Retro Video Gamer

Continuing my theme of threads for underappreciated games, this one is for the N64.

I will start with Mischief Makers.

http://youtu.be/Pe-z4qJYeyo (http://youtu.be/Pe-z4qJYeyo)

There must be loads of games that never get appreciated like they should so whats yours?

The first game that came to mind when I saw this thread was Tarzan. It's as good as any Disney platformer you can think of. I also nominate Shadowman. Gritty and poetic.

I've played Tarzan on the PC.  Is the game the same or did Disney make different versions?

Is this it? If so then yes they are the same. Does the PC version really not have music?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaI2UG3ivpI (//http)

Yep, that's the same game. 

Although few people probably bought them at the time, Wipeout 64 and Ridge Racer 64 were actually really good arcade games.

That Tarzan game looks amazing, also I would shout out to Wave Race..

http://youtu.be/Oi-Kz4Y-8Lw (http://youtu.be/Oi-Kz4Y-8Lw)

I used to love Waverace. It was one of my first N64 games (may have come with the system but I can't remember) and I played it endlessly. Some of those later stages were hard! Still like to crank it up in an emu every now and again.

Battletanx: Global Assault. It also came out on the PS1 but judging by the reviews it looks like the N64 received the superior version.

Excitebike64 came out really late and a lot of people missed it. I only recently imported the JPN version of this. Lovely game. The video cannot convey how well this controls - it just feels brilliant to play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BHQWhdrBF4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BHQWhdrBF4)

I loved Excitebike on the NES, this however just never feels like that game, it is just a motorcross game which is fair enough and I agree it really is a gem, so great shout fella.

The original game is unlockable as far as I know - but yeah - it feels totally different from that game. I think there was a WiiWare game that was more like a NES Excitebike update.

Another N64 game I believe is under appreciated is Doom 64.

Goldeneye got all the attention which means Doom64 kind of slipped under the radar and its old school gameplay meant a lot of people looked down their noses at it. The fact is that D64 has aged rather gracefully and is still a highly enjoyable game. The 32 all new levels are exclusive to the N64, as is the final boss and most of the enemies all look new too.

One player only, you can only save at the end of a level (password or memory pak) and just old school Doom aiming with no looking up and down, and no jumping - but it looks great, sounds even better and the control options are good with excellent use of the analogue stick for movement as one option.

The levels have some nice light puzzling along with some great visceral shooting action. There's a cheat menu to activate which gives you access to a handful of what are called "fun levels" which are brutally tough as a bonus. You can find these in the game itself but it's pretty convoluted to do that so it's best to consult an FAQ.

It seems to have got a decent PAL conversion too with only tiny borders at the very least. Well worth a look. I hear the JPN version has only got green blood which is interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC2j1lIv5P4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC2j1lIv5P4)

Doom 64 is a great game. My only complaint is how dark the game is but once you crank the brightness up and shut off every light and close every curtain it's a lot of fun!

Aye. The darkness is an issue at the default settings. The devs mustn't have tested it on displays other than their own. At least there's an in-game brightness setting.

Don't think I have ever had the pleasure of playing the N64 version.. Still debating on clearing out my N64 collection so I may never either.

There's a home-brew version of it for PC. Not sure how good it is though.

I will check it out.

Beetle Adventure Racing is a fun game.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HDn01E_aTJ0 (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HDn01E_aTJ0)

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Quote from: "davyk"Another N64 game I believe is under appreciated is Doom 64.

Great call, I've only recently purchased it, it had a proper make over with unique levels. Don't forget the game supports the N64 expansion pak.

I wish the controller was better suited to the game and the UKs N64 lack of Rgb output means it's not as great looking as it could of been.

Quote from: "Vadergb"

Quote from: "davyk"Another N64 game I believe is under appreciated is Doom 64.

Great call, I've only recently purchased it, it had a proper make over with unique levels. Don't forget the game supports the N64 expansion pak.

I wish the controller was better suited to the game and the UKs N64 lack of Rgb output means it's not as great looking as it could of been.

Pretty sure it doesn't support the expansion pak - this was early release so would have been out long before that was available.

You can save your progress to controller paks - maybe you have confused that for the expansion pak?

Your right about it being shame having no RGB. s-video is a decent compromise though.

Quote from: "stonemonkeylives"Beetle Adventure Racing is a fun game.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HDn01E_aTJ0 (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HDn01E_aTJ0)

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Great Shout...

Also Body Harvest??

The wonderful but oh so tough Wetrix..a true 3D puzzle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDdxAl47Hi4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDdxAl47Hi4)

OMG, totally forgot about that game.. I could have smashed the cartridge loads of times lol..

Great music. I picked up the Dreamcast version which looks a bit better but the music isn't as good.

The N64 has 3 Tetris games. Two of them most people will know about. There is The New Tetris with the excellent Neill Voss soundtrack, attractive graphics and 4 player options. The other is Magical Tetris with Disney branding. I avoided that one but according to tetris forums it's actually a very nice variation of the game and is worth playing if you can get past the cute coat of paint.

Not many know about the 3rd game though. It was an early release and sadly Japan only. Tetris64 is a Seta game and it's probably the pick of the bunch if you prefer straight up Tetris. New Tetris has the square forming mechanic so it isn't a pure classic Tetris game.

Tetris64 has A, B and C game types , a Giga Tetris mode which throws in quadruple sized pieces that break up into smaller pieces when a line is formed that includes them, and a Bio tetris mode that uses a hard to find peripheral that clips to your ear and adjusts the game speed according to your pulse!!  The Bio tetris mode also throws weird shaped pieces at you.

Graphics wise it's OK. It looks a bit cheap in the menus but the actual game itself is pin sharp and really nice and clean and they feature old school pictures of buildings or landscapes as a background of decent quality. They dont obscure the pieces which is the important thing. Sound effects are pleasing and there's a choice of 4 laid back tunes or you can opt for music off.

All modes offer two player battle options but there is a Familiss mode that supports up to 4 players in battle mode. It's a wee bit different in that you can store your attacks up and then choose when and at who to release using the camera buttons. You also attack one line at a time so you can choose to send all lines to one person, or dish them out to as many players as you like. It's really well done.

Options are comprehensive - you can select piece colour schemes (inc a random scheme), where they appear at the top of the pit and perhaps most impressive of all - you can select rotation scheme, toggle wall kicks etc so that the game plays quite like a modern Tetris game. I can't remember if the game supports things like t-spins though. Go back to most older Tetris games and they feel a bit clunky because they are missing the subtlely different controls that modern games have. Not so with this game - highly impressive for a title of this age.

And despite it being a Japan only release and having a Japanese manual, everything in the game itself is in English!  

The only downside to the game is that even at top speed it isn't super difficult so for expert players the basic classic mode won't offer a big challenge. For everyone else though, and especially for those who play with others, this is a quite superb version of the game.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Tetris64.JPG/250px-Tetris64.JPG) (http://n64media.ign.com/media/previews/image/biote6.jpg)(http://www.cpc-power.com/extra_lire_fichier.php?extra=portage&fiche=2208&slot=1&part=V_2208_n6408.png)(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Cx5JqZ0yhew/mqdefault.jpg)

Wow mate, I am part of the group who must have missed this game.. One i'll keep and eye open for.

I like Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. OK its a port but a cool game.

I think flying dragon for n64 gets overlooked. I unfortunately do not have my 64 anymore but flying dragon was the fighting game that I got bought for by my parents when I was young. It was two games in one. One was a realistic fighter in 3d like tekken or virtua fighter (which for some reason had a 2d mode also :/) and another which was a 2d fighter with cartoonish characters. I honestly thought it was great. To me it plays exactly like virtua fighter in 3d mode. I enjoyed the SD mode but I preferred the 3d option as I preferred more realistic at the time. Here is a review of the game I found on YouTube. It focuses more on the Cartoon part of the game.

https://youtu.be/hDZDI3Zoy6o (https://youtu.be/hDZDI3Zoy6o)

Great shout actually.

Quote from: zapiy on December 27, 2015, 15:03:06 PM
That Tarzan game looks amazing, also I would shout out to Wave Race..

http://youtu.be/Oi-Kz4Y-8Lw (http://youtu.be/Oi-Kz4Y-8Lw)

Behind goldeneye this was my most played 64 game, loved it!

 ;D Wave Race is an underappreciated game to me. I collect for the N64 and do not think I have ever fully played the game.

Always was interested in Diddy Kong Racing, Cruisin the World and the Star Wars titles to try to much else.

Thanks for sharing your favorite.

You collect for the n64 and don't had wave race and diddy Kong racing? Ah man you're missing out on some great games

I am grateful for threads like this one. Missed out on some great titles.

Yeah. Lol! I have both titles. Misspoke on my part, spent more time playing Diddy Kong racing, the Cruisin series and the Star Wars games to try Wave Race.

Which is odd for me. I enjoy the N64 for racing games but never took the time to try different ones. Money may have been a factor at the time.

Mainly played the N64 when it was new and still like to play but collecting for various systems leads to spreading your time out.

Yes, these threads are a great way to find out about games you never knew about. 

Speaking of games people did not know about. I got given a Xena:warrior princess game. It was a fighting games and I didn't think a lot of it when I got it but then I tried the 4 players mode with a few mates and it was awesome. Very little to do in single player but it shines for the 4 player madness. Review below

https://youtu.be/i6wvaNiPzs8 (https://youtu.be/i6wvaNiPzs8)

Picked up Xena to add to my collection. It is kinda dull in single player. Cool about the 4 player mode.

How agreeable was she?  Hard to see her as being dull.  LOL

Thought I'd bump this with a few of my other favourites.

Mischief Makers - original platformer/puzzler from Treasure. Very unusual game and the character has a host of moves to master.

Mystical Ninja 2 - no.1 was a 3rd person Mario 64 style game - but no. 2 is a return to the series' roots as it was on SNES. Some really nice fake 3D graphics bolster the 2D gameplay. Looks and plays great. Pretty tough too. The 2 player co-op mode returns too.

Star Soldier Vanishing Earth - didn't get a PAL release but worth a look. A 2D shooter - a rarity on the N64 but is worth getting if you are a fan of the genre. Has the classic main game and 2min and 5min caravan modes. Lots of secrets and score tricks to find which is the series' hallmark.

Please, feel free to bump any old thread that have a topic you like.  :)

I've never heard of Star Soldier Vanishing Earth before. Watched a video and it looks pretty good. Not expensive to buy either.

Here's another N64 gem. Very niche but an interesting one nonetheless.

It's called Fire Electric Pen and is inspired by a Japanese gameshow. It's probably the hardest game on the system.

Here's a video of me completing the 1st level. Apologies for the ghetto recording, complete with reflections.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otHVIXWl1mc

Wow. What a bizarre game. Never even heard about this game before.


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There's a PS1 game called Irritating Stick which is similar but I haven't played that.

Though I would revive an old topic here. games I really enjoyed for the n64 when I had one was both the vigilante 8 games. They are generally better known is the PlayStation and even then are overshadowed by the twisted metal games so i would say they went underappreciated.

Oh, feel free to bump any threads with topics of interest.  I'm not familiar with the Vigilante games.  I never had an N64.  Don't shoot me! :)

Haha well I sold mine on when I was young and stupid so that is probably worse. If you like the twisted metal series then this is definitely worth a look. The first game is relatively cheap for PlayStation if you have one and the second game in series strangely came out on dreamcast, ps1 and n64. Even more strangely it seems to be cheaper for dreamcast than other consoles. Don't think that happens too often.

Hmm, that's cool.  I do have a PS2 and a Dreamcast.  I'll check out at least one of the games.  :)

I played a lot of Vigilante 8 2nd Offense on the Dreamcast. Really fun game.

Don't get the vigilante 8 available on Xbox arcade. I got the free demo today and it has way too many glitches. I'm currently looking at a auction of it for ps1 on eBay. From all accounts the best version is vigilante 8 2nd offense for dreamcast but I don't have a dreamcast so will get it on the ps1 I think.

N64 got quite a nice version of Loderunner. Unimaginatively it's called Loderunner 64. Whilst this game's roots are 2D the jump to 3D has been done very well. It doesn't really get in the way and it plays quite nicely - too many games were ruined by bolting on 3D - particularly puzzle games.

While this isn't any better than the 2D games, it works because it retains the original's feel. It starts off easy enough but it gets rock hard - which is a good thing. :)

I remember playing a lode runner as a really young child. Honestly not sure what console. I think it might of even been a old windows PC I played it on.

Lode Runner has been around a long time - think it was originally an Apple II game.

Haha it is like most games these days. You look up a game you think is a hidden gem and you find out it has 12 sequels, a remaster, a comic book series and a fail animated series.

They are all real pure 2D "ladders and levels" games - even on PS1 and Saturn. The N64 port introduced 3D and it was done quite well. There's another on the Gamecube with plays 2D but has a really nice looking isometric look. Don't own that one though.

Just received this under-rated gem in the post.

It's a rare thing - an actually good tetris variant. The Disney branding is offputting but filter that out and you see a really solid and challenging game underneath with a well thought out attack and counter attack system.

Another one for my JP-N64 and Tetris Collections. 2-in-1 !! :)  Splendid soundtrack too.

(https://i.imgur.com/jLSAkBi.jpg)

Looks cool.  Nothing off-putting about the Disney branding as far as I'm concerned. 

Disney branding doesn't put me off really. There is lots of great Disney games out there. Most of my favourites are for the 16 bit error though. I love all there 2d platformers from that time.

There's a version of the game for the GBC as well but it looks different.  I don't think it has the competitive games and it doesn't look as characte-rich as the N64 version. It also seems to have a story mode.

This has a story mode but it's in Japanese and is no doubt nonsensical.

PS1 got a version of this too.

The soundtrack is excellent - the Ps1 version probably sounds even better.

Any licence branding tends to put me off anything. N64 also got the superb Pokemon Puzzle League which is an update of Tetris Attack on SNES which itself is a Mario-ised version of a JP-side puzzle game called Panel De Pon. The Pokemon branding is unfortunate as it's a hardcore puzzle game and the Disney branding on this and the Pokemon branding tend to convey the impression of a kids' game when nothing could be further from the truth.

The AI in Magical tetris is brutal.

I did see there's a PS1 version too.  That's Japanese only as well, right?

I see the point with branding. But thankfully games for the n64 are different from today in most cases. Back then you attempted to make a good game and then attach a license so you can sell more copies not just make any crap and put a license on it like they do in a lot of cases today.

Well, if the branding gets more sales, of course they'll go for it.  The issue is taking proper advantage of the brand by producing a good game. 

I've always been wary of licenced games - even way back in the early days it was never a sign of quality. The 8 bit micro days used shameful use of licences to sell any old shit.

It has always served me well thinking like that.

Perfect dark came after golden eye had some of the same multi player levels with better weapons. I don't even remember if it had a campaign mode as I only ever played versus. Great game underated I'm my opinion.

https://youtu.be/1sGrXHJg2dw

Btw I found out it does have a campaign.

Perfect dark is a great shooter. I believe it was developed by Rare. I don't think Rare ever made a bad game for the n64.

Yeah - Rare were very solid on the N64 - they probably knew the hardware better than Nintendo toward the end of that gen.

Yeah Conker is a great example of that. I believe it was one of the last games release here is Europe if I am not mistaken.