Maybe this is just me, but when I was 15 there was an amazing gaming console coming out called the Nintendo 64. It looked like it could possibly be the coolest thing since sliced bread. At the time, my job was shelving books at a library and my income was...suboptimal. I spent 3 weeks coming up with a 5 page letter to my parents about how the N64 was vital to my life and how I would need this if I wanted to be cool.
Long story short, I of course won over my parents and got myself an N64 with their help. By far my two favorite games for quite a while on the console were Mario Kart 64 and Starfox 64.
I spent a good long time playing Mario Kart, and I could destroy the computer on Mirror or 150cc. I played against friends and neighbors and any challengers, so that everyone knew I was the best. (Probably.)
A mall in the city next to me ended up having a Mario Kart contest, whoever got the best time trial would get TWO free N64 games as a promotional offer. As a competitive egotistical gamer, I figured I had those games in the bag. Wouldn't you know it, the course randomly selected was Wario Raceway. Yes, that infamous track.
I competed that day and got third place (5 dollar gift card). You know why? Because of that stupid track jump on the first hill. I was flabbergasted when I saw it, and not only was I incredibly mad because I knew I was about to lose, but I was floored by the creativity of some person in the world who thought to himself: "You know, I bet if I was going just right I could R-hop that hill..."
I wonder if we as gamers are still that creative, or if games are becoming far too refined and we lose a bit of that magical maphave/bug error that reminds us that we as humans can still be a bit out of the box when least expected.
@Dephect: Welcome to the late 90's. The PlayStation was probably even worse when it came to textures and graphics capability. In short, EVERYTHING from that era looks horrible compared to today.
The few good games on the N64 are really great. Starforx 64, Ocarina of Time, Goldeneye, Goemon's Great Adventure, Conkers Bad Fur Day, and a few other classics. The system has completely earned its place in history with its handful of good games.
Dephect tells the truth though. Compared to the Saturn and PS1 the N64 looks foggy and the textures have that weird bitmap clipping look. Not that the saturn and ps1 look great now, but the N64 does look worst. Silent Hill doesn't have as much fog as the N64.
@Reaprar: The closing paragraph was the tie-in (granted, it had a typo.) The opening was an anecdote that reminds me I'm not quite as creative as others. I'll work on my clarity in more posts, thanks for the critique.
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Ive always thought the N64 was one of the most horrible consoles.
The graphics were pretty horrible, everything was muddy and blurred to hide horrid textures.
A few gems did come out of that console, but for me I was much more into Sega Saturn.
I loved my N64, I knew only one person with a PSOne and that was a year before PS2 came out. It was fun.
N64 - Home of GoldenEye. Respect.
@Dephect: Welcome to the late 90's. The PlayStation was probably even worse when it came to textures and graphics capability. In short, EVERYTHING from that era looks horrible compared to today.
If you want to see some 'creativity' and people 'cheating' the system play some games on line, especially the more competitive ones.
@Shawnkelfonne:
Especially on an HDTV
The few good games on the N64 are really great. Starforx 64, Ocarina of Time, Goldeneye, Goemon's Great Adventure, Conkers Bad Fur Day, and a few other classics. The system has completely earned its place in history with its handful of good games.
Dephect tells the truth though. Compared to the Saturn and PS1 the N64 looks foggy and the textures have that weird bitmap clipping look. Not that the saturn and ps1 look great now, but the N64 does look worst. Silent Hill doesn't have as much fog as the N64.
It's hard to out-cool sliced bread. It's always on the cutting edge.
@Reaprar: The closing paragraph was the tie-in (granted, it had a typo.) The opening was an anecdote that reminds me I'm not quite as creative as others. I'll work on my clarity in more posts, thanks for the critique.