Nintendo 64



"Dinosaurs will fly."

The Nintendo 64 is lacking in quite a few genres, but still manages to have a respectable library (especially in the platform/adventure genre, where it really shines!) One of the coolest factors in its favor was that 3-4 person multiplayer was made easier since it had 4 controller slots built in, instead of having to buy a dumb add on. Another neat thing was the controller slot, which offered 3 big supports:


 * Memory Card, which let you save your game off the game cart for some titles and other fun stuff (such as saving your own customizable Bomberman)
 * Transfer Pak, which gave some limited but neat GBC connectivity with some games, such as Pokemon, Mario Golf, and Mario Tennis.
 * Rumble Pak, which shook the controller, gave you Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and was HUGE back in the day.

There is also another add-on thing called the expansion pak, which is needed for a few games from around 1999 and on to work, look cooler, and add better sound/video options as well, and is therefore one of the most quintessential instruments to having a complete N64 library.

Had a short-lived magnetic disk add on called the 64DD.

In China Nintendo released a N64 version commonly known as iQue Player (it goes under the Chinese name Shén Yóu Ji). It was planned to be their entry ticket to that market. Console looks like an Xbox gamepad that is connected directly to a tv set. Games can be bought in special kiosks or online and saved on memory card which goes into the iQue Player. Card has only 64 MB space so games can be stored in a cloud. Basically it's the same idea that stood behind Famicom Disk System or Super Famicom's Nintendo Power cartridges. Due to the piracy console was rather a failure, cancellation of Majora's Mask is the best evidence for that. Nintendo released 14 games which are almost the same as their standard N64 counterparts. All of them were translated to Chinese and almost everyone got Chinese dub. Only difference is that glitches and bugs were fixed (some were added...) and there is no Rumble Pack feature.

In summary, you should get a Nintendo 64 if you like classic Nintendo games, non-competitive multi-player/party games, and 3D platformers.

You should not get a Nintendo 64 if you're looking for RPGs, fighters, or a massive non-Nintendo library of good games.

[* Denotes that the game came out on the iQue Player]


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