In Defense of…Nintendo 64 over every other gaming system
Posted August 31, 2009 at 12:05 am
My parents never allowed me to own a video game system. Sure, I had a Game Boy and a handheld Sega when I was younger, but never a device that hooked up to the television. I was a small kid growing up, restricted to a tiny screen matching the size of my palm. Meanwhile, all my friends in elementary school had Super Nintendos, PlayStations, Nintendo 64s (my favorite), or whatever the newest system was that money could buy. It was not a matter of funds. I begged to pay for any gaming device with my own money, even my treasured Bar Mitzvah cash. But I pleaded to no avail. My parents always told me that video games were “bad for me.” They rotted my mind, diluted my childhood and weakened my character. As much as I loved to play sports outside, and as respectable as I was as a student, my mom and dad would not budge. At least, not for a couple of decades.
Because of my deprived in-house upbringing, I always ran straight to the TV sets at my friends’ houses, inserted the game cartridge into whichever system they owned, and exercised my fingers (certainly not my mind) until the dinner bell rang. And after, I moved straight to a different game for dessert. But eventually I would have to go home, back to the place where television shows and lame computer games failed to satisfy my appetite. Then, everything changed this past summer.
Back home after my freshman year, my 20th birthday came around in early June. After a delightful hibachi meal, my mom and dad handed me their gift. I slowly opened the bag and found resting at the bottom the one treat I have been craving for two decades: a Nintendo 64. The system just sat there, peering up at me, as metaphorical tears dripped from my eyes onto its black curves and vents. It took them 20 years, but my parents finally allowed me to hold what they always denied. I owned my first video game system.
This tragic yet inspirational tale forced me to look back over my relationship with video games. I have played every popular console in the United States, but my favorite was always the Nintendo 64. Sure, everyone loved it for its first few years of existence before the new millennium, but I defend to this day that the N64 is still a game system superior to any kind created before or after its birth. No doubt, the graphics and ingenuity have improved with each new technological transformation, but gaming quality has never transcended that of the N64.
First, consider the complexity of today’s systems. Does anyone else think that the controllers for the newest Xbox and PlayStation consoles are far too complicated? It seems impossible to just pick up a controller and understand how to capably play any game with the mass of buttons, toggles, and gadgets. It is unquestionably overwhelming. Meanwhile, the Nintendo 64 controllers have only two primary buttons (A and B, imagine that) and one main joystick. The Z-trigger serves as a nice addition, especially with the sleek and comfortable three-prong design of the N64 controllers. The arrow pad and C-buttons await for difficult situations, but they rarely play a role in most games, keeping the N64 from overstepping its genius minimalism. Give a new gamer an N64 and then an Xbox 360, and see which one she gets the hang of faster. Simplicity always triumphs over complexity.
Accompanying its ease comes the personal advantage of the Nintendo 64. Those newfangled devices continue to dig deeper chasms in human gaming interaction. My parents used to not let me buy an N64 because it would keep me inside all day and away from my books. Now imagine adding the element of the Internet and other technological advances. My friends back home used to lie inside all day playing video games (no problem there), but now when they play Xbox and PlayStation against their friends, each player is in his own respective house, communicating over those dorky headsets, epitomizing the lazy gaming nerd that my parents visualized in my childhood. At least with the N64, my opponents have to be in the same room as me. That system always kept gaming life on a personal and human level. Nowadays, the latest devices force gamers to talk to their friends through a screen. Call me old fashioned, but I like to ridicule my opponents in person. Nintendo 64 allows for me to do just that.
Everything before it possessed inadequate screen quality, a mere 32 bits or less of CPU. Everything after it convoluted the true essence and personality of gaming. There is no doubt that the Nintendo 64 is the most superior gaming system ever created. The advancements of the Wii have established a new type of gaming that may eventually provide competition, but still the N64 stands the tallest. It took me 20 years to own my first console, but I would wait longer if it meant owning the be-all and end-all of video gaming, the Nintendo 64.
The top 10 N64 games
1. Mario Kart 64
2. NFL Blitz
3. Mario Party
4. GoldenEye 007
5. Super Mario 64
6. Major League Baseball Feat. Ken Griffey Jr.
7. Cruis’n USA
8. Super Smash Brothers
9. Star Fox 64
10. Diddy Kong Racing
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On August 31, 2009 at 12:06 pm Eric said
So true, N64 is the best video game system of all times. I was one of those lucky guys that got every nintendo console, even now I have a Wii, but still the best memories of my gaming life come from the 64 era: Wave Race 64, Diddy Kong Racing, extreme g-2 (XG2), Turok 2, Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini, Super Smash Bros, Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, Paper Mario, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Shadow Man, Pokemon Stadium… and so on.
On August 31, 2009 at 1:54 pm Richard Jesse Markel said
You completely forgot to mention The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Not only is it one of the best N64 games, but it also is a strong contender for best game ever made. Also, don’t go propping up the N64 as the best system ever when the Super Nintendo gives it a run for it’s money.
On September 8, 2009 at 7:03 pm Joe said
Hey the exact same thing happened to me! My parents wouldn’t budge either, no video games at all except for a few PC games. Whenever I went to my friends houses, it was always straight to the N64. That’s pretty much how I got my great childhood memories of video games. My parents gave in a bit sooner though, and I finally got my own N64 too. I still play it almost every day.
On September 8, 2009 at 7:23 pm Ron Felen said
You know, I never knew what the big deal about the Playstation was. I never thought it was good at all. Only one of my many friends had it, and it honestly wasn’t any fun! I have no good memories of it at all.