Worms Armageddon

Who doesn't like some worms

Game no: 536
Genre: Action
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1999

I remember playing worms with my brothers and friends when I was young. I played it onmy pc and I was really good at it. The games can last for hours and I develop a lot of skills using all the weapons that were available. I tried to boot up worms for the N64 and I foudn it is a very enjoyable game. It is a fun game but the controllers is not that good. Probably due to havinng a lot of buttons on the N64 so to get precesion controls is quite difficult. But I did finish a game so with that I will give this game a B-Rank 

Wave Race 64

I cant see why this game is considered one of the best 

Game no: 535
Genre: Racing
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1996

This is one of the early games on the Nintendo 64 and I can say that this game is one of the best. This is a simple game where you race jet skis in predeisgn tracks. Due it being open water you need to make sure that you hit the bouys that are on the track accordance to its sign (Either left or right). Hitting them will result in a speed boost and missing them will give a penalty. Miss 5 and the game is over. Thats about it. The races are really intense and I don't know why this game never had a sequel since the water physics here are one of the best I've seen in a while. There are only 6 tracks so judjing the price of the game during that time, it may seem like a ripoff. Overall this is one of the best N64 games I've played. A-Rank

Super Smash Bros

The game that started it all 

Game no: 534
Genre: Fighting
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1999

I've never played the original Smash Bros before but I've played all subsequent versions after that. Which each version that release they made it better with refine characters, stages and mode. So I thought why not check out the game that started it all. The first Smash Bros in my mind was a proof of concept on the idea. Get all the Nintendo mascots and beat the living hell of each other sounds fun. Well it is. But this game is really barebones. They only have one single player mode and a multiplayer mode with some training stuff sprinkle in between. So I am here to say what the game is lacking and how did they fix it. 

First of all the combat. The combat is fun but the controls are a bit stiff. All characters have 4 way directional attack and supers but its all just one combo.There is no charge attack (the fixed that in Melee). Chracters eventhough are fast they seem a bit clunky. Which makes combat not that particularly exiciting. Other than that everything about this game is fine. I can't complain too much because this is the first in the series. What makes it awesome is that they not just improve it. They went above and beyond for the next game on the gamecube. Which makes this an awesome series going forward. But for the first try I will give it a A-Rank since I did finish the single player mode and it was serviceable

Super Mario 64

This game did not age well

Genre: Platformer
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1996

The game that started it all. I remember when they showed this game I was in the US and it was like the most greatest thing I have ever witness. A Mario game with the freedom to go anywhere and do anything. Who doesn't want that. So I started trying to play this game and I found out that I was really wrong. This game really did not age well. For the time this game was great but now with todays modern mechanics and movement this game feels like guiding a tank. Mario controls while fluid is not that smooth. He has a couple frames of animation where he will stop. This will make getting to the precise platform to jump is a chore. Other that the floppy controls. The gameplay is like a normal Mario game. Get start and completed the challenge. I did a couple of Stars and then I realised that life is too short to play a game that is not fun. Overall B-Rank for me

Star Wars Rogue Squadron

Games are better when you are young 

Genre: Action 
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1998

I remember playing this game when I was young on my pc. It was the best game I've played since you get to play as ships from the Star Wars univere. But revisiting this game again for the Nintendo 64 made me realise that this game actually sucks. The controls are stiff. Controlling the ships are a chore and the most important thing is that it is very hard to get a good score. I also got less than 20% on accurancy. So frustrating. But the good thing is that this game has cheats. So after typing the cheat code for everything. I did most of the stages awnd it was fun. I can't say that flying in a star fighter is not fun. Just everything else sucks about it. Overall I give this game a B-Rank 

Star Soldier Vanishing Earth

A good Nintendo 64 game

Game no: 528
Genre: Shooter 
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1998

This is a simple on rails shooter where you just avoid some bullets and fight the boss. What makes this a great game because it is really simple and they have a easy mode for beginners. Which makes it for an enjoyable experince. You can beat the game since they gave you like a lot of lives and usually these type of shooters I would like to watch what is the end of it. So This game deserve a good A-Rank in my books. 

Star Fox 64

I can see why this is a classic 

Genre: Action 
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1997

Whenever you think about the Nintendo 64. Star Fox 64 will always come to mind. It is an on rail space shooter where you need to avoid enemies while destroying them at the same time. The game is fun. Couple with actual voice acting. This is really ahead of its time. My only complain is that, this game is really hard. There are some stages where you can't avoid enemy fire event with a barrel roll. After a while your gameplay will end up frustrating. Great game if you want to stick it through. B-Rank 

Spider-Man

The Playstation one is the superior version

Game no: 527
Genre: Action 
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 2000

This is one of my favorite PS1 games and the last time I played this game was 8 years ago. So what can I say about the N64 version. Let's get the good parts first. First all the gameplay is here. Every stage, enemies and bosses are here. The best part about this game is that when you are older you tend to know what to do when you playing this. Most of the time I just avoid the bad guys and staright go to the end point. Other than a bit of clunky controls. Spider-Man is a fun game to play. What is missing and it is an important part of the game is the cutscene. They replace it with static images with text that you have to read. They didn't even put the voice over for it. The problem is that the Nintendo 64 cartirage can only hold 64MB of data vs a 700MB data from the Playstation version. But I am suprised they manage to pull this off. Overall it is a good game and I can't wait to play the Playstation version again in another 8 years (or less). A-Rank for me  

Rally Challenge 2000

Arcade racing games in the old days really have bad design 

Game no: 525
Genre: Racing 
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 2000

Well another racing game that is just easy to control and fun to play (sort of) in the Nintendo 64 era. The problem with the old school design is that they put a timer for each checkpoint which makes the gameplay very frustrated. You have 30 seconds for each checkpoint and you need to precise. That's about it. The game have the usual troupes like realistic cars, tracks all over the world. This is a good game for an afternoon. Overall B rank 

Pilotwings 64

This game test your patience 

Genre: Action (Simulation) 
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1996

This game was the launch title for the Nintendo 64. The game premise is simple. You guy your character to end landing site. There are 3 different types of equipment you need to master. A glider, a jetpack and a rotary plane. Wind plays a factor in controlling the glider since you can lose speed if you hit an obstacle. The jetpack is fast but you have problem of getting a good landing and also you need to make sure that your fuel gauge is in check. The plane is the hardest to control since you need the right amount of traction to land the plane. That's about it. The game starts from easy to super difficult. I only finish the easy part and after that I stopped playing. This game would be a great game if I have the patience but sadly I don't. So I give this game a C-Rank. If you have the time and a N64 lying around. Should try it. 

Mario Tennis

A surprisingly simple and yet fun game

Game no: 524
Genre: Sport  
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 2000

Mario Tennis is basically the first videogame. Since the first videogame is pong where you play as a paddle and move the ball around. Tennis is just an enhanced version of that. This game is really the basic core mechanics of tennis. There are no power up gimmicks (there is however a power up shot that we can charge) or special stages that test you with your skills. This is just plain basic tennis. 

This game shows you that if you have good control and great mechanics, a simple game as tennis can be fun. This game is really is fun. You play as any of the classic Mario characters in 4 types of courts. Other than that is just a basic tennis game. I played the tournament mode and won. I can play the rest but after a good hour I think I already experience what I need to. Speaking of which I really need to start playing some modern games. But with work and stuff I don't have time. I should make some... Oh yeah A-Rank. If I don't play any
modern game. Probably on my 10 ten list. 

Mario Party 3

They save the best for last 

Game no: 523
Genre: Board   
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 2000

Another year another Mario Party for the N64. The gameplay is the same. The core mechanics haven't change as much. I think they did tweak the difficulty level for Normal characters which is good. The stages are still super interactive and the minigames are still luck based (with some skill involved) Mario party will always be a staple in my household. Since this is the only game that everyone without any gaming background can play. The controls are simple enough. The gameplay is frustrating yet fun so I think this games appeals to everyone. Playing this solo the experience may vary. So I think that this game is best played with a group of friends. Will I play this again with my girls. Probably not since there are better versions (the gamecube versions are much better than this). But at least I tried it once. I won the board this time so in the end I give this game a B-Rank.

Mario Party 2

The second outing. Will it be better

Game no: 522
Genre: Board   
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1999

The next year Nintendo will try again release a sequel to their ever popular game. Mario Party 2. Nothing much has change from their previous formula. There is a still boards to play on and there are minigames to battle every time you end your turn. The Normal computer players are still super hard and the AI sometimes can be proven to be frustrating. There are a couple minigames requires you a split second decision in how you win it so that can also be frustrating in a sense.

Other than that. This game is actually fun. I did enjoy some of the minigames and the board is fun as well. I didn't win since it this game luck is not on my side. But I did finish the hardest board on the game list. Overall Mario party is a great game with friends. If you play this alone your mileage may vary. I can't say you will have fun. But it is something to do to pass the time. Another B-Rank for me 

Mario Party

The game that started it all 

Game no: 521
Genre: Board   
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1998

I've been playing Mario party for close to 20 years. It is the game that my kids and I play or when we have guest over. The premise is a board game with a lot of smaller minigames that can provided unless fun and also unfair shenanigans. So I am taking a trip down memory lane to see how was the first game looks like and how has it evolved since. The core gameplay is still there. There is a board and you roll the dice to see where you land on the board and after each players takes a turn you will play a minigame. The minigame will ranger on vs 4 players, 1 vs 2 or 2 vs 2. There are also special minigames such as coin games and also the dreaded Bowser specials. Each board provides a different gimmick and challenge which makes getting the stars not as easy as you think. 

So let's established that I love Mario party. Weather playing at alone or with people. It is always a fun thing to do. But the first game really has a lot of issues. First of all the AI at normal is super hard. Couple with the bad controls of the game. You'll end up losing most of the minigames. The minigames that you can win are usually based on luck and skills. In the end you'll end up frustrating yourself more. In then end this game was a nice attempt at something special. They will end up making 10 more of of these. But for the first game. I played one board and I considered that game played. B-Rank for me 

Mario Kart 64

The first of many modern Mario Kart 

Game no: 520
Genre: Racing   
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1997

So this is considered the fist game in the Mario Kart series. It has all the modern game mechanics that makes up what we know and love in Mario Kart today. (Techically this is Mario Kart 2). You start with 8 characters and 16 tracks. The track ranges from easy to downright hard.

What I liked about this game is that the racing is fast paced. If you get left behind you can catch up by the power ups. I think the most useful powerup is the lightning since it provides a significant boost for you to catch up. There is a blue shell but that doesn't seem to do the same thing as in the previous Mario Kart. The karts handle very good. There is a slide button but you rarely use it since it always tend to understeer and you'll end up going off track. 

What I don't like about this game which I think they improve on it after previous iterations. The main thing I don't like about this game is that the moment you get hit by something the reaction time is slow. You'll end up in a 10 second or more slowdown and it is going to take you a long time to catch up. That really hurts the game experience since newer Mario Karts you'll be right back in the action. Another thing is that even at 100cc the game is relentlessly hard. The AI opponents will always catch you no matter how far you are and the weapons have a lag time every time you want to fire it.

So I finish all the cups and enjoyed my time with it. Mario Kart is a suitable game but not for solo players. It is fun playing with another 3 people. That said this game is really enjoyable. I don't know when I get to play any current gen game but this game is really one of the best so far this year. A-Rank for me 

Fighting Force

I remember playing this when I was young. It was fun

Genre: Action 
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1997

Well this game is a beat em up. You play as one of four characters and you go from one area to the next area and beat the living butt out of people. And..... That's about it. Really this game has no depth. You just do that repeatedly. The funny thing is that when I played this game when I was young and I enjoyed it. But when you get older you notice that a game really needs to have a certain edge in order to hook you. Other than that you'll just move on. Overall I gave this a C-Rank. 

F-Zero X

The first game finished for 2024

Game no: 519
Genre: Racing   
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1998

F-zero has always been one of the fastest racing games out there. Everything is done with split second decisions. One wrong move and you will be send down crashing and it makes it a very exciting race. They made one of the Nintendo 64 and I really enjoy it. You play as one of the racers and each cup there is 6 different racers. The way the game is design is that you are given an energy meter and with each hit (by the wall or other racers) you will lose health. On the second lap your boost will be activated and you have to balance when to boost or protect your ship. Once you crash or your energy becomes zero. You will lose and you will have to restart the game again. So that is basically the game in a nutshell. Couple that with a great soundtrack, awesome track you got yourself an amazing classic racing game.

The only reason I don't like this game is that this game is freaking hard. Even on novice difficulty it is still a struggle to get into the top 6 place. The tracks are challenging enough but isn't too difficult to navigate. Other than that this game is a instant classic. I love it. I finish all the tracks on novice and call it a day. You need to go to standard and expert to get all the other racers but I am not that good on the track. Overall I gave it an A-Rank.

Duck Dodgers Starring Daffy Duck

An acceptable platformer 

Genre: Platformer
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 2000

It's probably one of the obscure Daffy Duck characters but Duck Dodgers is some kind of space super hero. This game is a typical platformer of the 2000s. You need to go in an area and collect the atoms in which enough atoms will unlock the next stage (that is before you fight the boss for that stage). Controls are decent, platforming is decent. Overall is a decent experience. But after the first stage I was surprised that your atoms don't carry forward and you have to start back from zero. Plus the game only have to different move which is jump and kick. There are some powerups but it is not that memorable. It is probably a great game during that time. But it was okay for me. Overall C-Rank.

Diddy Kong Racing

First game of the year. 

Genre: Racing 
Platform: PC
Release Date: 1997

So using my Odin pro to play old retro games. I played some Diddy Kong Racing. This game is really fun. Since this is a collection of Rare mascots the only characters from the DK series is only Diddy Kong. What makes this game unique than the rest of the normal kart series is that. There are 3 types of vehicles to choose from. There is normal kart, a plan and a hovercraft. The weapons are also have a cool upgrade mechanic where if you hit 3 of the same weapons in a row it will upgrade it to the ultimate version. So this game does offer a bit of strategy in it. The only problem I find is that a lot of the tracks are lock behind a progression system which is a bit confusing to navigate. After a while I didn't even know where should I go and I am missing a balloon to proceed further. That was a big negative in my book. Other than that it was a good game. I'll give it a C rank.

Cruis'n Exocita

Another generic N64 racing game 

Game no: 516
Genre: Racing  
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 2000

Another game, another janky racing by the Nintendo 64. Well this game is somewhat enjoyable. The only thing I can say that gaming in the 64-bit era needs a lot of work. The psychics are too clunky. So controlling the car is like controlling a brick. This game is fun though. I still don't understand why old games require a timer since we bought the game to play. Probably just for added tension. I give this game a C-Rank.