Nintendo 64

"Gaming bliss from '96"

Ah, the Nintendo 64 (N64 for short). One of the greatest consoles of the late 90's and early 2000's (and also today). It was released (in North America) in September 29, 1996 with only two launch titles, but I will tell you what they are later. Here is why you should get one of these amazing systems.


System/Controller Design: 9/10
One of the great things about the system is it's design. On the front is where you plug in the controllers (you can plug in up to four controllers, unlike previous Nintendo systems where you can only plug in two), and the Nintendo 64 logo in the middle. On the top is the power switch that obviously is used to turn the system on and off, the reset button that you use to reset games (unfortunately for me, my reset button does not work) the slot that you put games in and in between the power switch and the reset button is a cover that says Memory Expansion on it, that is where you replace the Jumper Pak (which powers the whole system) with the Expansion Pak (I will tell you about the Expansion Pak later), on the bottom is where you would plug in the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive, although it was only released in Japan so I will not be talking about it. And finally, on the back is where you plug the system into the TV and electrical socket. And now for the controller design. The Nintendo 64 controller was released in several different colors such as yellow, blue, green, black, etc. The controller is kind of shaped like an M, with ten buttons: a blue A button, a green B button, four yellow C buttons, a dark grey Z button on the back of the controller, a dark grey L button on the top left, a dark grey R button on the top right, and last but not least, a red start button. It is a pretty colorful controller. It also has a directional pad (D-pad for short), and an analog stick and, on the back is where you plug in the Rumble Pak and Controller Pak which I will tell you about later. That is why I love the design.


Accessories: 10/10
Okay, I will now tell you about the Rumble Pak, the Controller Pak, and the Expansion Pak. And there is one more Pak that I have not told you about, and if you want to know what it is, you will have to keep reading.

Rumble Pak
The Rumble Pak as the name suggests, allows the controller to vibrate. It requires 2 AAA batteries in order to function. You plug the Rumble Pak into the back of the controller. There are a lot of games that use the Rumble Pak such as, Star Fox 64.


Controller Pak
The controller Pak is a memory card used for the Nintendo 64. Like the Rumble Pak, the Controller Pak plugs into the back of the controller. A notable game that uses the Controller Pak is Mario Kart 64, which uses up almost all the memory in the Controller Pak.


Expansion Pak
Remember when I told you about the cover on top of the system that says Memory Expansion on it, and that you replace the regular Jumper Pak with the Expansion Pak,
well I will now tell you what the Expansion Pak is for. It adds an extra 4MB of RAM (I am not quite sure what that means). There are only two games that require the Expansion Pak: Donkey Kong 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.


Transfer Pak
The Transfer Pak lets you transfer data from Game Boy Color games to Nintendo 64 games and the other way around. You plug it once again into the back of the controller. Nintendo 64 games that used the Transfer Pak are Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Pokemon Stadium, and Pokemon Stadium 2. Some Game Boy Color games include Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Pokemon Red, Pokemon Blue, and Pokemon Yellow.


Graphics:10/10
The Nintendo 64s graphics were by far the greatest of its time. As you might know, the Nintendo 64 was named after it's 64-bit graphics, great graphics during that time. A game that has very good graphics is Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards


Games: 9/10
Unlike other systems of that time, the Nintendo 64 used cartridges instead of discs, making games very expensive (sometimes going up to $80). And there were only two launch titles: Super Mario 64, and Pilot Wings 64. Although they were expensive, they can be very fun.


Final Recommendation: Buy it
I highly recommend that you buy a Nintendo 64. It is very fun, and you will be entertained for hours with tons of great games like Donkey Kong 64. You should definitely buy one of these great systems.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/12/09

Game Release: Nintendo 64 Hardware (US, 09/29/96)