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[HiveMindEmulator]

Why do you need an actual N64? Emulators are free and on your computer. Also, and this is just a personal feeling, most of the games are fun only because you can be nostalgic about them. Game design has come a long way since some of those games. Sure Ocarina of Time is fun and was amazing when it came out, but now it's simplistic with "puzzles" that just involves trial and error. That's not really a puzzle, its just me trying every item with every object until something works. Mario 64 is fun, but mostly because I remember how much fun it was when I was a kid. Nostalgia.

Maybe I'm crazy, and if I am then you'll have a blast with all these games.

Nostalgia is a very important part of the experience. When I'm playing these games, I don't really care that much for how brilliant the gameplay and control is. The level stuff was at is enough. I'd rather play Wrestlemania 2000 than whatever version is out now, since that's when I watched wrestling anyway. And it's not as if I'm playing Majora's Mask instead of Skyward Sword (or whatever). I wouldn't be playing Skyward Sword in that time anyway. It's fun to go back and play those games sometimes. (By the way, this thread made me want to go back and play some Mario RPG...)

For single-player games I agree emulator is better, but you want the console in front of your TV for the multi-player experience. A couple months ago I was at a party with a bunch of late 20's and 30-somethings drinking beer and wine and playing NES. It's fun. And that Disneyland game is hard...

[AndrewisFTTW]

The SNES had more games, but maybe that's because I had a SNES and remember those games better, I played the hell out of:
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario Kart
- Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- International Superstar Soccer Deluxe (I still remember the cheat codes!!!)
- Killer Instinct
- Mortal Kombat
- Chrono Trigger
- Lufia I & II

Yeah SNES is my top console but I played the hell out of it and don't really have a desire to invest in all of that again. My top SNES games were:

-Super Mario World
-Donkey Kong Country
-Chrono Trigger
-A Link to the Past
-Secret of Evermore
-NBA Jam
-Mortal Kombat
-Killer Instinct
-FF4
-F-Zero

[qmech]

I'm not ashamed to say that Pokemon Snap is cool.

Stepping sideways and back in time, the Mega Drive (Genesis?) version of Desert Strike is superb.

[jsh357]

As much as I am a proponent of emulation, I have to agree that the N64 is a bit of a special case that I usually just use the original system for. The N64 controller, while terribly designed, is also very unique and the games were designed around its cumbersome interface.  It's pretty difficult to play most N64 games on modern controllers for me.

I am also with Davio in thinking it has a pretty bad game lineup (though Majora's Mask is a masterpiece--the only game on the system I hold in high esteem that has stood up to the test of time for me), but I'm not about to judge someone's nostalgic feelings. I was in high school during the middle of the N64 era, and remember being distinctly unimpressed with the quality of games on the system and the Ps1 for the most part.  Unlike another poster mentioned, when I saw Super Mario 64 I was all "wow, these 3d games look like garbage.  Can we just stick with the tried and true until they improve the look of these?"  Fortunately for everyone, this happened. The SNES was the box I spent most of my time on as a kid, and I do still play a lot of the games for it, though always emulated.  Just can't beat readily accessible savestates and fastforwarding...

[AndrewisFTTW]

I am also with Davio in thinking it has a pretty bad game lineup (though Majora's Mask is a masterpiece--the only game on the system I hold in high esteem that has stood up to the test of time for me), but I'm not about to judge someone's nostalgic feelings. I was in high school during the middle of the N64 era, and remember being distinctly unimpressed with the quality of games on the system and the Ps1 for the most part.  Unlike another poster mentioned, when I saw Super Mario 64 I was all "wow, these 3d games look like garbage.  Can we just stick with the tried and true until they improve the look of these?"  Fortunately for everyone, this happened. The SNES was the box I spent most of my time on as a kid, and I do still play a lot of the games for it, though always emulated.  Just can't beat readily accessible savestates and fastforwarding...

I felt exactly the same way when it came out. I thought the graphics were awful, the controller was awful, and there were barely any games on it worth playing. So I skipped it and instead spent all my time playing Dreamcast. But now here I am however many years later and all I want to do is get through Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64. Though if you recommend Majora's Mask I'll look into that too.

[KingZog3]

Games I enjoy the most are the ones where I need to make interesting decisions. That's why Dominion is fun. Mario 64 has a lot of that because it's more action based. You need to avoid, jump, dodge and explore. Those are all decisions you need to make, usually under pressure or time constraints. I've never found Zelda games to promote inventive thinking. Either you're told exactly where to go, or you're fighting a monster that plays exactly the same as the last monster you fought. I know most people disagree, and I never really played any of them after majoras mask, but unless you really enjoyed them 15 years ago or whatever, then they are hard to enjoy now.

Nostalgia is a very important part of the experience. When I'm playing these games, I don't really care that much for how brilliant the gameplay and control is. The level stuff was at is enough. I'd rather play Wrestlemania 2000 than whatever version is out now, since that's when I watched wrestling anyway.

And I don't think you need to play the current wrestlemania games That's like needing to buy the NHL game that comes out every year.

[Ozle]

Did anybody else hear Ozle say something? No? Huh, weird.

Go on, it's ok, you can say it....

[WalrusMcFishSr]

Banjo-Kazooie 4 lyfe

[Polk5440]

Banjo-Kazooie 4 lyfe

Banjo-Tooie was one of my favorites.

Regarding poor graphics, there is an argument to be made for playing the updates (if they exist) if you've never played the original versions. Ocarina and Mario 64 are on 3ds, for instance.

I ended playing Majora's mask on Wii using the Pro controller (it was a downloadable game -- probably the best Nintendo Club freebie ever) and enjoyed it.

[sudgy]

I'm surprised people haven't mentioned the illegality of emulators.  You probably won't get in trouble, but it's still against the law.  I don't use emulators just because of that.

[Davio]

I'm surprised people haven't mentioned the illegality of emulators.  You probably won't get in trouble, but it's still against the law.  I don't use emulators just because of that.

I think you can legally use emulators if you have the original copies of the games you're playing.

It's not illegal to own a VCR either, the player is not at fault here.

[pacovf]

Might be because I am younger than all you old-timers, but personally I think that the GameCube was the apex of Nintendo's gaming consoles.

Not counting handhelds, of course, since the GBA was, and still is, the best thing EVAH.

[AndrewisFTTW]

I think that's the first time I've ever been called "old timer". Oh god... am I that old? Am I? Ahhh!!!!

[AndrewisFTTW]

Seriously though, what does everyone think of GameCube and Wii? I don't know anything about either.

[jsh357]

Seriously though, what does everyone think of GameCube and Wii? I don't know anything about either.

The Gamecube suffers from a limited library much like the N64, but it was a neat, fairly powerful system at the time and I love its design (especially the handle you can carry it with).  The controller is also awesome.  My favorite game on it is Metroid Prime, but SSB:Melee obviously has the biggest following.  The games hold up much better than games on the N64, and the system runs surprisingly fast compared to the PS2 most of the time.

I am not a fan of the Wii, though it has some great games (Little King's Story, Xenoblade, and Fire Emblem 10 especially). The controller is a huge step back from the design of the GC's, which is fair considering they wanted to push motion controls, but it turned out to be a lame gimmick in the end.  By the time they had managed to make interesting motion controls (which still hardly work like they were advertised) the system was pretty much dead.  The virtual console was a great idea done better by Sony, Microsoft, and Valve. Sad, really.  Older Wiis emulate GC games, but I hear the newer ones don't, so if you were thinking of getting one, that's something to keep in mind. 

I am of the opinion Nintendo's consoles have been lacking since the PS2 came out and they have never really caught up.  Their handheld systems are excellent (the 3DS is probably my favorite system to play games on besides PC, though Vita is close) and I sort of wish they would stop trying to make consoles and invest in making more powerful hardware for the next handheld instead.

[Awaclus]

I'm surprised people haven't mentioned the illegality of emulators.  You probably won't get in trouble, but it's still against the law.

It's not just that you probably won't get in trouble: nobody cares even if you do it. It's not like the creators would have made any money from you anyway.

[WalrusMcFishSr]

Personally I liked the Wii better than the GameCube. GameCube just never did much for me. I preferred Galaxy over Sunshine, Twilight over Wind Waker, Brawl over Melee. I know these aren't necessarily popular opinions. The controller is definitely superior for the GameCube (the only choice for Smash Bros. IMO) but I didn't hate the motion controls either...Wii Sports was fun, and games like Metroid Prime 3 utilized them pretty effectively. And it flips sideways to make a perfect boxy NES controller, which is nice considering that 90% of my Nintendo is nostalgia nowadays anyway.

Neither one holds a candle to the SNES though. I don't have a Wii U so I can't comment on this most recent generation.

[Polk5440]

The controller is also awesome.  My favorite game on it is Metroid Prime

The GameCube controller is my favorite controller ever. The Xbox one controller may unseat that, though. Pikmin and Pikmin 2 were my favs from the GameCube. And Smash.

The controller is a huge step back from the design of the GC's, which is fair considering they wanted to push motion controls, but it turned out to be a lame gimmick in the end.  By the time they had managed to make interesting motion controls (which still hardly work like they were advertised) the system was pretty much dead. 

I blame developers. Metroid Prime 3 is control perfection. Much better than mouse and keypad or double joystick controls for similar games.

On the Wii you can't miss Galaxy 1 and 2, Skyward Sword, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and the Metroid Prime Trilogy (just skip the gamecube versions).

Twilight Princess plays better on GameCube, I think.

[Davio]

The Wii is a family console and you should treat is as such.
We had a lot of fun with our family bowling, playing tennis and those kinds of things.
Heck, we even made a whole night out of it. Those were good times.

The Wii is not a gamer's console though, it's too gimmicky for that. It has some great games with Super Mario Galaxy which is just superb 3D platforming at its best. It doesn't have many "can't miss" games and most high end games just play and look better on Xbox or PS. Skyward Sword is also a great title and gives you about the most use you can get out of the controller, still they ended up making it pretty annoying at times when trying to time a Skyward Strike.

The reason I like SNES the best is that the games and the console were a perfect fit. It took about 15 years for any football/soccer game to play as smoothly as ISS did on SNES and the graphics and music on Donkey Kong Country were worthy of poems and songs. Optimized 2D gaming offered flawless gameplay back then. It's a bit sad that the industry dove into 3D a bit too soon, meaning we had to endure all of those awful vexel games. Anyone remember what the first Tomb Raider looked like on PS1? Awful, you couldn't tell her nose from her chin. Of course it was a new kind of game and we loved and hated the pixel perfect running jumps we had to make.

The transformation from 2D to 3D was a rocky one and it took quite some time, but the last years we're finally getting the high quality 3D games we deserve.

Here's a nostalgia picture for ya:



And here's the latest Lara:

[sudgy]

I'm surprised people haven't mentioned the illegality of emulators.  You probably won't get in trouble, but it's still against the law.  I don't use emulators just because of that.

I think you can legally use emulators if you have the original copies of the games you're playing.

It's not illegal to own a VCR either, the player is not at fault here.

I've looked into it, you can only legally use it if you made the rom yourself.  Also, it's the roms that are illegal, not the emulators.

[ashersky]

Secret of Mana, people.  If a game ever needed a sequel, that is it.

[jsh357]

Secret of Mana, people.  If a game ever needed a sequel, that is it.

It has a lot of sequels.  The series has gone entirely to crap (though even SoM suffers from nostalgia goggles more than  you'd probably care to admit on replays).  In particular, I recommend Seiken Densetsu III.  It's a wonderful game, much better than SoM, and has a very good fan translation.  We didn't get it outside of Japan because it has a bunch of bugs and it came out late in the Super Famicom's lifespan.

[ashersky]

Secret of Mana, people.  If a game ever needed a sequel, that is it.

It has a lot of sequels.  The series has gone entirely to crap (though even SoM suffers from nostalgia goggles more than  you'd probably care to admit on replays).  In particular, I recommend Seiken Densetsu III.  It's a wonderful game, much better than SoM, and has a very good fan translation.  We didn't get it outside of Japan because it has a bunch of bugs and it came out late in the Super Famicom's lifespan.

I'll fully admit to nostaglia goggles.  I bought it on iPad just because.  It definitely is better with a controller.

I used to play a J-League game on Super Famicom that is still, to me, the best soccer game ever.

[AndrewisFTTW]

I almost forgot Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Battletoads. Maybe I should get an SNES....

EDIT: Oh Battletoads was NES. Damn that game rocked!

[Lekkit]

I actually dislike the N64. I've only really enjoyed Super Smash Bros on that console. I didn't play the Zelda games as a kid, I didn't watch Goldeneye until later, so that game wasn't as cool either. And the controller is an abomination.

I didn't own a NES or a SNES as a kid, but there's still a ton of games for the consoles that I enjoy playing nowdays. I actually got a NES so that I would be able to play Castlevania.