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10 UNDERRATED NINTENDO 64 GAMES

4/7/2017

59 Comments

 
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Right then. We've had the NES Classic Mini. We're getting the Super NES Classic Mini. All wisdom would suggest that next year we're going to get a Nintendo 64 Classic Mini. Well... maybe.

Truthfully, it's going to be a harder system to recreate, given that the games require that much more storage, and the stupid N64 pad is potentially more expensive to recreate.

Still, we can but dream; and dream we all do. Why, last night I had a dream that ITV broadcast a retrospective on chickens, entitled "Now and Hen".

Hennyway... here are hen less obvious N64 games which I demand that Nintendo consider for any miniaturised Henhendo 64 Hens.
GOLDENEYE
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Goldeneye? More like "olden guy"!!!!! Amirite?!?

I've not idea what that means... but I still like it!

Wait a minute... didn't I say this was going to be underrated and lesser known games? Yes. Yes I did. But let's face it: none of us are would really expect Goldeneye to appear on an N64 Mini. 

This is the only Rare game in this list, because all the other Rare games are either shoe-ins for any N64 Mini - the Donkey Kongs of this world - or already widely available on that Rare collection that was released fairly recently. Of course, there was one glaring omission from that anthology; Goldeneye... a game so good that it has become more fondly remembered than the movie it was based on.

Unfortunately, being based on a movie means that Goldeneye has never had any sort of re-release. Oh, there have been games which have pretended to be a new version of N64 Goldeneye, and those which sought to cash in on it, but the reality is this: Goldeneye is a mire of impenetrable rights issues, and nobody seems willing to spend the time or money required to untangle it.

I say this to Nintendo: sort it out, loves. For most of us, the N64 was about two games: Super Mario 64 and Goldeneye. If you are doing an N64 Mini - it HAS to be on there.
SPACE STATION SILICON VALLEY
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The N64 wasn't short of 3D platformers, though most of them struggled in the wake of Super Mario 64. DMA's Space Station Silicon Valley avoided the more overt Mario comparisons by doing something slightly different.

After your robotic body is destroyed in a crash, you have to use your silicon chip form to take over the bodies of the various animals which inhabit - yes - Space Station Silicon Valley. You know: a bit like you'll soon be able to do in Super Mario Odyssey.

What really marked out the game was its peculiarly British sense of humour. Although, admittedly, some of it - such as one level's dubious instruction to "kill that fat ugly bird" - were clearly a product of less enlightened and compassionate era, and may have to be altered for any re-release.

Little wonder that DMA went on to create Grand Theft Auto...
1080 SNOWBOARDING
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I really, really, loved 1080 Snowboarding. I used to turn the music down so that I could enjoy the soft swooshing of my snowboard. Having recently played it again, it hasn't aged quite as well as I'd have hoped, but still... snoooooow. SNOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Ha ha.

Snuh... suh... snuh.... S-SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Ha ha ha! Sssssno?
WAVE RACE 64
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Sold to us as a sort of aquatic F-Zero - a message that wasn't entirely true - Wave Race 64 definitely deserves to be remembered more fondly than it is.

The undulating water effects were more than cosmetic, and genuinely affected the handling of your jet ski. In their own way, they were every bit as groundbreaking as F-Zero's demonstration of the Super NES's Mode 7. They were so wet-looking that they actually made me thirsty!!!! That's actually not a joke; I always wanted a drink of liquid after playing Wave Race 64.

​If anything, the only reason it's not considered a classic is that it wasn't quite as immediately playable as F-Zero - the dynamic waves making it more challenging to the average pleb. Also: it was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, so... y'know. He's usually pretty reliable.
MISCHIEF MAKERS
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Treasure developed some of the greatest side-scrolling platform shoot 'em ups ever - Dynamite Headdy, Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier to name but ten (minus seven) - but Mischief Makers has somehow slipped through the cracks. And that's a shame, because it bears all the hallmarks of their house style, while ramping it up significantly - with mischief!

Admittedly, the N64 is better remembered for its 3D games, and as the first side-scrolling 2D title on the system, that might be why Mischief Makers was overlooked. Alright, so it isn't the prettiest game - clearly a result of the developer struggling to work on a machine built for 3D - but it's playable as ruddy heck.
WETRIX
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Wave Race wasn't the only N64 game to impress with its water effects - Zed Two's Wetrix (known as Aqua Aqua elsewhere in the world due to reasons) was a similarly damp game. I remember the Pickford Brothers demonstrating it to Mr Hairs and I at their Manchester HQ, and being so impressed that I became unpleasantly moist!

The concept - a landscape that gradually filled with water, which had to be contained by raising and lowering the land - was fiendishly simple, and irritatingly addictive. 
MYSTICAL NINJA 2 STARRING GOEMON
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Those of us who don't live in Japan are missing out on the inclusion of Mystical Ninja on the Japanese Super NES Mini, but maybe we could get its almost-as-great sequel, Goemon's Great Adventure (as it was known everywhere but Europe).

Though more focused and linear than its free-roaming predecessors, it boasted the same bonkers sense of humour, and subtle between-level RPG elements. 

Also, it allowed you to make the following Elvis Presley/Eddie Cochran reference: "Goemon everybody!".
BODY HARVEST
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The second DMA Design game on this list, Body Harvest subverted expectations of being a fairly predictable third-person 3D shoot 'em up, by having the player fight alien insects in different periods of history. Via the miracle of time travel, the game took you from World War 1-era Greece, to 1960s America, to the dystopian and depressing near-future of 2016...

As well as wiping out all the aliens in a given area, the player had to minimise casualties. Too many civilian deaths, and it was game over. Rather excellently, the player wasn't limited to running around on foot, but could also acquisition various land, sea and air vehicles. 

Again: no wonder DMA went on to create Grand Theft Auto.
BEETLE ADVENTURE RACING
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A game designed to promote the new Volkswagen Beetle shouldn't have been this good; Beetle Adventure Racing remains one of the best racers ever to grace the N64.

​Admittedly, your choice of vehicles is limited to various spins on the basic Beetle model, but the graphics were among the nicest seen on the N64, eschewing the usual cartoonish visuals for something more grounded and muted - as befits a stupid little car for idiots.
FROM THE ARCHIVE:
​10 REASONS THE SUPER NES WAS BEST CONSOLE
SEGA FOREVER: WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
HAVING THOUGHT ABOUT IT... XBOX ONE X IS A STUPID IDEA - BY MR BIFFO
59 Comments
Darren Lock link
4/7/2017 10:21:50 am

Fuuuuuuckkkk! I didn't realise they were getting Mystical Ninja in Japan on the SNES Mini. Oooooh, now there's an epic game.

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Ste Pickford
4/7/2017 10:31:26 am

It was actually the sequel to Wetrix that was called Aqua Aqua (or Aquaqua in some parts of the world, due to reasons).

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Jol
4/7/2017 11:06:49 am

Oh man Wetrix was awesome. Such a simple concept but so addictive. I was never entirely sure how to say it though. Wet Tricks? Weh-Tricks? Wet Ricks? I leaned towards Weh-Tricks, as enunciating two consecutive T sounds sounds daft, and even deploying a glottal stop disrupted the flow required for a single word.

Wetrix seems like the sort of thing that would be at home on a mobile device now. Maybe with AR that lets you use real life surfaces as the game 'board', so you can try and cheat by using a fruit bowl.

Also: wasn't this also on the Dreamcast or am I remembering it wrong?

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Mr Biffo
4/7/2017 12:31:44 pm

Well, that shows what I know...

Ste Pickford
5/7/2017 11:26:31 am

The working title when we were developing it was 'Wetris', but we decided that was a bit too on the nose, so changed it to Wetrix, so it we pronounced it the same as Tetris.

There was a Dreamcast version called Wetrix+, which was an enhanced port of the N64 one, then a proper sequel on PS2 with the new name.

Nick
4/7/2017 10:33:33 am

Goldeneye would probably top my list of Top 10 Underrated James Bond Films.

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Matthew Long
5/7/2017 10:51:21 pm

I agree, one of my favourite Bond films. They should get Martin Campbell back to direct the next one.

The game is probably the only first-person shooter I can recall completing. Not sure how I did it as I'm hopeless at FPS games normally.

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Jareth Smith
4/7/2017 10:40:10 am

I’m not convinced the N64 Mini will happen – it will be about £100+ if it does, surely?

I love the N64 but many of its games haven’t aged particularly well, plus Rare wouldn’t licence its games to Nintendo again under Microsoft’s control. The N64’s finest moments belonged to Nintendo and Rare, so if you lose Goldeneye, Jet Force Gemini, Blast Corps etc. and you’re left with Buck Bumble and whatnot.

A lot of people have nostalgia love for it as they grew up playing its games, but the SNES is a far superior games console.The shift to 3D games had to happen, I suppose, but in the modern era the indie scene has shifted back to the SNES heyday, which is why indie devs create the best games.

Meanwhile, the PS4 and Xbox One churn out CoD and GTA clone filler and everyone pretends this is the peak of next gen gaming.

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PeskyFletch
4/7/2017 12:56:43 pm

I love the generic Jareth pop at the PS4/xbox at the end there.

Why sir you are incorrigible!

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Grandpa
4/7/2017 02:24:30 pm

Back in my day it were all fields as far as the eye could see round here, and music were proper music, not like this rock 'n' rap grime-hop the kids listen to these days. It's all noise to me.

And videogames? We had real games! Stick-and-ball, hoop-and-stick, stick-and-stick, small-scale gang violence, it were a world of imagination!

Jareth Smith
4/7/2017 03:20:26 pm

Grandpa - I notice no one is able to challenge my pertinent assessment of the PS4 and Xbox One's tedious release schedules. It's always ad hominem and poor attempts at humour.

The modern industry is awash with brilliance - just look at the indie scene. Breath of the Wild is sensational. Steam is glorious. The Switch is hugely promising.

The PS4 and Xbox One? Ramp up the graphics to 11, release exactly the same games but with slightly better graphics and a new name, and pretend it's all hunky dory. Dull. So very dull. Back in your day, I suppose, expressing one's opinion wasn't allowed. :o)

Jareth Smith
4/7/2017 03:21:40 pm

PeskyFletch - I will the moment Sony and Microsoft try something interesting with their consoles. Until then, it's about time someone pointed out how insipid it all is. Innit, geez.

Grandpa
4/7/2017 04:34:37 pm

Back in my day we showed respect to our elders, young man.

Harrumph.

But Old Grandpa knows how you whippersnappers feel. Back in my day, the only movies available were by the Lumiere brothers. Then all of a sudden everyone stopped making films about trains arriving in stations and made the talkies. And everybody but Grandpa was an idiot for enjoying them.

And that's why to this day, I hold a grudge against Rock Hudson.

Christ...
4/7/2017 04:52:34 pm

Jareth...Jareth isn't STILL going on, is he?

The reason nobody gets back to you with a proper response is because nobody here cares for pointless childish internet bickering.

Chareth Cutestory
4/7/2017 05:01:39 pm

Jareth, your opinion has already been proven arbitrary and prone to change to suit your whims, and it goes without saying you are laughably, shamelessly biased. Good points have been made in previous articles that you failed to respond to. There is no debate with you, just you trying to reassert that you are correct and claiming the arguments of others are false, so why would anyone bother? especially if you just do one when you can't respond anyway.

That sort of piffle might pass for debate on /v/, but most of us are sort-of grown ups here, and, crucially, nobody can be arsed anyway.

Biscuits
4/7/2017 05:02:21 pm

I'm starting to think he's a joke account

Jol
4/7/2017 07:30:37 pm

Starting?

Col. Asdasd
5/7/2017 12:42:26 pm

His criticism doesn't even make sense. In fact it's completely backwards.

The SNES was basically the PS4/XBone of the 2D era. A large portion of its releases were platformers, RPGs and sports games - the CODs and GTAs of the day - which did little to push gaming forward as a medium and offered little besides incremental enhancements to graphical fidelity and production value.

It was the N64 and the PSone that, with the move to true 3D, broke ground in a new frontier for gaming. Much as the best among the indie scene (not the peddlers of SNES-style retrograde nostalgia cash-ins) are trying to do now.

Spiney O'Sullivan
6/7/2017 11:58:09 am

Wow, Asdasd. Brutal, but an interesting way of thinking about it. Aside from sprite rotation which did add some new gameplay options (even if the 3D mostly hurts to look at now), there's certainly an argument that the SNES simply advanced on the ground-breaking framework set down by the NES. Almost as if it was a Super NES...

Also, you're bang on that today's "GTA and COD clones" are simply the 2D and 3D mascot and movie license platformers/action platformers of their day. There was a time (like a period of about 20 years) where you couldn't move in a game shop without tumbling over a stack of generic platformers with titles like Krazy the Koala, Randy Raccoon, or Smash the Zorilla (look it up, it's a real animal), or a cartoon or movie license butchered until it sort of fit the format.

RG
4/7/2017 03:49:23 pm

Is this Jareth character a comic creation by Mr Biffo? It is very funny...

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ChorltonWheelie
4/7/2017 08:33:25 pm

"Until then, it's about time someone pointed out how insipid it all is."

And that man is Jareth Smith! Leader, legend and prophet.
Thank you Jarath, hats off and thumbs up to you.

Nick
4/7/2017 10:46:43 am

Blast Corps, Blast Corps, Blast Corps

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Alastair
4/7/2017 10:56:38 am

Tried that on the Rare collection on xbox, rage quit all over again.

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Nick
4/7/2017 11:04:55 am

I had forgotten how bloody hard that game was and now i'm a tired old late middle aged man, I have no hope to ever complete, sigh

Dr Peanuts
4/7/2017 10:49:29 am

I was actually going to write a letter mentioning Silicon Valley. Now I don't have to!

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David W
4/7/2017 10:52:25 am

Warning - incoming tedious technical comment!

N64 games were relatively tiny, so storage space wouldn't be the issue. Agreed about those pads, though.

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Spiney O'Sullivan
4/7/2017 11:57:52 am

Not to mention that they'd need to package four of them with the machine.

Granted, they likely wouldn't do that when they can sell extra pads. But they should.

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Alastair
4/7/2017 10:58:56 am

I took out my N64 for a play a while ago and tried Body Harvest. I got motion sickness and flogged it on Gumtree.

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Biscuits
4/7/2017 11:47:35 am

I maintain that their nauseating visuals makes most N64 games obsolete, which is a real shame. There's a point to mini NES and SNES because those games can't really be improved, but I'd welcome remasters of any N64/PS1 titles over rereleases

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King of Duckhenrys
4/7/2017 08:01:52 pm

Yeah, I remember the Christmas I got my N64, and feeling rather moby due to indulging in too much GoldenEye and Haribo.

Quake was by far the worst for that on the 64, just a blurry brown mess. I couldn't play it for very long without needing a lie-down.

RichardM
4/7/2017 10:59:13 am

Yeah, you got me with SSSV, Body Harvest, Mystical Ninja and Mischief Makers.

My votes for Snowboard Kids, Harvest Moon 64 and (gasp) Mission Impossible. Had a lot of fun with the Embassy level of the latter. Same rights issue as GoldenEye, obviously.

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John Veness
4/7/2017 11:02:32 am

Nine... 😃

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Mr Biffo
4/7/2017 12:32:17 pm

Oh really? Bollocks.

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Biscuits
4/7/2017 11:24:07 am

Hey man what about....oh, you got everything. It would feel remiss not even mentioning Diddy Kong Racing though

Wave Race might still be my fave N64 game, I have incredibly fond memories of it.

A Treasure game eh? That means I have to mention Dynami...oh, you got that too. Mischief Makers really is fun! Treasure might be one of my favourite devs ever (or should that be 'dever! (Or should that be 'treasure!))

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Elvo
11/7/2017 08:36:12 pm

With you on wave race. Great music as well as graphics. So atmospheric. I had a couple of the lap times in CVG beat. Blue Storm is also well worth a play.

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John Veness
4/7/2017 11:47:52 am

Rocket: Robot on Wheels was another under-appreciated gem of a platformer.

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Retro Resolution link
4/7/2017 12:02:43 pm

I'm unconvinced that the N64 mini will ever appear; unlike the NES and SNES, the N64 is notoriously difficult to emulate.

Whilst some titles, such as Super Mario 64, are virtually flawless even on a Raspberry Pi, the N64's ability to use custom GPU microcode means that a lot of horsepower is needed for many, titles including Goldeneye.

Nintendo probably could only include first party titles due to licencing agreements, so Goldeneye would be unlikely even if hge hardware were able to handle it.

Shame, as I'd love one...

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Retro Resolution
4/7/2017 12:04:20 pm

please Mr. B, crowd-source funding to provide an edit facility to the comments!

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Sean Buckingham
4/7/2017 12:37:27 pm

Also, wasn't Beetle Adventure Racing one of the first games to directly support the ill-fated memory Expansion Pak that slotted into the mysterious port at the front?
I remember buying the expansion pak but I think it was for Turok 2 - The Fog of Blur.
I have kept my N64 and I think I still have the memory expansion as well. Somewhere in my parent's loft...

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RichardM
4/7/2017 01:13:19 pm

Didn't you need it to play Perfect Dark and Majora's Mask? I seem to remember lending mine to someone and never getting it back, much to my frustration years later when I got the N64 out and couldn't play MM.

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Meatballs-me-branch-me-do
4/7/2017 01:46:29 pm

You needed it for most of Perfect Dark, yes - the box detailed how much of the game you could access without one (a handful of the multiplayer modes)

Spiney O'Sullivan
4/7/2017 01:52:18 pm

Sometimes I think I should give Beetle Adventure Racing another shot. I remember finding it incredibly difficult to win at (shortcuts often seemed to become long cuts), though the multiplayer Beetle Battle mode was great. It also had some neat levels, including one that blended Pirates of the Caribbean and Jurassic Park.

As for the expansion pak, it doubled the machine's RAM. It was only required for a few games (Perfect Dark, DK64, and Majora's Mask are the most well-known ones), but a surprising number of games used it to either increase texture resolution or framerate (including Turok 2, Rogue Squadron, Resident Evil 2, Shadowman, and South Park).

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Bingo Rose
4/7/2017 01:03:27 pm

I'll tell you what was a fekking rad N64 game... Pokemon Snap.

I will fight anyone that disgarees.

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DD
4/7/2017 01:53:48 pm

Classic game!

I sold mine on eBay recently for an absolute packet when the new Pokemon Go! fad came out.

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Col. Asdasd
4/7/2017 02:01:53 pm

Massive props for including Goemon 2 on this list. It's still such a joy to play: hard as nails the first time through, but replays are where it really shines, as the levels are built to flow and flow.

The crown jewel is its soundtrack though. One of the very best of all time for me.

A few other underrated titles:

Ogre Battle 64
Forsaken 64
Fighters' Destiny
Rakuga Kids
Operation Winback

You could easily mix some of these and Biffo's suggestions into a release list, but I would vehemently disagree that the console was just a Goldeneye and SM64 machine. Try these on for your pear-shaped size:

1080° Snowboarding
Excitebike 64
F-Zero X
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Lylat Wars
Majora's Mask
Mario Golf
Mario Kart 64
Mario Party 2/3
Mario Tennis
Ocarina of Time
Paper Mario
Pokémon Puzzle League (Panel de Pon reskin)
Pokémon Snap
Pokémon Stadium 2 (might not work without the GB compatibility, but they could do something clever with SD cards?)
Sin and Punishment
Super Mario 64
Super Smash Bros.
Wave Race 64
Yoshi's Story

That's 20 games and a pretty stellar lineup in my opinion, with nary a Rare game in sight. Though their absence would be more conspicuous than the presence of 'nary' in a poem about a woman named Mary.

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Trevor Lucia
4/7/2017 02:23:57 pm

it's kids, it's snowboards, it's a lot of fun - it's Snowboard Kids! It's to 1080° Snowboarding what Earth Wind and Fire are to the Three Degrees

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Fat cat investor
4/7/2017 02:39:24 pm

Sold!

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Gme
5/7/2017 06:54:57 am

Snowboard Kids is better that MK64 in multiplayer. The ski lift is one of the most fiendish gaming mechanics of all time.

'Not enough!'

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Talset
4/7/2017 06:01:06 pm

Turok Rage Wars anyone? Playable as hell

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Nick
4/7/2017 06:32:37 pm

Fuckity-do-dar! The SNES Mini is available for preorder at Tesco if you haven't already got your name down.

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Spiney O'Sullivan
4/7/2017 08:04:30 pm

... aaaand they're gone.

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Winston
5/7/2017 02:51:09 pm

Aaand their back again. And I got me a pre-order

Damon link
4/7/2017 07:03:14 pm

I actually preferred the first mystical Ninja for N64... but otherwise yeah. You just listed probably the best N64 games.

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Paul C
4/7/2017 08:47:29 pm

To be honest I think I'd be more interested in a Gameboy Classic, so long as it comes with the the four shaded green LED screen of old. Emulation can never truly recreate the effect of that.

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Rhubarb
5/7/2017 02:01:44 am

I think a gameboy classic could be cool if it used a kind of electronic ink like what kindles use. Would make it easier to see and the battery life would benefit too.

Failing that gameboy micro mini classic would be the vicars tits!

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Kelvin Green link
4/7/2017 09:04:35 pm

"After your robotic body is destroyed in a crash, you have to use your silicon chip form to take over the bodies of the various animals which inhabit - yes - Space Station Silicon Valley. You know: a bit like you'll soon be able to do in Super Mario Odyssey."


Or Paradroid. Paradroid, Biffo. How could you forget Paradroid?

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Biscuits
5/7/2017 09:06:45 am

I didn't understand what I was doing in Paradroid, but I found out I could use my Megadrive pad on my C64 while playing it

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Matthew Long
5/7/2017 10:56:54 pm

I loved Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon. Don't think I ever played the sequel though. It's the sort of half-forgotten thing they should remaster and re-release for the Switch.

Reply
Chris
6/7/2017 10:12:19 am

Is "Now and Hen" on the ITV Hub?

Reply



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