Video:

https://youtu.be/82dM6DiG2Rc

I will say though that many of the criticisms I heard about the game were also true about the original games, and many reviews complained that it was too similar to the old games when that was exactly the point. Again, I've never played it, so I don't really know if it's actually worse than the old games or if people were just expecting something completely different.

The Super Mario Odyssey engine is really smooth, I'm not a fan of the motion controls in a game like this and I hated it in Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 but who would say no to Super Mario 64 remade like that or like Ocarina of Time 3D (a bit late for a 3DS remake, unfortunately) or a true sequel and not Odyssey.

I think that I watched his video comparing Banjo-Kazooie and Yooka-Laylee explaining why Yooka-Laylee isn't that great and the arguments are rock-solid. I'll search the video talking about Odyssey!

BlueOcean wrote:

SamusLv7 wrote:

@BlueOcean have you wanted to make a 3D platformer game? Who knows, maybe you can create a game that can finally rival BK.

A team including people like you and me could! ;)

At least, when you grow up playing, loving and understanding what made those games so amazing you at least have an idea about what not to do. I think many of the new talents in, say, Nintendo, didn't get it right in Super Mario Odyssey compared to Super Mario 64 or Sunshine. Yooka-Laylee didn't have Banjo-Kazooie's designer and the result while not bad wasn't amazing. One of my favourite examples although not a 3D game is New Super Mario Bros. 2 which is, in my opinion, the most disappointing Mario game ever. Nintendo said that a new team that knew what made Mario fun made it. Well, they obviously don't have a clue. I think that it's good to hire new people but if the new people don't know how to do something at least as good then you are not hiring the right people... the good talents.

Anyway, I am happy that the 3D platformer genre survived eventually because last generation it was almost dead and this generation seems to be appreciated again. Mario, Sonic (yeah, Sonic Forces is kind of bad but still), Crash (better than I expected), Spyro (same), Yooka-Laylee, Ratchet & Clank (more action than platformer though)... The only one yet to come back is Banjo so Microsoft please do something about it.

@BlueOcean I could also see that with Odyssey. If they had focused more on filling every area of each world with coins, red coins, purple coins, Power Moons and more detailed structures like the mountain of King Bob-Bomb or the hidden area of Hazy Maze Cave, it would have equaled or perhaps surpassed Super Mario 64. I also saw a video from a youtuber called Snowman Gaming that explained many things using Banjo Kazooie as an example of good game design. Each thing that he said was on point.

As for making a team about a 3D platformer, it certainly is something that I would love to do with people like us that understands what makes the 64/PS1 3D platformers so fantastic. 😊

By the way, how are the 64 Turok games that will be released soon on the Nintendo Switch? I heard that they are the remakes of the ones on PC, but I never played them back in the day, so I know almost next to nothing about these games. The only one that I played was the PS2 Turok game and it was in multiplayer.

A few years ago I bought a modded French N64 because only a few N64 consoles were RGB-capable natively by soldering a few pins, only the first units made for Europe and that happens to be the first French model. Other models can be modified to output RGB but it's a more complicated process because Nintendo was cheap (as usually) and after these units they cut the RGB capabilities that were originally designed. RGB means sharper image and better colours. I wasn't happy with composite even though I still have a CRT TV just for it but RGB is much better. Of course, the best-looking versions are the Rare Replay versions. If you have the chance look how well the N64 games look on that. Higher resolution, great colour balance and brightness and gorgeous on a newer TV, not to mention the smoother frame rate.

Considering Rare Replay and the excellent 3DS versions of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask (I really think these two are better than on any N64 or Virtual Console) and even Star Fox 64 3D, the only two games I still play on N64 are Goldeneye 007 and Diddy Kong Racing. Both games have some frame rate issues but the Wii reboot (it's not a remake) of Goldeneye 007 is not nearly as good as Rare's game and the DS version of Diddy Kong Racing is a watered-down port. Besides, Diddy Kong Racing is considered by many people (myself included) the best kart racer ever made and has a great adventure mode.

I agree about the Rumble Pak, it's a must-have if you have a N64 console. I also would like to say that I have save files of Diddy Kong Racing on both the cartridge and a memory pak but if I don't think that you can copy the Goldeneye save files to it. I would love both games to be remade, they are such wonderful games. There is a guy remaking Goldeneye 007 (the campaign has never been remade) so I hope that he finishes it someday. Of course it's unofficial but note that Nintendo's publishing rights of Goldeneye 007 expired in 2017 (the copyright is still owned by MGM and Rare). Diddy Kong Racing is up to Nintendo and Microsoft wanting to cooperate because Rare owns some characters and Nintendo owns others including Diddy. They did it once on DS so I wouldn't rule it out.

I still have two original N64 controllers with tight sticks so I can't comment on fixing them but I have tried a N64 controller with a loose stick and the difference is really noticeable.

SamusLv7 wrote:

@BlueOcean have you wanted to make a 3D platformer game? Who knows, maybe you can create a game that can finally rival BK.

A team including people like you and me could! ;)

At least, when you grow up playing, loving and understanding what made those games so amazing you at least have an idea about what not to do. I think many of the new talents in, say, Nintendo, didn't get it right in Super Mario Odyssey compared to Super Mario 64 or Sunshine. Yooka-Laylee didn't have Banjo-Kazooie's designer and the result while not bad wasn't amazing. One of my favourite examples although not a 3D game is New Super Mario Bros. 2 which is, in my opinion, the most disappointing Mario game ever. Nintendo said that a new team that knew what made Mario fun made it. Well, they obviously don't have a clue. I think that it's good to hire new people but if the new people don't know how to do something at least as good then you are not hiring the right people... the good talents.

Anyway, I am happy that the 3D platformer genre survived eventually because last generation it was almost dead and this generation seems to be appreciated again. Mario, Sonic (yeah, Sonic Forces is kind of bad but still), Crash (better than I expected), Spyro (same), Yooka-Laylee, Ratchet & Clank (more action than platformer though)... The only one yet to come back is Banjo so Microsoft please do something about it.

Haven't tested it extensively yet, but spent about an hour playing games like Perfect Dark, F Zero X, Super Mario 64, and Diddy Kong Racing. It's very precise, just the right sensitivity, and smooth as butter. I definitely plan on doing this to all of my other controllers tomorrow!

@Octane Yeah, I imagine it'll at least be better than a super worn down official stick. And it's a very easy installation, N64 controllers are one of the few Nintendo products to use normal screws instead of weird security screws/triwings.

@gcunit If you aren't planning on multiplayer, then that would probably decrease the amount of games worth getting. N64 is still the king of local 4 player in my eyes, and there are some great games like Mario Kart 64 that are only really worth playing with 3 or 4 people.

ReaderRagfihs wrote:

On the topic of memory cards and battery saving, here's a list of which games use each save type http://www.micro-64.com/database/gamesave.shtml
Though some games like Wave Race 64 and Diddy Kong Racing let you copy your save to the memory card, so some are on multiple lists.

Thanks for sharing that link. I wondered why some of my 64 games sometimes lose their save files without any reason. It was because their cart batteries was starting to get low.

But if none of those things are an issue to you, then I'd say go for the N64 version. also more fun just in case you actually DO want to play against somebody else at some point, even if only a couple of times a year. At least you'll have the option readily available, unless you don't have any additional controllers... ;)

The N64 ports in Rare Replay are quite faithful, and the 3DS ports of the games you've mentioned are good too from what I hear. However, the Wii version of Goldeneye is nothing like the original at all.

Also, if you were to buy an N64, do you think you'd use it more for single player or multiplayer games?

As I've got Rare Replay on XB1, Goldeneye on Wii, plus OoT, Majora's, and Star Fox 64 on 3DS, there's only really a few N64 games that I feel I need to experience, so not in a major rush.

Edit: And now I see Turok is coming to Switch so that's another game I needn't worry about on N64.

Honestly, the one game that's really on my mind is Diddy Kong Racing. What am I losing out on if I just go for the DS version?

On the topic of memory cards and battery saving, here's a list of which games use each save type http://www.micro-64.com/database/gamesave.shtml
Though some games like Wave Race 64 and Diddy Kong Racing let you copy your save to the memory card, so some are on multiple lists.

Other than that... If you care about save data, it's worth looking into how games are saved, because there's no standardised save system. Some require a Controller Pak, others use on cart batteries (which you'll probably need to replace yourself at this point, but don't worry, tinkering with an N64 is super easy); most games come with their own little flash memory built in it, so you don't need to worry about anything; but Ocarina of Time for example requires a battery.

@Vinny Chameleon Twist, the original battle royale!

@ReaderRagfihs The GameCube replacement stick seems an easier solution though. I think I've also seen N64 sticks being sold separately. I'll look into it, because I'd like to replace mine as well. I tried everything from grease to cleaning; but it's still a bit too loose for my tastes. Getting a GameCube stick seems to be the more permanent solution.

Basically, he cuts off pieces of an old pen and drills a hole for the stick to sit on above the gear, preventing the stick from sinking in and getting loose. I tried it out a while ago but my drill wasn't sharp enough. I took an old worn out controller and moved the stick around while pulling it up to keep it from sinking in, and it felt brand new. So I'm confident that this would work perfectly.

kkslider5552000 wrote:

I will say though, as someone who grew up with it and also played it somewhat regularly through the next 2 console generations, I missed out on quite a number of its major titles. I either played them once or never. Stuff like Goldeneye/Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Blast Corps, Excitebike 64, F Zero X, Beetle Adventure Racing, the non-podracing Star Wars games among other things. And yet somehow I have played Quest 64 multiple times. Weird.

@kkslider5552000 I know that feeling. I regret not trying BK and BK2 when they were available to rent in my local video. I, in my kid mind was always very picky (back then) when it comes to to trying new things. I always stick with what I knew. In fact, I would have never played Ocarina of Time, if my parents didn't have asked me to exchange my Megaman 64 game for a Zelda Ocarina of Time that one of my cousins had. And boy how GLAD I am to have made that exchange. I had a blast with that game and it introduced me to the Zelda franchise, at least the 3D ones as I wasn't interested in in the 2D ones until A Link Between Worlds.