super mario 64

[danny_galaga]

FINALLY started playing this on my N64. once id gone as far as i could in golden it was either mario or ocarina. i can see why its considered one of the best console games of all time. its a blast 

[HaRuMaN]

Hmm don't think I've ever played that.  I'll have to give it a look.

[ChadTower]

Best console game ever.   

[shmokes]

So weird.  You started this little affair with your N64 a REALLY long time ago.  Why are you holding out on the two best games ever made for it?

[ideft]

  Why are you holding out on the two best games ever made for it?

what about goldeneye??  Has to be either in first or second place.

[nipsmg]

I was never a zelda fan so that doesn't get a vote for me, but yes Super Mario 64 is probably the best game of all time, and Super Mario Galaxy for the wii is up there too.  Great games, and SMG is really the only True "Sequel" to Mario 64.  Nothing on the gamecube really does it.  Mario sunshine and luigi's mansion sucked.

[bishmasterb]

FINALLY started playing this on my N64. once id gone as far as i could in golden it was either mario or ocarina. i can see why its considered one of the best console games of all time. its a blast 

I'm jealous! Discovering and exploring all of the SM64 levels was the best experience I've ever had playing a videogame. Have fun!

[danny_galaga]

So weird.  You started this little affair with your N64 a REALLY long time ago.  Why are you holding out on the two best games ever made for it?

thats true. and mario was amongst the first carts i bought for it. but im a very distracted gamer. for those sorts of games, i can only really play one at a time. so for a lot of that time it was golden eye, played it until i was dreaming it. when not playing that, id play the games you can jump in and out of, like 1080, which rocks. it just happened i picked goldeneye over zelda and mario to explore first. those three seem to be on the top of just about everyones list for N64 (and often, for ANYTHING). Actually i tried zelda first but got stuck in the deku tree somewhere and thought 'ill get back to that'. that was about 16 months ago 

i sometimes wonder how different i might have turned out if i had these consoles back in the day. how it would have subtly effected my psyche. i think it would have been for the better. oh well, better late than never!

[ChadTower]

I was never a zelda fan so that doesn't get a vote for me, but yes Super Mario 64 is probably the best game of all time, and Super Mario Galaxy for the wii is up there too.  Great games, and SMG is really the only True "Sequel" to Mario 64.  Nothing on the gamecube really does it.  Mario sunshine and luigi's mansion sucked.

The levels in SMG are definitely too short.  And way easier.  I'm almost done with SMG and it's not nearly as difficult as SMB64.

[AtomSmasher]

The levels in SMG are definitely too short.  And way easier.  I'm almost done with SMG and it's not nearly as difficult as SMB64.

Agreed.  I never came close to getting all of the stars in SM64, and I have all but 4 of them in SMG.

[shmokes]

i sometimes wonder how different i might have turned out if i had these consoles back in the day. how it would have subtly effected my psyche. i think it would have been for the better. oh well, better late than never!

Yeah . . . definitely for the better.  There were parts of both of those games that were just so ---smurfing--- beautiful . . . it was like a religious experience.  I'd never seen anything like it.  It was more than just good art direction and cutting-edge hardware, though.  This was the beginning of 3d . . . so nothing like this had been done before.  You don't get that anymore, even with the brand new Metal Gears or Grand Theft Autos.  They're cool, and the graphics are the best yet, but they don't have that same novelty that those early N64 adventures had.  If there was ever a system to own at launch it was N64.

But absolutely, positively, better late than never.   

[ideft]

id play the games you can jump in and out of, like 1080, which rocks.

Agreed.  That game is sooooo underrated.  It was one of those games that if you only played a couple of times you couldn't appreciate it.  Plus it took some skill to get decent run.  I remember trading that game with friends trying to beat half pipe scores and time attacks.  MAN....I miss my 64.

[Blanka]

When I read this I guess I should give it a try again. I never got used to the Nintendo habit of using text balloons to explain things. Every game is like an American road with all those stupid text signs. As autodidact, these balloons are too frustrating. That's why I pop Mario Kart 64 in all the time. So I can start gaming directly. Bad thing in that game is that all other players cheat, so it is only fun in 2 player mode after those years.

[ChadTower]

Stay away from 1080 if you like your controllers.  That game vaporizes N64 joysticks.

[hypernova]

The levels in SMG are definitely too short.  And way easier.  I'm almost done with SMG and it's not nearly as difficult as SMB64.

SM64 was difficult?  Many of those stars could be retrieved in a minute or less.  The only difficult thing I found was trying to obtain the absolute maximum amount of coins on any given stage, which is hard on an indoor slide level.  Lives were a dime a dozen, especially in the fire painting in the basement.  Ride the shell, gain around 6 lives within 2 minutes.  Still fun as hell, though.

[danny_galaga]

Stay away from 1080 if you like your controllers.  That game vaporizes N64 joysticks.

does seem a little tough on em. i have about 8 spare thumbsticks now though so i should be ok for a while    i actually found myself worrying more about the stick when swinging bowser by the tail. of course once thats done, its done. but still...

[ChadTower]

8!  Geez.  I need to pick some up myself.  My kids still play more N64 than any other console.  Probably because we have like 150 N64 games and they're not allowed to change DVD based games.

[hypernova]

Stay away from 1080 if you like your controllers.  That game vaporizes N64 joysticks.

does seem a little tough on em. i have about 8 spare thumbsticks now though so i should be ok for a while    i actually found myself worrying more about the stick when swinging bowser by the tail. of course once thats done, its done. but still...

Swinging Bowser doesn't require a rapid, intense circular motion.  A medium/slow smooth speed is all it takes to get Mario a-swingin'.  You could also circle it one time, throw him a small bit, then run up and grab his tail again, moving closer and closer to a bomb...but where's the fun in that?

[Chris2]

Hmm don't think I've ever played that.  I'll have to give it a look.

1000 points on Wii Virtual Console on find it used for N64. It's really common, so there shouldn't be any trouble.

[chopps]

1000 points on Wii Virtual Console on find it used for N64. It's really common, so there shouldn't be any trouble.

I was thinking about grabbing this on the wii, as i never had a n64... anyone know if it will play OK with a gamecube controller?

[ChadTower]

Some stuff might be awkward.  That game was as customized to a controller as any game has ever been.

[chopps]

Some stuff might be awkward.  That game was as customized to a controller as any game has ever been.

thats what i thought.. i remember reading that somewhere.  I'll probably still give it a try.  we've been hit with a big snow storm (well big for Vancouver) and probably wont be going anywhere for christmas now, so I'll have some time to kill 

[hypernova]

1000 points on Wii Virtual Console on find it used for N64. It's really common, so there shouldn't be any trouble.

I was thinking about grabbing this on the wii, as i never had a n64... anyone know if it will play OK with a gamecube controller?

It's not much different.  The right stick is the camera, while the other buttons are just about the same, including general placement.  Since you've not tried it before, you'll have no trouble with it.  Those who have have played it on the 64 shouldn't have any trouble adapting, either.

[Cakemeister]

Stay away from 1080 if you like your controllers.  That game vaporizes N64 joysticks.

Yeah, don't play the first Mario Party game either. What the kids would do is hold the controller in one hand so that the joystick part was in the palm of the other hand, then move their palm as fast as possible in a circle. I think Nintendo took out the "move joystick in a circle" mini-games after that.

[DaveMMR]

Stay away from 1080 if you like your controllers.  That game vaporizes N64 joysticks.

Yeah, don't play the first Mario Party game either. What the kids would do is hold the controller in one hand so that the joystick part was in the palm of the other hand, then move their palm as fast as possible in a circle. I think Nintendo took out the "move joystick in a circle" mini-games after that.

Heh, the unwelcome throwback to the Summer Games/Decathlon/etc. titles for the C-64 (among others) where joystick abuse was a prerequisite for getting a decent score.  I went through many a joystick with those games.  But they were a lot cheaper to replace...

[danny_galaga]

8!  Geez.  I need to pick some up myself.  My kids still play more N64 than any other console.  Probably because we have like 150 N64 games and they're not allowed to change DVD based games.

a heads up for the thumbsticks:

http://baysoftgames.stores.yahoo.net/n64core.html

ive never bought from them, and they only ship to the US and Canada anyway. ztnet dont sell them anymore, and they suck all of a sudden anyway, ill never buy anything else from them again 

well, ive collected 36 stars so far. one of the other slots has 112. the most frustrating one for me so far has been climbing on that dragons neck to jump onto an island. REALLY had to hold my tongue right for that one!

[whoamonga]

I gave up on SM64 a little ways into it... But played Ocarina several times through!

The 64 was at its best w/ friends, either playing Golden Eye/ Perfect Dark, or stuff like NBA Hangtime or NFL Blitz 2000.