s time, and the Japanese version is near incomprehensible unless you’ve played the game on another format. There’s also the problem that moans and requests from citizens are so easy to ignore when they’re in another language – another curious way in which Sim City 2000 mirrors real life… - James Price, N64 Magazine #13 (Note: There was never a UK release of SimCity 2000) Remake or remaster? It would be curious to see the minigames in another version. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get the N64 version of SimCity 2000. The PC version can be bought from EA. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcubed Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 (edited) Ahem! I'll have you know that this game is actually called SimCity 2000: The Ultimate City Simulator: It's New! Nintendo 64 Version. Come on @Cube, get with it here! Edited March 19 by Dcubed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 Fighters Destiny NA release: 31st January 1998 PAL release: 1st March 1998 JP release: 11th Decemver 1998 Developer: Opus, Ancho, Genki Publisher: Ocean (NA), Infogrames (PAL), Imagineer (JP) N64 Magazine Score: 86% Even though I’m not a fan of fighting games, I can tell that this one is something special, at least compared to all the tedious ones released before this on the N64. This has some interesting ideas and feels like it was designed for a console due to the modes it included. The key part of Fighters Destiny is the point system. You have to be the first to seven points and different methods of defeating your opponent gets you different points: pushing them off the giant block you fight on top of nets you 1 point, a throwdown move gets you 2 points while preforming a special mode (via a ridiculous combination) get you 4. This means people are trying different tactics rather than just whittling down health. There are also a bunch of different modes to keep people interested. There’s a rodeo where you have to keep in the fight (against a cow) for as long as possible, a survival challenge and a timed mode. There’s also Masters Challenge, where you can earn more moves for each character (on top of the already immense amount they have) and can move these via controller pak to a friend’s house. It isn’t for me, but Fighters Destiny stands out above the other fighting games on N64. Quote In many ways, this IS our Tekken. The smooth and lovely graphics, the sheer number of moves, and the flexibility of the combat system as a whole affirm this. - Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #13 Remake or remaster? A collection of both games would be nice. Official ways to get the game. There is no official way to get Fighters Destiny 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 Olympic Hockey ’98 NA release: 23rd February 1998 PAL release: April 1998 JP release: July 1998 Developer: Software Creations Publisher: Midway (NA), GT (PAL), Konami (JP) N64 Magazine Score: 60% In December 1997, Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey ’98, offering no notable improvement over the first (pretty solid) game. Two months later, Olympic Hockey ’98 is just another version of Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey, just with the American teams replaced with those from the Olympics (although most of the players are generic and not based on real ones). IGN had a particularly scathing review, giving it a 0/10 and saying “We’ll post a new review when Midway releases a new game.” (that’s not a quote, that’s the entire review). The biggest difference between Olympic Hockey and Wayne Gretzky are the default settings, with Olympic Hockey having everything set to simulation and strict. I realised I hated strict hockey, especially the ball going behind the goal resulting in a penalty, but change some settings and you can have fun again. This isn’t a terrible game, it’s just a cheap cash-in. Quote So you get a couple of minor changes to the commentary, Nagano logos around the rink and under the ice, and the teams of the Olympic tournament. All 14 of them. Everything else is identical to the original. - Martin Kitts, N64 Magazine #15 Remake or Remaster? This game is pointless. Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play Olympic Hockey 98 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnas Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 So, this might be a good time to mention that I don't really like videogames about team sports. Don't like footie games, no Rugby, even Basketball I find "meh". I know this, because a friend of mine likes playing these sort of games (mostly on the PS1 & PS2), and I sadly never shared the appeal. Hockey is one of the few exceptions. Don't know why, there's something about the intended jank of the puck's behaviour that makes me enjoy the gameplay. Not enough to buy a game for myself, mind you, just enough to have an enjoyable afternoon with a good friend. Why do I bring this up? 10 hours ago, Cube said: especially the ball going behind the goal resulting in a penalty, Because the fact that you didn't call it a "puck" unlocked some memories of that same friend getting angry at me for calling it a ball as well To think that now, I am the one to notice such things. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 Jeopardy! NA release: 25th February 1998 PAL release: N/A JP release: N/A Developer: GameTek Publisher: Take Two N64 Magazine Score: 9% Similar to Wheel of Fortune, this got a scathing review from N64 Magazine and, once again, this is just fine. There’s not much too it, but it gets the job done. That said, it does have a few problems not present in Wheel of Fortune. One odd thing I noticed (which isn’t really a problem) is that the menu music is a remix of “I’m a little teapot”, which is a bit random. Jeopardy is a trivia game where everything is worded awkwardly so that the answers start with “what is” and the questions don’t have question marks. It doesn’t change the nature of the questions in any way, it’s just a pointless novelty to make them seem more interesting than they are. You pick from a list of categories and difficulties – if you don’t know much about one of the chosen categories, tough. Typing out on the N64 is particularly awkward. It helps you by filling in the “what is/are” part so you just put in the answer (making it more obvious that it’s just a regular quiz show). You can set it to accept incorrect spellings or to show you potential answers. On the flip side, computer players type so fast you can’t see what they’re doing. It’s a basic trivia game – but that’s all it’s trying to be. Quote To be able to answer Jeopardy’s questions you need to have enough sense to not spend pounds on a glorified quiz book. - Paul O’Donovan, N64 Magazine #16 Remake or Remaster? Like Wheel of Fortune, classic games should be in a Jackbox-style collection. Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play Jeopardy on N64, but there are various versions of the game on other platforms. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen-i Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 (edited) 2 hours ago, Cube said: It doesn’t change the nature of the questions in any way, it’s just a pointless novelty to make them seem more interesting than they are. Gonna have to stop you there, mate. But there is a point to this. Well, was. These days, it definitely is only a thing because it's become symbolic of the show. Back before Jeopardy was first broadcast in America, quiz shows there had become embroiled in a number of scandals of rigging. Contestants that were deemed popular were routinely given the answers to questions to ensure they win and return in future episodes. The most notorious examples were "21" and "Dotto". So when Merv and Julann Griffin pitched their idea to broadcasters, they suggested they reverse the format and give contestants the answer and have them provide the question. Yeah, I know. That idea wouldn't stop potential for rigging, really. But it did convince viewers that there wasn't anything of the sort in this show. (Probably helps that Jeopardy wasn't rigged, mind) Safe to say, it saved American Quiz Shows. Edited March 22 by Glen-i 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEVILMURRAY Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 If you want a dose of UK action, Stephen Fry recently hosted it here. Not sure if it's still on the screens though, it was an early afternoon deal, not good enough for prime time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 23 Author Share Posted March 23 NHL Breakaway 98 NA release: 25th February 1998 PAL release: 25th February 1998 JP release: N/A Developer: Iguana Publisher: Acclaim N64 Magazine Score: 62% Graphically, NHL Breakaway looks much more “real” compared too Wayne Gretzky, with human-shaped proportions and an ice rink that has reflections (although not of players). It also seems to be more in-tune with a proper Ice Hockey viewing experience (I presume) with organ music playing American sports tunes. Unfortunately, that’s where the good points for Breakaway end, as it’s nowhere near as fluid or fun to play as Wayne Gretzky. It’s all stiff, with some unresponsive controls and bad camera angles – I couldn’t find a single one I liked. Similar to Igunana’s American Football game, NHL Breakaway also ahs some cheats, although none are as amusing as their previous one and they don’t really make the game any more fun. This is just a bland sports game. Quote Everything’s neatly in place and functioning in its proper manner, but there’s no excitement, no originality. Basically, there’s nothing to make you want to rush out and buy the game. - Dean Mortlock, N64 Magazine #14 Remake or Remaster? Sports games constantly get refreshed. Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play NHL Breakaway 98 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 1080° Snowboarding JP release: 28th February 1998 NA release: 1st April 1998 PAL release: 9th October 1998 Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo N64 Magazine Score: 89% 1080° Snowboarding has a bit of a mixed reception amongst Nintendo fans, with some loving it and others not really getting into it. Unfortunately, I’m in the latter camp but I can see why people do love it. I think a lot of it is to do with expectations: you expect something more whimsical and a bit over-the-top from Nintendo, but 1080 is surprisingly grounded. 1080 is a snowboard racing game with a lot of tricks, with the tutorial being geared towards performing tricks. I think this was the main error of the game, as it sets tricks as something integral to the game, creating the impression that they’ll be important to all modes. After this, people will usually pick the race mode and almost certainly lose. As Nintendo have gone for a more serious game, tricks won’t help you out here, they’ll just slow you down, any kind of jumping usually will. You need to crouch down and perfect the course to win, even on the easiest difficulties. The tricks come into play in specific trick modes, and the system is quite robust and it takes a lot of skill to master landing. I just wish that the two modes were integrated a bit more and that tricks were part of races, creating boost – but that would change the nature of the game and isn’t what Nintendo is going for. 1080° Snowboarding is a very solid game, it just isn’t for me. Quote The first time you complete a course without crashing once, you’ll forgive the game for all the times it made you want to throw your N64 out of the window, because 1080° is a very rewarding game. - Martin Kitts, N64 Magazine #21 Remake or Remaster? It definitely deserves an updated release, perhaps adding a more arcade mode as well. Official Ways to get the game There is no way to buy a new copy of 1080° Snowboarding, the only official way to play is to rent it via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pak. Re-releases 2008: Wii Virtual Console 2015: Wii U Virtual Console 2024: Nintendo Switch Online (subscription only) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcubed Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 (edited) I actually quite like how grounded 1080 is myself, there aren't a lot of games quite like it (Games like Snowboard Kids and SSX are certainly much more fantastical) and it comes from a time where Nintendo's internal developers were perhaps more willing to try making something completely outside of their wheelhouse. If you will, 1080 is the Virtua Fighter of the snowboard cross genre; and if you like Virtua Fighter's grounded approach to the fighting genre compared to its more fantastical contemporaries, I think you'd appreciate what 1080 is going for. I can see why Nintendo moved away from making more realistic sports games though, as 3rd parties began filling the gap in general, but it's still a bit of a shame; because 1080 is a real corker of a snowboard racer! But ultimately as a developer, publisher and first party platform holder, I suppose you have to consider the opportunity cost of what you're making. Still. If I had to choose between 1080 or Wave Race, I'd always pick the latter over the former. I do really like 1080, but Wave Race 64 is the best realistic sports game that Nintendo ever made. Edited March 24 by Dcubed 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 25 Author Share Posted March 25 Quake NA release: 24th March 1998 PAL release: 24th May 1998 JP release: N/A Developer: iD, Midway Publisher: Midway (NA), GT (Pal) N64 Magazine Score: 79% Like with Duke Nukem, Hexen and DOOM, this is another port of a FPS that released on PC a few years prior. The N64 version of Quake (which I’m calling Quake 64 to make things easier) was mostly the same, but had altered (and missing) maps, making it a slight variation of the original – luckily the 2021 remaster of Quake includes the N64 maps as an additional option (just make sure to turn off the horrible CRT filter). Quake is like DOOM but with a bit more 3D, featuring platforming. It follows the structure of having to hunt down keys to progress levels white are a bit maze like and are often disorientating due to everywhere looking the game. It was no doubt impressive back in the day, but the genre evolved a lot between when this originally came out on PC and when it came out on N64. Apart from slight level changes, the other big difference with Quake 64 is the music. The original had a wonderful soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails (which is a genuine game soundtrack, not just some music they had already made) while this has its own soundtrack which sounds a bit like DOOM 64, being mostly background creepy ambient noise. Quake is a fine game by itself, but there’s not really any reason to play it over the original. Quote If Midway hadn’t delayed Quake in order to add a two-player mode (which should have been a four-player mode, of course), we’d have struggled to recommend Quake 64. It’s a basic port, little more. It no way improves upon the original which, two years from its first release, is a bit of a joke. - James Price, N64 Magazine #15 Remake or Remaster? The remaster of Quake included an additional download for the N64 version – although if you’re not on PC, you’re stuck with a horrible filter, as it requires a console command to disable. Official Ways to get the game You can get Quake for Gog and Steam. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcubed Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 LIke I said before, it's a bit odd that the most powerful console of its generation got the least faithful port. But hey! That makes it worth playing even if you have the original PC release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 G.A.S.P!! Fighters’ NEXTream JP release: 26th March 1998 PAL release: 1st September 1998 NA release: 29th September 1998 Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami N64 Magazine Score: 47% What does Generation of Arts, Speed and Power mean? It means someone really wanted the game’s initials to spell out “GASP”. As for “Fighters’ NEXTreme”? I have absolutely no idea – probably why this was renamed to the extremely generic “Deadly Arts” in America. This is another fighting game on the N64, one that has one interesting feature, but is unfortunately not that fun to play. GASP is all about combos, but the input window makes it difficult to pull any off, so I found a couple of simple moves and spammed then. The default timer is very short, so KOs are unlikely and if time runs out, you get judged on multiple categories, so the person with less health may win. The characters are all completely uninteresting and just look like prototype versions from other fighting games. The one interesting thing is “create-a-fighter”, although options are extremely limited. You then train by fighting others and, if you win, you get to learn one of their moves, although with how much of a faff they are to perform, it doesn’t mean much. This joins the rather large list of bland fighters on the N64. Quote Combos are so hard to pull off that even attempting them is too much of an effort, while characters have all the appeal of Anne Robinson. - Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #22 Remake or Remaster? The create-a-fighter could be done in newer games, but needs to be better than this. Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play G.A.S.P!! Fighters’ NEXTream 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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