Nintendo 64 Appreciation
When you think of childhood memories, how many of you think about all the old games and consoles you used to play? I do. Even now as I am hitting my mid-twenties, I still remember my first ever console. The Nintendo 64, the Pikachu version as it came with the greatest Pokémon game of all time, Pokémon Snap. Rather than having the console in all black as most N64’s, mine was blue with a big Pikachu on the front. You used one of his feet as the reset button and a pokeball as the on switch, a nice little touch.
Pokémon Snap was a fabulous game. As a massive Pokémon fan and only being 5 the first time I played it, it was as if I was in the Pokémon world myself. Taking pictures of Charmander and Snorlax and Mew as I moved through the many wonderful habitats of the Pokémon. A timeless classic indeed.
The Nintendo 64 was bursting with timeless, classic games. GoldenEye 64, Banjo Kazooie, and Diddy Kong Racing were a few of my favourites. Then you had the Mario franchise with such games as Mariokart 64 and Super Mario 64, because what is a Nintendo console without Mario and co. You can never go wrong with Mario, evident in the fact that games are still being made to this day concerning Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach and all the other characters we love. What I would love to see is some of these fabulous games getting the sequels they rightly deserve. Imagine being able to play Diddy Kong Racing 2 on the Nintendo switch!
When it comes to the title of the best Nintendo 64 game however, there can only be one winner. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is in my opinion the greatest game ever created. As a game it is flawless and as far as the main story line goes, its better than most Hollywood movies. Even the soundtrack is memorable and loveable. The developers took every aspect of what made all previous Zelda games wonderful and put them into the one game. The fact that many Nintendo consoles to follow the N64 can play Ocarina of Time speaks volumes to the games’ character, its addictiveness and its all-round gaming excellence. This is without updating (in some cases small adjustments for 3D) any graphics or gameplay, maintaining the nostalgia and originality. Then of course came Majora’s Mask which was a worthy sequel.
All the consoles that come out these days are great in their own way, but nothing will ever compare to the N64. The variety of games, the special edition versions and the graphics for that time are aspects which give this console legendary status. A truly special example of gaming technology. Besides, who doesn’t want to use a controller that looks like a spaceship.