The Official Nintendo 64 Thread!

[Punisher5.0]

8 hours ago, newtmonkey said:

Doom 64

This is one of the handful of N64 games I actually had back in the day, though I never got very far into it.  I didn't appreciate the moody lighting and soundtrack, and somewhat slow pace, compared with the devil metal blastathon that is Doom on the PC.  I also never could figure out a comfortable button layout, though the game helpfully allows you to reconfigure every single button on the controller!

 

Anyway, today, 27 years later, I decided to give the game another chance.  This time, I decided to play the Japanese version, since it fixes the ridiculously low brightness of the US release.  The downside to the JPN version is that it is slightly censored (blood, but not gore strangely, is green instead of red); luckily, there's a GameShark code you can enter to turn the blood red:

81053072 01EE

81019396 01EF

910193AA 01F0

 

For controls, I went with (I think) layout 5, which lets you strafe with L and R and has the fire button assigned to A.  This is a pretty comfortable way to play the game with the dpad, as I don't feel that the game really benefits from analog stick control for movement.

 

I blasted through the first four stages, and so far this game is really great!  It looks and sounds great, and has aged quite well.  It's much moodier than Doom and Doom II, but there's still lots of blasting to do.  However, I'll probably restart on a higher difficulty level, because the default difficulty level ("Bring it on!") is really easy so far.  I'll give the hardest skill level a try next and see how it goes.

 

Its always nice seeing praise for Doom64. Its got an awesome dark atmosphere to it. The sound track was done by Aubrey Hodges. He also did the excellent ambient music to Quake and Quake 2 64.

[newtmonkey]

@Punisher5.0

Yeah, it's quite an experience playing in complete darkness with headphones on!

I'll need to check out Quake II sometime, as it apparently is a completely different game from the PC version.

[Punisher5.0]

24 minutes ago, newtmonkey said:

@Punisher5.0

Yeah, it's quite an experience playing in complete darkness with headphones on!

I'll need to check out Quake II sometime, as it apparently is a completely different game from the PC version.

I prefer the N64 version of Q2. I like that you play individual levels so you don't have to constantly back track through multiple loading points. The metal sound track for the PC game is great but the N64 version I feel is more fitting for a single player game about dread. It gives the game a different feel/experience.

[Tanooki]

Doom64 is stunning, there was a decade back if that Doom64EX, you use the rom and a special loader/patcher maker thing to work in Windows.  Their work/team became the ones doing those nice n64 port of the doom, turok, etc titles to PC, Switch, elsewhere and even Doom64s ports too.  Rock solid work, and Doom64 truly was the real doom 3.  The brightness was a disaster in the day, the EX version and later releases off it from nightdive are fantastic and shouldn't be missed.

 

Also editing in to say, agree with Punisher.  You're right about it, what he said is on point, it's NOT the PC game, and it's superior for the reason he said.  The game is a whole lot more fun on that release vs the original on PC.  Quake1 sucks kind of on N64 as it's a slop port, not sloppy and lazy like Hexen which is a sad port and badly coded so 1 save uses an entire memory pack which is disgusting but both efforts weren't really well and nicely done.  Q2 though that really raised the bar, it and D64 are the 2 solid 'iD' games/franchise style games that hit the positive points very well.

Edited August 6 by Tanooki

[SlidellMan]

What James Lambert has been working on:

 

[SlidellMan]

What Ocarina of Time ROM hackers have been up to lately:

 

[Mikebloke]

So funny thing about OoT today, my last born child keeps bothering me with quest questions. It's worse cause he knows that there is stuff that happens or items or songs you get but asks me because he doesn't remember where they are. The best one today is him asking me how to get the song from impa after the scene with Zelda. When I got to the game he was literally stood in front of her and only needed to walk forward to get the song, but he's being crippled by his own memory of the game and knowing stuff coming up that he won't just explore and play like I used to when I was his age.

 

So me and the missus thought we would get him a game guide, would be dead easy right, the game is nearly 30 years old, oh jeez, they go for £40+! Some people are trying to sell them for £70! Really gutted, wanted to get him something non digital because it'll be easier for him to access, but even a 3DS guide is £20 second hand. Still debating whether to just buy that one.

[Gentlegamer]

1 hour ago, Mikebloke said:

So funny thing about OoT today, my last born child keeps bothering me with quest questions. It's worse cause he knows that there is stuff that happens or items or songs you get but asks me because he doesn't remember where they are. The best one today is him asking me how to get the song from impa after the scene with Zelda. When I got to the game he was literally stood in front of her and only needed to walk forward to get the song, but he's being crippled by his own memory of the game and knowing stuff coming up that he won't just explore and play like I used to when I was his age.

 

So me and the missus thought we would get him a game guide, would be dead easy right, the game is nearly 30 years old, oh jeez, they go for £40+! Some people are trying to sell them for £70! Really gutted, wanted to get him something non digital because it'll be easier for him to access, but even a 3DS guide is £20 second hand. Still debating whether to just buy that one.

https://www.zeldadungeon.net/

[Mikebloke]

7 hours ago, Gentlegamer said:

https://www.zeldadungeon.net/

Thanks, but not a book. He doesn't have access to the internet.

[Gentlegamer]

3 hours ago, Mikebloke said:

Thanks, but not a book. He doesn't have access to the internet.

Print out the walkthrough

[SlidellMan]

The Everdrive has strong competition now.

[Tanooki]

The everdrive needs competition, there's some shade going on with how those are being replaced with more expensive models when it's clear the reason why (parts not being made) isn't true.  When you control the market, you control the prices, and he controls it for many systems unfortunately.  If this lives up to it as real competition you can have choice, and hopefully drive some of those costs back down a bit too.  The one good time he had to compete was a GBA kit as the first one wasn't that good, stuck out like this big toe out of the handheld, and just was functionally good but sat as other choices were inferior.  But then the EZFlash Omega line dropped, GBA cart sized shell, equally good in features, some exceeding, and the price was a good bit less.  It forced him to revize his GBA kit and bring the size down and the quality up, and it's the lesser expensive kit he's got since he has to compete.

 

If you're curious what i'm on about with the other stuff, simply put without a story of writings is that he claimed parts got aged out, the production lines were halted, and he couldn't source stuff so he got newer better but more expensive parts and hence the PRO releases which added like close to $100 to the cost of the devices.  But, as those were dropped off (non pro) the aliexpress pirates where he was sourcing stuff from their same factories it seems upgraded their "multicarts" with the so called dead parts lines of pieces and started shipping quality everdrive "clones" (ie: the "discontinued" model) for a cheap price.  Too fishy and too coincidental.

[Lord Innit]

Yeah, I had recently considered getting some Everdrives, but just went for the cheaper Chinese versions for the SNES Megadrive and N64. The main reason being that I probably don't play them enough to warrant the high price.  The three I have came to approx £130 total and already loaded with everything I wanted.  That wouldn't get me one of the higher spec Everdrives.

[Tanooki]

10 hours ago, Lord Innit said:

Yeah, I had recently considered getting some Everdrives, but just went for the cheaper Chinese versions for the SNES Megadrive and N64. The main reason being that I probably don't play them enough to warrant the high price.  The three I have came to approx £130 total and already loaded with everything I wanted.  That wouldn't get me one of the higher spec Everdrives.

Yes that's the best reason, will it get used that much?  Odds are if you have any game library at all, not too often.  But what gets me is the lie the parts were discontinued, the lines for them stopped, yet as soon as the PRO rolled out, the pirate copies upped their game and started using the old boards and chips while stuffing a free cheap as dirt poor quality TF(SD) card in there with a full game library already pre-configured to sell it as a multicart.  It was a pretty smart move on their part, and if anyone is concerned not that it should but you don't have to update th efirmware if you're afraid krikzz may try and sabotage the things.  I just can't support the dude anymore with the gouging when there are the old models that largely worked just as fine and others like the Omega, the 64 summer cart above, the bennvenn GB/GBC kits and various others.

 

Somehow all these equally if not exceedingly high quality kits pop up for a LOT less, and the sheep still are happy to take it in the ass on everdrives because of reputation.  If people would stop bending over and just do a little reading, a little thinking, things would change for the better.

[SlidellMan]

S.C.A.R.S.

 

[newtmonkey]

S.C.A.R.S. is indeed an N64 game.

[shane857]

1 hour ago, SlidellMan said:

S.C.A.R.S.

 

I much prefer the N64 version over the PS1.

[Hwlngmad]

21 hours ago, shane857 said:

I much prefer the N64 version over the PS1.

Never played either version.  Will have to give the N64 version a go sometime soon enough.

[SlidellMan]

Sevoran reviews Aidyn Chronicles:

 

[newtmonkey]

@SlidellMan

What are your thoughts on this game?  It's always interested me, but I've never actually sat down and played it.  Worth a look?

[SlidellMan]

No, I haven't played it unfortunately. However, it would make a great candidate for a decompilation/recompilation project. And now, Modern Vintage Gamer on Pilotwings 64:

 

[Tanooki]

I saw that earlier, briliant video due to his career and interests it makes for a great take.  I've had that cart for over 25 years now and it's great.  That one would be awesome to see ported to Windows like Mario 64 was, I'd so give that my attention.  I've always wished the SNES and N64 games got ported to like iOS to have on the go which would be solid.  Yes i know Delta exists now, but touch controls for that are not great whereas one compiled for the system with a proper layout for glass I think would benefit, and for windows anything that doesn't have a n64 slippery stick would improve game play a lot.

[shane857]

21 hours ago, SlidellMan said:

No, I haven't played it unfortunately. However, it would make a great candidate for a decompilation/recompilation project. And now, Modern Vintage Gamer on Pilotwings 64:

 

One of my favourite N64 games. Takes the Snes game to another level, which I also love..

[Lauren Tyler]

Pilotwings 64 was an interesting game, I definitely agree.  At least you didn't have to worry about meeting a point quota to advance to the next lesson, you could just retry as many times as you needed.  Plus, the multiple characters made things more interesting as well.

 

To be perfectly frank, if the Nintendo 64 had a playtime tracker of sorts, my number one game would definitely be Perfect Dark.  I spent so many hours in the combat simulator, adjusting the settings and setting up different Simulants.  Not to mention the single player mode was fun too.  It's a shame Perfect Dark Zero was a flop, and if what I've heard is correct, the remake is going to be single player only.  For real, Microsoft? The combat simulator was half the fun!

[Lauren Tyler]

On 5/18/2024 at 6:47 PM, Tanooki said:

And to think the best of SNES and N64 games came to the GBA and Nintendo because the lousy GP Legend game (and anime saturn morning cartoon) bombed they scrapped it outside of Japan.  Climax has all the high intensity of the N64, the car spin/smash attacks and massive track builder coupled with the look and fun of the original.  You really should try it, not buy it, unless you love being ripped off as it's up there.

It's a shame Climax never got a release outside of Japan.  Hopefully on the Nintendo Switch Online service we can get a release.