75 replies to this topic

[moycon]

I remember when N64 first came out. I thought the graphics were the best ever!! I bought one on day one along with Mario64. I seemed to recall the system had cartoony graphics with fluid motion. Now I'll admit. I really havent played N64 much the past few years. The fact that I picked up about 12 new games since BlockBuster has been selling off their stock has prompted me to give it a go. I popped in Shadowman (Ugh!) One of my favorite DC games, I got it to see if their was any differences between the two. The first difference is noticeable right away. The graphics suck. Bad. Washed out, pixelized mess.

Next I popped in Shadows Of The Empire. I played this when it came out and I knew the graphics were clean and crisp and awesome... Or so I thought. Bleh! At least they were better than ShadowMan. I'm almost afraid to break out my other old favorites. For some reason this console just hasn't aged well for me. I plan to spend some more time with it, I know some of the games are awesome. But my first impression since I've broken the ol N64 out is the title of this thread.

[NE146]

I don't know but when I went home the other week I spent a lot of it playing Banjo Kazooie with my nephew again.

[MegaManFan]

Play Episode I Racer, or F-Zero X, or Goldeneye, or Bad Fur Day, or Tetrisphere, or Paper Mario, or..

Well take my word for it, the love will come back.

[moycon]

Oh Its not that I didnt like the game. I actually haven't listed more games because I've been too busy playing Shadows Of The Empire ...again. Its the graphics that have aged badly...At least on those two games. There's no love lost, I just had it in my mind that N64 had these awesome ass graphics. I think the Dreamcast spoiled me.

[MegaManFan]

For me though, the graphics downstep of an N64 is in a sense part of the appeal. Even though the system isn't old enough to be "retro" or "classic" yet the fact that it's cart based system whose graphics are more primitive than Dreamcast for the most part (although a few games really do push it's limits and look very fluid) yet a big step beyond the SNES is why I love it so much. I actually think anything done in 3-D on it is very comparable to what you'd see on PS1, and sometimes much better.

[moycon]

I always thought that too. I always remember Nintendo being worlds ahead of PS1. It must have been my choice of games. Shadowman graphic are really terrible. I remember Turok being GREAT! (Altho I'll have to go back and give it a try now) But Shadowman...PU! Maybe it's because I don't have the memory expansion. I plan on picking one up off of ebay.

[Atari Master]

You were spoiled by the DC... I mean, the N64 is pretty old now. And if you've been getting titles from BB... Then yea, prolly are messed up from all the handling.

[PuddWakkr]

Graphics sure aren't everything. I have played almost every snowboardiong game that has come out on every system and not a one of them can even come close to 1080. It's the most realistic snowboarding game out there and the graphics ain't bad either. It's the one game on the N64 where the controller helped me in the game more than it hurt.

[chrisbid]

ive always thought that first gen 3D games were more often uglier than first gen 2D games. I actually liked the very first 3D games that didn't use textures and just stuck with a low number of polygons. It had clean look. But once the PSX came around, and introduced a moderate number of polygons, they added textures to many of the objects, and most of the time it looked like pure crap. The N64 wasn't nearly as bad, but a lot of their games had a fuzzy look, kindof like the old photography trick of coating a lens with vasaline so finite details would be blurred out. Years from now, i think the N64 will definatly be more collectable, as the the hardware is much more durable, and collecting carts has always been more rewarding than collecting CDs

[snorlaxnut]

Since I bought and hooked up my DVD player six months ago I haven't played any N64 games, but a lot of GBA games instead.

[King Atari]

The graphics may be dating, but the games are still great to play. I actually picked up Shadows of the Empire yesterday, have to give it ago today. That's the thing about the N64, it doesn't have a ton of titles, but what's in the library contains some great games.

There are exceptions, though I've been mostly pleased with my purchases(Turok 2 was an exception, and one I promptly sold). Star Wars Racer is excellent, as is Rogue Squadron, though compared to Rogue Leader it certainly has it's bad points, too. I've had the N64 since it first came out, and I've never regretted it. Super Mario 64 still looks so good, obviously not up to modern standards, but far from bad.

Anyways, the graphics haven't dated as badly as PSX's. Of course, there is a 32-bit difference between them... (I'm not hating on the PSX, despite the fact there's only a few games I really come back for on it).

[Ze_ro]

Let me get this straight.... you're on a forum dedicated to the Atari 2600... and you're complaining that the N64 has crappy graphics? C'mon man, the thing is old, of course the graphics aren't going to look as good as the newest X-Station or Playcube games!

Actually, every time I go back to the N64, I'm always surprised at how good it's graphics are. For some reason, every time I think back to Mario 64, I always picture it in my mind as flat shaded polygons (Like Cybermorph), and always forget that pretty much everything was texture mapped. Games like Conkers Bad Fur Day, Donkey Kong 64, and Rogue Squadron still look great to me.

I also like the slight blur effect* that the N64 adds to the graphics... it makes the polygons a little less obvious so you don't get the jagginess and blockiness of the Playstation.

* - Try playing Quake on the N64 though, and you'll see this effect abused rather heavily... it looks like someone smeared vaseline on everything. Luckily, you can turn it off.

--Zero

[King Atari]

Quote

* - Try playing Quake on the N64 though, and you'll see this effect abused rather heavily... it looks like someone smeared vaseline on everything. Luckily, you can turn it off.  

I know that's the truth, but I still really like the game.

[ubersaurus]

Well, N64 will probably be collectable in the future, but it has its own hardware faults, and thats the controller. The analog stick is such that it wears down over time, and the only way to fix that is to replace it outright. And as you can guess, thats a pain in the ass.

[moycon]

Quote

Let me get this straight.... you're on a forum dedicated to the Atari 2600... and you're complaining that the N64 has crappy graphics?

*Sigh*

Re-read my post. Let me repeat it.... In my mind, The Nintendo 64 had these kick ASS graphics.... comparible to a cartoon. I can remember the first time I saw Mario64 It was ...Like watching a cartoon. I stood in front of the demo at TRUs and would just stare, I thought N64 was the end all system.

Then the other day I plugged in ShadowMan BLEH
I'm not just complaining that the system has crappy graphics and it sucks and I hate Nintendo64, I am pointing out that this image I had in my mind was shot after that. I'm not saying the games on N64 SUCK ASS. I dont complain about the Atari because in my mind...I knew it had primitive graphic's. I just always remembered N64 having much BETTER graphics than those two games I recenty played have.

It's comparable to loving McDonalds breakfast as a kid, thinking that the Egg Mc Muffin was the best thing to eat ever... Then growing up and going back to McDonalds and ordering an EggMcMuffin and realizing they aren't as hot as you thought.

BTW: The Egg McMuffin has aged badly IMO.

[kisrael]

I'm a big fan in general, but I do agree that graphics have come a long way since then. Playing around, say, Smash Bros Melee, and then going back to the same game on N64...it's suprising how you start noticing how many shortcuts the original took. (And first gen PSX graphics? Forget it. It's ass-tastic.)

And yet...I think the system overall has aged well, which is why some of the carts still command highish prices (besides being a more expensive medium.) There was some excellent gameplay, esp. for 4 players.

Though some games I don't see how they're going to improve the graphics all that much, like Mario Tennis...except maybe make the rackets non-paper-thin. (Heck, even the GBC version of that game looked nice.)

[ElectricTroy]

moycon said:

The graphics suck. Bad. Washed out, pixelized mess.

Stop judging the graphics, and judge the fun. Are you going to stop loving your wife just because her face is washed out and wrinkled with age???

On second thought, don't answer that. I don't want to cause a divorce.

Anyway, ignore the graphics and judge the fun. Yes Mario and Banjo and other N64 titles look like walking polygons, but they're still just as much fun to play now as they were 5 years ago. I just bought an N64 6 months ago... about the same time I bought a gamecube... and I have had WAY MORE FUN with the Nintendo 64 than the gayecube.

[Note > is greater than < is less than]

Look:
Mario64 >>>>> Mario Sunshine
Ocarina >>>>> Wind Waker
Banjo >>>>>> nothing... Rare left
Banjo 2>>>>>>nothing... ditto
Goldeneye>>>>nothing... ditto
PerfectDark>>>nothing... ditto
Turok 2>>>>>>nothing... Turok moved to PS2
nothing <<<<< Metroid Prime
Party 1 >>>>> Party 4
Starfox64 >>>>Skyfox Adventures

Conclusion:
Nintendo64 >>>>Gamecube

I'll take fun over graphics any day. That's why I still play my Atari, Commodore=64, and Super Nintendo/64 despite their low-res, limited color, sprite-filled graphics.

[ElectricTroy]

moycon said:

I'm not just complaining that the system has crappy graphics and it sucks and I hate Nintendo64, I just always remembered N64 having much BETTER graphics than those two games I recenty played have.
BTW: The Egg McMuffin has aged badly IMO.

Fair enough. In your original message you forgot this phrase: "And yet despite the graphics the N64 is still a lot of fun." Also, visit www.gamescreenshots.com more often to keep your memory refreshed.

I wonder if I'm the only gamer who was NOT impressed by the N64/PS1 generation? I saw the games, but the graphics did not impress me one bit, and I totally skipped that generation. Not until I saw FF10 did my jaw drop.

BTW: I loved McDonald's hamburgers as a kid, and still do. :-) Also, I love their bacon-egg-cheese biscuits, especially down south. A southern-fried biscuit breakfast is sinful. (mouth waters)

[kisrael]

Quote

I wonder if I'm the only gamer who was NOT impressed by the N64/PS1 generation?  I saw the games, but the graphics did not impress me one bit, and I totally skipped that generation.  Not until I saw FF10 did my jaw drop.

Could be. The ability to do 3D worlds (more richly than, say, the original StarFox) allowed whole new types of gameplay and immersive experience. And actually, I think Mario 64's graphics stand up more or less ok.

Re, the N64 to GameCube head to heads; GC is still a fairly young system. For instance, its "proper" StarFox game is listed as on its way; and there's even word of a more-Mario-ish Mario, and we'll have to see how the new Mario Kart comes out.

And I think you forgot
Golden Eye/Perfect Dark<<< (same team, right? This might be arguable, I wasn't in love with the N64 FPS)
Smash Bros<<<<<< Rogue Squadron<<<<<<<< (arguable on that last one; RS1 had a bit more variety in missions, but still, for putting you in the movies and against swarms of tie fighters, NO Star Wars game beats Rogue Leader)
Blitz 2000<<<<<<<< (Well, that's the series I like anyway)

There is a Turok for GameCube, btw. We all just wish there wasn't. One time when my little cousin was dithering on what GC game I should get him for his birthday, on our way to the store, I threateded him with "You decide in the next 5 minutes, or else YOU'RE GETTING TUROK".

[shep]

it takes awhile to adjust to the last round of consoles if youve been playing the latest generation....it took me awhile to get used to Mario 64 again when i played through it after i was done with Sunshine

[MegaManFan]

I still love Egg McMuffins, I just don't get them very often because they're too expensive unless they are running a 99 cent or 2 for $2 special.

I think we're all spoiled by today's graphics to some degree. The first time I saw Madden 2001, I was like "Tecmo WHAT?" To this day I still have a problem going back to sports games on the vintage consoles (especially Atari 2600, with perhaps the exception of Double Dunk). But I feel that compared to today's consoles, the N64 actually holds up quite well. When you realize the actual amount of processing power it had (especially compared to what we get in today's cheapest home computers) what they cranked out of the system is truly phenomenal.

[ultravi0let]

i lent my N64 to my brother at uni for allmost a year because i just wasn't playing on it, but once i got it back and brought some of the games a foolishly gave away a while back i'm very happy with it;
games like StarFox64 / F-Zero X / Perfect Dark and GoldenEye just don't age realy and still hold me for hours.

shame i sold my SNES/MegaDrive......

[ubersaurus]

I lvoe the 64 to death, let me tell you...of that 3 system generation, that was my pick, and the only game I had for about 2, 3 months was Star Fox 64. I played that game EVERY day, at least once, usually twice. Then I got pilotwings, mario, and goldeneye, and as far as I was concerned that was perfect.

Of coruse, then I got about 25 other games, and they rock too. It's a great system, and it needs more respect then it gets.

[Yar]

I picked up and played through Ocarina again a few weeks ago, and at first I thought, "Man, these graphics SUCK" but after a few hours, I loved them! I guess it takes a while for you to get used to a game with lower quality graphics when you're used to Gamecube.

And...after about 20 hours with Ocarina, I picked up Wind Waker for a little bit, and the smoothness of the graphics blew me away I had gotten so used to Ocarina, I was no longer spoiled!

[Jasoco]

moycon said:

It's comparable to loving McDonalds breakfast as a kid, thinking that the Egg Mc Muffin was the best thing to eat ever... Then growing up and going back to McDonalds and ordering an EggMcMuffin and realizing they aren't as hot as you thought.

BTW: The Egg McMuffin has aged badly IMO.

Are you asking for a beating? McMuffins (Both Egg and Sausage with Egg) are the best breakfast ad are still as great as when I was a kid. Don't be badmouthin' my breakfast.

I'm hungry. Thanks a lot.