Nintendo 64 15th anniversary -- What are your N64 memories?

[Samus Aran]

In 1996 the Nintendo 64 came out. When it was first released everyone bought one to play Super Mario 64... and not much of anything else for a while.

It was the most technically-advanced of the fifth generation consoles (PlayStation, Saturn, Jaguar), but the cartridges had a high production cost and limited space compared to their disc-based competitors, and despite selling 33 million consoles, Nintendo saw their popularity drop and lost their top spot in the market share (not having many RPG options really hurt it in Japan).

It also gave us one of the worst games of all time that thankfully I never played -- Superman 64.

But I don't remember logging in as many hours on one console when I was younger as I did on the N64. Granted, it was for the same games over and over again -- GoldenEye, Mario Kart, Dr. Mario, Smash Bros., and WCW/NWO Revenge. Perfect Dark may have been better than GoldenEye but we just didn't get into it as much, and even though Diddy Kong Racing got rave reviews but to us it just paled in comparison to Mario Kart.

So what are your Nintendo 64 memories?

I remember all the hours my friends and I put into Mario Kart, especially Wario Stadium, where the guy with the lightning would wait until someone was making the jump to shrink them. There were also places on the map where you could cheat and jump the track for a shortcut. The very last one where you're racing toward the finish line at full speed and jump the wall instead of making the last two turns was the only one we considered fair to use.

Occasionally we'd also attempt the jump at the beginning of Rainbow Road that would either put us so far ahead if we made it or put us in dead last if we missed.

[Waboman]

Has it been 15 years? Man, I feel old. My favorite game was of course Mario 64 and Diddy Kong Racing. I loved that game. Never could beat that damn WizPig at the end.

[Greenboom98]

Super Mario 64 was just stunning.... first time I played it I was at a hospital with a broken rips :-( Ouch.... never forget that because my ribs still hurts every so often these days!

Other moment was in Mario Kart 64 trashing my cousin's 3 ballons with a star on battle mode under 20 secs "I'm Wario... I'm the winner!"

These are my key moments that I truly remember a lot. There are other games but these just stand out the most.

[Infrared Sight]

Crazy that it's been that long ago. I still have my N64 in my setup and it's still going strong. My first and still favorite game is wcw/nwo revenge. I remember that it was the first wrestling game that I played on the console and it just blew me away. It was just so much better than any other before it.

[Wingman1977]

That console had so much hype and in the end, overall, it underdelivered (anyone remember their "dream team" of developers?). That was the 1st console that I had to really look around to find one in stock.

[Jordo]

Wow 15 years unforgettable memories playing supermario 64 for the first time

Playing Goldeneye, banjo kazooie, zelda, mario kart, pokemon stadium, Diddy kong racing i could go on for ages

[BStecke]

I remember looking forward to Superman 64 for the longest time, as it got delayed so many times it felt like it was never coming out. Probably would have been better off, as it deserves its title of one of the worst games ever made. At the time though, it WAS kind of fun to be able just to fly around in a 3D environment. Just, doing anything else sucked. That seems to be the curse of Superman games. Superman Returns was fun to pick up and fly around for awhile, but once you started actually playing the game it was like, wtf is this!?

I remember my N64 very fondly. Obviously Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time (the first Zelda game I actually got into and loved it), a few of the WWF games, and of course Goldeneye. My friend and I wasted the equivalent of weeks of our lives playing that game.

[Blu-Benny]

Me & my buddies logged so many hours on Golden Eye…..and totally geeked out when Perfect Dark came out.

We’d also play a LOT of Mario Kart….mostly battles. There really was nothing like playing in that level that had 4 levels…..w/all those shells bouncing back and forth on the bottom level and not knowing if a stray one was going to get u as u rounded a corner!!!

Or u had the 3 green shells around u and u were chasing someone and u’d get close enough and fire all 3 shells in rapid succession….only to have one ricochet off the wall and hit u instead.

What great times!!!

[JJ]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

Me & my buddies logged so many hours on Golden Eye…..and totally geeked out when Perfect Dark came out.

We’d also play a LOT of Mario Kart….mostly battles. There really was nothing like playing in that level that had 4 levels…..w/all those shells bouncing back and forth on the bottom level and not knowing if a stray one was going to get u as u rounded a corner!!!

Or u had the 3 green shells around u and u were chasing someone and u’d get close enough and fire all 3 shells in rapid succession….only to have one ricochet off the wall and hit u instead.

What great times!!!

YESSSSS, BENNY! You speak the truth on all the above. I think I'll play some tonight, see if the woman is up for it.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

Me & my buddies logged so many hours on Golden Eye…..and totally geeked out when Perfect Dark came out.

We’d also play a LOT of Mario Kart….mostly battles. There really was nothing like playing in that level that had 4 levels…..w/all those shells bouncing back and forth on the bottom level and not knowing if a stray one was going to get u as u rounded a corner!!!

Or u had the 3 green shells around u and u were chasing someone and u’d get close enough and fire all 3 shells in rapid succession….only to have one ricochet off the wall and hit u instead.

What great times!!!

Block Fort!



That is arguably the best thing ever from the N64. I loved playing that level, especially with four players. That level can get pretty frantic, but damn its layout was so awesome with the multiple levels and color-coded zones.

[Clark Kent]

Mario Kart was awesome with a bunch of friends, battle mode was great. My favorite video game of all time is Mario Tennis on the N64, an amazing blend of different character types. 4-player doubles action was insane when played by players that knew what they were doing. The updates on latter systems were just never as good, which became somewhat of an unfortunate trend with Nintendo properties. GameCube updates to the classic games simply did not improve on the gameplay of the originals.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

Mario Kart was awesome with a bunch of friends, battle mode was great. My favorite video game of all time is Mario Tennis on the N64, an amazing blend of different character types. 4-player doubles action was insane when played by players that knew what they were doing. The updates on latter systems were just never as good, which became somewhat of an unfortunate trend with Nintendo properties. GameCube updates to the classic games simply did not improve on the gameplay of the originals.

Wow, when I saw your name and avatar in a N64 thread a traumatic time from my childhood emerged.

Let's Play Superman 64 - Stage 1 Part 2/2 - YouTube

[Wingman1977]

One of the biggest disappointments for the N64 was Robotech: Crystal Dreams (which was cancelled due to gametek going bankrupt and no one wanted to pick up the ip):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lxuQh20FNo

Somehow, beta copies of the game are out there but are very hard to find which makes it rare. I wish someone would remake this game for this gen.

[AeroK]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

Wow, when I saw your name and avatar in a N64 thread a traumatic time from my childhood emerged.

Let's Play Superman 64 - Stage 1 Part 2/2 - YouTube

I think EGM gave it the first 0.5 score out of 10...or that might have been MK Advance. I remember one review said Superman looked like a flying log wearing a cape.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

Wow, when I saw your name and avatar in a N64 thread a traumatic time from my childhood emerged.

Let's Play Superman 64 - Stage 1 Part 2/2 - YouTube

The game was so bad that game developers for years after it tried to avoid making any Superman games. It devastated the character as a brand that could sell a videogame.

[L-Rouge]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

Mario Kart was awesome with a bunch of friends, battle mode was great. My favorite video game of all time is Mario Tennis on the N64, an amazing blend of different character types. 4-player doubles action was insane when played by players that knew what they were doing. The updates on latter systems were just never as good, which became somewhat of an unfortunate trend with Nintendo properties. GameCube updates to the classic games simply did not improve on the gameplay of the originals.

Ahh!!, that was an absolute beaut. Waluigi was my favourite.

and while I'm at it, I'll add the Quake 2 and DukeNukem 64 as great multiplayer experiences.

What was the game by RARE that placed you in a bulldozer trying to clear a way for a slow crawling nuclear missile?.

[Hatter]

Originally Posted by L-Rouge

Ahh!!, that was an absolute beaut. Waluigi was my favourite.

and while I'm at it, I'll add the Quake 2 and DukeNukem 64 as great multiplayer experiences.

What was the game by RARE that placed you in a bulldozer trying to clear a way for a slow crawling nuclear missile?.

Blast Corps. Also a very good game.

Duke 64 multiplayer was indeed a great experience. It was funny though to play team multiplayer with bots. Sometimes stare at a Duke guy and wonder whether he's your friend or not. A rocket blast later and there's your answer. Always a good idea to have a holoduke handy to find out and not get shot.

Originally Posted by AeroK

I think EGM gave it the first 0.5 score out of 10...or that might have been MK Advance. I remember one review said Superman looked like a flying log wearing a cape.

They did give it a 0.5. I remember being at a magazine shop and reading it. I should have bought that issue.

[castertroy]

Spending £200 on star wars shadow of the empire ! Ah to be young and have a disposable income

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

[singhcr]

I remember Mario 64, of course. That was an amazing game and my siblings and I were in awe of seeing Mario in 3D for the first time.

I played a lot of WWF No Mercy. We'd make all sorts of characters, from Bill Clinton to Al Gore to more like Hitler, Stalin, Gandhi, and Jefferson Davis. You don't get to see these people fight in the ring very often.

For me, the highlight of the system was Goldeneye. I don't remember how many hundreds of matches I played with my friends. When I visited my cousins, they'd bring out the local Goldeneye champ. My brother and I were incredibly skilled at this game and we'd beat every one of them. I trounced the competition at my high school's Goldeneye tournament, winning the final 10-0. During the pep rally my name was announced and I stood up in triumph as I rarely got any recognition at school. Every once in a while I'll break out the N64 and play against my friends, even though we're nearly 30. The game is still fun to play.

[nelly_platinum]

no wrestlemania 2000 or no mercy memories?man i used to take hours creating my character in those games

edit:just noticed the poster above me