Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater - All N64 Games

[Cube]

Randnet Disk
 

• JP release: 23rd February 2000
• PAL release: N/A
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Nintendo
• Publisher: Nintendo
• N64 Magazine Score: N/A

The Randnet Disk for the 64DD isn’t really a game, but I thought it was interesting enough to talk about. It’s a software disk that is essentially a web browser and email client. As the Randnet service is down, there isn’t a lot that can be done, but I was able to mess around a little with the menu, along with the help pages which use the browser.

While you could use the N64 mouse and the N64 keyboard (which was sold separately alongside this disk), a good deal of effort was put into allowing text input on a controller. The stick is used to narrow your selection to a couple of letters, while you can use the A button and C-buttons to pick one of those letters, or a shortcut for something else (such as www. or .com). It’s a surprisingly nice way to input text, and it’s a shame this wasn’t used in other N64 games.

The browser is basic, but most were at the time anyway. From the help pages, it does its job just fine. There were some big plans for this, such as online play, watching others play games, and a music streaming service, but as the 64DD was short-lived, so was this. I also think it shows how botched together the 64DD ended up being, that this wasn’t released alongside the system itself.

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Instead of popping down to the local games store and picking up a 64DD, the only way to get hold of one is by ordering it online via a novel pay-as-you-go scheme costing ¥2500 (around £12) per month for the first year – after which the 64DD is yours to keep – and a further ¥1500 (£7) monthly subscription fee thereafter. For that price you get to use Nintendo’s Randnet service, which features emial and Internet access, multiplayer gaming and the ability to download demo versions of forthcoming titles.

N64 Magazine #36

Remake or remaster?

A group called Randnet+ is working on getting Randnet to work, allowing for the sharing of items from Mario Artist, and letting the browser work. They’re also recreating some of the pages the Randnet Disk directly linked to, so we’ll be able to see what it actually did (it probably won’t be able to load most modern websites).

Official ways to get the game.

There’s no official way to get Randnet Disk.

[Ashley]

37 minutes ago, Cube said:

it probably won’t be able to load most modern websites

I know just what site should be fine though. 

[Cube]

Mario Artist Talent Studio
 

• JP release: 23rd February 2000
• PAL release: N/A
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Nintendo
• Publisher: Nintendo
• N64 Magazine Score: N/A

This 64DD software is quite fascinating in that it’s actually an important step in Nintendo’s history. Miyamoto has always wanted to let players create avatars and do silly things with them, even since the Famicom Disk System, and this could have been something special, if done right. Not that it wasn’t done right in the software – it’s just that it was on the 64DD, too late into the N64’s life. There are three distinct parts of Talent Studio.

The first part of Talent Studio is creating avatars. There are two different editing suites here: one for the face, one for the body. The interface is nice and simple, but the options are quite mind-boggling, with a ton of stuff you can edit, and that’s on top of being able to paint the face yourself. You can import elements from Mario Artist Paint Studio, connect a camera via a special capture device cartridge, or use a Game Boy Camera. Then you can add all sorts of hair and accessories.

The body portion of the software has a lot of options to adjust the style of the body, as well as clothes which can contain patterns and designs (which can be imported). There’s a few Nintendo-related items in here, as well. You can also record your own voice for the Talent, although via a standard microphone plugged into the capture cart, and not the N64’s VMU microphone.

In Show Time you can watch a load of animations showing off your Talent. They’re quite amusing, with your Talent being rather useless and pathetic, although there’s only one animation for a set routine. There’s a vibe of the weirdness of Tomodachi Life in this mode.

Elsewhere in the package is a movie maker. While you can only have three “actors” (only one can appear at a time) and four backgrounds, you can apply a ton of animations, camera movements, effects, text, and sounds, to create simple little animated shorts. It’s quite complex software with a lot of elements to figure out, including a tool for making your own animations.

For the Mario Artist’s dream of being a game creation suite, this was likely the character creation and cut-scene parts. Parts of Talent Studio were reused for a cancelled GameCube game called Stage Debut, where your character would share a world with Nintendo characters, then Miyamoto’s plans for an avatar system finally took off with the much simpler Miis on the Wii.

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The second delivery, in February, contains Sim City 64, Talent Studio and a capture cartridge which will allow you to connect a digital video camera to the N64.

N64 Magazine #36

Remake or remaster?

It would be interesting to see all parts of the Mario Artist Game Studio.

Official ways to get the game.

There’s no official way to get Mario Artist Talent Studio

[Cube]

SimCity 64

• JP release: 23rd February 2000
• PAL release: N/A
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: HAL
• Publisher: Nintendo
• N64 Magazine Score: N/A

As one of the three actual games released on the 64DD, SimCity 64 is a full fledged SimCity (and not a port, like SimCity 2000), in 3D for the first time. The graphics, while primitive, have a colourful and charming style to them, and the cities are rather vast, although you can’t zoom out as much as I would have liked. As with the SNES SimCity, Dr. Wright advises you on your journey as mayor of a new city.

One significant feature of SimCity 64 is the ability to walk around your city. Cars drive around, while 2D sims walk about and do their jobs. I absolutely adore this feature, as it makes your city feel real, yet it still isn’t a main feature of city builders to this day. Cities Skylines had it as a hidden feature (the sequel doesn’t), but it’s not integrated into the gameplay. In SimCity 64, you can talk to your residents to find out what your city needs, and play hide-and-seek against some for extra cash. You can even create your own sims in Mario Artist Paint Studio and import them.

On top of having lots of different landscapes to work from, there are also 15 scenarios to work through, giving you a lot to do with the game. And if you do get bored, you can always turn on a disaster and watch chaos. I do wish there were a few more Nintendo touches (there’s no Bowser attack), but for consoles at the time, it was a very impressive version of SimCity.

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This excellent conversion of the PC favourite now allows you to zoom right in and explore your city at street level. Being able to create huge monuments of Mario is a nice touch, too.

N64 Magazine #40

Remake or remaster?

It would be nice to have a remaster of this SimCity, perhaps with better zoom and draw distance. Or even a new SimCity from Nintendo.

Official ways to get the game.

There’s no official way to get SimCity 64.

[Cube]

Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000
 

• NA release: 28th February 2000
• PAL release: 19th September 2000
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Acclaim
• Publisher: Acclaim
• N64 Magazine Score: 53%

Not long after EA’s Supercross 2000 comes Acclaim’s Supercross 2000. This is very similar in terms of modes and features, but the handling feels quite different, with this being much easier to control. It also feels less “on rails”, even though it still has invisible walls to stop you going off track.

There’s plenty of different stadiums to race in, along with some bigger outdoor tracks, and it feels fine. The sound is horrendous, though, with the bikes sounding like constantly farting flies. There’s also a simple, but restrictive, track editor. The freestyle stunt mode includes a moon level, which is an added bonus.

Fine

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Jeremy McGrath is as stolc a game as you could ever hope to play, principally because it offers no sort of challenge, but also because visually it seems to have had all of two minutes lavished on it.

Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #40

Remake or remaster?

There are better motorbike games.

Official ways to get the game.

There’s no official way to get Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000

[Dcubed]

One thing to keep in mind with Simcity 64 that you probably didn’t experience yourself @Cube, since you played the game on an emulator, is that it runs like an absolute dog on real N64 hardware.

Look at that framerate CHUG!

Edited Saturday at 08:54 PM by Dcubed

[Ashley]

I didn't realise The Pokémon Company made that game. 

[Cube]

South Park Rally
 

• NA release: 28th February 2000
• PAL release: 3rd March 2000
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Tantalus
• Publisher: Acclaim
• N64 Magazine Score: 88%

With how many low effort, dime-a-dozen licensed Mario Kart clones out there, South Park Rally deserves recognition for trying something new. Tracks in South Park aren’t circuits, but rather tiny open maps with multiple routes. Dotted across the map are checkpoints, which are in different places in each mode (and can be randomised as an option), meaning you may have to move back on yourself, and can take a different route from your opponents’.

It’s a shame, then, that the minimap is so useless. In this game, the ability to quickly glance at the map, identify where you are and where you need to go, is vital. Unfortunately, everyone on a map is an arrow, with yours being slightly bigger, it’s not enough of a visual difference to be useful when you’re approaching a junction and need to quickly decide which way to go.

South Park Rally has a lot of fun with its concept, as there are a ton of different game modes. There’s not a huge amount of variety in them – some involving collecting objects, some where you collect an object and then have to make it through all checkpoints, others have you all fighting for one object – but it’s a really neat idea that makes the game work well as a party game, especially as you all have the same map issues (unlike the CPUs, who know exactly where to go).

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Initially, the exercise doesn’t seem to have worked all that well – you’ll probably dismiss South Park Rally as an annoying, unnecessarily complex version of Mario Kart after your first few plays – but once you’ve become familiar with the maps, weapons and styles of play and then gathered some friends in the same room to share the experience with, it becomes blatantly obvious that Tantalus’ dabbling with the format has paid handsome dividends.

Mark Green, N64 Magazine #38

Remake or remaster?

A mode like this in the next Mario Kart would be amazing.

Official ways to get the game.

There’s no official way to get South Park Rally.

 

[Dcubed]

That actually sounds like a pretty neat concept for a racing game.  Would be nice to see Nintendo take a crack at the idea 

[Cube]

Hydro Thunder
 

• NA release: 6th March 2000
• PAL release: 14th May 2000
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Eurocom
• Publisher: Midway
• N64 Magazine Score: 84%

I’ve expressed my dislike of “catchup” racing games where it takes most of the race to even reach the leaders, yet sometimes, a racing game can be so enjoyable, that I can look past that part of the game and just enjoy the core racing experience. Hydro Thunder is one of those games.

Hydro Thunder is incredibly fast, with very tight controls. Everything around you also moves swiftly, in a purposefully unrealistic way – large patrol boats will try to stop you racing, but will drift, take jumps, and be barged into the air just like all the other racers. Every moment is frantic and over-the-top, in a hugely enjoyable way.

I think what makes Hydro Thunder work so well is the courses – they’re all well designed, with some interesting themes. Most of them are point A to point B races, and they really do feel like their own mini adventure, so much so that it feels you’re enjoying the level more than the actual racing. It’s an incredibly fun and smooth experience.

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Ultimately, though, there is a lot to love here, and special mention must go to developers Eurocom, who have created a game that’s identical to the Dreamcast version – same speed, same amount of detail, completely comparable (apart, admittedly, from not looking as good). In fact, Hydro Thunder 64 offers a little extra, in the shape of a true four-player mode (Sega’s machine could only offer two). Not bed, eh?

Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #39

Remake or remaster?

Take Hydro Thunder Hurricane, remaster that, add the N64 tracks, and you’d have a great game.

Official ways to get the game.

There’s no official way to get Hydro Thunder.

[Dcubed]

Hydro Thunder is pretty good.  It’s no Waverace, but it’s one of the better water-based racers out there.

The N64 port is alright, but it’s pretty mediocre in comparison to the absolute miracle that was the PS1 port.  Seriously! The PS1 port is far better than it has any right to be, and actually runs at a better framerate than the N64 version; with some additional special effects not found in the N64 version to boot!

Still, the N64 version is the only one that supports 3-4 players (not even the Dreamcast/Xbox/GCN/PS2 versions support more than 2 player splitscreen), so that’s a pretty significant feather in the N64’s cap here; despite requiring the Expansion Pak to do so.

You can’t really go wrong with any version of Hydro Thunder though.  It’s cheesy Midway carney arcade fun at its best

Edited yesterday at 12:10 AM by Dcubed

[Cube]

CyberTiger
 

• NA release: 8th March 2000
• PAL release: 24th March 2000
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Saffire
• Publisher: EA
• N64 Magazine Score: 72%

Considering that Mario Golf was a surprisingly serious golf game, it’s appropriate that the Tiger Woods game on N64 is completely silly. This was developed after Tiger Woods 99 PGA Tour Golf on the PlayStation, so I guess EA wanted to experiment a little, with the N64 only getting CyberTiger instead of the more serious games.

And CyberTiger truly is a strange game. If you select the free camera option, there’s a “Head Pump” option that makes your golfer’s head bigger, which is kept during gameplay. There’s no reason, it’s just there. Also surprising with the camera is the ability to fly over the entire course – not just the hole you’re on. This does mean that the game is incredibly quick at moving between holes, although I feel like they could have done something else with this (the ability to walk around, a buggy mode, speed golf).

The controls are also nice and simple. Push the analogue stick up to charge as a percentage increase up to 100% (although it vanishes after 70%, so you have to time the final part yourself), then swing down. It works surprisingly well, far better than The Glory of St Andrews. It also makes the game incredibly snappy, making it surprisingly good fun.

One thing that is fascinating, is how different this is from the PlayStation version of CyberTiger. The PS1 version is slow and flat – with sprites and not 3D golfers, and flatter looking holes. There’s loading between each hole as well. The PS1 version does, however, have six courses while the N64 has three. Oddly, one of the three kept is a Volcano course which can only be unlocked with a cheat code.

That said, the N64 version being quick and snappy is what makes the game enjoyable.

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Like a football game without a pass button, CyberTiger’s infuriating power system renders it almost – almost – too frustrating to play. Not quite, admittedly – and, yep, we’d have to concede, there is some fun to be had here – but we were hoping for plenty more than this.

Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #40

Remake or remaster?

I think a refined version could be fun – especially if they can add split-screen co-op with you all playing at once.

Official ways to get the game.

There’s no official way to get CyberTiger.

[Ashley]

21 hours ago, Dcubed said:

Hydro Thunder is pretty good.  It’s no Waverace, but it’s one of the better water-based racers out there.

How many are there?

2 hours ago, Cube said:

Tiger Woods

Real name Eldrick Tont Woods.

Not that it's relevant but I think it's just something we need to collectively talk about more. 

[Dcubed]

31 minutes ago, Ashley said:

How many are there?

Not enough.

[Cube]

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
 

• NA release: 15th March 2000
• PAL release: 24th March 2000
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Neversoft, Edge of Reality
• Publisher: Activision
• N64 Magazine Score: 86%

This little game became a massive hit, with Tony Hawk’s games possibly being the most universally loved and well regarded sporting franchises. I personally started with Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 on GameCube, and adored it (yet I’ve oddly never touched the franchise since), and I found it difficult to go back to this – it certainly doesn’t help that the N64 version features a gutted soundtrack.

In terms of movement and tricks, that’s something that the series managed to pull off from the very start. The game still feels smooth and responsive, and landing tricks has the right amount of leniency. Stringing together combos is more difficult, due to the lack of features added later on, but the important part is that it’s all still fun.

What I personally dislike, though, is the structure of the game. You get dumped into levels for only 2 minutes at a time, with five challenges to complete: two high scores to beat, find the letters S-K-A-T-E, smash 5 things and find a hidden tape. As the developers had to figure out how the core gameplay would work, it does make a lot of sense for the first game in the series.

While I didn’t get on with the game overall, I can definitively appreciate it for what it did, and that it was a solid start that (for a time) Neversoft were able to build up from. You can see some interesting experimentation in the levels – such as the linear Downhill Jam level, which eventually became the basis for a Wii game – as they were figuring out what the franchise was. The important thing was that they nailed the feel of skateboarding.

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The animation is good, but it’s the dynamic camera that really brings the stunts to dizzy life. As you soar into the air, spinning and contorting to rack up a big points combo, the camera swoops around your skater to keep the landing zone visible. The horizon tilts dramatically when you take a corner or hit a pipe, creating a real impression of danger even though the game isn’t particularly fast.

Martin Kitts, N64 Magazine #41

Remake or remaster?

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater got an atrocious remaster. Thankfully, it then later got a wonderful remake in “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2”.

Official ways to get the game.

The remake of 1 & 2 is available on most modern platforms.

[Dcubed]

Not the ideal version of the game, but it’s hard to argue about this game’s impact.  It’s the best non-Rare western-made 3D platformer series ever made.

Much like the best Nintendo games, THPS just feels good to play.  Even without any interesting level design or set pieces, just the basic act of locomotion feels utterly divine.  But, you know, it does have excellent level design to do along with its wonderful locomotion; making it a full package.

The 2 minute time limit was also a genius decision, turning each level into a veritable clockwork diorama that encourages you to break it apart and discover endless ways to rack up high scores and find every tiny secret.  It gave the game that critical Just-One-More-Go factor that the best arcade games excelled at.  If anything, it’s shocking that this game didn’t originate from the arcades, because it nails that tightly designed loop.  Surprisingly, the closest thing we’d ever get in the arcades would be probably Crazy Taxi.  But it was that rare thing, an arcade score attack game doing gangbusters at a time where the arcades were starting to lose relevance.

And of course, it essentially kicked off the Extreme Sports genre as we know it.

It essentially nailed the late 90s zeitgeist with its theming; encapsulating everything that made the era so special.  But it’s a big shame then that the N64 version came out 6 months late and still so compromised, really missing that crucial initial window of opportunity.  As such, the series became associated with Sony platforms moving forward; a huge blow to Nintendo’s mindshare in the west.  While future games on GameCube would have simultaneous releases that had (mostly) feature parity with their PS2 counterparts, the damage had already been done before the GameCube had even launched; and Nintendo would never manage to recover (even to this day, THPS 1+2 on Switch is considered an afterthought compared to the PS4 release).

THPS is a landmark release that ended up being one of the biggest franchises of this generation (as well as the next), but it would not be in Nintendo’s favour.

Edited 1 hour ago by Dcubed

[Ashley]

On 11/26/2024 at 12:08 AM, Dcubed said:

but it’s one of the better water-based racers out there.

 

14 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

It’s the best non-Rare western-made 3D platformer series ever made.