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[Pimpbaa]

I think it was that it had a bunch of great multiplayer titles. Spending hours and hours with friends on a single game usually leaves an impression, and who knows, maybe the lower pace of releases helped that.

Can't argue against that, certainly had some multiplayer fun with friends on their N64. But I played a hell of a lot of games back then during my late teens, and there just weren't enough games being released on the system. Was hoping it would reach the 3rd party level of greatness that the NES and SNES had, but it never happened.

 

[Grinchy]

old??

I begged my parents for a NES...

Yeah, but you are old! lol jk

I was lucky that my dad was a tech fiend when I was a little kid. We had an Atari 2600 and an NES by the time I was old enough to figure out how to play them.

I don't understand how anyone could have been disappointed by the N64. It had quite a few quality titles, and my PS1 and N64 co-existed nicely.

My N64 and PS1 sat by each other on a desk which also held a 13'' TV. It was heaven for a 14 year old.

 

[Orayn]

Pouring out a 40 for one of my favorite systems of all time. So many playthroughs of Paper Mario and Ocarina of Time. So many HUNDREDS of hours spent on Harvest Moon 64 by myself and Gauntlet Legends with my best friends.

 

[Boney]

is that piss?

 

[Pimpbaa]

That is a complete subjective misconception. The Nintendo 64 had several great games. A majority of them are original titles from the West that did not show up on the "it has to be from a Japanese developer to be good" radar.

I never had that mentality back then. I was playing tons of western made games on my Playstation. "Several" great games isn't enough.

 

[Professor Beef]

I never had that mentality back then. I was playing tons of western made games on my Playstation. "Several" great games isn't enough.

To be fair, the PS1 had more than it's fair share of stinkers as well.

 

[Refugio]

I think when we got our N64 was shortly after my dad got out of jail lol. He went to the store with my brother and they got one with Killer Instinct Gold or something.

I didn't get Mario 64 til later. I remember a kid at school always talking about which made me really want it!

 

[vatstep]

I got mine at launch from Electronics Boutique. They called me a few days early to let me know I could pick it up (OMG!), but I couldn't go that night because it was my brother's birthday and I didn't have a ride. When I got it the next night, I couldn't play it anyway because the RF modulator I bought was broken. This whole ordeal was torturous to a teenage nerd like myself.

It was a neat system with a handful of really good games, but overall it was a bit of a disappointment and probably wouldn't even crack the top five of my favorite consoles ever. I don't have any of my older consoles now, but I routinely get the urge to be impulsive and buy a SNES, a PS1 or PS2, a Dreamcast... but I've never once found myself wanting to revisit the N64. I had some fun with it, but not that much, I guess.

 

[Mdk7]

is that piss?

AHAHAHA, that's what i thought at first.

Spoiler

and that's what i still think

 

[Pimpbaa]

To be fair, the PS1 had more than it's fair share of stinkers as well.

That is true for every system. But you had like every major 3rd party developer back then putting all their effort into the PS1 (like what the NES and SNES had).

 

[Orayn]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pour one for my homies

The act of pouring liquid (usually an alcoholic beverage) on the ground as a sign of reverence for friends or relatives that have passed away. In most cases, a 40 ounce bottle (see: forty) of liquor is used.

It's a form of the ancient practice of libation.

Get on my American slang-using level, bros.

 

[Cpt Conifer]

I wish I had known about the Hori Mini 64, but it may not have mattered, because I'm under the impression that it came out late in the system's lifecycle, and was never sold at the major retailers in NA. (I was just a 15-year old back then, and was only barely starting to use the internet extensively but had no knowledge or access to imports.) The stock N64 pad was very mediocre for tasks outside of Mario 64-styled 3d navigation. I think the Mini 64 would have made it easier, although playing Mischief Makers probably would still have been a discordant experience, given the location of that Dpad.

 

[Professor Beef]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pour one for my homies

It's a form of the ancient practice of libation.

Get on my American slang-using level, bros.

You could've used a better picture though, like this one.

 

[Boney]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pour one for my homies

It's a form of the ancient practice of libation.

Get on my American slang-using level, bros.

Still doesn't answer that you're pouring piss

Beef gets me

 

[I NEED SCISSORS]

Probably the worst system I have ever owned.

I will forever remember it for blurry graphics, bad framerates and a poor selection of games. The controllers also lacked durability.

 

[Emily Chu]

Pouring out a 40 for one of my favorite systems of all time. So many playthroughs of Paper Mario and Ocarina of Time. So many HUNDREDS of hours spent on Harvest Moon 64 by myself and Gauntlet Legends with my best friends.

that looks like pee pee yo...

 

[Argyle]

N64 E3 1996 press conference

God I still remember that synth riff at 01:30 like yesterday, I watched the handout VHS tape titled "N64 sizzle" probably a hundred times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYpqLwUj77k

I found this when cleaning up a few weeks ago...

 

[Mileena]

Nah, Wii had everything N64 did and more.

Mario
N64: Mario 64
Wii: Galaxy, NSMBWii, Galaxy 2

Zelda
N64: Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask
Wii: Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword

Metroid
N64: Nothing, lol
Wii: Prime 3, Other M

GoldenEye
N64: Yup
Wii: Yup, with online

Mario Kart
N64: Yup
Wii: Yup, with more content

Smash Bros.
N64: Yup
Wii: Like 50x more content

Donkey Kong
N64: Donkey Kong 64 lol
Wii: Donkey Kong mother-effing Country Returns by Retro

Kirby
N64: Crystal Shards
Wii: Epic Yarn, Return to Dreamland

Animal Crossing
N64: Only in Japan, lol
Wii: City Folk... meh, it counts

Wario
N64: Did he even exist back then?
Wii: Wario Land Shake, yo

It hit all the checkmarks and then some.

I think in 15 years the Wii will be remembered fondly as hell.

but the waggle

 

[Jive Turkey]

is that piss?

Might as well be.

 

[Marvie_3]

Didn't get mine until OoT came out but I fuckin loved the N64. Amazing system.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

but the waggle

Waggle haters will be dissolved by the time Wii's 15th comes around. If GAF is still around that thread will be overflowing with love, I guarantee it.

 

[Zing]

remember like it was yesterday. the EB in my town broke street date on the N64, so i had it a few days earlier.

From what I understood at the time, EB was actually given permission to sell the system a few days early, due to an agreement with Nintendo.

I drove an hour away to get to the nearest EB that day. I only had Software Etc and Babbages near me. I picked up the system, Mario 64, and Pilotwings. It was worth the effort!

 

[meljeff]

I had mine preordered at Toys r Us. Then what happened was this store I worked at sold a game I believe it was D for a chap price $19.99. I bought a bunch of copies and my girlfriend (now Wife) and I drove to every Toys R Us in town and "returned" them for 50.00 Geoffrey Bucks a piece. I got a super cheap N64 with Mario 64 and I lived Happily Ever After.

The End.

 

[gkryhewy]

A happily ever after life built on fraud and kenji eno's broken dreams.

 

[meljeff]

A happily ever after life built on fraud and kenji eno's broken dreams.

LOL True...I like to think they were all sold at retail value and made some kids very happy.
I know they made me happy.

 

[Wickerman]

I remember watching the Nintendo Power N64 VHS over and over before launch:

http://youtu.be/rv9hgPhh4HU
http://youtu.be/Q3Vy1LCaonM

 

[Snkfanatic]

Wow I feel old, I remember going with my parents to get this though. We had one reserved at Toys'R'Us, ah the memories.

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

COMING IN NOVEMBER 1995 TO THE NINTENDO ULTRA 64

God I miss KI.

 

[Medalion]

Nintendo 64 we had some great times and bad times, but you were one of the most critical systems

 

[FyreWulff]

Still home to the best first person shooter multiplayer of all time, Perfect Dark

 

[Apdiddy]

I wonder how different the system would be if there were more first party games (like Metroid 64 or if Earthbound 64 had a US release) and better third party games (Metal Gear Solid 64, Final Fantasy 64, Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, Secret of Mana 64, etc). Still, for the timeframe and even today, the Nintendo 64 has a great library. WWF No Mercy -- I remember staying up until 4 am in college playing this against guys in the other dorms. Mario Kart 64 -- honestly one of the most fun games I've ever played.

 

[sixteen-bit]

This ad in in one of my old EGMs

 

[The Main Event]

Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Turok 2, all the AKI wrestling games, Smash Bros, Mario Tennis...

Man, the greatest local multiplayer console of all time.

 

[Ketchup Boy]

My first system as a child. It was a very, very fantastic summer (was born on July 4th and received it for my birthday).

 

[spliced]

N64 really catered to my tastes so I loved it. The carts dramatically reduced both load times and cut scenes both of which I hate. Plus the Nintendo/Rare combo kept me pretty happy with the kind of games I like.

 

[ZeroRay]

My first trip to the circus and the biggest memory of that day was playing SM64 at a Blockbuster after the show. Blew my mind after having only an SNES for a few years.

I remember me bugging my dad to buy it.

He finally said yes but was surprised when the system didn't come with a game and he had to pay $60 for Goldeneye (SM64 was too expensive). I cried in the store until he finally bought the game, not one of my proudest moments. I still remember the Box having the purchase date: October 27, 1997.

Had good times with it. Being the little Nintendo fanboy that I was, I got jealous of the PS1 having all those games. But OoT, Majora, Pokemon Stadium, MK3, MK4, SM64, Mario Kart, Goldeneye, and more kept me and my friends entertained for a good four and a half years. It was also the generation that I started paying attention to gaming journalism and user reviews and when I started developing my superior taste in games ;p

And who needs the PS1 when you had a superior PC? lol

 

[qq more]

My first trip to the circus and the biggest memory of that day was playing SM64 at a Blockbuster after the show. Blew my mind after having only an SNES for a few years.

I remember me bugging my dad to buy it.

He finally said yes but was surprised when the system didn't come with a game and he had to pay $60 for Goldeneye (SM64 was too expensive). I cried in the store until he finally bought the game, not one of my proudest moments. I still remember the Box having the purchase date: October 27, 1997.

Had good times with it. Being the little Nintendo fanboy that I was, I got jealous of the PS1 having all those games. But OoT, Majora, Pokemon Stadium, MK3, MK4, SM64, Mario Kart, Goldeneye, and more kept me and my friends entertained for a good four and a half years. It was also the generation that I started paying attention to gaming journalism and user reviews and when I started developing my superior taste in games ;p

And who needs the PS1 when you had a superior PC? lol

How much was Mario 64 back then?

 

[Professor Beef]

How much was Mario 64 back then?

Wasn't it free with the system?

 

[To Far Away Times]

There will never be another gaming experience comparable to playing Mario 64 for the first time as a young kid.

 

[Azure Dream]

Wasn't it free with the system?

You had to buy it separate, at least at first.

Anyone else remember how they dropped the price by $50 in the US something like three days before it was set to release?

 

[To Far Away Times]

Wasn't it free with the system?

It was expensive. $70 at launch, I think.

 

[LeonSKennedy90]

"Choose your hero: James Bond, Ken Griffey, Jr., Super Mario. Or even Darth Vader."

Truly a line-up of icons for all generations

 

[Professor Beef]

I remember seeing the commercial for the system and having my mind blown at Mario spinning through the air after jumping on one of those flower enemies in the snow level. I was grounded at the time, so my mom saw me watching that commercial and she rubbed it in and said "yeah, you want that, don't you? Too bad you can't have it."

I got it at X-Mas, but still, those words stung.

 

[Shinjiru]

That ad in the OP does bring back memories.

I bought my Japanese N64 soon after release during the summer of 1996. I was working in the electronics department at Wal-Mart at the time. On my lunch break I went to the local import store (Flashback in Amherst, Ohio) to pick the console up with a copy of Super Mario 64.

What a fun time. Wave Race, Mario Kart, 1080°, and Super Mario 64 are the titles that first spring to mind when I think of it. Had a lot of fun playing those games.

Happy Birthday Nintendo 64!

 

[bgassassin]

Let's also remember what the N64 introduced console gamers to.

And another appreciated add-on:

Hybrid Heaven had an extra intro screen if the console had this.

 

[JoDark]

Great memories indeed. We have come a long way since the N64, but it still stands proud IMO as the local MP machine of the forever...

 

[Emily Chu]

I think it's time for the PS3/360 to have one of these expansion packs

and extra 512-1024 MB in a USB stick would do it good

 

[evilpigking]

Indeed a console for the ages. I played the hell out of it when it came out then got a second wind during my college years. Harvest Moon 64 still remains my favorite of the franchise.

 

[TONX]

I had a Saturn. I would go to my friends house who had a N64 and we would get into epic fanboy battles over our respective systems. You think fanboys are petty now? Try getting into arguments over transparencies. Thank god I grew up and learned to love all gaming.


Anyways, the first day i played GoldenEye, I bought it. Loved my N64

 

[BruiserBear]

I will always remember the N64 as the console that gave us Waverace 64.