Cube Posted July 1 Author Posted July 1 J.League Tactics Soccer JP release: 15th January 1999 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: ASCII Publisher: ASCII N64 Magazine Score: N/A J.League Tactics Soccer is a Japanese-only football management game. So a ton of text, figures and sitting and watching. You pick which team you want to take over and can create your son to join the team as a player alongside you (ah, nepotism). Your terms dictate that you must finish the league in the top 12, and if there’s ever a time where there aren’t enough players for a match (due to injuries, cards, etc), then you also get fired. Within each month, you plan events. You can add friendly matches, fan experiences, week-long campsite training, praying at a shrine for victory and getting vaccinations. Set matches will already be there. Events will happen every Wednesday and Saturday, starting off with a practice session. If you don’t schedule anything, some random thing will occur instead. No matter what you do, though, the outcomes are random. These are mainly increase or decreases in player motivation, player strength and your reputation. I set up a fan appreciation day and chose a player to bring in something special to auction off. As nobody wanted to buy it, my reputation decreased. When it comes to matches, you set up the tactics, formations, players and sit back and watch the match. You can change basic tactics on-the-fly (wing/centre play, fast or slow), but anything else requires pausing and going through the menus. The matches are played out in 3D, and the HUD looks a bit like Perfect Striker (ISS), so I think it's based on Konami's football engine, but I couldn't find anything confirming this. I played a few matches and it was already very repetitive. I never felt like I had much control over anything, and it felt like the events you set had little impact as the results were random. That said, a lot of that could be the language barrier as there’s probably a ton of details that I’m missing. This football team hired a manager who doesn’t know anything about football tactics (other than pass to the best player, he can run past everyone and score) and doesn’t speak Japanese, so it’s no surprise that they did poorly. Remake or remaster? Football Manager fills this niche and is in English. Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play J.League Tactics Soccer. 3
Dcubed Posted July 2 Posted July 2 I’m surprised Konami didn’t attempt to sue. That match HUD is basically identical to what ISS uses Still. If you’re gonna steal, might as well steal from the best!
Cube Posted July 2 Author Posted July 2 1 hour ago, Dcubed said: I’m surprised Konami didn’t attempt to sue. That match HUD is basically identical to what ISS uses Still. If you’re gonna steal, might as well steal from the best! It's possible that they licensed the game engine form Konami, I can't find any credits at all. The radar also works in exactly the same way.
Dcubed Posted July 2 Posted July 2 1 hour ago, Cube said: It's possible that they licensed the game engine form Konami, I can't find any credits at all. The radar also works in exactly the same way. Credits list is here (scroll down and you’ll see it): https://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Credits_Repository I’m out and about using my phone right now, so I’m not in a position to check myself, but have a look and see if there is any shared staff who worked on the ISS games; I’m pretty curious about this one now! 1
Cube Posted July 2 Author Posted July 2 Doesn't look like there's any shared names, or even special thanks.
Ashley Posted July 2 Posted July 2 13 hours ago, Cube said: I played a few matches and it was already very repetitive. I never felt like I had much control over anything, and it felt like the events you set had little impact as the results were random. So football basically? 1
Cube Posted July 2 Author Posted July 2 Super Smash Bros. JP release: 21st January 1999 NA release: 26th April 1999 PAL release: 19th November 1999 Developer: HAL Publisher: Nintendo N64 Magazine Score: 90% Considering it’s humble beginnings, I don’t think Nintendo ever expected Super Smash Bros. to be such an important part of its line-up of games on future consoles. The first game was fairly light on what it contained, but it completely nailed the gameplay from the get-go. It would have been very easy for Nintendo to make a regular fighting game – the N64 certainly had many failed attempts at the genre – yet HAL went for something new instead, something more geared for 4 players. Players no longer had a health bar, but rather a percentage damage (that could go way above 100%). The higher the number, the more you fly when you get hit. The object of the game is to knock your opponents off the side of the map (or so far into the sky they launch into space). The main mode pits you against each character one at a time, but mixes things up with some team battles, fighting a horde of weaker opponents and fighting giant characters. Every character has their own set of moves. The controls are simple (no combos to remember), so your focus in entirely how each of the powers work and the intricacies of how they can be used in multiple situations and alongside other powers. Each player also has some special stages, such as breaking targets and boarding platforms. You’ll need to use the character’s full move set to complete them, especially if you want a good time. The campaign ends with a fight against master hand, who does have a health bar, but also a set of moves for you to learn how to avoid. Once you finished, it’s not over, as a new challenger will appear. While the roster starts with 8 very popular characters from Nintendo’s franchises: Mario, DK, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox and Pikachu, there were four more slots to unlock. When you fulfilled the criteria to unlock, a screen would flash up with “A New Challenger Approaches”. This is sadly something the internet has ruined, as discovering these for yourself is no longer possible – instead, these reveals are left entirely up to trailers. Beat them and you would unlock them to use. Super Smash Bros. is a wonderful game, but was just the beginning for the franchise, the other games have improved upon it in every way – although the game still has dedicated fans, including those who add new content to the original, with a ton of levels and characters added. Quote Smash Bros is as unique and essential as any Mario game – especially as its multiplayer ranks up there with GoldenEye’s, Mario Kart’s and Quake II’s. The fact that Smash Bros is still an office lunchtime favourite, almost a year after we first got our hands on it, is testament to its greatness. Do not miss it. - Mark Green, N64 Magazine #36 Remake or remaster? I don’t think this need a remaster due to later games, but it would be nice to have some of the bonus stages in newer games. It should definitely get re-released, though. Another option is that, if Nintendo feel they can’t top Ultimate, the next console’s Smash can be a port of Ultimate with various options (item sets, levels, moves, etc) from previous titles added as alternative ways to play as a sort of combined collection. Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play Super Smash Bros. 3 3
Jonnas Posted July 3 Posted July 3 2 hours ago, Cube said: There’s no official way to play Super Smash Bros. This is a weird sentence to read, and realize that it is technically correct. 2
Dcubed Posted July 3 Posted July 3 Appreciate the very subtle shoutout to Smash Remix at the end there, it's bonkers good! These days, I find myself enjoying the original Smash Bros more than its immediate sequel (Melee), mainly because it plays quite differently from the rest of the series with its crazy hitstun; where every hit is basically a potential zero-to-death combo I'm no competitive player by any means, but I appreciate how unique it plays and feels compared to the rest of the series. Variety is the spice of life after all, and that's the Smash Bros' series' biggest strength. But yeah, these days, if I'm gonna play the original Smash Bros, it's gonna be through Smash Remix. Easily one of the greatest fan mod projects of all time, the sheer amount of extra (and high quality!) content that they've added to the original game is just an absolute marvel; and to see it all running smoothly on original hardware to boot? Wow! Incredible! 2 1
Cube Posted July 3 Author Posted July 3 Castlevania NA release: 26th January 1999 JP release: 11th March 1999 PAL release: 14th May 1999 Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami N64 Magazine Score: 82% In 1997, the PlayStation got Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. It got great reviews and is now considered to be an amazing game – it’s even the reason for the “vania” part of the phrase “Metroidvania”. However, it didn’t sell well. Unfortunately, this era of consoles looked down poorly on 2D games. This was even worse on N64 than on PlayStation, so Castlevania on the N64 had to be in 3D. This one isn’t a “Metroidvania” game, but seems like its taking the style of the first few Castlevania games and turning that into 3D. I should note that I’ve never played a Castlevania game before. In Castlevania on the N64, you get to pick between two characters: Reinhardt, a vampire hunter with a whip, or Carrie, who has magical powers. They sense that Dracula has returned and seek to destroy him. The graphics are nice on the N64, and Castlevania has the right atmosphere for the style of game – creepy, but adventurous. The levels are long but mostly linear, with you occasionally going off the path to hit a switch or find a key. Combat is quite simple, you have a melee attack and ranged attack, and can also use magical items as weapons. You can lock on, but can not move (other than a jump to the side) while doing so. Movement is a bit more of an issue. The jump is tall and floaty, and really difficult to judge – and definitely not helped by the camera. To make matters worse, any missed jump us usually instant death, and you’ll need to load your previous save or start the level from scratch. The saving is one of the game’s big frustrations: they are quite a distance apart, meaning you have to fight through many enemies before you can start a jump again. In one instance, you fight a couple of bosses and then walk down a corridor. The floor will give way and you’ll die. Your last chance to save was before the bosses. Luckily, save states solve this, but it was still frustrating with that. Another issue are some doors and events that only happen at certain times of the day. You can use sun and moon cards to skip forwards, but sometimes the only choice is to wait around for the right time. That said, I was mostly enjoying the game until Castle Keep. Here, you have to move an explosive substance to a crack elsewhere in the castle. If you jump or get hit, you die. Of course, they set up a massive, winding narrow bridge you need to cross, with lizards spitting fireballs at you. It’s the hardest part of the game, but not for good reasons. Then the game put its middle finger at me. I finished the level when it faded to black and told me I had finished the game and to start again on a higher difficulty if I want to see the rest. As I know I’m going to play a slightly different version of the game later on, I instead downloaded a save file just before defeating Dracula (incidentally, if you don’t get there fast enough, you’ll get a bad ending). Castlevania has some nice ideas, but a lot of frustrations. The gameplay is still enjoyable and I was expecting much worse from it’s reputation. Still, it’s an odd game because a port of Symphony of the Night would have been much, much better. Quote It’s just a crying shame that the obvious hard work that Konami have put into Castlevania is diluted by the game’s biggest fault; a wilfully obtuse camera that doesn’t always do what you want it to do. Perhaps it seems a little worse than it is because we’ve been spoiled by Super Mario 64, Zelda and, to a lesser extent, Banjo-Kazooie. Perhaps it’s because we want Castlevania to be so much better than it actually is. - Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #27 Remake or remaster? It does need to be included in compilations. Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play Castlevania on N64. 3 1
darksnowman Posted July 4 Posted July 4 On 7/3/2024 at 1:23 AM, Jonnas said: This is a weird sentence to read Even though I know what he means with these, it still sort of sounds like it'd be a criminal offence to hook up the (official) N64 to play Smash Bros. 64 (official cart) with the old (official) banana yellow N64 controller. Just wouldn't be an official Nintendo CRT telly I suppose. 1 1
Glen-i Posted July 4 Posted July 4 On 7/3/2024 at 6:28 AM, Dcubed said: where every hit is basically a potential zero-to-death combo Oh boy, it sure is! Especially with Kirby! 1 2
Dcubed Posted July 4 Posted July 4 Oh man, if you were able to eek some enjoyment out of Castlevania 64 of all games (seriously, that's your first CV game? That one!?), you're gonna be in for a treat when you do eventually get round to playing the rest of the series 1
Ashley Posted July 4 Posted July 4 8 hours ago, Glen-i said: Oh boy, it sure is! Especially with Kirby! Kirby is the destroyer of gods. Mortals are nothing. 1
Cube Posted July 4 Author Posted July 4 Parlor Pro 64: Pachinko Simulation JP release: 29th January 1999 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Irem Software Engineering Publisher: Telnet Original Name: Parlor! Pro 64: Pachinko Jikki Simulation N64 Magazine Score: N/A I’m not sure what it is about developers of Pachinko games, but none of them seem to quite know what humans look like. Even though this is a completely different development team and publisher, the receptionist’s head is way too small and placed on top of a peg-like neck, just like in Pachinko World 64. At least in this one you can actually walk around the pachinko halls. Parlor Pro boasts a whopping three pachinko machines. Unlike previous N64 pachinko games, these are entirely 2D, which means no odd and fiddly camera controls to deal with and they’re nicer to look at. You can also zoom in on the slot machine animation and make it full screen, with them being nicely animated and looking quite crisp. In the main mode, you need to prove your worth by doubling your money in order to join an elite Pachinko club (and presumably higher targets after that). You pick different pachinko parlours from the menu and pick a machine to play. At night you return home, then start the process again the next day. While there are four parlours, each with rows and rows of machines, there are only three types of machine to play, so that’s all you do for hours at a time. It’s possible that the individual machines have slightly different odds, and that the game is more about figuring out which ones those are. Outside of the main mode, you can just play the three machines from the menu. There’s also a gallery where you can watch the different animations from the slot machine screens, which I guess is a nice bonus. But this is still a game where you play a hybrid of a 10p machine and slot machine, with no prizes to be won – not even in-game cosmetic stuff. Remake or remaster? These games are nothing more than odd curiosities. Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play Parlor Pro 64. 2
Cube Posted July 5 Author Posted July 5 Legend of the Flying Dragon JP release: 29th January 1999 NA release: N/A PAL release: N/A Developer: Culture Brain Publisher: Culture Brain Original Name: SD Hiryū no Ken Densetsu N64 Magazine Score: N/A The first Flying Dragon – the one that released worldwide – was a game with an identity crisis. Half of the game was an anime-style fighting game with items you could upgrade to boost your stats, but it also contained a more “realistic” fighting game with more regular (well, tall and lanky) humans. Both sides suffered as a result of trying to do both. In their review of the PAL version of Flying Dragon, N64 Magazine said that the game had squandered potential. The thing is, by the time the PAL version came out, Japan already had the sequel, and it seems to be the game N64 mag wanting. Legend of the Flying Dragon ditches the “realistic” mode in the first game and focuses entirely on the anime style fighting game, which were the strengths of the first. The fighting feels much more fluid and less like the game is about to fall apart, with moves being easy to pull off and a ton of options to cater the game to your liking. The game features a lengthy (for a fighting game) story mode. The overall story is a retelling of the one from the NES game Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll: a child is found and raised by an old man, the old man gets killed by the villain then the main character is invited to a fighting tournament and ultimately needs to go up against the man that killed his mentor. Nothing ground-breaking, but some amusing dialogue throughout the course of the game, and makes it feel more than just a bunch of disconnected fights. One of your opponents even has a Pepsi mask for some reason. More traditional modes exist alongside it and, as with the previous games, you equip and upgrade items to boost your stats. This feels much more rounded, and it’s a shame that this wasn’t localised instead of the very messy earlier title. I found it quite enjoyable. Remake or Remaster? A collection of the series would be great. Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play Legend of the Flying Dragon. 1 2
Ashley Posted July 6 Posted July 6 8 hours ago, Cube said: One of your opponents even has a Pepsi mask for some reason. He asked for a Coke mask and they said "is Pepsi okay?" and it was. 1 2
Glen-i Posted July 6 Posted July 6 I wasn't expecting to see the origins of Pepsi Man here. Great... That means I was wrong and Fire Emblem Engage is actually the third game in the series. 1
Dcubed Posted July 6 Posted July 6 (edited) 1 hour ago, Glen-i said: I wasn't expecting to see the origins of Pepsi Man here. Great... That means I was wrong and Fire Emblem Engage is actually the third game in the series. Sorry Glen... but this isn't even the first fighting game to feature Pepsi Man... and as a playable character to boot! The Japanese SEGA Saturn version of Fighting Vipers (not the western release, and not the arcade version, no; only this specific version) features none other than the man of Pepsi himself! Complete with theme song even! What is it with the obsession for Pepsi amongst 90s Japanese developers!? It's not even a good drink! Pepsi is disgusting! Edited July 6 by Dcubed 1
Ashley Posted July 6 Posted July 6 30 minutes ago, Dcubed said: What is it with the obsession for Pepsi amongst 90s Japanese developers 3
Cube Posted July 6 Author Posted July 6 Harvest Moon 64 JP release: 5th February 1999 NA release: 22nd December 1999 PAL release: N/A Developer: Victor Publisher: Pack-In-Soft (JP), Natsume (NA) N64 Magazine Score: 90% The biggest problem with Harvest Moon 64 is that Stardew Valley now exists. Everything that Harvest Moon 64 does, Stardew has done it better. Which means that because I played Stardew Valley first, I found it very difficult to judge Harvest Moon 64 for what it originally was. The gist of it is that your granddad has died, and you have inherited his run down farm. You need to clean the land, grow crops, look after animals, improve your house and also socialise with the village – particularly the girls, as getting a wife is optional, but one of the main goals of the game. One of the most difficult things with Harvest Moon 64 is how short the days are, so it feels like you can barely get anything done. You get a few hours in the morning before other characters wake up, but this translates to a couple of minutes. Once you have enough money (and lumber) to get a greenhouse, it’s much easier to look after your crops, but it makes the game feel stressful rather than relaxing. The explorable world is quite short, so you can visit places if you decide to socialise for a day, but it also means that there isn’t much to see. Characters also tend to have a habit of being really good at hiding, so you can end up wasting a lot of valuable time getting somewhere and not finding the NPC you wanted to talk to. It takes a very long time to encounter new dialogue, and some encounters only happen if you’re in the right place on the right time and day. Festivals and events are an important part of Harvest Moon 64. All the shops will shut and you’ll get to enjoy a varied amount of activities, some of which you can compete in, such as horse racing and swimming. You’ll be able to get to know the characters a bit more at these events, so they’re well worth attending. In the village are five girls that are potential wives. By talking to them, giving them gifts and attending festivals they’ll start liking you more and more, and some events will trigger. Some of them apply to multiple girls (they hurt their ankle and you help them own) and others are more personal where you learn more about them. After you propose, you’ll get married and they’ll live on your farm, and eventually get pregnant. Harvest Moon 64 doesn’t do anything wrong, and really would have been great when it came out – although I do think the strict time limit would still be a bit too stressful for a game like this. However, it’s simplicity in terms of conversations, quests and the places you can explore means there’s not a lot of reason to visit Harvest Moon when other games like it exist. Quote If you’re a fan of the series from the SNES and Game Boy, then you’re going to love Harvest Moon on the N64. There are some ugly graphical glitches and one crash-tastic bug, but no amount of half-hearted programming can detract from such absorbing gameplay. - Martin Kitts, N64 Magazine #39 Remake or Remaster? A collection of all the Harvest Moon games would be nice (although some later ones have already been remastered under Story of Seasons). Official Ways to get the game There’s no official way to play Harvest Moon 64 (edit: you can rent it on Nintendo Switch Online). 2
Ashley Posted July 7 Posted July 7 7 hours ago, Cube said: There’s no official way to play Harvest Moon 64. It's on NSO 1 1
Glen-i Posted July 7 Posted July 7 21 minutes ago, Ashley said: It's on NSO Oh great! I wasn't going mad!
Ashley Posted July 7 Posted July 7 8 minutes ago, Glen-i said: Oh great! I wasn't going mad! I had to check too because I felt the same. We're unintentionally being gaslit by @Cube 1
Cube Posted July 7 Author Posted July 7 I mistakenly didn't check, I just presumed it wouldn't be due to the strange legal issues with the franchise (like how the GameCube one was redone, but not as a Harvest Moon game).
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