n64
Latest
Release drought? A line graph disagrees!
What's the best way to make the Wii seem even cooler? Compare it to the Nintendo 64! Games Radar decided to get to the bottom of the "release drought" issue by comparing the current Wii library to the libraries of the GameCube and N64 after their first four months. The Wii has the most diverse lineup by far, which would seem to prove, for better or worse, that third parties are participating more this time around.We're kind of surprised the GameCube "launch window" selection was this small, but the N64 numbers look right in line with our impressions. Only, like,four games were ever released for that, and two of them were basically the same 3D Castlevania.
Wii VC's Mario Kart 64 to remain ghostless
Nintendo has no plans to address players' inability to save time trial ghost data in the just released Wii Virtual Console port of Mario Kart 64 (the original game required a Controller Pak to record the data). "Due to unavoidable technical reasons unfortunately it is not possible to save ghost data," claims a Nintendo statement sent to Pro-G. Shoppers are apparently advised of the missing feature before purchasing the title from Wii Shop Channel.Unavoidable? Maybe, but we suspect Nintendo's just being lazy. Since no N64 game required any of the 'Pak' controller add-ons (including Rumble) to play (some required a Controller Pak to save), developers of VC's N64 emulator and its games aren't bothering to re-code scripts to circumvent commands meant for the Paks. Surely ghost data could be saved to Wii's flash drive; after all, the original Controller Pak contained a mere 256 KB of memory. If a more important Pak issue, for a more important N64 VC game arises, trust us, "unavoidable" will become "we're working on it."
Confirmed: Mario Kart 64 on the VC next Monday
My goodness yes. After an absolute absence of any N64 games since the launch title Super Mario 64, a recent press release from Nintendo has confirmed that next week will see the arrival of one of the greatest N64 games ever released: Mario Kart 64.Mario Kart DS has improved upon the series in many ways, but there's no denying that four-player split-screen charm. Don't you dare not pick this up, people. We're watching you.Closely.
Poll results: what VC games do you want to see more of?
It would seem that the readers of Wii Fanboy are not concerned much with NES, TG-16 and Genesis games gracing the Virtual Console. No, instead you guys want SNES and N64 titles! Doesn't really surprise us, to tell you the truth, as most of our favorite games that could possibly release on the VC are for those systems. Now, of course, the question is which games from those systems do you want?
Console evolution in pictures
By Knuttz's count, it's taken 70 steps, including many retreads, to get from Odyssey to Wii. You can view each of these steps -- all 71 consoles -- in this scrolling gallery. (Note: handhelds have been omitted.)
Mario Kart 64 headlines Jan. Wii VC lineup, in Japan
Nintendo will deal a strong hand of nostalgia to begin the New Year, as January will see Japanese Wii owners tempted by the likes of Mario Kart 64 and SNES Super Famicom's Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (the last series' title to be produced by Gunpei Yokoi). Additional classics like Ice Climber, Kid Icarus and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link will fill out the first-party offerings; and new Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 titles will ensure that the Virtual Console service always has something stirring a soft spot.Which Christmas releases did you give in to?
Metareview - Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube)
For Wii-less GameCube owners it's a no-brainer; you pro'ly been had your copy of Twilight Princess. But for those few Wii owners who are considering the GameCube edition, still unable to take decisive action, here are several takes on how the two versions match up:
It's so catchy! (Wii delight #003)
Only until we managed to force Nintendo's ingenious concoction of beeps and boops out of our heads, did we realize how shockingly hollow life was without it. The masterful music emanating from the Wii Shop Channel is quite obviously the greatest composition in the history of the universe, its infectious melody gripping you like a malfunctioning elevator door. Though you may be sprawled across a couch with a limp wrist interacting with the screen, this tantalizing tune will transfer you to a store populated by charming 8-bit sprites that move about in an eerie, staccato manner. Just moments after entering, the song will have wormed its way into your brain and taken control of your vocal chords. You're humming along, you're bobbing your head and you are happy. The happiest you've ever been in your entire life. Why not spread the joy and infect delight others with it? Refer them to this Youtube video (depicting the infamous browser hack) and tell them to shut up. Shut up and listen.(By the way, could we have some remixes?)PS3 delights vs. PS3 annoyances Wii delights vs. Wii annoyances Xbox 360 delights vs. Xbox 360 annoyances
Nintendo wants GoldenEye back
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Nintendo_Wants_Goldeneye_Back'; MTV's Stephen Totilo recently grilled Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime about all things Wii. When questioned, the NoA president didn't hold back his desire to see GoldenEye returned to Nintendo's platform, revealing to Totilo, "Suffice it to say we would love to see [GoldenEye on Virtual Console], so we're exploring all the rights issues."So how far is Nintendo willing to "explore"? If GoldenEye is to enjoy its homecoming, royalties could certainly be owed to Microsoft, which now owns developer Rare, and Activision, which scooped up the Bond license earlier this year. Judging by Reggie's comments -- "the pain is worth the gain" -- Nintendo may be willing to cut those checks.
No rumble support for N64 VC titles
According to CVG, N64 Virtual Console games will not support rumble feedback. Also, the VC controller will not support rumble at all and, apparently, the GameCube controller's including rumbling functionality will not be used. What's the deal with that, Nintendo?For the most part, this makes no sense. We can understand not including rumble feedback into the VC controller, but why turn off rumble functionality altogether? It could work fine with GameCube controllers, so why intentionally leave it out? Wouldn't it take more effort to strip the game of rumble support than to just leave the code alone? Maybe that isn't the case, as we know full well we lack any sort of games development experience.What say you readers?[Via Joystiq]
Virtual Console's N64 titles don't rumble
CVG reports Nintendo 64 Virtual Console games will lack rumble feedback. Not only will the Classic Controller be without rumble support, but the GameCube controller's jiggliness will be nonfunctional when used to play N64 downloads.It's disappointing that this feature was cut. While not compatible with every title*, the Rumble Pak was one of N64's most significant innovations. How about a patch to support the GameCube controller?*There are a ton that are compatible!
Goldeneye throwback maps for download, Xbox Goldies only
Microsoft and Rare have released updated versions of Goldeneye's Facility and Temple (now "Ruin") multiplayer maps for use with Perfect Dark Zero. The pair is free to download, but only available to Xbox Live Gold members (hey, it pays to pay). Throw in a polished-up Complex, and we just might consider re-investing in this game.
Sony vs Nintendo in the motion sensitive arena
There's been an enormous amount of brouhaha about whether or not Sony added the motion sensitive feature to their controller after Nintendo announced the Wii, or if they had been planning it all along. Now Sony fanboys are claiming, via the YouTube video after the jump, that they had motion sensitive controllers back on the original PlayStation, so Nintendo must have copied the idea from Sony. Nobody seems to notice that it wasn't Sony who made the motion sensitive controller back then. Since it was pre-2000, then it's ancient history, in Net-time.
Relive youth with GoldenEye Source trailer
A team of fans is rebuilding GoldenEye 007 with the Half-Life 2 Source engine; that ought'a teach today's kids about good game design. The team just released an impressive trailer of its efforts, showcasing many of the recreated environments. While the project is still unfinished -- we'll call it "pre-cease-and-desist" -- you may soon be able to relive that Bond classic on a PC.But let's take a moon-walking step backwards here. These rebuild-the-classic game projects seem aimed at the gamer who looks at how perfect life was back then, with the velour car seats and prom date. And wait a minute, GoldenEye came out less than ten years ago. (Replace "moon walk" with "pop-n-lock," "velour" with "neoprene," and "prom date" with "internet porn.") It's not like your N64 won't work with your new TV. You might even be able to download the original on the Wii.Modders, we salute your ingenuity and desire to bring your GoldenEye experience to today's dirty, ungrateful youth. Judging from the video (embedded after the break), we know you've put a lot of work into the project. But why not spend that energy on making something unique? We know you can, and we want to play it.[Thanks, nowhere]
Poll: What classic games do you want on the Wii?
We're not so sure that this rumored list of 26 titles for the Wii's virtual console launch is accurate, even if it's supposedly from a "trustworthy source." But we figured this was as good a chance as any to start a discussion of what games readers are actually interested in playing on Nintendo's enormously backwards-compatible system. Continue reading for a quick little poll on which of the listed games Joystiq readers would buy. Your favorite's not listed? Name drop it in the comments.
Found: Nintendo's lost N64 racer, Mini Racers
A dev cart of Nintendo's cancelled N64 racer Mini Racers recently surfaced in Marlborough, MA via a Craigslist post. That post has since been removed, but Joystiq has been in touch with the author, who writes:"There seems to be some speculation as to the legitimacy of [the dev cart in my possession]. As you can see [pictured], it is an official Nintendo dev cart. Some folks commented [see original post] that the contents will last forever, which is more or less true on a standard mass produced cart. As this game was never mass produced this may very well be the only cart with Mini Racers on it. Dev carts are known to be very unstable and only meant to hold roms in flash memory for testing purposes. Frankly, I am surprised that the game lasted as long as it did. Also, you will see a picture drawn on the cart, it is rumored that it was drawn by the Lead Designer of the game.I still haven't found anyone local to do the deed. I would be willing to bring the cart to wherever within MA by that person's terms, so no one needs to worry about a kidnapping. I just don't want to send it off to some stranger who may never return it. Unless I find someone local, the rom may never find its way off the cart."You may contact the owner here.
Craigslist poster has unreleased Mini Racers, offering free N64 rom for services [update1]
A Craigslist poster out of Marlborough, MA is offering a "Free Never Released N64 Game," allegedly developed by Nintendo. The owner is interested in preserving the contents of the game by creating a rom backup.Anyone with the equipment to do so is free to contact the poster, presumably head over to the location in Marlborough, do the good deed, and in return, receive a copy of the rom. We have contacted the poster for more details and are awaiting a response. In the meantime, if you're in the area, mind doing a little investigation of your own? (If you do, please use wise judgment.)UPDATE: While the Craigslist post has since been removed, the poster has confirmed with us that the game is Mini Racers, developed by Looking Glass, which is now defunct. Nintendo planned to publish the promising RC Pro-Am-like racer, but when Looking Glass went under, the game was cancelled. Interestingly enough, as IGN reported back on May 31, 2000, "the game [was] completed, approved and turned over to Nintendo." Also worth noting, Looking Glass was headquartered in Cambridge, MA, just 30 or so miles from Marlborough, where the poster is located. Coincidence?[Thanks, evilmax17]
More interviews with more homebrewers
A month ago, we showed you an interview with the popular PSP homebrewer ZX-81. DCEmu has continued their summer series of interviews with two other popular PSP coders: StrmnNrmn and Deniska. Both have very different goals with the PSP. StrmnNrmn is famous for his efforts in bringing "Daedalus," an N64 emulator, to fruition. You can read through the entire interview with him for more, but here's an interesting snippet:K: What do you keep on your own PSP?StrmnNrmn: About 100 or so roms Deniska works on bringing original games to the system, such as KETM. He also is working on a GPS device (see the YouTube video here). When asked what's on his PSP he had this to say:K: So what homebrew/apps do you keep on your own PSP? Deniska: Currently, I only have IRShell, PSPLink, Noiz2sa and KETM.Feel free to read the entire interview with Deniska for more. It's clear that there are two very different segments for PSP homebrew: one focuses on pirating games, while the other focuses on developing original applications and games. Sony's attempt to squash homebrew as a whole is spawned by their fight against piracy, but it's unfortunate to see coders of original programs get caught in the crossfire. What about you, homebrew-using PSP fanboys? Do you use it for emulating games or do you use it to find original apps?
15 Virtual Console titles that need to be played
Gamepro has released a top 15 listing for retro games that must be revisited on the Wii. While we're fairly sure some of these won't be making the Virtual Console service for the Wii, fantasizing about which games will make the service is something we are no stranger to. Overall, we like Gamepro's choices, and wholeheartedly back up games such as: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! - We'd personally like some vengeance against Soda Popinski for countless humiliations in the ring. His teeth are as black as his heart (too much soda, and all...). Super Mario All-Stars - Sure, it's just the classical Mario games, but they look better, there are lost levels included, and it's 3 games bundled in one. Super Metroid - Single-handedly the best Metroid title and quite arguably the greatest 2D adventure/platformer of all time. ActRaiser - Personally, I always felt the sequel was the better of the two, but the inclusion of any winged God who smites evil demons is A-OK in my book. So, in the spirit of things, what would your top 15 list for most desirable retro games on the Virtual Console look like?
Goldeneye tested on 12 year-old, fails 'timeless' test
AddictedGeek.com recently dropped a N64, four controllers, and a copy of the much-beloved Goldeneye in front of a 12 year-old. Mind you, said 12 year-old, while a "confirmed geek," has never played a game that predates 2001. His entire gaming collection is firmly rooted in a high end PC, Xbox 360, and PS2.So what was this young upstart's reaction to what many of us consider a 'timeless classic?' Well, the little bastard panned it:"The single-player was one of the worst I have ever played ... I can see why it was so popular when it first came out, but nowadays very few aspects of the game stand out, and many more pull it back ... it wasn't long before we pulled out Halo 2." (Kids these days...)
