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So, how would a hypothetical N64 Classic Mini work?

Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye, and Diddy Kong Racing are the Rare games I'd say are essential to an N64 classic. DK64 too but obviously that's not a problem since it's on Wii U.

Then Perfect Dark, Conker, and Tooie if they can be squeezed in. The rest is basically icing on the cake.
 
Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye, and Diddy Kong Racing are the Rare games I'd say are essential to an N64 classic. DK64 too but obviously that's not a problem since it's on Wii U.

Then Perfect Dark, Conker, and Tooie if they can be squeezed in. The rest is basically icing on the cake.

There is absolutely zero chance of Conker being on an N64 Mini, even if they could easily get the rights.
 
So hypothetical game list? Assuming no Rare games other than Donkey Kong 64, and no licensed IP games, I could see a list similar to this:

-Super Mario 64
-Mario Kart 64
-Mario Party 2 (you know there's no way in hell it's going to be the first one)
-Mario Golf
-Mario Tennis
-Zelda OoT
-Majora's Mask
-Star Fox 64
-Paper Mario
-Ogre Battle 64
-Wave Race 64
-Pilotwings 64
-Donkey Kong 64
-F-Zero X
-Kirby 64
-Sin and Punishment
-Yoshi's Story
-Super Smash Bros.
-Pokemon Snap
And if they're going to have a third party title, I'd prefer to see a Mystical Ninja / Goemon game or Bomberman Hero to round the game total up to 20.

Something tells me though that Nintendo probably thinks they can get away with 15 titles at a MSRP of $99.99 considering the pattern from NES Classic to SNES Classic.
 
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That'd be my guess. I think the focus for the N64 mini would be the multiplayer - so maybe come with two controllers like the SNES, but heavily claim you can buy up to 4 controllers.

In this case, the "get" of this would be Goldeneye 007. The reason you want the console, in the same way Starfox 2 is on the SNES mini.

Lack of Banjo or other Rare games on the list, but I think they' d be able to get Rayman 2 on there.

This is great list, but I think if Nintendo strikes a deal to get Goldeneye, they will bring over other Rare games with it.

I also think there needs to be more 3rd party representation to keep in line with the Classic series thus far. These all require sorting through licensing agreements, but Rogue Squadron, Harvest Moon, WWE No Mercy, Turok 2, Tetrisphere and one of the Tony Hawk games would be great additions. I also think there needs to be an arcade racer, like San Francisco Rush, Cruisin' or Beetle Adventure Racing.
 
There is absolutely zero chance of Conker being on an N64 Mini, even if they could easily get the rights.

Yeah, I think they'll generally want to avoid anything that pushes the console into rated M territory, especially since many parents would be buying it blind. These things are essentially branding gold for Nintendo, and they won't want to deal with any games that could undermine that.
 
So hypothetical game list? Assuming no Rare games other than Donkey Kong 64, and no licensed IP games, I could see a list similar to this:

-Pilotwings 64
It is not well known, but Pilotwings has licensing issues due to the engine the game's code runs on. I would agree that Bomberman Hero is the more likely pick in that case.

They could also continue the tradition of having one Mega Man game with the inclusion of Mega Man Legends.
 
If you give Microsoft $30 for every N64 classic sold, I'm sure they'd give Nintendo the following
Banjo kazooie
Banjo tooie
Blast Corps
Jet force Gemini
Diddy Kong racing

I think they'd avoid perfect dark x conker due to the M rating

The reason I say $30 is because rare replay was $30 x they gave it away for free during E3
Easy money for Microsoft

Hell, get goldeneye on n64 classic with the remake of goldeneye on Xbox one x switch with cross play as part of the agreement



Rayman 2 lives again on another console
 
If you give Microsoft $30 for every N64 classic sold, I'm sure they'd give Nintendo the following
Banjo kazooie
Banjo tooie
Blast Corps
Jet force Gemini
Diddy Kong racing

I think they'd avoid perfect dark x conker due to the M rating

The reason I say $30 is because rare replay was $30 x they gave it away for free during E3
Easy money for Microsoft

Hell, get goldeneye on n64 classic with the remake of goldeneye on Xbox one x switch with cross play as part of the agreement
$30 would be too much per unit. It would be difficult to make money off the system with a "deal" like that.
 
My pie in the sky dream is that they do it, include Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2, and then use arcane magic to get them to connect to the VC games on 3DS and voila, recreate the N64-GB link in modern times.

Also I can keep destroying people in Egg Emergency until the end of time.
Don't hurt me by bringing up those games. All I really want is to play Pokemon Stadium on a Nintendo console again. I want this so bad Q_Q
 
These hardware issues don’t seem insurmountable. I mean honestly it probably runs on a somewhat beefier chip than the SNES Classic. It probably has 1-2 game pads depending upon manufacturing cost. They probably sell additional controllers.

It probably costs $100

The harder thing is probably licensing for games. Like mainly Rare.

At $100, and with likely fewer titles than the SNES Classic thing starts to lose its appeal slightly.

Also they start running into remake territory. Lots of these games have been remade to hell and back starting with the 32/64 bit era. You don’t see that as much with the NES/SNES stuff.
 
$30 would be too much per unit. It would be difficult to make money off the system with a "deal" like that.

People pay $150+ for these systems on eBay and etc
They can get away with selling it for $130 or even $150 if they include 4 controllers and a shit load of games

Earthbound 64 or the final fantasy 7 prototype will be the secret game this time
 
It'll have 2 controllers (they may use GameCube controllers because they have the molds thanks to smash 4 and it's just a better layout) but be capable of having 4 plugged in. It will also cost 100$ this time and include -
Mario 64 (duh it's only the most iconic title on the system)
Zelda OOT ( second most iconic title easily)
Donkey kong 64 (rare game that still used Nintendo IP)
Mario Kart 64 (4 player racing)
Diddy kong racing (more 4 player racing)
F zero 64 ( excellent sequel to snes version)
Star fox 64 (the only entry worth playing- hot take)
Smash bros (the one that started it all, also the only decent fighter)
Mario party 2 (it removed the analog stick killing mini games)
Paper Mario (one of like 4 rpgs released)
Ogre battle 64 (the only other good rpg released)
Mario golf or tennis (gotta have a single sports game)
1080 snowboarding (something uniquely N64)

Bonus games - majoras mask unlocks if you beat the deku tree in oot. Find the bonus boss in Star fox to unlock sin and punishment. I'm not sure there'd really be any third party titles ... maybe megaman 64 or Castlevania 64?

Sadly most of the remaining high quality games were licensed products or their developer is dead or both. Rare games outside of the 2 mentioned are now owned by MS so 0% chance. I also doubt they'd put an M rated game on there either so that would even rule out doom 64.
 
$30 would be too much per unit. It would be difficult to make money off the system with a "deal" like that.

Yeah, that would be a crazy amount for something that requires zero effort from MS's part. Nintendo is too cash savvy to do that, but it would be hilarious if the first console to ever make Microsoft real money was the N64 Classic.

I think what's more likely is, as some others have suggested, they strike a deal for a time delayed HD remaster of Goldeneye that would release on both Xbox and Switch and contain cross play. I'm assuming Nintendo would require feature parity at a minimum, and need it to not be announced until the N64 Classic release, so as to not erode sales.

Of course, there would be some sort of licensing fee or agreement for additional Rare titles, but I think Microsoft would come to the table wanting to get a deal done to finally capitalize on Goldeneye.
 
It'll have 2 controllers (they may use GameCube controllers because they have the molds thanks to smash 4 and it's just a better layout) but be capable of having 4 plugged in. It will also cost 100$ this time and include -
Mario 64 (duh it's only the most iconic title on the system)
Zelda OOT ( second most iconic title easily)
Donkey kong 64 (rare game that still used Nintendo IP)
Mario Kart 64 (4 player racing)
Diddy kong racing (more 4 player racing)
F zero 64 ( excellent sequel to snes version)
Star fox 64 (the only entry worth playing- hot take)
Smash bros (the one that started it all, also the only decent fighter)
Mario party 2 (it removed the analog stick killing mini games)
Paper Mario (one of like 4 rpgs released)
Ogre battle 64 (the only other good rpg released)
Mario golf or tennis (gotta have a single sports game)
1080 snowboarding (something uniquely N64)

Sadly most of the remaining high quality games were licensed products or their developer is dead or both. Rare games outside of the 2 mentioned are now owned by MS so 0% chance. I also doubt they'd put an M rated game on there either so that would even rule out doom 64.

They might have to go in to the code on Diddy Kong Racing and take out Conker and Banjo, like they did on the DS Port.
 
If Nintendo and ms can play nice then maybe we will finally get a golden eye re-release. Especially since no one else has picked up the James Bond license after activision' some expired. But more on topic, I don't see it happening cause as so many people have mentioned already they will have to cut so many corners for it to fit into their "mini' line.
 
The problem with Goldeneye is they need to get several companies on board, not just Rare.

Not "several companies". They would literally just need to re-license the IP from MGM (not even the Bond IP, just a license specific to GoldenEye, which I believe was the case originally anyway, hence EA picking up Bond immediately afterward). This isn't like an old sports game where EA has exclusive league rights or some title with 30 licensed songs from a dozen different record labels. Nintendo and MS could very easily make a reasonable deal with MGM for the rights, that could even extend towards finally releasing GoldenEye HD on Xbox One/Switch.

It's really just down to 1) Nintendo wanting to do it, and 2) Nintendo being okay with MS publishing a version of the game on Xbox.
 
Nintendo put DK64 on the Wii U Virtual Console. There's no problems there.

Oh I'm well aware it was released on the Virtual Console. My understanding is Nintendo would need Microsoft's permission to release the game with Jetpac still playable in the game. Would explain why it wasn't on the Wii's VC as Microsoft and Nintendo's relationship was terrible then.
 
If MS were dicks I could see them saying NOPE to get back at Nintendo for not coming to an agreement last time regarding GoldenEye lol. :P

I wonder if Nitnendo would be more willing to allow the re-release on Xbox One now in trade for the rights to the N64 Mini one. Is that worth more to them than a VC release was back then?

Ideally we would get the re-release on both Xbox One and Switch with crossplay and the N64 Mini original. But thats a bit far in the Nintendo 'wins the deal' camp maybe.
 
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That'd be my guess. I think the focus for the N64 mini would be the multiplayer - so maybe come with two controllers like the SNES, but heavily claim you can buy up to 4 controllers.

In this case, the "get" of this would be Goldeneye 007. The reason you want the console, in the same way Starfox 2 is on the SNES mini.

Lack of Banjo or other Rare games on the list, but I think they' d be able to get Rayman 2 on there.

First off, great mockup. This seems pretty realistic honestly, besides Goldeneye. I just think the costs to acquire it wouldn't make it worthwhile. But who knows, didn't a new Goldeneye game release for Wii or Wii U only a few years ago? Or was that a remaster?

Either way, I would be so on board if that was the complete list of games. Lots of great options on there.

I doubt they could get any Rare games, but boy do I wish they could for it. While Banjo is the obvious go to, my dream would be to have Diddy Kong Racing on there. I've been really itching for awhile to get the chance to play it again somehow. I haven't played it since I was really young, sadly. I managed to bring out the old N64 and play both Banjos a few years ago, but when I tried to do the same last year to play DKR... my N64 died. :(
But shit, even if they did add DKR. I probably wouldn't be able to get the console to play it anyway. :P
 
First off, great mockup. This seems pretty realistic honestly, besides Goldeneye. I just think the costs to acquire it wouldn't make it worthwhile. But who knows, didn't a new Goldeneye game release for Wii or Wii U only a few years ago? Or was that a remaster?

Yeah. It was basically a top-to-bottom remake of the original for Wii and DS (with a remaster on PS3 and 360), published by Activision when they still had the Bond license (they don't now, no one does). They also released a completely unrelated 007 game with the GoldenEye name (subtitled Rogue Agent) on GCN/PS2/Xbox and DS.

I really don't believe Nintendo and MS would find re-licensing GoldenEye to be prohibitively expensive, given how much of a landmark game it was. Especially if they then took the opportunity to co-release a cross-play version of MS's shelved GoldenEye HD remaster. Which honestly is far less crazy than it sounds.
 
I'm over Classic consoles. Just release Virtual Console so I can play that shit on the go.

And lose easy money? They can charge people for the retro hardware and then a year later charge them again to play the games on Switch.
 
Golden Eye wouldn't be on the N64 Classic even if all licensing stuff was sorted out. The system wouldn't be getting a family-friendly age rating.
 
And lose easy money? They can charge people for the retro hardware and then a year later charge them again to play the games on Switch.

Honestly, I highly doubt the demand for the Classics would drop if they were to release all these titles on VC. I mean, almost all of them have already been available on three Virtual Consoles. These serve a different niche than the Virtual Console.

Golden Eye wouldn't be on the N64 Classic even if all licensing stuff was sorted out. The system wouldn't be getting a family-friendly age rating.

SNES Classic is rated T in the US, the same as GoldenEye.

Now something like Doom 64, which people keep bringing up for some crazy reason, yeah that has no chance in hell.
 
How would the Controller extensions be handled? Like Controller Pak and Rumble Pak? Will the functionality be embedded and the slot closed? Or will they be ignored altogether?
 
How would the Controller extensions be handled? Like Controller Pak and Rumble Pak? Will the functionality be embedded and the slot closed? Or will they be ignored altogether?

This is my biggest question. I'm guessing the Rumble Pak will be ignored, the Controller Pak will be emulated, and the slot either removed or replaced with a non-functional façade.

On the Wii VC, and I think the Wii U VC, they ignored all extension support entirely, even the Controller Pak, which was fucking ridiculous.
 
Gameboy should come first as it has MUCH better games.

I was thinking of this just the other day - I'd be down if they could build a little physical controller you slipped your phone in (a little like the hyperkin smartboy) and the games themselves are an app you download.

Mostly because I really want the gameboy camera and that's the only way I could think of doing it feasibly
 
SNES Classic is rated T in the US, the same as GoldenEye.

Now something like Doom 64, which people keep bringing up for some crazy reason, yeah that has no chance in hell.

Then they'd need to release different editions in Europe and North America as it was banned/received 18+ ratings over here. Not so sure if they are willing to do that given that the game selection in NA and Europe has been the same with the NES/SNES Mini so far.
 
I hope they do a deal with Microsoft.

Nintendo: "You can release Goldeneye HD if you let us have Goldeneye 64 on the N64 mini"

Microsoft: "Deal"

We all win. Both companies get money, we all get Goldeneye.


Bonus: Digital Foundry can have a field day doing a Retro episode going in depth on every version.

This would happen in the best timeline.
 
Then they'd need to release different editions in Europe and North America as it was banned/received 18+ ratings over here. Not so sure if they are willing to do that given that the game selection in NA and Europe has been the same with the NES/SNES Mini so far.

First off, holy shit, I just looked around a bit and I didn't realize that even Perfect Dark HD had an 18+ in Germany. That seems... excessive? For something that dated and unrealistic in the year 2010 at least, lol. So I guess GoldenEye could be a problem with Germany/Europe as a whole.

I don't think a differing game list would be implausible though. They could even do something crazy and swap Banjo in, so each region gets one big Rare game. Honestly though, I think they could just work out a simple compromise and bake in a basic age gate for the European version.
 
First off, holy shit, I didn't realize that even Perfect Dark HD had an 18+ in Germany. That seems... excessive? For something that dated at least, lol. So I guess GoldenEye could be a problem with Germany.

I don't think a differing game list would be implausible though. They could even do something crazy and swap Banjo in, so each region gets one big Rare game. Honestly though, I think they could just work out a compromise and bake in a basic age gate for the European version.

Oh man, could you imagine the scramble to import these things if that were the case!? It's bad enough when they're all (beside the shell) the same, let alone if there were game differences!
 
I think most people would gladly pay extra in order to have the Rare, Goldeneye and WWE games on there.

Hopefully they can come to an agreement with Microsoft, THQ and Activision (or does EA have the Bond rights?) to allow those games on there. Even if it means passing the licensing costs onto the consumer. I'd gladly pay $20-$30 extra in order to ensure the N64 Mini is done properly.

- Goldeneye
- Perfect Dark
- Jet Force Gemini
- Banjo
- Banjo 2
- Mario Kart 64
- Donkey Kong 64
- Mario 64
- OoT
- Majora's Mask
- Smash Bros
- Mario Tennis
- Mario Party
- 1080 Snowboarding
- F-Zero X
- Wave Race 64
- WWE No Mercy
- Yoshi's Story
- StarFox 64/Lylat Wars

All need to be on there as a minimum
 
N64 Classic will be more challenging to make than NES and SNES for two main reasons:
- Game lineup. Key titles are behind licensing/functionality obstacles.
- Cost. Four controllers are required for the full experience.

Here's what I expect game-wise:

Featured:
Donkey Kong 64
F-Zero X
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Mario Kart 64
Mario Party 2
Mario Tennis
Paper Mario
Pokémon Snap
Star Fox 64
Super Mario 64
Super Smash Bros.
Wave Race 64
Yoshi's Story

Maybe:
1080° Snowboarding
Excitebike 64
Mario Golf
Pokémon Puzzle League
Sin & Punishment

Unlikely:
Mario Party 3 (overshadowed by 2)
Pokémon Stadium (Transfer Pak issues)
Rare games (Banjo-Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing, Perfect Dark, GoldenEye 007)
 
I think it's inevitable and there are enough games to do it.

However, (personal opinions and all that) I do think the 8-bit and 16-bit sidescrollers have a certain arcadey immediacy about them that provides an instant recognisable appeal that the early 3D era just doesn't have for me. On top of that, OOT, Lylat Wars and Majoras Mask got great 3DS remakes relatively recently and are three of the best on the system.
 
I think most people would gladly pay extra in order to have the Rare, Goldeneye and WWE games on there.

Hopefully they can come to an agreement with Microsoft, THQ and Activision (or does EA have the Bond rights?) to allow those games on there. Even if it means passing the licensing costs onto the consumer. I'd gladly pay $20-$30 extra in order to ensure the N64 Mini is done properly.

- Goldeneye
- Perfect Dark
- Jet Force Gemini
- Banjo
- Banjo 2
- Mario Kart 64
- Donkey Kong 64
- Mario 64
- OoT
- Majora's Mask
- Smash Bros
- Mario Tennis
- Mario Party
- 1080 Snowboarding
- F-Zero X
- Wave Race 64
- WWE No Mercy
- Yoshi's Story
- StarFox 64/Lylat Wars

All need to be on there as a minimum

WWF No Mercy is one that seems like a real licensing nightmare. THQ doesn't exist anymore, and its assets have been divided up among THQ Nordic and a half-dozen other studios, with the WWF/WWE license now being held by 2K. Who knows where the ownership of the actual software is now-a-days. And one of the developers dropped out of game development and publishing well over a decade ago.

And I really don't think we'll get Jet Force Gemini at all, but that's just me guessing.
 
N64 Classic will be more challenging to make than NES and SNES for two main reasons:
- Game lineup. Key titles are behind licensing/functionality obstacles.
- Cost. Four controllers are required for the full experience.

Here's what I expect game-wise:

Featured:
Donkey Kong 64
F-Zero X
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Mario Kart 64
Mario Party 2
Mario Tennis
Paper Mario
Pokémon Snap
Star Fox 64
Super Mario 64
Super Smash Bros.
Wave Race 64
Yoshi's Story

Maybe:
1080° Snowboarding
Excitebike 64
Mario Golf
Pokémon Puzzle League
Sin & Punishment

Unlikely:
Mario Party 3 (overshadowed by 2)
Pokémon Stadium (Transfer Pak issues)
Rare games (Banjo-Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing, Perfect Dark, GoldenEye 007)

Yup. Kinda agree with this. Plus, given how the classics range are directed towards the E to T audience. I'll be very surprised if any of the M-rated titles sneak into the mini console. Hell, even if Nintendo got the rights to put 007 Goldeneye, will it be considered age appropriate alongside Mario and Zelda? hmmmm.

EDIT: just remembered that Goldeneye 007 was rated T. Replace that with Perfect Dark then :)
 
Will nostalgia levels for the N64 ever run as high as for NES and SNES ? 2D has aged a lot more gracefully than early 3D
 
Yeah. It was basically a top-to-bottom remake of the original for Wii and DS (with a remaster on PS3 and 360), published by Activision when they still had the Bond license (they don't now, no one does). They also released a completely unrelated 007 game with the GoldenEye name (subtitled Rogue Agent) on GCN/PS2/Xbox and DS.

I really don't believe Nintendo and MS would find re-licensing GoldenEye to be prohibitively expensive, given how much of a landmark game it was. Especially if they then took the opportunity to co-release a cross-play version of MS's shelved GoldenEye HD remaster. Which honestly is far less crazy than it sounds.

Thanks for the clarification. If that's the case, I feel that GoldenEye could still totally be a slight possibility. It might take a lot of jumping through hoops to get it, but I speculating is still fun.
 
My guess: Same hardware as NES and SNES classic mini. It's faster than the Wii and that one had no problems running N64 games in 480p. Better emulation and maybe upscaling shouldn't be a problem for the hardware.

It'll come with 15-20 games and 2 controllers with the option to buy a controller 2 pack separately. Not single controllers, just a double pack to add up to 4.

Since the older systems seem to rely on some classic series and are maybe even intended to fix publisher relationships for Nintendo and/or keep classic IPs in mindshare to revive at some point, I could see it work for the N64 in the same way.

So we'd most likely get another iteration of:

Castlevania (2 games on the N64)
Mega Man (Legends Port)
I could see Konami going for Bomberman 64, since it was received very well on the Switch and 4 players are pretty much needed for the game to work.

Otherwise, it'll be the usual classics and maybe some western support instead of the Square Enix spots this time.

  • Mario 64
  • Mario Kart 64
  • Mario Party 2 or 3
  • Legend of Zelda OoT or MM
  • Starfox 64 / Lylat Wars
  • Yoshi's Story
  • Kirby 64
  • Pokemon Puzzle League
  • Smash Bros 64
  • Paper Mario
  • Donkey Kong 64
  • Wave Race
with another spot or 2 open for Rayman 2, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2, Doom 64 (especially since Goldeneye won't be there), Duke Nukem: Zero Hour or a N64 sports game like a WWE game or 1080° etc....

I won't suspect any rumble, to keep the costs/controller down and maybe they won't even go for controller pack support - we've seen them cheap out on every VC so far.
 
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