What did the N64 do better than the PS1 and Saturn?

[TheRev]

Good Read esp on the Saturn Tangents. I love the Saturn and it's probably my favorite system dispite the fact I've only owned one for a year. The N64 I've owned... 2 months

Every system has it's games worth playing even the 3D0 had a few exclusive fighters worth a look. I've always wanted to Play Way of the Warrior and the 3D0 hasn't been that emulation friendly. As for the best from that generation. 3 way tie PSX, Saturn, N64 were all great. I didn't own any until well after but played alot of PSX with my cousin back in the day, and while the PSX isn't my main collection focus there are defiantly games for it I really want to have.

Speaking of PSX, The N64 got a port of Ridge Racer nobody brought up. What do you think of Ridge Racer 64 compared to say. the 60FPS version of RR that came with R4?

[FerretGamer]

Just for the hell of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoYyztfOc-0

I always loved that commercial since it perfectly displayed Sega's brashness.

[prfsnl_gmr]

...even the 3D0 had a few exclusive fighters worth a look. I've always wanted to Play Way of the Warrior...

Really? Really? Why would you subject yourself to that game?

(BTW, the only correct answer is, "F*ck you. I play what I want.")

[TheRev]

Just for the hell of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoYyztfOc-0

I always loved that commercial since it perfectly displayed Sega's brashness.

Nothing beats Segata Sanshiro beating people up for not playing the Saturn.

...even the 3D0 had a few exclusive fighters worth a look. I've always wanted to Play Way of the Warrior...

Really? Really? Why would you subject yourself to that game?

(BTW, the only correct answer is, "F*ck you. I play what I want.")

Fork you I play what I want

But also it's an important game. It's an Early Naughty Dog Game before they jumped to Sony and before they did anything great. It's a very good looking game even if it's crap.
And since it has Thunder Kiss 65 on it's sound track I can chant EC DUB EC DUB while stupid things are going on.

For that matter I'd get a Jaguar just to play Kasumi Ninja (and what is said to be the best version of Rayman)

[Ack]

I've been mentioned a couple of times in this thread due to the fighting games, but I also know a bit about the FPS games the console had to offer. Of its generation, the N64 has a small list of games, so it's not that there aren't many good games, it's that there really aren't very many games. Only about 300 games came out in the US. Let's consider a breakdown of fighting games.

NINTENDO 64

There are about 19 fighting games released on the console in the US: Super Smash Bros., Fighter's Destiny, Fighter Destiny 2, Flying Dragon, ClayFighter 63 1/3, ClayFighter Sculptor's Cut, Mortal Kombat 4, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Dark Rift, Deadly Arts, Dual Heroes, Xena: Warrior Princess - Talisman of Fate, Killer Instinct Gold, Bio F.R.E.A.K.S., Tom and Jerry: Fists of Furry, Mace: The Dark Age, Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction, Transformers Beast Wars Transmetals, and War Gods. So about 6.33%.

SUPER NINTENDO

There are about 45 fighting games released on the SNES in the US, which I will not list out. But the SNES had about 725 games released in the US, which means it has a rate of about 6.21%.

So proportionally, the Nintendo 64 actually has a higher rate of fighting games when compared to the previous generation. In fact, as far as Nintendo consoles are concerned, the N64 has one of the highest proportions of fighting games. Compare it to the Gamecube, which actually only had a handful of fighting games release in the US (fewer than 30), yet had a game library about double the size, which would put its rate closer to 3%.

Anyway, the reason ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut and Transformers Beast Wars Transmetals go for so much is that they were Blockbuster exclusives and were never meant to be sold to the general public. But once Blockbuster liquidated their N64 game supplies, they found their way to market. It is possible to get them for cheaper than what some folks would think(I picked up Sculptor's Cut for about $50, and Transmetals for about $40. And I regret nothing).

Folks have also mentioned that the console was preferable for First Person Shooters, and I would be inclined to agree. The Nintendo 64 made the FPS a viable genre on a console long before Bungie ever put out Halo, first through the Turok series(Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was the first N64 third-party game to become a Player's Choice title) and then through Rare's offerings, GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. Hey, four-player multiplayer was nothing to sneeze at, which is what I loved about many of the FPS on the console. After all, Hexen is nice on the Sega Saturn, but I can beat down three of my friends with the fighter's metal-encased meatfists on the N64 port.

So yeah...games I would recommend at least looking into, in no order:

Super Smash Bros.
Killer Instinct Gold
F-Zero X
Wipeout 64
007: GoldenEye
Perfect Dark
Mario Kart 64
Mischief Makers
Gauntlet Legends
Ogre Battle 64
Super Mario 64
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Hexen
Excitebike 64
Extreme-G
Forsaken 64
Blast Corps
Doom 64
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
Flying Dragon
Paper Mario
Battletanx: Global Assault
Kirby 64
Jet Force Gemini
Resident Evil 2
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Tooie
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Castlevania 64
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Bomberman 64: The Second Attack
Waverace 64
Rampage: World Tour
Mario Tennis
Mario Golf
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
Pilotwings 64
1080
Shadowgate 64
Mace: The Dark Age
Quest 64
Duke Nukem 64
Duke Nukem Zero Hour
Harvest Moon 64
Star Fox 64
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Star Wars Episode 1: Pod Racer
Star Wars Episode 1: Battle for Naboo
Mega Man 64
Space Station Silicon Valley
Pokemon Snap
Pokemon Stadium
Pokemon Stadium 2
NFL Blitz
WinBack
WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
WCW/nWo Revenge
WWF: No Mercy
WWF WrestleMania 2000
WWF War Zone
The World is Not Enough
Yoshi's Story

Now admittedly, some folks would argue that some of these games have better versions on other consoles, but I would argue that that isn't necessarily the point: you may not have access to those better consoles, value of the games may vary, and each game may offer unique modes, such as WWF War Zone. Also, I left off the Mario Party games because I generally dislike them, though I'm told they improved with the later entries.

So there you go, 67 out of 300 games overall to go check out. And maybe while exploring the console, you'll find a gem that I forgot or don't know about. In fact, I'm sure you will.

[SpaceBooger]

Note that even though I vastly prefer the Saturn and PS1, I haven't parted with my N64 for all the reasons listed. In fact, this thread is making me consider pulling it out of its box again spon...

I'm curious, though: how many people here didn't have the N64 when it was current yet still think it is tops for that generation? I think nostalgia/familiarity might be shaping the defensive responses some. I had a PS1 (only) back then and prefer it, but I got into the SAT/N64 around the same time (about a decade after their respective launch) and think that the Saturn is much, much stronger.

I had a Saturn first, bought a PS1 when Final Fantasy VII was released and didn't get a N64 until two or three years later. I bought a Saturn out of loyalty from my Genesis, which was the successor to the NES for me, and I was weary of the new kid on the scene. After beating FF7, I got my PS1 modded and it became more of a novelty system to me since I accumulated too many games from renting/burning that I never really invested any time into one game. The Saturn on the other hand, I played to death since I was a poor college kid and had to choose which game I would drop money on wisely. I only purchased a N64 because everyone else was playing GoldenEye... and then I realized it was no fun playing solo, especially since I am not a fan of FPS.

So for me the Saturn is my favorite out of nostalgia (mainly for the three Shining games and Albert Odyssey) the N64 never had any games that appealed to me since I was soloing every game during that generation, and now I respect the PS1 because of the variety and longevity of the system and games.

[BurningDoom]

I've been mentioned a couple of times in this thread due to the fighting games, but I also know a bit about the FPS games the console had to offer. Of its generation, the N64 has a small list of games, so it's not that there aren't many good games, it's that there really aren't very many games. Only about 300 games came out in the US. Let's consider a breakdown of fighting games.

NINTENDO 64

There are about 19 fighting games released on the console in the US: Super Smash Bros., Fighter's Destiny, Fighter Destiny 2, Flying Dragon, ClayFighter 63 1/3, ClayFighter Sculptor's Cut, Mortal Kombat 4, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Dark Rift, Deadly Arts, Dual Heroes, Xena: Warrior Princess - Talisman of Fate, Killer Instinct Gold, Bio F.R.E.A.K.S., Tom and Jerry: Fists of Furry, Mace: The Dark Age, Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction, Transformers Beast Wars Transmetals, and War Gods. So about 6.33%.

SUPER NINTENDO

There are about 45 fighting games released on the SNES in the US, which I will not list out. But the SNES had about 725 games released in the US, which means it has a rate of about 6.21%.

So proportionally, the Nintendo 64 actually has a higher rate of fighting games when compared to the previous generation. In fact, as far as Nintendo consoles are concerned, the N64 has one of the highest proportions of fighting games. Compare it to the Gamecube, which actually only had a handful of fighting games release in the US (fewer than 30), yet had a game library about double the size, which would put its rate closer to 3%.

But N64 had no Capcom or SNK fighting games, so none of that really matters.

[Ack]

No, but it did have Midway, Rare, Nintendo, Interplay, Culture Brain, Konami, Atari, etc. If you want a traditional 2D fighter, you've got Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Killer Instinct Gold, and Rakuga Kids. 3D fighters include Flying Dragon (which has 2D gameplay as well), Deadly Arts, Dual Heroes, Mortal Kombat 4, War Gods, Bio F.R.E.A.K.S., and Xena: Warrior Princess. The two ClayFighter games parody elements of these series and include super bars styled after the Street Fighter series along with combos like Killer Instinct and Mortal Kombat-esque fatalities for a mix of 2D and 3D action. Arena fighters included Tom and Jerry: Fists of Furry and Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction. Fighter's Destiny and Fighter Destiny 2 were point-based fighters, while Dark Rift and Mace: The Dark Age were weapons-based 3D fighters. Super Smash Bros. was a fighter in a completely different vein from the rest of its genre.

All of it matters. I'm just sorry most folks can't step out of their limited worldview to see that there are fighting games beyond whatever Capcom and SNK can produce.

[BurningDoom]

No, but it did have Midway, Rare, Nintendo, Interplay, Culture Brain, Konami, Atari, etc. If you want a traditional 2D fighter, you've got Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Killer Instinct Gold, and Rakuga Kids. 3D fighters include Flying Dragon (which has 2D gameplay as well), Deadly Arts, Dual Heroes, Mortal Kombat 4, War Gods, Bio F.R.E.A.K.S., and Xena: Warrior Princess. The two ClayFighter games parody elements of these series and include super bars styled after the Street Fighter series along with combos like Killer Instinct and Mortal Kombat-esque fatalities for a mix of 2D and 3D action. Arena fighters included Tom and Jerry: Fists of Furry and Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction. Fighter's Destiny and Fighter Destiny 2 were point-based fighters, while Dark Rift and Mace: The Dark Age were weapons-based 3D fighters. Super Smash Bros. was a fighter in a completely different vein from the rest of its genre.

All of it matters. I'm just sorry most folks can't step out of their limited worldview to see that there are fighting games beyond whatever Capcom and SNK can produce.

Plenty of those are great fighting games (and some of them are pretty bad). And some of them are on other systems as well. But Capcom and SNK make the best fighters. (Super Smash Bros. is great, though, and unique. But Melee is everything great about it plus more.) And while I agree N64 does have some good fighters, there's just no comparison to the fighting games on PS1 and Saturn, though.

[pierrot]

Just for the hell of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoYyztfOc-0

I always loved that commercial since it perfectly displayed Sega's brashness.

I remember that commercial pretty well; It may or may not have been the reason I owned a Saturn well before anything else that generation.

In retrospect, it kind of reminds me of early Toonami commercials, though.