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What was the N64 game with the overall best graphics?
- Thread starter Alex_Mexico
- Start date
PassiveObserver
Member
Ogre Battle 64 is the most attractive game today, imo.
Cute prerendered sprites, looks like the Saturn Shining games. Art > polys.
Cute prerendered sprites, looks like the Saturn Shining games. Art > polys.
Nostalgic Nightmare
Member
Agreed on ogre Battle 64.
Also like Michief makers and 1080 snowboarding.
Also like Michief makers and 1080 snowboarding.
I literally came into this thread thinking about DK64. :]
Alex_Mexico
Member
This game is for me hands down the best N64 game of all time not made by Nintendo or Rare and even I'll admit that as much as I adore this underrated gem it's not even close to being the best looking N64 video game of all time.Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
A much better game than OoT in my opinion, Also, OoT does and always did look terrible.
Now if we were talking about N64 soundtracks though, that'd be another matter entirely.
Waddle Dee
Member
Paper Mario and Kirby 64 have both aged rather well due to more simple environments.
Sin & Punishment
Even if the individual assets themselves are a little rough (most notably the character models) the overall presentation is still strong.
F-Zero X holds up imo for different reasons.
the game runs at 60 fps and almost never drops frames (it seems to only drop when doing GP mode in high difficulties since that's when the AI clogs together) and the textures are simple enough that they don't look like the blurry mess of other games.
some things like draw distance suck and a lot of things are super simple looking but at least it has really nice smoothness to compensate. i find the fps alone makes it playable a lot more than 80% of the library.
the game runs at 60 fps and almost never drops frames (it seems to only drop when doing GP mode in high difficulties since that's when the AI clogs together) and the textures are simple enough that they don't look like the blurry mess of other games.
some things like draw distance suck and a lot of things are super simple looking but at least it has really nice smoothness to compensate. i find the fps alone makes it playable a lot more than 80% of the library.
I was most impressed by Sin and Punishment, but it's the kind of game you have to see in motion (I was just coming to post the field fire gif above). But I think Majora's Mask is the most beautiful game on the system in terms of creating a look that suited the hardware. It pushed the system, but they didn't push where they shouldn't have. It held up so much better than OoT by not doing pre-rendering at all, for instance.
I never played Conker or JFG, but those do look pretty damn good. It was such a fun, polygonal time.
I never played Conker or JFG, but those do look pretty damn good. It was such a fun, polygonal time.
It certainly does but it's still impressive. Higher resolution textures and double the frame-rate of n64 as well as the actual single player portion of the game.
iamaustrian
Member
I actually think that "the world is not enough" looks at least on par with perfect dark. model wise even better.
anyway...in terms of best graphics nothing comes close to waverace for me.
the wave physics are still unmatched. not even by it's gamecubes sequel.
i'm not only talking about the waves themselves. i'm mean the actual physical interaction between the character/racer and the waves/water. beside that it also features gorgeous landscapes plus 3 different day times incl lightning variations.
oh and in constantly changing enviroment (high and low tides) with a (still to this date) absolutly playable framerate (30fps?).
it's unbelievable that nintendo programmed this 20 years ago. simply amazing.
I still play it constantly on WiiU via VC and it hasn't aged one bit for me.
anyway...in terms of best graphics nothing comes close to waverace for me.
the wave physics are still unmatched. not even by it's gamecubes sequel.
i'm not only talking about the waves themselves. i'm mean the actual physical interaction between the character/racer and the waves/water. beside that it also features gorgeous landscapes plus 3 different day times incl lightning variations.
oh and in constantly changing enviroment (high and low tides) with a (still to this date) absolutly playable framerate (30fps?).
it's unbelievable that nintendo programmed this 20 years ago. simply amazing.
I still play it constantly on WiiU via VC and it hasn't aged one bit for me.
Wave Race 64 was the first n64 game i played back in the day
It was REALLY impressive. My brother said "It looks great... but it is kinda boring..."
No. It isnt kinda boring
entremet
Member
I second this.
I also loved Wave Race for the stable framerate and amazing water effects.
Don't worry, once I get everything set up, I will post direct feed screenshots!
Conker on a technical basis, comes after Majora's Mask and Yoshi's story in terms of art design.
Oh apparently Resi 2 on the n64 had higher res backgrounds than the PS1 one(even if the crappy video chord made it look worse) so if you don't count the FMVs, and are playing on an emulator that's probably the best looking n64 game
Edit: oh how could I forget sin and punishment, I played it last month. Gee there's a lot of pretty stuff. If someone did this about the gamecube it'd probably boil down to REboot, Resi4, Wind Waker, and Metroid Prime 2
Oh apparently Resi 2 on the n64 had higher res backgrounds than the PS1 one(even if the crappy video chord made it look worse) so if you don't count the FMVs, and are playing on an emulator that's probably the best looking n64 game
Edit: oh how could I forget sin and punishment, I played it last month. Gee there's a lot of pretty stuff. If someone did this about the gamecube it'd probably boil down to REboot, Resi4, Wind Waker, and Metroid Prime 2
I agree with you on every level. My favourite game of all time easily, but to me it's not close to being the best looker on the system. Soundtrack is the best though, no doubt!
A Black Falcon
Member
Overall, I probably have to go with Battle for Naboo. Factor 5 were among the best in the industry at both graphics and sound, and it really shows in BfN! The game has some of the best texture-work on the console, a draw distance that lets you see to the horizon, a good framerate, it can put plenty of stuff on screen... amazing work there. And of course the audio presentation is just as good, with lots of speech and good-quality music, too.
Beyond that, hmm, what else would be on my list of the best-looking N64 games... well, I am a huge, huge fan of San Francisco Rush 2049; I've said many times that it is my favorite game ever in which you drive a vehicle. And the N64 version is an AMAZING port, graphically, as the game contains almost everything from the arcade version! The resolution (both screen and texture) is lower of course, and there are some minor cuts (some removed lighting effects, the vertical poles on the Golden Gate Bridge at the start of track 6, not much else), but it's a fantastic-looking game and it runs great too. The textures are nowhere near BfN's level, but still, the game looks incredible and is one of the system's best-looking games. (Sorry, World Driver Championship, you may have maybe the system's highest polygon counts, but the environments are just so boring-looking...)
From Nintendo itself, Mario 64 does look pretty amazing; it set the standard for the system, and the bar it sets is very high. Wave Race 64 is also a must-mention for its water effects. Sure, the boats, people, and environments look average to subpar, but that water is still amazing! And for art design, the two Zelda games are at the top of the list.
As for Rare, Perfect Dark and Donkey Kong 64 are my first thoughts, though Conker also looks really good so maybe it's that one. Rare's later N64 games certainly have some of the better graphics on the system, the challenge is choosing which is best...
Beyond that, hmm, what else would be on my list of the best-looking N64 games... well, I am a huge, huge fan of San Francisco Rush 2049; I've said many times that it is my favorite game ever in which you drive a vehicle. And the N64 version is an AMAZING port, graphically, as the game contains almost everything from the arcade version! The resolution (both screen and texture) is lower of course, and there are some minor cuts (some removed lighting effects, the vertical poles on the Golden Gate Bridge at the start of track 6, not much else), but it's a fantastic-looking game and it runs great too. The textures are nowhere near BfN's level, but still, the game looks incredible and is one of the system's best-looking games. (Sorry, World Driver Championship, you may have maybe the system's highest polygon counts, but the environments are just so boring-looking...)
From Nintendo itself, Mario 64 does look pretty amazing; it set the standard for the system, and the bar it sets is very high. Wave Race 64 is also a must-mention for its water effects. Sure, the boats, people, and environments look average to subpar, but that water is still amazing! And for art design, the two Zelda games are at the top of the list.
As for Rare, Perfect Dark and Donkey Kong 64 are my first thoughts, though Conker also looks really good so maybe it's that one. Rare's later N64 games certainly have some of the better graphics on the system, the challenge is choosing which is best...
CrashPrime
Member
I agree 100%. There are things other games did better but m64 was the total package. I disagee with Turok holding up, it was trying too hard causing that god awful fog, but I see your opinion on certain set pieces.
As a kid I was blown away by Waverace's water. Mario 64 might have held up the best but Waverace was really something for the time.
Kabuki Waq
Member
have the water physics in waverace been surpassed yet?
I think that was the beat looking game to me.
I think that was the beat looking game to me.
Agree.
Graphically Mystical Ninja is a first generation game and it shows. Even in sparse areas there are some nasty slowdown.
Said that the music is fantastic and the game is wacky and a great fun to play.
It may be stable, but it's limited to 20 fps. Which makes me nauseous.
DownGrader
Member
All this talk about Super Mario 64 being in the list of Nintendo 64 games with best graphics reminded me of Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II for GameCube, Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt for Nintendo DS and Nintendo Land for Wii U.
Was Wii the only 3D Nintendo console with no visually superior launch titles?
Was Wii the only 3D Nintendo console with no visually superior launch titles?
I remember being so mad this game had load times. Unheard of.
Astral Dog
Member
Zelda MM Ai think
This is just making me more mad that it never came to NA VC
DownGrader
Member
Wait, really? That's kinda shocking, especially considering that EU Wii U VC has the US version (because apparently PAL version of Wave Race 64 was so bad, Rareware staff visited NCL with PAL TV set to show them how bad the conversion was).
Dr Zhivago
Member
It's actually decompressing rather than loading (although the transfer speed from N64 carts was not particularly special).
I was just about to mention them and their games. Factor 5 were really something else, code wizards.
3DS also had SSFIV for a visually impressive launch game.
dickroach
Member
seriously.
but yeah, from everything I've seen in the past (this thread's totally been made before) it's Conker.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Banjo-Tooie struck the perfect balance of lighting, textures, geometry, draw-distance and animation. Having played pretty much every game mentioned in this thread, it gets my vote. Plus it supported widescreen!
_(En,Fr,De,Es)-3.jpg)
I absolutely love the Banjo games, but no way did it look that good on my TV back then.
I've got an UltraHDMI so I've played a lot of N64 recently. and it's a shame just how low the frame rates are on most games. It's sub 20 a lot of the time. Not to mention god awful smeary image quality.
To me that disqualifies most n64 games from being the best, so I also put my money on Mario 64.
To me that disqualifies most n64 games from being the best, so I also put my money on Mario 64.
Soapbox Killer
Grand Nagus
Turok 2 with expansion pack.
A Black Falcon
Member
Indeed, though of their three N64 games the one with the best graphics is Battle for Naboo, not Indy or the first Rogue Squadron. Comparing Rogue Squadron, with its wall of grey fog, to BfN's view to the horizon is such a huge improvement!
What about the 3DS? This is probably an extension of Nintendo dialing back their focus on great graphics...
But also, if you extend this to 2d-centric systems, the SNES does have launch games that look great (Mario World, F-Zero), but the NES, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color don't. Well, the US NES could be argued to, perhaps, but not the original Japanese release for sure! So yeah, it's a mixed bag really.
If you count US launch (I wouldn't) then Super Mario Bros. is one of the best games you can make with a regular no frills Nintendo Game Pak. No fancy MMC.
Jack The Nipper
Banned
Perfect dark had best textures honestly. It's the one game that is basically like ps2 level, atleast some bad ps2 or early
It's the right answer to be fair. It was impressive at the time more so than any other n64 game.
It's the right answer to be fair. It was impressive at the time more so than any other n64 game.
it's too bad framerate can't be put on screenshots. even GIFs have the wrong framerate often.