Why people still enjoy playing on the N64

Damien Lee

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The Nintendo 64 may not be Nintendo's most successful console, but it's definitely one of their most endearing.

The fact that people are still picking up N64's and still enjoying them is a testament to this. I think it's mostly due to the quality Nintendo titles and that it's such a great mutliplayer machine. One doesn't need to go on the internet and deal with a bunch of whiny individuals in order to enjoy a game. You just call a couple of your friends over and you're guaranteed a great time.

Titles such as Mario Kart 64 & GoldenEye 007 are such excellent multiplayer games, people are still playing them today. While many online multiplayer titles that were released for the previous console generation are no longer played. One can't even access multiplayer on many of these games as the servers are no longer maintained.
 
I've always liked the Nintendo 64 as I feel like it took video games seriously.

I particularly enjoyed the controller as a kid. First of all, it looked really weird and cool. Instead of your controller having kind of two sections (this side makes your guy move, this one makes your guy attack), you had this fierce Three-Pronged Trident Controller with triggers, a rumble pack a thumb-stick and all that stuff.

That was bad ass, more so at that younger age because it really threw my parents for a loop. The Super Nintendo was too much for a lot of parents who came from the NES with it's simple configuration because of the extra buttons, but it still looked like a NES controller so they could figure it out after a while. The N64 really made our generation unique because a lot of parents tapped out at that point, the controller was just too much. This meant not having to share your console with your folks, which was awesome because it meant more playing time. ;)
 
I remember the hype surrounding the N64 before it's launch, which wasn't unwarranted. While the PlayStation and Saturn could do 3D graphics, it was the N64 that was the more capable machine. The 3D gaming-era didn't truly start until the N64 was released.

@Hyrule Chicken You're quite correct about the controller, it truly threw a spanner in the works for many folks. While I do prefer the SNES over the N64, the latter felt like a more revolutionary system. The SNES was more like a really refined NES, taking all the good stuff of it's predecessor and just making everything a bit better.
 
I agree with you regarding the Super Nintendo... They really thought up the perfect name because it was just like a Nintendo, except Super! I guess you could argue that the N64 is what really pushed things towards innovation for Nintendo. I especially liked the foresight of including an expansion slot, knowing that eventually they'll want to give the system a shot in the arm technology wise.
 
To me it comes down to how memorable the games were.
Perhaps it's age. I'm 25 today and I was a kid just 6 or 7 when it was released. My big brother and I would play tons of NES and especially SNES, and I do remember a ton of games from those consoles dearly, but every other game on the N64 had a huge impact on me as I grew up; there was an amazing quality to those games, and from a more personal point of view, my first experience in many genres came with that console.
I also had a PS1 at the time, and though I had love for it, it was half the console the N64 was, hands down.
 
I really like this topic idea! =D Don't mind if I participate in it! ^_^
Oh, there is no doubt that a lot of people still enjoy these kind of games. =) I suppose it's because of Nostalgia, but also Nintendo's entry into 3D. ^^ Don't get me wrong, 3D games do exist on the SNES (from my knowledge, I think Star Fox is one example), but it seems like there was such a big change switching from mostly 2D to mostly 3D. Some games were incredible and are still praised like SM64 and Zelda OoT. =)

I've been actually making N64 renders because of how much I enjoy N64. ^^ (will probably show them in a topic later)

I can only agree (great, started at least 3 sentences with "I" >_>) with the other members here when it comes to the N64. ^^ I can't really contribute more than they have. =) It's good to see that there are several individuals who enjoy that console as much (or more) than me. ^^
 
To be honest, I miss just holding a controller and playing the dang game. I like the Wii and Wii U, but there's nothing like playing Goldeneye or Mario Kart with a controller in your hands and not having to used too much motion.
 
With the N64, I think for a lot of people they'll look back at it as the last of the old style consoles. A video game system that was more about people having fun than the actual technology, and to a certain extent these days that's what's missing...the fun.

Now we are all talking about digital downloads and fibre optic internet to make our multimedia machines as advanced as we possibly can. It seems that the fact they play video games to some, as become a side issue.
 
People continue to play with the N64 for the very same reasons that they continue to play with the NES, the SNES, etc. One of these reasons is indeed nostalgia. However, going beyond mere nostalgia: all of these consoles have libraries of games that are rife with truly great games that have aged very well and withstood the test of time!
 
I do think the quality of the games as got a lot to do with it, as if they wasn't fun then they wouldn't still play them, but I just think the nostalgia aspect is the bigger reason.

Tell somebody today that you have an Xbox ONE and a PlayStation 4 they'd hardly care, tell them you had an N64, SNES or NES and they'd be a lot more interested!
 
I kinda want to get a N64 again, but I really like having my entire collection digital. The solution would be some sort of flashcart, but I'm hesitant about that.

Using an emulator - or even Wii brew - is just not the same.
 
I love the N64, but dislike the controller. It gave me blisters for some reason. I could have just been playing too much though.
 
Sometimes though we can be guilty of looking back on a console with fond memories, but that's all it should be, a memory to look back on.

I played a game on an old NES recently at a game convention and it was poor, and nothing like I remembered it. It didn't spoil my memories of the console and the time I had with it all them years ago, but I wouldn't want to buy one now, and especially considering the price people are asking.
 
Well I still get a really strong sense of nostalgia whenever I see it and play it, so that is probably the main reason I would say. I remember getting some good time out of Mario Kart and Goldeneye, the classics, after it was long considered to be old or out of style. I will also always have a spot in my heart for Star Fox. This is why I like to play it, and thanks for sharing.
 

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