Round Table: Happy 19th Birthday, N64!

Andy Hoover

While SNES might have been system that made me a gamer, N64 is what truly impressed upon me the significance of the medium. In many ways I feel sorry for younger gamers, because I don’t think they will ever have the chance to experience what it was like to make the leap from sprite-based, 2D games to 3D polygonal worlds. Though I might not have realized it at the time, almost every game that came out in those early years represented a small revolution in game design. From the sheer joy of movement in Super Mario 64 to seeing the sun rise and set over Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time, there was always something new to amaze me.

As for specific memories, there are more than I could ever hope to relate in just a few paragraphs, but I’ll give a few. First, the console wars definitely kept raging for me during the N64 era, as I will always remember debating with Final Fantasy VII fanatics about how Ocarina of Time was obviously the superior game. I remember how me and my friends were so desperate for an RPG that we put countless hours into Quest 64 and enjoyed every minute of it, not knowing that it would go on to be almost universally maligned. There were also, of course, the many hundreds of hours and countless birthday parties spent playing Smash Bros., GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, and Mario Kart 64. Also, the first time I decided not to trick-or-treat during Halloween was because I decided I would rather play Majora’s Mask. Technically, I guess you could say I simply chose to dress up as a Goron. And I’ll never forget how I ended up with two copies of Banjo-Kazooie despite the fact I never bought the game or received it as a gift; seriously, I have no idea where they came from.

Historically, N64 might represent the point where Nintendo lost its position of market dominance and started to drift away from where the industry as a whole was going, but the personal significance is much more positive. N64 showed me a changing gaming world with a bright future and helped build and reinforce friendships I still hold dear to this day. Though its days are long past, N64 will undoubtedly live on in the hearts of millions of gamers, myself included.

Oh, by the way, Ocarina is still a billion times better than FFVII.

Probably my fondest memory of N64 comes from when I had already moved on and bought a GameCube. I used to go down to our village youth club (do they even exist in America?) every Friday night, though, where they still had an N64 and a handful of old games. It was because of this that I (and my brother before me) used to take down our massive collection of N64 games– and were welcomed with open arms every time because of it!

Week after week, we would crowd around the tiny TV to watch others play, and step up ourselves to replace the losers. Of course, GoldenEye was a favorite, as were Super Smash Bros., Mario Tennis, Wave Race, Mario Kart 64, and so so many others. Conker’s Bad Fur Day‘s multiplayer also used to be played a surprising amount and had some of the funniest multiplayer modes that I can remember. Even South Park was played now and again (although, unlike for Craig, it certainly wasn’t our most played game!).

All of this continued until the day when I took around all these games for the last time and found that the organizers behind it had gone and bought a new PS2 and GameCube for people to play. Needless to say, N64 was largely forgotten after that (or was taken away altogether… I can’t remember). While these new consoles had some great games (Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! in particular), they never recaptured the magic of N64 for me. My own N64 games went away in a box in the attic and never really came out again– although with the Virtual Console, I have slowly started to go back and play through the many great games that it had to offer!

Angela Marrujo

I’m a ’90s kid, so the first systems I remember playing growing up were NES, SNES, and Game Boy, but Nintendo 64 was the first console I can actually remember as being that brand new, special something I experienced as it came out. I had never experienced a world within a video game like I did when I first saw Super Mario 64; the incredible depth that came from seeing the Mushroom Kingdom in 3D, and the freedom it allowed the player, was astounding. Certain levels stick out in my mind, like the snow level where you have to reunite the baby penguin with its mother, the water levels with the giant pirate ship and the creepy eel underwater, flying through the desert with the wing cap, and being able to talk to pink Bob-Ombs and shoot yourself out of a canon.

Ocarina of Time was sort of a life-changing game for me– as an 8-year-old, it awakened in me a love for drawing once I got my hands on the player’s guide and started copying images of Link as best I could, and it’s what inspired me to want to work in the video game industry, even as a child. Ocarina was my first Zelda game, and it holds a very special place in my heart as having established the Legend of Zelda as being my favorite franchise and Link as my favorite video game character. I’ll never forget how completely blown away I was with the visuals, the depth of the story, the connection it established with characters within the game like I had never experienced, and how I challenged myself to complete as much as I could without the aid of the player’s guide. I’ll never forget playing for so long that I fell asleep on the floor with my controller in my lap, leaving Young Link standing in front of King Zora while I passed out.

Then Majora’s Mask came along and left an impression on me in ways different than Ocarina— there are quotes from that game (namely, everything the Moon Children tell you) that have stuck with me even through to today, and the bright, vivid colors and sometimes exotic environments are very strong in my memory, even with having played the 3D remake. It was even more challenging than its predecessor and touched on darker tones and thematic elements that weren’t familiar features in the games I had played previous to it.

I spent hours playing Pokémon Stadium against the CPU and mastering the minigames, especially Sushi-Go-Round. Pokémon Snap was another game that I remember vivid flashes of, like snapping a shot of Mew. Super Smash Bros. got a lot of play time growing up, and going back now and trying to play it after playing its three successors is almost impossible for me. Paper Mario cemented my love for the series (though nothing will top Thousand-Year Door— sorry, N64 original), and Mario Party created a lot of competition between us cousins and siblings– remember in Nintendo Power when Nintendo had to address the issue of getting blisters from certain minigames, and offered a glove to wear to prevent hurting your hand?

Apparently I was a big whiner when playing Mario Kart 64 and couldn’t lose without it being a tragedy, but annoying whining aside it was one of the most played games on our N64 and one of the best entries to the series. Tracks like Banshee Boardwalk, Kalamari Desert, Toad’s Turnpike, and Koopa Troopa Beach stand out the strongest in my mind, for some reason.

Beetle Adventure Racing was a more obscure title we have that we played a lot of, and my mom loved that game because she loved the new Volkswagon Beetles. Jet Force Gemini, Banjo-Kazooie, and Banjo-Tooie were games I tried playing but wasn’t super great at, and it wasn’t until I was older and a little more gaming-experienced that I developed the appreciation for them they deserve. Star Fox 64 was a game I played a lot, always trying to unlock the alternate routes to different planets but usually winding up following the main path every time anyway. The level with the Landmaster destroying the train its driving alongside is one memory that comes immediately to mind when I think of Star Fox 64.

I could write so much about the games and memories I have surrounding N64 and its titles, but long story short, it was an iconic, influential system that was an integral part of my childhood and actually had an impact on who I am today. May we keep enjoying its games well into our future!

N64 was, for me at least, the most interesting console to be released. Its history and inception is kind of something to marvel at. We jumped from 16-bit to 64-bit 3D consoles and it wasn’t just for show. A ton of the games (Super Mario 64, for example) only existed in this vacuum wherein Nintendo wanted to show off the console’s prowess while also making something lasting and worthwhile. My first memory with this console was unwrapping my own, playing Super Mario 64 until my hands nearly bled, and still only being on the penguin slide level. That level is some certified crap, by the way, don’t ever forget that. Waking up one morning to see N64 was as close to euphoria as I’ll ever get. My uncles has their own, and I’d play Ocarina with them sometimes, but getting the console for my own meant a lot. I got to inherit the games they had when they eventually left for the military, and being able to have something that my super cool uncles had was nothing short of amazing.

I still remember losing my marbles over Pokémon Stadium and wanting it more than anything. I even remember the Walmart I went into with my grandfather to buy it. I would hang out with him for entire days, just being grandson and grandfather, and stopping by Walmart to buy some tools or drinks was almost always on the schedule. Just this time, I wanted a game too. I didn’t plan on asking him for it, but I remember so fondly how I walked through the doors, took the sticker from the elderly man greeting us, and then proceeded to the gaming section. I saw the game, my grandpa saw me see the game. The cashier then saw us both request the game from the glass and purchase it. It’s one of the only N64 games that I vividly remember purchasing. The others were just gifts at some level.

Then there was the first Smash Bros. Not only a great game, but the first game to introduce me to Ness. I didn’t grow up with an SNES (although it is my favorite Nintendo console), so seeing Ness was more or less a “why is this child in this game” experience as opposed to a “this is the child from EarthBound” one. Unlocking the characters was simple enough, but one memory I have, that will stick with me forever, is thinking the target practice levels were not meant to be beaten. I didn’t think it was possible to hit all of the targets and they were in the game just to mess with players. It still feels that way sometimes, but I’m over it, Nintendo. You hear me? I’m over it.

Then there’s Ocarina of Time. I watched both of my uncles play this game religiously. I even played the game with my friend Stanley and his sister Haley until they ended up moving away. Out of all the games I’ve gotten over the years, this is the one that I’ll never sell. Regardless of price, regardless if the cart itself becomes physical currency, it holds far too much sentimental value to me. I still keep my uncle Jimmy’s “SLIM” save in slot 1 and have no plans on ever removing it.

There are other games too that have certain key memories attached to them. Mario Kart 64 and playing it at my friend Jeremy’s house all through the night. Going over Jeremy’s house again to play Gauntlet until the sun became our enemy. Playing Mario Party at my friend (coincidentally named) Mario’s house. N64 has so many memories that are ingrained into my mind and are pivotal to the way I adore Nintendo, but overall, I have no plans on letting my memories of Nintendo stop there.

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