Nintendo 64 vs. Nintendo GameCube

[oldmanwinters]

I'd award the Gamecube the based on the controller configuration alone. I can't stand the placement of the thumbstick and d-pad (practically useless) on the N64 standard controller.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I'd award the Gamecube the based on the controller configuration alone. I can't stand the placement of the thumbstick and d-pad (practically useless) on the N64 standard controller.

Yea, the N64 controller d-pad... what games used it?

N64 had a huge controller. I liked it at the time, but GameCube had a better one. The best Nintendo controller will always be SNES, imo.

[Toitlefan]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I've had like two classmates who had a GC. It didn't sell much in my country. 95% of the kids at the time went for the PS2.

I've played some Banjo-Kazooie last Summer and it has aged well. Not as magical as it was obv, but it's still playable. Ocarina also replayed it not too long ago. Still a good game, but not the "best game ever" like I'd call it back in 1998

How did it give you the feeling that games were unfinished? And you mention Mario Kart instead of Mario 64 or even Ocarina?

Mario 64 is actually a good example of an unfinished game. It wasn't visually appealing to me mainly because the environment felt too empty. I understand that's just the way it was for a newly developed type of game and each system is limited but I couldn't get past it. The gameplay felt sloppy also. I despise games that rely heavily on jumping, yet the controls are no where near precise.
Mario Kart was so much more polished.

I haven't played Ocarina enough to discuss it but I don't think I've ever played a Zelda game I didn't like.

[Turo602]

Gamecube hands down. The Gamecube is to the N64 what Super Nintendo was to the NES. While the NES and N64 were the more revolutionary consoles, they both existed during an awkward time for games. There's definitely good games to be found in each but 2D and 3D gaming were still just being realized with the NES and N64. It was their successor that perfected the formula. Games felt smoother, looked noticeably better, and even tried new things.

Nevermind the unique console design, the great controller layout, the wavebird, and the Gameboy Player add-on. The games is where the Gamecube really shines. We were introduced to Luigi's Mansion. Metroid finally made the transition from 2D to 3D. Resident Evil was perfected with REmake and even revolutionized third-person action games with RE4. It also had better versions of Mario Kart and Smash Bros. Then there's Mario and Zelda. While most people usually prefer Mario 64 to Sunshine, I've always preferred Sunshine for its unique setting and charming music. Controls may have been a bit slippery but I felt FLUDD really helped balance that out. Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker are both really amazing but Gamecube ultimately gains the advantage for having both games available in its library as well as Twilight Princess.

With that said, Gamecube wins, no contest. It's a shame it was such a criminally underrated console. It's by far one of my favorites, if not, my all-time favorite console.

[MrPliggins]

Never had an N64, but played friends' consoles in the college dorm, mostly Goldeneye and Ocarina. Despite that, I feel I got much more gameplay out of the Gamecube. I loved Sunshine and Wind Waker. I developed an obsession with Animal Crossing (which curiously didn't continue to subsequent AC games).
Despite being a huge Zelda fan, I to this day have never made it to the end of Ocarina. Even though I purchased the superior 3DS upgrade to the game, I still haven't beaten it. Same with Mario 64. Something about these games always makes me eventually lose interest, while I stuck with Sunshine and Wind Waker to the end easily. I know I'm in the minority here.
So for me, Gamecube all the way.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Toitlefan

Mario 64 is actually a good example of an unfinished game. It wasn't visually appealing to me mainly because the environment felt too empty. I understand that's just the way it was for a newly developed type of game and each system is limited but I couldn't get past it. The gameplay felt sloppy also. I despise games that rely heavily on jumping, yet the controls are no where near precise.
Mario Kart was so much more polished.

This post is some next level bullsh*t. My mind is reeling.

Originally Posted by Turo602

Truth

You pretty much nailed it, without even going super deep on the stellar library.

[Toitlefan]

Originally Posted by Peanut

This post is some next level bullsh*t. My mind is reeling.

Easy there, it's just my opinion.

[TheCanadiandrome]

Never owned a GC but I love my N64! Played a GC and although I never owned one I kinda wish I had bought one

[AT-Man]

Gamecube all the way. I would even take GC Zeldas before the ones on N64.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Toitlefan

Easy there, it's just my opinion.

You can't have an opinion about a factual statement. The game isn't unfinished. The stuff about the controls being bad is a poor opinion, seemingly arrived at because of a distinct lack of knowledge and/or experience, but you not enjoying it and thinking it's a bad game is a totally valid opinion.

As far as the people who think the N64 is a superior console...I do have to wonder where they're coming from? It almost has to be an entirely nostalgic choice, or else one based on limited experience with both consoles. Gamecube had Ultimate Muscle, guys. ULTIMATE. MUSCLE. But for real, if any of the people who voted N64 can give me a solid case beyond nostalgia/never playing a GC I'd love to hear it.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Peanut

You can't have an opinion about a factual statement. The game isn't unfinished. The stuff about the controls being bad is a poor opinion, seemingly arrived at because of a distinct lack of knowledge and/or experience, but you not enjoying it and thinking it's a bad game is a totally valid opinion.

As far as the people who think the N64 is a superior console...I do have to wonder where they're coming from? It almost has to be an entirely nostalgic choice, or else one based on limited experience with both consoles. Gamecube had Ultimate Muscle, guys. ULTIMATE. MUSCLE. But for real, if any of the people who voted N64 can give me a solid case beyond nostalgia/never playing a GC I'd love to hear it.

The guy I talked to abotu this before making this thread told me he preferred N64 by far. And then I went on comparing both console's libraries and when I began listing good GC games he simply said "none of those appeal me. I liked N64 for the Rare platformers, Mario 64, GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. Melee was cool, tho."

[Leo656]

N64 was a big hit with people who couldn't afford to or didn't "Need" to play a lot of games, like if they didn't have a wide variety of interests and were satisfied with just Mario and Zelda stuff. Or like if all a person played was wrestling games, the N64 is pretty much the only console you'd ever need unless you *really* cared about graphics, and those are super-casual gamers so they wouldn't. So, basically, people who'd say they prefer N64 generally have a much more narrow range of interest as far as what games they play. But it's a bigger group of oddballs than you'd think.

But yeah, objectively the Gamecube kills it from every angle, really. Especially once you stick that GBA Player on it and quadruple the amount of games you can play on it.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Leo656

N64 was a big hit with people who couldn't afford to or didn't "Need" to play a lot of games, like if they didn't have a wide variety of interests and were satisfied with just Mario and Zelda stuff. Or like if all a person played was wrestling games, the N64 is pretty much the only console you'd ever need unless you *really* cared about graphics, and those are super-casual gamers so they wouldn't. So, basically, people who'd say they prefer N64 generally have a much more narrow range of interest as far as what games they play. But it's a bigger group of oddballs than you'd think.

But yeah, objectively the Gamecube kills it from every angle, really. Especially once you stick that GBA Player on it and quadruple the amount of games you can play on it.

Nintendo 64 games could b kinda expensive though. Especially Rare games form what I recall.

Saturn's price lowered significantly only a year or two after it hit the market. So I bet some people took advantage of that to buy one and several games for low prices before they were taken out of the stores.

And it's crazy how many wrestling games were on the N64.

[Leo656]

Only 4 or 5 worth playing, but they're also the only ones you'd ever need. To this day I know dozens of people who ONLY play those games, and nothing else, no Mario or Zelda, just No Mercy forever until the sun goes supernova. And a few others who do that and then maybe also have a 360 for the WWE games and nothing else. It's weird. To me, buying any console only to play 4 or 5 games seems kind of a waste, but y'know, whatever, it's Your hobby, you do it how You like it.

But yeah, literally the ONLY people I've ever heard say the N64 was their favorite console, also said No Mercy was their favorite game of all time. So, y'know, it's kind of a shallow opinion. I'd be shocked if anyone who "really" played video games honestly preferred it over the Cube.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Only 4 or 5 worth playing, but they're also the only ones you'd ever need. To this day I know dozens of people who ONLY play those games, and nothing else, no Mario or Zelda, just No Mercy forever until the sun goes supernova. And a few others who do that and then maybe also have a 360 for the WWE games and nothing else. It's weird. To me, buying any console only to play 4 or 5 games seems kind of a waste, but y'know, whatever, it's Your hobby, you do it how You like it.

But yeah, literally the ONLY people I've ever heard say the N64 was their favorite console, also said No Mercy was their favorite game of all time. So, y'know, it's kind of a shallow opinion. I'd be shocked if anyone who "really" played video games honestly preferred it over the Cube.

Many prefer the 64 over the GC. about 40% of the people in the poll thus far, per example. And it's not just on this forum. Like Peanut said, it's probably more nostalgia than anything else. Also, people tend to prefer the Mario and Zelda games on the n64 over the GC ones, which I guess kinda influences their final decisions. I mean, people have different tastes. If everyone was objective and on the "right side", no one would rank any domestic Nintendo console above the SNES

I can see people buying consoles not just for games nowadays, since they can play DVDs, blurays, etc. hell, PS2 being a cheap DVD player really helped selling the system, per example. But a console like N64 where all you can do is play games? Buying it just for a couple of wrestling games? Those people most be really big wrestling fans.

From my experience, the typical N64 collection consists of: Ocarina, Mario 64, Majora's Mask, Star Fox 64, Mario Kart 64, at least a couple of Rare Games, one of the Mario Party games, that ****** South park game, Turok, and a sports or wrestling game(if people are fans, that is). I swear, 95% of the N64 collections I've seen all look more less like that. Oh plenty had Wave race and Pilotwings 64 as well. The only other console I can think of from the top of my head where like everyone seems to have the same games is Sega Saturn.

Btw, N64 multiplayer was a blast back in the day. Remember Mario Kart, DK64 and GoldenEye multiplayer modes? Also those Mario Party games when the series was new? Good times. First console where I experienced multiplayer with 3 other people.

[Leo656]

Well, there's certainly nothing wrong with it but it's still kind of odd, to me. I mean the Cube just has more games and as others have said, the best N64 games are done better elsewhere. I'unno.

Meanwhile, the N64 is almost all I've personally messed with for the past few weeks.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Well, there's certainly nothing wrong with it but it's still kind of odd, to me. I mean the Cube just has more games and as others have said, the best N64 games are done better elsewhere. I'unno.

Meanwhile, the N64 is almost all I've personally messed with for the past few weeks.

Which N64 games have been ported? I know that there's remakes of OoT, MM, Diddy Kong Racing and SF64 on the 3DS. And that Mario 64 had been sorta remade for the the DS. And you can also play OoT on the GC if you buy Wind Waker's bundle with it. But what about other classics? have they been ported or remade? I don't really count Animal Crossing's GC remake/port since the N64 version was only released in japan iirc.

[Toitlefan]

The N64 seemed like a stepping stone to the Game Cube. The N64 did these new ways to play the game, it just didn't do it very well.

Originally Posted by Peanut

You can't have an opinion about a factual statement. The game isn't unfinished. The stuff about the controls being bad is a poor opinion, seemingly arrived at because of a distinct lack of knowledge and/or experience, but you not enjoying it and thinking it's a bad game is a totally valid opinion.

Allow me to help you get caught up. When I said the game was unfinished I was referring to an earlier post of mine that said the game just FELT unfinished. Maybe I only feel that way in comparison to other games, I don't really know. I do prefer Playstation controllers over all others so maybe that's why I don't like Nintendo's. The layout just doesn't work well with my hands I suppose.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Toitlefan

The N64 seemed like a stepping stone to the Game Cube. The N64 did these new ways to play the game, it just didn't do it very well.

Dude...what? SM64 and OoT were not only game changing, genre defining 3D games, they were also (and still are) incredibly designed games that stand the test of time.

Originally Posted by Toitlefan

Allow me to help you get caught up. When I said the game was unfinished I was referring to an earlier post of mine that said the game just FELT unfinished. Maybe I only feel that way in comparison to other games, I don't really know. I do prefer Playstation controllers over all others so maybe that's why I don't like Nintendo's. The layout just doesn't work well with my hands I suppose.

Hmm. Were you actively involved with games at that time, or did you come to all of this stuff later? Trying to wrap my head around the environment that would foster your particular stance. Also, the original PS controller didn't even have an analog stick, so making the controller comparison where it concerns a title like SM64, the game that revolutionized 3D analog control, doesn't really hold water. Unless you're a huge fan of Croc, then I don't even know what to say.

Originally Posted by Prowler

Which N64 games have been ported? I know that there's remakes of OoT, MM, Diddy Kong Racing and SF64 on the 3DS. And that Mario 64 had been sorta remade for the the DS. And you can also play OoT on the GC if you buy Wind Waker's bundle with it. But what about other classics? have they been ported or remade?

Like...what? What other classics are there? Conker has a steller remake on the Xbox and in August the N64 version is being updated for Rare Replay on X1, both Banjo-Kazooie games and Perfect Dark have superior HD ports on the 360 and what else is there? You can go to fringe games like Ogre Battle 64 or Mischief Makers, but those are few and far between. There are better sequels, ports and remakes of nearly everything worth playing on the N64.

Also, took longer than I thought for someone to come in here and spew over those f*cking N64 wrestling games.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Peanut

Like...what? What other classics are there? Conker has a steller remake on the Xbox and in August the N64 version is being updated for Rare Replay on X1, both Banjo-Kazooie games and Perfect Dark have superior HD ports on the 360 and what else is there? You can go to fringe games like Ogre Battle 64 or Mischief Makers, but those are few and far between. There are better sequels, ports and remakes of nearly everything worth playing on the N64.

Also, took longer than I thought for someone to come in here and spew over those f*cking N64 wrestling games.

Oh, right. Banjo had a remake on the 360. Totally forgot about that one. Didn't know about Perfect Dark and Conker's remakes, though. Then again I've never owned a Microsoft console and don't really pay attention to what goes on there. I guess it makes sense, though, since MS owns Rare. Also, you know what I'd really love to see a remake of? Blast Corps. I loved that game as a kid. Imagine that game with better graphics and with improved gameplay

Pilotwings 64... well there was a game on the 3DS, wasn't there? I guess that's included in sequels that are better? GC also has a Wave Race game.

A GoldenEye remake would be nice... but that game has issues that go deeper than dated graphics. It's really a game that you had to be there to play it.

What about the Turok games? I own the first one, Dinosaur Hunter, but could never get into it. Then again I've never been a big shooter guy.

And what's wrong with N64 wrestling games? You think they've aged poorly? I haven't tried them out but judging from the videos and images I've seen, they look pretty dated. Although big fans of those games have told me that they actually play quite well still and that you need to ignore the dated graphics in order to enjoy them properly nowadays.