You guys rule. Whenever someone says the N64 had no good games other than the 6 or so first/second party blockbusters that had been exausted by the second or third post in this thread, I want to slap them on the behalf of every developer who made really, REALLY awesome, unique and innovative games for the N64 the no one ever played.
A question: How long until the EEPROM batteries in the N64 carts begin to die? Mario 64 is ten and a half years old so I'm concerned that my game saves are in danger.
Hopefully this isn't an unreasonable assumption: I have Super Mario World for SNES. Had it since Christmas '92, so nearly 15 years now. It's still going just fine. I would think within five years time, something would allow batteries to live a little longer. I'd say there's still quite a good chunck of life left in them, and hopefully the same for the memory cards. I'm more concerned with keeping healthy analog sticks.
Edit: Though this brings up a good point. Anyone know how to replace a dead battery in an N64 game/memory card? I've never seen one of those carts looked like inside.
A question: How long until the EEPROM batteries in the N64 carts begin to die? Mario 64 is ten and a half years old so I'm concerned that my game saves are in danger.
Hopefully this isn't an unreasonable assumption: I have Super Mario World for SNES. Had it since Christmas '92, so nearly 15 years now. It's still going just fine. I would think within five years time, something would allow batteries to live a little longer. I'd say there's still quite a good chunck of life left in them, and hopefully the same for the memory cards. I'm more concerned with keeping healthy analog sticks.
Edit: Though this brings up a good point. Anyone know how to replace a dead battery in an N64 game/memory card? I've never seen one of those carts looked like inside.
My Mario World (like you, Christmas of '92) barely made it into 2000. My 96 goal save gone forever.
I'm more concerned with keeping healthy analog sticks.
I took this photo the last time I look apart one of my N64 controllers to clean it. It's a pretty easy process, even putting back together the analog assembly.
Warning: Do not clean N64 controllers while trapped in a Ben Stiller embarrassment comedy.
I'm more concerned with keeping healthy analog sticks.
I took this photo the last time I look apart one of my N64 controllers to clean it. It's a pretty easy process, even putting back together the analog assembly.
Warning: Do not clean N64 controllers while trapped in a Ben Stiller embarrassment comedy.
Whoa.
I'm glad for my process. It's preventative. A toothpick with masking tape wrapped around the ends, sticky side out. Go all the way around the stick as much as you can to collect all of those flakes. If you have to, hold the controller upside-down so that nothing will fall into the center.
Where did you find out how to disassemble/reassemble the analog stick? I've got a controller that's destined to become spare parts. Specifically taking its rubber part of the D-Pad so it can be used in an SNES controller. I might as well take a shot at the stick while I'm at it.
I'm more concerned with keeping healthy analog sticks.
I took this photo the last time I look apart one of my N64 controllers to clean it. It's a pretty easy process, even putting back together the analog assembly.
I'm glad for my process. It's preventative. A toothpick with masking tape wrapped around the ends, sticky side out. Go all the way around the stick as much as you can to collect all of those flakes. If you have to, hold the controller upside-down so that nothing will fall into the center.
Where did you find out how to disassemble/reassemble the analog stick? I've got a controller that's destined to become spare parts. Specifically taking its rubber part of the D-Pad so it can be used in an SNES controller. I might as well take a shot at the stick while I'm at it.
There isn't really a tutorial online that I've found, it's just something I decided to do one day and I got pretty good at it. If you open up the controller, the analog stick is its own little unit inside there. Unclip it, take off the ribbon cable, and work on it separately. If it doesn't need internal cleaning, you could swap it between controllers very, very easily if you wanted.
There is one small screw and a few plastic clips holding the assembly together. Undo the screw and open the clips. There is a spring inside to keep tension on the stick, a plastic ring to press the spring on the stick evenly, two little cradle things with optical grids, a small IC with the actual optical encoders on it, and the actual white stick its self. It will be filled with powder no matter how careful you were with cleaning. It'll only fit back together one way and nothing is easily broken, so examine the way it is when you first open the little case and try to put it back that way. There are really no tricks here, if you get it wrong, you won't be able to close it. Even if you never saw it being taken apart, it's not a very hard puzzle.
It's akin to saying that a painter who uses just black paint will always produce inferior (though still good) paintings compared to an equally skilled painter who has a full pallet of colours.
Amusingly, you're wrong even in your meant-to-prove-you-right analogy. Nobody with a decent knowledge of art and art criticism would argue that an artist who limits his pallette is worse than one who does not. If anything, such a choice would add an interesting dimension to his artwork and force him to find innovative ways to express himself. Much of the best art has been based on such self-imposed limitations.
Similarly, 2D games are, now, frequently an artistic choice to achieve similar goals to the above.
Yes the analogy was less then perfect and in retrospect I could have thought of a better metaphor in an area I'm better acquainted with (all the (well two) 'artistic' books I've read have struck me as intellectual masturbation and over analysis, akin to high school essays on poetry). But I digress, the third dimension is essential and I doubt two dimensional games will ever be more then a nostalgic draw or an interesting oddity. This will only become more true as we have more realistic games which are more to do a wide variety of things (realistic physics and the like just being the tip of the iceberg.
Alfred J. Kwakis it because you were insultedwhen I insulted your hair?Registered Userregular
edited May 2007
I'm thinking about getting one or two Hori Pad Mini controllers. It's really hard to get back into Perfect Dark or Goldeneye with the standard controllers, so I was wondering if they are fine for this sort of games?
It's a pretty easy process, even putting back together the analog assembly.
It's an easy process that I managed to balls up on both of my controllers and I haven't been able to play on my N64 since :-(
I have been meaning to ebay some new controllers.
At least my N64 was rescued from being trapped in a bin liner in the attic. It now sits proudly on my shelf, snuggled next too my SNES, under my Gamecube just to the left of my Wii.
It's a pretty easy process, even putting back together the analog assembly.
It's an easy process that I managed to balls up on both of my controllers and I haven't been able to play on my N64 since :-(
I have been meaning to ebay some new controllers.
At least my N64 was rescued from being trapped in a bin liner in the attic. It now sits proudly on my shelf, snuggled next too my SNES, under my Gamecube just to the left of my Wii.
You didn't toss them, did you? I might clean one of them while I'm home and post step-by step pictures.
I'm thinking about getting one or two Hori Pad Mini controllers. It's really hard to get back into Perfect Dark or Goldeneye with the standard controllers, so I was wondering if they are fine for this sort of games?
Fine? It's fucking awesome. For games like Perfect Dark, though, you'll notice it is more sensitive, but otherwise it's all good.
It's a pretty easy process, even putting back together the analog assembly.
It's an easy process that I managed to balls up on both of my controllers and I haven't been able to play on my N64 since :-(
I have been meaning to ebay some new controllers.
At least my N64 was rescued from being trapped in a bin liner in the attic. It now sits proudly on my shelf, snuggled next too my SNES, under my Gamecube just to the left of my Wii.
You didn't toss them, did you? I might clean one of them while I'm home and post step-by step pictures.
No I left them under the TV in full view to remind me of my failure.
Remember what the original Mario Party did to palms. That is fuckin sacrifice! Some games just require you to put in time and practice to get good at. Oh no, not mario party. You had to go through PAIN to win that game!
Conkers Bad Fur Day is seriously one of the best multiplayer games ever made ever. SHEER MADNESS AND FUN. Also shooting french squirrels ehehe..
God yes, I miss that game.
I had so many drunken nights in the dorm, trying to kill the frenchies with the glorious tediz!!! Still among the best gaming experiences that I have had.
I wish the xbox verison didn't suck so much....sigh
Breyker4711 on
I don't have to take this abuse from you, I have hundreds of people dying to abuse me
I loved Bomberman Hero, and still find it pretty fun.
Go go Bomber Jet!
I was a bigger fan of Bomberman 64. The single player was pretty good (it had a lot of interesting puzzles with stacking up bombs), and the multiplayer was great... more so than mst 2D bomberman games. The level on the pyramid where the sea rises was by far the best, but some of the other ones were pretty good as well.
I didn't like that there were 4 bonus levels that were in there to sell Hudson controllers with turbo buttons on them. You could still access them if you were really quick hitting the start button on the main screen, but that took a lot of effort. My friend and I could sometimes get it by using two K'Nex pieces.
Man I love N64 games, but the graphics... Playstation1 graphics aged much better. The blurriness really is extremely awful. I recently rebought one, and I was shocked. Some of the games are still a blast to play though.
And fuck the haters - Goemon 64 is an awesome game, one of my favorites on the system. The Impact song... so great.
Perfect Dark though... man. I liked it back then, though I always considered Goldeneye to be better, but it's pretty much been eclipsed by every shooter ever. Pretty shitty level design, art direction and everything, really.
I currently own Rogue Squadron, both Zeldas and Perfect Dark, still plan to pick up Goldeneye, Mario 64, Goemon 64 (if I can find it), Banjo Kazooie and Smash Bros... maybe some more if they're cheap. Just a shame most games haven't help up to well.
edit: And Star Fox 64 shit fuck that game is amazingly good, to this day. I wish they'd port it to DS already!
Top Gear Rally is one of my favorite racing games. It was the first game I got for my N64 (the second being OoT, which wasn't out when I got my N64, but was the reason I got it in the first place).
I didn't really like the game at first, but that was before I "got" it. After I understood how the cars handled and that the fun part was not running into shit, I loved it to death. Ever since, I have been a sucker for good rally racing games.
I didn't even notice until very recently that there are never more than like three cars on screen at once.
Quest 64: Now that I think about it, i'm pretty sure that was a bad game, but I was addicted to leveling up my elements.
Quest 64 had the advantage of being the first game (I think) to do a whole bunch of completely awesome stuff like enormous 3d worlds. Often boring, but still freaking enormous compared to anything that had been seen before, and possibly anything that came after for years. Final Fantasy didn't even switch over until the PS2 era.
The spells were also very visceral somehow, possibly as much as in any other game I've ever played. There's just something incredibly cool about creating an enormous pillar of water right in front of you or throwing an enormous rock at enemies, as was running around in circles to avoid getting hit by a little blade of air that homes in on you.
It also had one of those rare learn-by-doing advancement systems.
If a sequel were made that featured more modern technology and ironed out the boringness, but kept the focus on enormous (possibly seamless) worlds and semi-active magical combat, I'd buy it in an instant. Has anything similar ever been made?
Posts
I played them, developers. I played them.
Hopefully this isn't an unreasonable assumption: I have Super Mario World for SNES. Had it since Christmas '92, so nearly 15 years now. It's still going just fine. I would think within five years time, something would allow batteries to live a little longer. I'd say there's still quite a good chunck of life left in them, and hopefully the same for the memory cards. I'm more concerned with keeping healthy analog sticks.
Edit: Though this brings up a good point. Anyone know how to replace a dead battery in an N64 game/memory card? I've never seen one of those carts looked like inside.
I WILL NOT BE DOING 3DS FOR NWC THREAD. SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OVER.
Spoiler contains Friend Codes. Won't you be my friend?
More Friend Codes!
Mario Kart Wii: 3136-6982-0286 Tetris Party: 2364 1569 4310
Guitar Hero: Metallica: 1032 7229 7191
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM: 1935-2070-9123
Nintendo DS:
Worms: Open Warfare 2: 1418-7870-1606 Space Bust-a-Move: 017398 403043
Scribblenauts: 1290-7509-5558
I took this photo the last time I look apart one of my N64 controllers to clean it. It's a pretty easy process, even putting back together the analog assembly.
Warning: Do not clean N64 controllers while trapped in a Ben Stiller embarrassment comedy.
Now that I think about it, the game was pretty large and epic comedy.
Whoa.
I'm glad for my process. It's preventative. A toothpick with masking tape wrapped around the ends, sticky side out. Go all the way around the stick as much as you can to collect all of those flakes. If you have to, hold the controller upside-down so that nothing will fall into the center.
Where did you find out how to disassemble/reassemble the analog stick? I've got a controller that's destined to become spare parts. Specifically taking its rubber part of the D-Pad so it can be used in an SNES controller. I might as well take a shot at the stick while I'm at it.
I WILL NOT BE DOING 3DS FOR NWC THREAD. SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OVER.
Spoiler contains Friend Codes. Won't you be my friend?
More Friend Codes!
Mario Kart Wii: 3136-6982-0286 Tetris Party: 2364 1569 4310
Guitar Hero: Metallica: 1032 7229 7191
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM: 1935-2070-9123
Nintendo DS:
Worms: Open Warfare 2: 1418-7870-1606 Space Bust-a-Move: 017398 403043
Scribblenauts: 1290-7509-5558
There is one small screw and a few plastic clips holding the assembly together. Undo the screw and open the clips. There is a spring inside to keep tension on the stick, a plastic ring to press the spring on the stick evenly, two little cradle things with optical grids, a small IC with the actual optical encoders on it, and the actual white stick its self. It will be filled with powder no matter how careful you were with cleaning. It'll only fit back together one way and nothing is easily broken, so examine the way it is when you first open the little case and try to put it back that way. There are really no tricks here, if you get it wrong, you won't be able to close it. Even if you never saw it being taken apart, it's not a very hard puzzle.
Yes the analogy was less then perfect and in retrospect I could have thought of a better metaphor in an area I'm better acquainted with (all the (well two) 'artistic' books I've read have struck me as intellectual masturbation and over analysis, akin to high school essays on poetry). But I digress, the third dimension is essential and I doubt two dimensional games will ever be more then a nostalgic draw or an interesting oddity. This will only become more true as we have more realistic games which are more to do a wide variety of things (realistic physics and the like just being the tip of the iceberg.
Gorgeous My Stage is so much better.
It's an easy process that I managed to balls up on both of my controllers and I haven't been able to play on my N64 since :-(
I have been meaning to ebay some new controllers.
At least my N64 was rescued from being trapped in a bin liner in the attic. It now sits proudly on my shelf, snuggled next too my SNES, under my Gamecube just to the left of my Wii.
Go go Bomber Jet!
You didn't toss them, did you? I might clean one of them while I'm home and post step-by step pictures.
Fine? It's fucking awesome. For games like Perfect Dark, though, you'll notice it is more sensitive, but otherwise it's all good.
No I left them under the TV in full view to remind me of my failure.
after a long play session my thumb hurt like mad
God yes, I miss that game.
I had so many drunken nights in the dorm, trying to kill the frenchies with the glorious tediz!!! Still among the best gaming experiences that I have had.
I wish the xbox verison didn't suck so much....sigh
also
TETRISPHERE
I was a bigger fan of Bomberman 64. The single player was pretty good (it had a lot of interesting puzzles with stacking up bombs), and the multiplayer was great... more so than mst 2D bomberman games. The level on the pyramid where the sea rises was by far the best, but some of the other ones were pretty good as well.
I didn't like that there were 4 bonus levels that were in there to sell Hudson controllers with turbo buttons on them. You could still access them if you were really quick hitting the start button on the main screen, but that took a lot of effort. My friend and I could sometimes get it by using two K'Nex pieces.
people who owned saturns were happy? o.0
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pokemon d/p friend code:0129 8357 1827
send pm to add me
Mario 64: My first 3d platformer. I was amazed. I even got a bit of vertigo when looking down from high places.
Star Fox 64: Amazing game, played a lot of multiplayer with brothers and friends.
Quest 64: Now that I think about it, i'm pretty sure that was a bad game, but I was addicted to leveling up my elements.
Goldeneye: Played the hell out of this game. Especially multiplayer. Facility + proximity mines for hours of fun.
NCW vs NWO: I think that was the first wrestling game that was released for the N64. Had loads of fun with it with my brothers.
Blast Corps: This is probably my favorite N64 game. It was an original idea for a game and I loved learning to master all the vehicles.
Ocarina of Time: Nothing specific to say here, amazing game. Did a 100% game and a 3 hearts, no fairies, no potions, no armor upgrade game.
Mischief makers: A really fun sidescroller. I remember the old dude always trying to sexually abuse the robot-girl. "Shake shake!"
I think the N64 is the console I had the best local multiplayer gaming times of my life.
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And fuck the haters - Goemon 64 is an awesome game, one of my favorites on the system. The Impact song... so great.
Perfect Dark though... man. I liked it back then, though I always considered Goldeneye to be better, but it's pretty much been eclipsed by every shooter ever. Pretty shitty level design, art direction and everything, really.
I currently own Rogue Squadron, both Zeldas and Perfect Dark, still plan to pick up Goldeneye, Mario 64, Goemon 64 (if I can find it), Banjo Kazooie and Smash Bros... maybe some more if they're cheap. Just a shame most games haven't help up to well.
edit: And Star Fox 64 shit fuck that game is amazingly good, to this day. I wish they'd port it to DS already!
I didn't really like the game at first, but that was before I "got" it. After I understood how the cars handled and that the fun part was not running into shit, I loved it to death. Ever since, I have been a sucker for good rally racing games.
I didn't even notice until very recently that there are never more than like three cars on screen at once.
OMGZ I love you now. I love that song.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
Quest 64 had the advantage of being the first game (I think) to do a whole bunch of completely awesome stuff like enormous 3d worlds. Often boring, but still freaking enormous compared to anything that had been seen before, and possibly anything that came after for years. Final Fantasy didn't even switch over until the PS2 era.
The spells were also very visceral somehow, possibly as much as in any other game I've ever played. There's just something incredibly cool about creating an enormous pillar of water right in front of you or throwing an enormous rock at enemies, as was running around in circles to avoid getting hit by a little blade of air that homes in on you.
It also had one of those rare learn-by-doing advancement systems.
If a sequel were made that featured more modern technology and ironed out the boringness, but kept the focus on enormous (possibly seamless) worlds and semi-active magical combat, I'd buy it in an instant. Has anything similar ever been made?
Edit: And I love Quest 64!