enigmatic_alex44
Whenever a game uses "middleware," I expect mediocrity. Just see how poor TLOU looks.
Back when "bits" were all the rage and N64 was the new kid on the block with it's impressive 64-bits, I thought PS1 and it's 32-bit graphics wouldn't measure up. And a lot of the time, I thought N64 games were more impressive. Revisiting some games in recent years, I've changed my stance.
The one area that N64 excelled in was having straight lines on it's textures, I'm not sure what the technical term (bi-linear filtering maybe?) is but the PS1 had jagged lines that would even "warp" when you rotated the camera. A lot of PS1 games are drastically improved when using a filter to correct that problem like MGS1.
Compare:
Crash Team Racing to Mario Kart 64
compare the impressive 3D models in Crash to MK's poor sprites
Final Fantasy 8 to Quest 64
RPGs were slim pickings on N64 but what it did have couldn't measure up to PS1's cinematic offerings
Brave Fencer Musashi to Ocarina of Time
OoT is by far the better game and a personal fave of mine, but it wasn't a stunner until the 3DS version. Brave fencer is more detailed and doesn't use fog to cover up it's draw distance
Crash Bandicoot to Mario 64
Mario 64 is revolutionary, and I prefer it to Crash, but the Crash games have aged far better visually imo. Truly showing even back then how Naughty Dog could really play to the strengths of Sony's hardware
I'm curious how Resident Evil 2 measured up between the two, never did play any version of that game and it did get ported over to the N64 later on, I remember that being a big deal back in the day. I know the N64 cartridges didn't have a lot of room for the large FMV/CG files.
While the N64 produced a cleaner image that I preferred at the time, I now prefer PS1's messier, but more detailed approach. N64's textures are really blurry and muddy even on AAA games, and most games have a ridiculous amount of fog. I was shocked to learn years later Ocarina of Time also ran at only 15 fps?
Even as a MASSIVE Nintendo fan, it's the only Nintendo machine (aside from Virtual Boy) that I don't look back on fondly.
The N64 also got the RAM pack later on (Majora's Mask used it, one of the Turoks too I believe) but sadly most developers didn't take advantage as a majority of people who bought the system didn't ever purchase the pack.
What do you think?
The one area that N64 excelled in was having straight lines on it's textures, I'm not sure what the technical term (bi-linear filtering maybe?) is but the PS1 had jagged lines that would even "warp" when you rotated the camera. A lot of PS1 games are drastically improved when using a filter to correct that problem like MGS1.
Compare:
Crash Team Racing to Mario Kart 64
compare the impressive 3D models in Crash to MK's poor sprites
Final Fantasy 8 to Quest 64
RPGs were slim pickings on N64 but what it did have couldn't measure up to PS1's cinematic offerings
Brave Fencer Musashi to Ocarina of Time
OoT is by far the better game and a personal fave of mine, but it wasn't a stunner until the 3DS version. Brave fencer is more detailed and doesn't use fog to cover up it's draw distance
Crash Bandicoot to Mario 64
Mario 64 is revolutionary, and I prefer it to Crash, but the Crash games have aged far better visually imo. Truly showing even back then how Naughty Dog could really play to the strengths of Sony's hardware
I'm curious how Resident Evil 2 measured up between the two, never did play any version of that game and it did get ported over to the N64 later on, I remember that being a big deal back in the day. I know the N64 cartridges didn't have a lot of room for the large FMV/CG files.
While the N64 produced a cleaner image that I preferred at the time, I now prefer PS1's messier, but more detailed approach. N64's textures are really blurry and muddy even on AAA games, and most games have a ridiculous amount of fog. I was shocked to learn years later Ocarina of Time also ran at only 15 fps?
Even as a MASSIVE Nintendo fan, it's the only Nintendo machine (aside from Virtual Boy) that I don't look back on fondly.
The N64 also got the RAM pack later on (Majora's Mask used it, one of the Turoks too I believe) but sadly most developers didn't take advantage as a majority of people who bought the system didn't ever purchase the pack.
What do you think?
