"Remember when Nintendo made good consoles?"

Introduction
First off, let me start off by saying that I am not, in any way, biased against Nintendo or any of their products. The Super Nintendo and NES have always been 2 of my favorite video game consoles of all time, and have provided me with a lot of great games. However, I kind of had a feeling from the start that I was not going to be a huge fan of the Nintendo 64. Call it what you want, I call it low expectactions. And unfortunately, Nintendo lived up to these low expectactions, because I did not like this console much at all. I mean, it has good music and sound capabilities, and great graphical effects, but look at the seleciton of games! Terrible. I always say the games make or break the console, and in this case, the game library broke this console in half!

Graphical Capabilities (9/10)
Yes, this is a powerful system, and yes this makes the games look very good, and thats really all that matters. First thoigh, I have to question Nintendo's logic (again). Why in the hell would they make an accessory specificlaly made for ''enhancing the graphical capabilities of the console'' (expansion pak) when the system is already supposed to be graphically sufficent? Thats the only thing that really bothers me, oh yeah and the fact that the console can't run full motion videos well, due mainly to the cartridge format of the console. It would have been better had they used CDs, in my opinion. Then, you have to remember that this is a 64 bit console. Twice the amount of the Playstation, and half of the amount of the Dreamcast. Overall, this console has good graphical capabilities, Perfect Dark is one of the games that pushes the console to its limits.

Music and Sound Effects Capabilities(4/10)
Now, I know you have heard all of the myths about how the Nintendo 64 cannot handle good music and sound effect capabilities. Well, for the most part, you heard correctly, but here is what I think of the whole situation. Now, there is the inner parts of the console, which can be capable of producing some quality music and sound effects. Then there is the format of the games itself, as the game comes in the cartridge format, not the compact disc format. So that reduces from the quality of the music and sound effects in the game right there. Overall, the capabilities of the console when it comes to music and sound effects are mostly limited due to the cartridge format of the games, not anything due to the inner portions of the console.

Game Library (2/10)
This is where the console really falls apart, in my opinion. I mean, there have been countless amounts of games released for this console, and I was not a fan of most of the ones I played. In my opinion, there have been only 5 or 6 classic Nintendo 64 games released, in comparison to the 20 to 25 that have been released for the Sony Playstation. Then there is the lack of games in my two favorite genres: role-playing and 2D fighting games. The former is barely represented, as all that is featured is Quest and Zelda, and I didn't really like either of those games too much. The latter is non-existant, as for some reason the Nintendo 64 is not capable of handling classics like Marvel vs. Capcom for some reason. I do wish there was more good games released for the console, because while there are some good games out there, there just isn't enough. Overall, the game library is terrible, save for a few gems.

Best Parts of the Console
Well, there are not really too many quality points of the console, but I might as well try my best. First off, I really like the design of the console. It has a nice black look to it that really blends in well, and I will say that the console looks a lot cooler than the Sony Playstation or Sega Dreamcast does. Also, the design of the controller, while it takes a little while to get used to, is great, as I really liked how it featured both a digital pad and an analog pad, even though I do wish more games used the analog stick. This is not too major, however, as some games do indeed use both. I just wish more games did, that’s all. Also, there have been some quality games released for the console. For instance, Goldeneye and Perfect Dark are great games. They are just two of the many quality games released for the console.

Not So Great Things about the Console
First off, I would like to say that I am not going to be biased here. But I am not a big fan of the game library of the Nintendo 64 console, at all. First off, most of the games released for the console are pure garbage. Sure, you sometimes get a gem like Perfect Dark, but those seem to be more the exception than the rule. Then you get the crappy games like Armorines, Shadowgate 64 (nowhere near as good as the original Shadowgate) and more. There are also only one true role-playing game released for the console, which really is a disappointment to me, since my favorite genre just happens to be the role-playing game genre. Also, the lack of 2D fighting games on the console really disappoints me. The lack of ''big name'' franchises heading to the console is a bit disappointing also, as the Super Nintendo hosted a lot of Big name franchises. Another problem with the console is the storage medium of the games. There is nothing wrong with the cartridge format, except for a few problems. One, the lack of storage to host things like full motion videos, voice acting, etc. Two, the cost of some of the games is rather disappointing. Games for Nintendo 64 can go for twice as more as Sega Dreamcast games, because of the difference in storage mediums. This is simply a shame.

Overall (2/10)
Yes, due to its crappy game library, I am giving the Nintendo 64 console a 2/10. I mean, the system is good to have for graphically enhanced games, but even the Dreamcast has outdone it now. I think must of the luster has worn off of the console, although it never really had any in my eyes to begin with. The biggest problems I have with this console is the fact that there are a lot of crappy games released for it, that there are no good role playing games on it, and a majority of the games released by Nintendo on it are Pokemon related. If Nintendo decides to release some more good games that don’t have to do with Pokemon, and signs on new companies to make games (like Capcom), then I will be happy. Until then, I’m sticking with Playstation and Dreamcast.

Would Terra Branford buy this console?
No, because my two favorite genres are non-existant for the most part on the console. I would have maybe considered purchasing this console under two conditions. One, more quality games released, instead of garbage like Pokemon Snap. Two, Nintendo’s commitment to the hardcore gamer. Unfortunately, there are no signs of either one ever happening, so I am staying away from this console for now.

Terra Branford’s Quick Console Wrapup™
Made by: Nintendo
Best Part of Console: Graphical Capabilities
Worst Part of Console: The Game Library
Average Retail Cost: $99.99

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/00, Updated 08/02/00