I thought the 90's console wars were long over but came across a youtube thread recently where people were trashtalking the N64. Probably out of frustration because the N64 made a big impact on the industry and US-centric internet remembers it fondly. You had people saying Mario 64 was a bad game. Talk about revisionism... Perhaps to someone who never experienced it in its day, it can be a bit underwhelming after hearing all the superlatives. And yes there had been 3D games before. But Mario 64 ushered in the 3D era in spectacular fashion. Mind-blowing back in 1997.
Knew about the Famicom but not about Game Boy (Color). Dual Strike on DS was my introduction to the series. Had been a 90's PC guy so was more into RTS, but that game was good with the CO powers n all that. Worth playing.
@Coolmusic Yeah that'd be interesting. A lot of this stuff leaks out eventually. Like I was looking a bit into canceled N64 games a while back. A lot of pressure is on the MP4 devs. I'm really curious to see what they come up with eventually and if they can live up to expectations. Sure hope so.
Good list but Mario Tennis 64 should've been in there. Fantastic multiplayer with super solid mechanics. Definitely one of those N64 games that holds up incredibly well.
I still consider F-Zero X the greatest racing game I ever played. A true masterpiece.
I just bought Samus Returns. What timing. It looks really nice in 3D. You have to see it for yourself.
I got into Metroid with Prime. Didn't like it that much at first. Hated the backtracking. But it grew on me. It's a masterpiece imo. I then played Zero Mission. Didn't expect much of it, wasn't really interested in 2D gaming, but ended up amazed at how good of a game that was.
@Coolmusic I would expect on the Switch's successor. They can take advantage that way of the more powerful hardware and have a killer title for it. Maybe it'll be crossplatform like with Breath of the Wild. I do wonder if when they announced Prime 4 they had even started work on the title. This happened when they announced a new Smash game at that E3 with the puppets, and Sakurai hadn't even been notified yet. He learned about it then and there. Or at least that's what I heard.
@RetroGames Wow that Bigscreen Beyond is small and pretty high res. It'll be interesting to see how VR tech continues to evolve over time. Yeah I think VR has its own place, mainly for the immersiveness. Kind of like how people go to amusement parks for immersive experiences. I'd personally like to give it a try sometime by going somewhere where I can try it out. I've always been a fan of racing games and stepping into a sim rig with VR must be a wild ride. Other than that I'm more interested the artistry and creative expression side of video games (like the indie scene) and just happy to have some fun experiences together with my son and some old time friends. Best
@LowDefAl Piracy on the Playstation was ubiquitous. Which I suspect contributed a lot to its success (teens live off their limited allowance). N64 piracy on the other hand was niche and its games expensive. Then with the PS2 those teens got jobs and they sure didn't buy Gamecubes. Genious strategy. Foot in the door and then brand familiarity/ loyalty.
@HammerKirby Nintendo didn't want to pay royalties to Sony to use their DVD technology and their philosophy was to create dedicated video game hardware. Hence mini-discs with faster access speed (like the N64 carts), but this time round the difference in storage space was much smaller, so much less of a big deal, and manufacturing cost was also much lower than carts.
However, Sony including DVD playback was HUGE, at a time when the DVD market was set to replace VHS and dedicated DVD players were expensive. Couple this with Sony's cool image (they were really good at marketing) and it's easy to see how the PS2 became a massive success. Sticking with cartridges the previous gen, besides the massive upset of Square and a whole bunch of third party devs defecting, had hurt Nintendo's image. CD-rom technology was marketed as the future and cartridges seen as old/ backwards.
Hardware-wise the Gamecube was a fantastic console: powerful, compact, well-designed, but the purple color and handle didn't do them any favors. People laughed at the purple lunch box with the kiddy games and that was that. Written off on appearance. While Nintendo downplayed theoretical performance and said it was all about the games, the PS2 was the space-age looking, hyped up, highly anticipated follow-up to the PS1. There were some rumors about it not being sold in certain countries because the processor was supposedly so powerful, it could be used for military purposes (missile guidance and so forth). It actually turned out to be the weakest console by a significant margin, but word was out. Like I said marketing. Being first to market certainly helped too.
@RetroGames I have great memories of nights playing N64 with friends and I like how I can play Wii U with my son and we work and advance together through the game. VR is super cool, it's so immersive, but like with social media there are inherent dangers. Gaming as a social activity I think in general is more conducive to a person's well being and can just be a lot of fun. Good that you have set everything up the way you like it.
I got intrigued and started looking up more info on the playdate and its games. Smaller, more condensed games, emphasis on creativity, the charming black and white graphics, empowering small developers. A refreshing take. The price of entry feels kinda steep, though it includes 24 games. Additional games are also quite cheap. Certainly unique and a nice-to-have item.
@RetroGames (#15) I loved Metroid Prime's pointer controls on Wii and Wii U. Must be pretty sweet then playing FPS in VR.
@Mr_Monochrome (#22) @RetroGames (#24) You can connect to others through online multiplayer, but it's much more shallow than real life. There's the problem of toxic behaviour due to anonimity and I totally see the dystopian danger of everyone locked away in their little cabin, interacting with people far off they'll never meet through their VR set, losing touch with real-life surroundings, relationships, activities, and your little game world slowly becoming your life. Scary stuff. It kind of happened a bit already with social media and ubiquitous screens. Connected more than ever, yet a loneliness epidemic, because it replaces real-life interaction.
Comments 12
Re: Talking Point: Does Video Game History Have A "Nintendo Problem"?
I thought the 90's console wars were long over but came across a youtube thread recently where people were trashtalking the N64. Probably out of frustration because the N64 made a big impact on the industry and US-centric internet remembers it fondly. You had people saying Mario 64 was a bad game. Talk about revisionism... Perhaps to someone who never experienced it in its day, it can be a bit underwhelming after hearing all the superlatives. And yes there had been 3D games before. But Mario 64 ushered in the 3D era in spectacular fashion. Mind-blowing back in 1997.
Re: 'Advance Wars' Forerunner 'Game Boy Wars' Finally Playable In English
Knew about the Famicom but not about Game Boy (Color). Dual Strike on DS was my introduction to the series. Had been a 90's PC guy so was more into RTS, but that game was good with the CO powers n all that. Worth playing.
Re: Brookwood Pocket Tactics Is A Tiny Redwall-Esque Strategy Game For Game Boy
This reminds me of Roots, the board game, which is also on Switch.
Re: Anniversary: Super Metroid Is 30
@Coolmusic Yeah that'd be interesting. A lot of this stuff leaks out eventually. Like I was looking a bit into canceled N64 games a while back. A lot of pressure is on the MP4 devs. I'm really curious to see what they come up with eventually and if they can live up to expectations. Sure hope so.
Re: Best N64 Games Of All Time
Good list but Mario Tennis 64 should've been in there. Fantastic multiplayer with super solid mechanics. Definitely one of those N64 games that holds up incredibly well.
I still consider F-Zero X the greatest racing game I ever played. A true masterpiece.
What a console the N64 was. Glad I was there.
Re: Anniversary: Super Metroid Is 30
I just bought Samus Returns. What timing. It looks really nice in 3D. You have to see it for yourself.
I got into Metroid with Prime. Didn't like it that much at first. Hated the backtracking. But it grew on me. It's a masterpiece imo. I then played Zero Mission. Didn't expect much of it, wasn't really interested in 2D gaming, but ended up amazed at how good of a game that was.
@Coolmusic I would expect on the Switch's successor. They can take advantage that way of the more powerful hardware and have a killer title for it. Maybe it'll be crossplatform like with Breath of the Wild. I do wonder if when they announced Prime 4 they had even started work on the title. This happened when they announced a new Smash game at that E3 with the puppets, and Sakurai hadn't even been notified yet. He learned about it then and there. Or at least that's what I heard.
Re: Duck Hunt Gets Pocket-Sized Demake For The Game Boy
@Martijn87 kind of a no-brainer if you think about it
Re: Meta Quest 3 Is The Best Way To Play 3DS And Virtual Boy In 2024
@RetroGames Wow that Bigscreen Beyond is small and pretty high res. It'll be interesting to see how VR tech continues to evolve over time. Yeah I think VR has its own place, mainly for the immersiveness. Kind of like how people go to amusement parks for immersive experiences. I'd personally like to give it a try sometime by going somewhere where I can try it out. I've always been a fan of racing games and stepping into a sim rig with VR must be a wild ride. Other than that I'm more interested the artistry and creative expression side of video games (like the indie scene) and just happy to have some fun experiences together with my son and some old time friends. Best
Re: Square Had Huge Plans For The N64 Before It Fell Out With Nintendo
@LowDefAl Piracy on the Playstation was ubiquitous. Which I suspect contributed a lot to its success (teens live off their limited allowance). N64 piracy on the other hand was niche and its games expensive. Then with the PS2 those teens got jobs and they sure didn't buy Gamecubes. Genious strategy. Foot in the door and then brand familiarity/ loyalty.
@HammerKirby Nintendo didn't want to pay royalties to Sony to use their DVD technology and their philosophy was to create dedicated video game hardware. Hence mini-discs with faster access speed (like the N64 carts), but this time round the difference in storage space was much smaller, so much less of a big deal, and manufacturing cost was also much lower than carts.
However, Sony including DVD playback was HUGE, at a time when the DVD market was set to replace VHS and dedicated DVD players were expensive. Couple this with Sony's cool image (they were really good at marketing) and it's easy to see how the PS2 became a massive success. Sticking with cartridges the previous gen, besides the massive upset of Square and a whole bunch of third party devs defecting, had hurt Nintendo's image. CD-rom technology was marketed as the future and cartridges seen as old/ backwards.
Hardware-wise the Gamecube was a fantastic console: powerful, compact, well-designed, but the purple color and handle didn't do them any favors. People laughed at the purple lunch box with the kiddy games and that was that. Written off on appearance. While Nintendo downplayed theoretical performance and said it was all about the games, the PS2 was the space-age looking, hyped up, highly anticipated follow-up to the PS1. There were some rumors about it not being sold in certain countries because the processor was supposedly so powerful, it could be used for military purposes (missile guidance and so forth). It actually turned out to be the weakest console by a significant margin, but word was out. Like I said marketing. Being first to market certainly helped too.
Re: Meta Quest 3 Is The Best Way To Play 3DS And Virtual Boy In 2024
@RetroGames I have great memories of nights playing N64 with friends and I like how I can play Wii U with my son and we work and advance together through the game. VR is super cool, it's so immersive, but like with social media there are inherent dangers. Gaming as a social activity I think in general is more conducive to a person's well being and can just be a lot of fun. Good that you have set everything up the way you like it.
Re: Round Up: Every Game Revealed In Playdate Update #5 (February 2024)
I got intrigued and started looking up more info on the playdate and its games. Smaller, more condensed games, emphasis on creativity, the charming black and white graphics, empowering small developers. A refreshing take. The price of entry feels kinda steep, though it includes 24 games. Additional games are also quite cheap. Certainly unique and a nice-to-have item.
Re: Meta Quest 3 Is The Best Way To Play 3DS And Virtual Boy In 2024
@RetroGames (#15) I loved Metroid Prime's pointer controls on Wii and Wii U. Must be pretty sweet then playing FPS in VR.
@Mr_Monochrome (#22) @RetroGames (#24) You can connect to others through online multiplayer, but it's much more shallow than real life. There's the problem of toxic behaviour due to anonimity and I totally see the dystopian danger of everyone locked away in their little cabin, interacting with people far off they'll never meet through their VR set, losing touch with real-life surroundings, relationships, activities, and your little game world slowly becoming your life. Scary stuff. It kind of happened a bit already with social media and ubiquitous screens. Connected more than ever, yet a loneliness epidemic, because it replaces real-life interaction.