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

[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/