Took the N64 out of storage last night.....

[Malenko]

Cruised the USA in 24 minutes and 10 seconds using the cop car. Forgot how great the port was. I was gonna write up a "retro review" but I didnt think you guys would care to read it. I still hate the Chicago level, first half of the race is in a tunnel with a divider down the middle, the last half has the L train above you and dividers between lanes 1 and 2 and lanes 3 and 4. non stop left and right twists too!

Still a fun game even by today's standards. Graphics weren't horrible using composite in on a 32" LCD (played in my office, not the living room) but I might order an Svideo wire. Did they make component wires for N64? Can one be made? I did rather well on the Arizon track, which ironically enough, gave me a lot of trouble in the arcade version (I blame the rubberband AI!)

I think they could have cut the digital picture of the devs out of the credits and used that space on the cart for more music.

[ChadTower]

To be honest the slight fuzziness of composite does the N64 some favors.  The tighter you get the resolution the more exposed the blockiness becomes.  Especially on a racing game like Cruisin USA.

The N64 has a ton of greatness and has never left our living room.  My kids play the N64 more than anything which is saying something considering we the list of stuff always set up in our house: Atari vector cabs, a Vectrex, several pins, a MAME cab, an NES toploader, a Genesis, a 2600, an SNES, multiple Xboxes, and a Wii.

[Well Fed Games]

I bought a used N64 last summer at a garage sale, and that was the first game I picked up for it. Def. good stuff!

[Malenko]

I got a buncha games with it too, some I'll never play, like Turok 1 2 and 3. I have both Zelda Games, but I remember getting stuck in the water dungeon on OoT. Are the other Cruisn games ported as well as USA was? I know Exotica and World were ported just not sure how well.

The one thing I hate in USA , that you cant turn off, is the flat square shadow under the cars. it looks so crummy.

Got any games you wanna part with chaddles?

[wp34]

I need to dig mine out and find a copy of Cruisin'.  I've heard that is a good port.

The 64 is my all-time #1 favorite platform.  Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time have never been topped IMHO.

[ChadTower]

Got any games you wanna part with chaddles?

Do you always taunt people and ask them for something in the same breath?   

[Malenko]

I need to dig mine out and find a copy of Cruisin'.

They have em on Amazon, I just bought world and exotica. Apparently Cruis'n Exotica has 60 tracks.

Do you always taunt people and ask them for something in the same breath?   

Just you :p I only ever got one other person to call you that, and he doesn't post here anymore =(  Question still stands, and games you want to part with, and any you are looking for?

[Howard_Casto]

Exotica and the later ones have decent ports, but because they have more going on graphically than the original they don't look as faithful as crusin usa. 

Spent many a summer switching between Crusin' and Mario Kart 64 back in the day. 

[northerngames]

I liked those turoks way better then the 360 or ps3 versions.

that was more like Gears of war with dinosours

[DarthMarino]

I've ran the Cruis'n games on Project 64 with a racing wheel and they worked great.  The ones that work for me on MAME are way to slow on my computer  to enjoy but the N64 versions really hold their own against the originals.

[rCadeGaming]

I'm really into Gran Turismo and have to ultra-realism to be satisfied any more... and yet I love Cruis'n USA.  Loved it when it came out at the N64 launch, and it still gets a bunch of quarters out of me if I see the cab anywhere.  SF Rush was a favorite too, but I don't think the port has held up as well as Cruis'n.

I need to get my N64 out of the closet.  I found a copy of Pilotwings 64 last week at a second hand shop, still need to play it.

Definitely finish Oot.  The water temple is doable.  I'd also recommend Star Fox and Smash Bros.

[ark_ader]

My N64 sits on top of the xbox1 and gets used about 3 times a week playing Rogue Squadron which is still my favorite console game, and also due to the PC emulators having such a hard time running it.

Try playing it (and all the consoles) on a projector!!! 

[wp34]

That's actually an interesting idea using a projector.  I could put all my old systems in a cart with a projector on top.  Then just wheel the cart out of the closet when I want to play and point the projector at a wall.  Have to think about that some more.  My consoles are so hard to get out they don't get played enough.

Rogue Squadron II on the Gamecube is really good as well.

My N64 sits on top of the xbox1 and gets used about 3 times a week playing Rogue Squadron which is still my favorite console game, and also due to the PC emulators having such a hard time running it.

Try playing it (and all the consoles) on a projector!!! 

[northerngames]

That's actually an interesting idea using a projector.  I could put all my old systems in a cart with a projector on top.  Then just wheel the cart out of the closet when I want to play and point the projector at a wall.  Have to think about that some more.  My consoles are so hard to get out they don't get played enough.

Rogue Squadron II on the Gamecube is really good as well.

My N64 sits on top of the xbox1 and gets used about 3 times a week playing Rogue Squadron which is still my favorite console game, and also due to the PC emulators having such a hard time running it.

Try playing it (and all the consoles) on a projector!!! 

I just got that Rogue Squadron II for the GC on my collection shelf the other day, after all these years I will be playing it & seeing it for the first time ever real soon here 

I also grabbed the dragons lair 3d never seen it or played it either.

[jmike]

Super smash bros. and Mario kart 64 were my favorite.
Never liked the super smash bros for the wii.

[northerngames]

blast corps was probably my most played n64 game.

[ark_ader]

That's actually an interesting idea using a projector.  I could put all my old systems in a cart with a projector on top.  Then just wheel the cart out of the closet when I want to play and point the projector at a wall.  Have to think about that some more.  My consoles are so hard to get out they don't get played enough.

Rogue Squadron II on the Gamecube is really good as well.

My N64 sits on top of the xbox1 and gets used about 3 times a week playing Rogue Squadron which is still my favorite console game, and also due to the PC emulators having such a hard time running it.

Try playing it (and all the consoles) on a projector!!! 

You could go a little bit further (I have thought of it) and make a pedestal for all your game consoles  (I would finally find a home for the X Arcade) giving enough airflow for the projector in the middle and figuring out the whole wheel/stability problem/issue.

Then you would have an arcade on wheels.   

The only problem is the wheel stability during play problem and the jerkiness of the projector image when playing dig dug. 

[danny_galaga]

I only bought an N64 about 5 years ago, and got recommendations from some of you guys here. It's still my favourite console, but I am going to be the odd one out here. When I first got the console, it came with Cruisin, and when I played it i thought 'Meh, is that it?'. It didn't sell the console to me at all. It wasn't until I played Waverace that I realised how great a machine it is.

 Having said that, I might have to revisit Cruisin, since you guys are raving about it. I haven't touched the cart in 5 years 

[Malenko]

Currently I have:

Blast Corps
Castlevania
Cruis'n Exotica
Cruis'n USA
Cruis'n World
ExciteBike 64
Gex 3 - Deep Cover Gecko
Golden Eye
Killer Instinct Gold
Nuclear Strike (Black Cart)
ShadowGate 64
Turok
Turok 2 (Black Cart)
Turok 3 (Black Cart)
Wolrd is Not Enough (Blue Cart)
WCW / NWO Revenge
WWF War Zone
Zelda Majora's Mask (Gold Cart, 3D label)
Zelda Ocarina of Time


I'd like to get Mario Kart 64 but its not worth $30 to me, I'd like to get WWF No Mercy because I believe that was the best of the wrestling games on N64. I remember WaveRace being fun, and I also need to pick up MKTrilogy , Star Fox, and Mario 64. Then I wouldnt even know what else to get. No real interest in the banjo games :/

[Well Fed Games]

I'd like to get Mario Kart 64 but its not worth $30 to me, I'd like to get WWF No Mercy because I believe that was the best of the wrestling games on N64. I remember WaveRace being fun, and I also need to pick up MKTrilogy , Star Fox, and Mario 64. Then I wouldnt even know what else to get. No real interest in the banjo games :/

Beetle Adventure Racing is definitely worth a look. It is super cheap, and exclusive to the N64.

[RandyT]

I still have a soft spot for the N64.  My favorites were 1080 Snowboarding, Wave Race 64, Mario64 and Mario Kart 64.  Spent a lot of hours in front of that machine when it was the best thing going.  My daughters played it to death, even when it wasn't.

Seeing this thread makes me want to unbox it and get it hooked up again.

[northerngames]

mace the dark age was my best fighter for that console but it is better playing against another buddy.

golden eye was their best shooter by far as the followup games just were not the same or even close for me.

abosolutely hate mario 64 with a passion I go back to that game evey few years and try it again and just to see if I may like it for some reason and still cannot do it.

I usually get to about the 2nd-3rd stage and to the exact point each time and decide now I remember why I hate this game so much and shut it off and nevee go back for years later type of thing.

I am done done with it though and never trying it again, I did not care for the mario cart or smash bro's either.

way way to plain of a game with nothing to offer to be any fun for me and was more intertained by rc pro am for nes and rock n roll racing on the snes.

pretty much after thinking about it I dont think I liked anything mario when it came to the 64 games I hated them all I think.

[DaveMMR]

abosolutely hate mario 64 with a passion I go back to that game evey few years and try it again and just to see if I may like it for some reason and still cannot do it.

Heh, finally - someone who doesn't call Mario 64 "one of the greatest games ever!"

I don't hate Mario 64 (in its own right, I think it's a good game) but I think it's way overpraised and no where near as fun as those sidescrolling obstacle courses the originals. Constantly fiddling with the camera, wandering around lost and revisiting stages a bunch of times gets old for me.

The N64 always has that stigma as being part of what I refer to as the "dark ages" in gaming. Due in part to Mario 64's success, everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) had to be in 3-D. Castlevania, Contra, Donkey Kong Country, etc. all were all transformed into three dimensions and they all, at best, paled in comparison to the 2D offererings, or, at worst, were just outright horrible. The only game to adapt to the third dimension well was the Zelda series, and only because it's more adventure than action. (And yes, Metroid Prime, but by then the hardware was stronger and developers were better about how and when to utilize 3-D gameplay.) 

Also, I suppose it's due to when I grew up but the N64/Playstation/Saturn games did not age well - it was ugly even when it was the latest thing.

That being said, I still think the N64 is a fine little system. Star Fox 64, Goldeneye and Zelda: OOT are three of my favorites and it's worth having it around for those titles alone. And Star Wars Episode 1 Racer isn't half bad either.

[rCadeGaming]

Episode I Racer is much better on Dreamcast or PC.  For the most part, the only N64 games that hold up today are the exclusive titles.

[DaveMMR]

Episode I Racer is much better on Dreamcast or PC.  For the most part, the only N64 games that hold up today are the exclusive titles.

Eh, got it for free anyhow. 

[danny_galaga]

I still have a soft spot for the N64.  My favorites were 1080 Snowboarding, Wave Race 64, Mario64 and Mario Kart 64.  Spent a lot of hours in front of that machine when it was the best thing going.  My daughters played it to death, even when it wasn't.

Seeing this thread makes me want to unbox it and get it hooked up again.

1080 is possibly my favourite, which was one of the titles recommended here.

[ChadTower]

1080 is solely responsible for the death of almost every N64 controller ever used to play it.

[Malenko]

1080 is solely responsible for the death of almost every N64 controller ever used to play it.

^this

[rCadeGaming]

If you think that's bad, play Mario Party.

[Drnick]

Nobody here got any love for Diddy Kong racing.   Many a drunk night playing it with a bunch of friends.  I think the only game that got more play was Goldeneye. 

[rCadeGaming]

Turok Rage Wars.  Cerebral Bore for the win.

[RandyT]

I don't hate Mario 64 (in its own right, I think it's a good game) but I think it's way overpraised and no where near as fun as those sidescrolling obstacle courses the originals. Constantly fiddling with the camera, wandering around lost and revisiting stages a bunch of times gets old for me.

As one who grew up playing virtually everything before it, I had great appreciation for the fact that it was an innovative and fun new genre.  Yes, the camera angle manipulation was a bit clunky, but what other game at the time allowed you to freely roam varied virtual worlds and combined arcade style gameplay with adventure?  It really was one of Nintendo's brightest moments. 

[ChadTower]

Also note that clunky cameras is still a problem today in a lot of games.

[Howard_Casto]

Also note that clunky cameras is still a problem today in a lot of games.

Not a lot of Nintendo games.  Seems strange to me that after all of these years they are still the only company to be able to make a proper 3d platformer. 

[ChadTower]

It's still an issue in Super Mario Galaxy.  I haven't played through SMG2 yet.

[wp34]

Nobody here got any love for Diddy Kong racing.   Many a drunk night playing it with a bunch of friends. 

I loved Diddy Kong.  We own Mario Kart for every other platform but the N64.  Maybe we never bothered buying it because we were happy playing Diddy Kong?

Banjo Kazooie is another great one.  Almost as good as Mario 64.

[lordnacho]

but I remember getting stuck in the water dungeon on OoT.

Damn pretty sure this happened to me too.  Very vague, I moved some block and couldn't move it back, so was stuck.  Think I rented it, wanted to beat the thing and return it but had to give up.

[DaveMMR]

As one who grew up playing virtually everything before it, I had great appreciation for the fact that it was an innovative and fun new genre.  Yes, the camera angle manipulation was a bit clunky, but what other game at the time allowed you to freely roam varied virtual worlds and combined arcade style gameplay with adventure?  It really was one of Nintendo's brightest moments.

Historically speaking, I totally agree with you. Mario 64 is a very important, groundbreaking and solid game. Considering how Sonic fared in the third dimension (read: not well), Nintendo made very wise choices gameplay wise. My derision is solely as a gamer who just doesn't find the 3D outings as fun as the 2D classic, even when it was new. 

[Howard_Casto]

It's still an issue in Super Mario Galaxy.  I haven't played through SMG2 yet.

No it isn't. 

You rarely have to touch the camera controls at all, which can't even be said for AAA titles like Assassin's Creed. 

If you are looking for a fully automatic camera, that's impossible. 

[Malenko]

Exotica and the later ones have decent ports, but because they have more going on graphically than the original they don't look as faithful as crusin usa. 

Spent many a summer switching between Crusin' and Mario Kart 64 back in the day.

Cruisn World looks pretty good, I think the expansion pack lets it run in a higher resolution, I might pull it out and see if the game looks crummier. The only thing I dont like about World and Exotica is that if you wreck, its pretty much impossible to win, in World you have to come in the top 3 but its not easy, even on easy! USA is much more forgiving. W and E are definitely better games over all but USA is still the most fun for me.

If I could get a big chunk of free time , Im considering trying to beat OoT and get past the dastardly water temple.

[ChadTower]

No it isn't. 

You rarely have to touch the camera controls at all, which can't even be said for AAA titles like Assassin's Creed. 

If you are looking for a fully automatic camera, that's impossible.

Everybody looks at visuals differently.  There were some levels where the camera angle was seriously stupid on some levels of SMG and it took quite a bit of tweaking to get it to something I wanted.  That is a problem when it gets to a point that the user doesn't want to play a level simply because they don't like how the camera is displaying it.

[Howard_Casto]

Or it coudl be that the user has a problem with depth perception and isn't very good at 3d mario games. 

[ChadTower]

Or it coudl be that the user has a problem with depth perception and isn't very good at 3d mario games. 

Nah.  I used to be able to beat Mario 64 without dying and never had the same camera issues in that game others here are talking about.

[Drnick]

I gotta agree with Chad on this one,  there are some really shoddy camera moments in SMG sometimes you want the camera just behind your shoulder or something and it keeps on spinning round and refusing to stay where you want it.   

[ChadTower]

Exactly.  The game is obsessed with spinning landscape shots when sometimes all you want the camera to do is stay in place so you can actually see what you're jumping to and from.

[northerngames]

I hate games that are like that and maybe why I dont care for the mario 64 or galaxy and could be the very reason alone after thinking about it.

there was a couple other games I played where they would have been decent to great games if the camera was under control and stable.

esp. the 3d advetures one's where you go a certain direction/spot on a fixed screen and then all of the sudden the camera changes to a whole nother position/angle and it also requires the player to change the direction of the controls were you get disoriented of the direction you were just facing prior to the camera changes to another position and angle. 

[Howard_Casto]

Exactly.  The game is obsessed with spinning landscape shots when sometimes all you want the camera to do is stay in place so you can actually see what you're jumping to and from.

I was actually teasing with my post, I wasn't serious. 

But to be honest I've never had any trouble with the camera moving around.  I found it helpful in most cases.  I'll gladly admit that there was something a little "off" about the camera in Galaxy and it took me a while to get used to it... but once I did, it was fairly effortless to play.

[ChadTower]

I was actually teasing with my post, I wasn't serious. 

I knew that.  The winky made it pretty obvious.   

[05SRT4]

The N64 was a huge hit at our house. The ability to have all four kids playing the same game without sharing was a huge deal. I bet my parents were happy with the purchase.

I remember actually setting up cardboard splitters on the TV just so we can play 1v1 golden eye without screen peeking.

1080 was awesome but as soon as I got Twisted Edge Extreme Snowboarding I stopped playing 1080.

SF Rush was also a huge hit trying to collect all the keys and Mountain Dew bottles to unlock everything.

So much fun!

[Malenko]

I still need to find a couple more controllers (I have 2 oem controllers and 1 after market) and NBA Hangtime and a few other 4 player games. I'd love to get Mario Kart, but I cant justify the going price for it, which is typically over $25

[vinder]

This makes me want to go dig the N64 out of the attic.  Wasted sooo many weekends on Goldeneye 4-player.  Sadly, I doubt the game will still hold up against todays FPS.

[danny_galaga]

This makes me want to go dig the N64 out of the attic.  Wasted sooo many weekends on Goldeneye 4-player.  Sadly, I doubt the game will still hold up against todays FPS.

It's more fun than most modern FPS. Great for parties (",)

[05SRT4]

This makes me want to go dig the N64 out of the attic.  Wasted sooo many weekends on Goldeneye 4-player.  Sadly, I doubt the game will still hold up against todays FPS.

It's more fun than most modern FPS. Great for parties (",)

This is true, its fun to watch everyone trying to use the one analog control for a FPS. Its crazy that we used to smash face with that setup.

[Cakemeister]

If you think that's bad, play Mario Party.

The kids destroyed all my controllers playing that game (Mario Party 1). I threw the game away in a fit of rage.

I haven't felt the urge to start up the N64 for a few years. Maybe I should plug it in to see if it still works.

[ChadTower]

N64s are built like tanks.  Very little ever goes wrong.  It'll work.

I was at the mall the other day and ran into some repro N64 controllers.  Couldn't believe it.  $21 each but they looked just like the real thing but without the inset Nintendo logo.

[ark_ader]

This makes me want to go dig the N64 out of the attic.  Wasted sooo many weekends on Goldeneye 4-player.  Sadly, I doubt the game will still hold up against todays FPS.

It's more fun than most modern FPS. Great for parties (",)

There is a counter strike source mod for goldeneye.  It is very addictive.

[danny_galaga]

N64s are built like tanks.  Very little ever goes wrong.  It'll work.

I was at the mall the other day and ran into some repro N64 controllers.  Couldn't believe it.  $21 each but they looked just like the real thing but without the inset Nintendo logo.

ALL repro N64 controllers are junk. Believe me, I've tried a few

The big problem is that no one is reproducing the most important part- the optical encoder driven thumbstick. They all use potentiometer based sticks instead, and the difference is huge. The way Nintendo made those sticks results in brilliant control (but of course they don't last all that long) About the best I have heard of is the replacement thumbsticks that seem to be based on Gamecube controllers. But I think they are also pot based, and in any case the reports are that they behave differently too. Ok for Super Smash Brothers, but not Super Mario...

[rCadeGaming]

Yup, those gamecube-style replacement thumbsticks feel very nice, but they play like garbage.  They have a microcontroller that converts the potentiometer signals into what the n64 would expect from the original optical encoders.  They're poorly programmed, and have pretty big range and lag issues.  Depending on what game you're playing, it ranges from bad to unplayable.

You can actually reflash or replace the microcontroller to fix this, the code is available online.  This will get you about the nicest N64 controller possible, and it won't wear out quickly like an original.  If you're not up for all that hassle though, just the replacements as-is aren't worth it.  Just look for original controllers in as good of shape as possible

[ChadTower]

There are replacement thumbsticks on ebay.  Are those originals or the repros mentioned above?  They mostly say "refurbished" but there's no way someone is rebuilding the flimsy rails in these games.  I tried it myself a few years ago.  Not happening.  The only thing I can think of in that regard is that they mean "to refurbish an N64 controller" and it's either a repro or OEM part.

[danny_galaga]

There are replacement thumbsticks on ebay.  Are those originals or the repros mentioned above?  They mostly say "refurbished" but there's no way someone is rebuilding the flimsy rails in these games.  I tried it myself a few years ago.  Not happening.  The only thing I can think of in that regard is that they mean "to refurbish an N64 controller" and it's either a repro or OEM part.

Yeah, I find 'refurbished' to be a very disingenuous term when used with these thumbsticks. It normally actually means someone pulled it apart, cleaned it, and put it back together. If just cleaning something fixed worn out things, car mechanics would be redundant!

[SavannahLion]

You can actually reflash or replace the microcontroller to fix this, the code is available online.  This will get you about the nicest N64 controller possible, and it won't wear out quickly like an original.\

Really? All I can find with my search-fu is the hardware replacement and/or those crappy Arduino N64-PC adapters. Any hints to help the search-fu find their JuJu?

[rCadeGaming]

Fu-ju-what?

http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-37361.html
http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Forever/topic/7353203/1/
http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Forever/topic/7360414/1/
http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Forever/topic/7360571/1/