Written By: Conor

Over the past few weeks I've had an epiphany. I realised once and for all that there was no way I could sell my N64. This editorial is on why.

As the Gamecube launch looms ever nearer I've been playing my N64 non-stop over the past few weeks, finally getting 120 stars in Mario and doing those rock-hard Perfect Agent missions in Perfect Dark. I have felt something stir up in me and realised that I could never sell my N64. I realised that I want, years from now, to dig out "the old N64" and show Ocarina of Time to my children and say "Yes, that was the pinnacle of gaming when I was a kid". I don't want to have the same regret that I have about selling my SNES, about never being able to revisit Super Mario Bros 3 (one of my personal favourite games ever) on my old Super Nintendo. I want to be able to play Ocarina of Time, Goldeneye, Mario 64 and other classics, thinking of memories, memories I'm going to share with you now.

When comparing myself getting the N64 and myself getting the Gamecube (only 2 days to go!), it shows how much the N64 evolved me as a gamer. Before getting the N64 I was a big fan of Nintendo but was an uneducated gamer, I didn't have the internet or get magazines and so didn't know much about the game industry, except that Nintendo games rocked. In fact, I remember trying to persuade a friend not to get Playstation instead of N64 by using the argument "But the N64 is 64-bit and Playstation is only 32-bit". Yes, I was that clueless. But look at me now, a Nintendo fan who's been following the Gamecube ever since E3 1999 where Peter Main told the crowd about "Project Dolphin" and know almost everything there is to know about Gamecube and its games and I couldn't be more excited. The N64 evolved me, without it I could be sitting here saying "I'm getting XBox, I mean, just look at those specs!". Okay, maybe not, but you get my point.

I'll begin at the beginning. I had heard of the N64 from my cousin who had recently gotten it with Mario 64. I can still remember how excitedly he talked about Mario 64, although I didn't get a chance to play it until after I got my N64, but Mario in 3D sounded so class (it turned out to be much more than "class", believe me). I got my N64 on Christmas 97 with Lylat Wars, I was a big fan of the SNES' Starfox game so LW was an obvious choice for my first game. Ah, I remember connecting my N64 up in my room to my big TV and playing. The controller was slightly weird (for about 30 seconds!) at first but soon just melted into my hands. It just felt so right. Hats off to Nintendo for its ingenious design, which even Gamecubes controller is unlikely to better. Into the next year and Goldeneye came. And God, how it came.

Up there with Zelda, Goldeneye has got to be the most influential game on the N64 for me. It was even influencing me for the better before I even got it. You see, Goldeneye sold bucketloads upon its Christmas 97 release and so obtaining a copy in the new year was damn near impossible. I went to store after store, looking, praying the next one had it in. The term Sold Out became daily, it was frustrating as hell. And once, when I was at my weakest, I
broke. I thought "Screw it" and decided to get Diddy Kong Racing when I was in the store but by a lucky twist of fate, my Dad didn't have his chequebook with him and my aunty got me a copy of Goldeneye a few days later. This taught me to wait for what I wanted, something which is essential to every Nintendo fan, as you all well know. Before Goldeneye I was a somewhat undisciplined gamer, hardly ever fully finishing a game, using cheats. But Rare didn't release any cheats for Goldeneye until about 2 1/2 years after its release so they had to be earned, the big ones were near impossible to get. And the missions required commitment and plenty of practise, as well as a great deal of skill and strategy. Although it wasn't on the highest difficulty, Control on Secret Agent was probably the level in any game that has given me the greatest sense of accomplishment. I swear, protecting Natalya on the computer while guards were pouring in from all directions was one of the tensest moments for me in gaming history. But completing the whole game on every difficulty was a daunting task, on which I only accomplished a few months ago. Now that is lastibility. Also, the game itself had so many memorable moments. Like the first time one of those harmless scientists who were nothing more than target practice pulled a gun out and shot you back. Or when you first learned you could zoom in even further with the sniper rifle, and quickly using it for a headshot from a mile away. Or finally getting that Invincible cheat and walking through Silo after the plastiques detonated and having every guard you went near collapse dead. Or learning to sneak about, killing with headshots through windows. I could go on and on but this would take up the entire editorial. Instead, I'll move onto the multiplayer. Ah, the multiplayer. I can still remember first playing it, it was at my forementioned cousins house and I hadn't yet played Goldeneye at all. But I knew I had to buy it after I connected my controller and we had a 4-player deathmatch in Complex. In just a few games Goldeneye became the greatest multiplayer game I'd played. And once we all got good at it, its status was only heightened. Nothing compared to perching yourself in what we called "the base" with a sniper rifle, rocket launcher or whatever big weapon was on and raining hell on whoever was unlucky enough to walk in your view. It was just so liberating to play something like this. If Zelda: OoT wasn't released Goldeneye would've undoubtedly been the N64s greatest game. In terms of the greatest games ever Goldeneye is up there in the top 3. There's no way this game is ever leaving me.

But it's not just me who feels this way. Here's what our Graphics Guy Lammie has to say on Rares masterpeice:

"The year was 1999, the game was Goldeneye. I had been playing this game for a hideously long time, I had battled the streets of St Petersburg, dodged bullets in underground caverns, and shot my ex-collegue to bits. That was all easy. Easy compared to what faced me. Egypt. Damn you Baron Samedi, damn you! Oh, how many times must I fall to your stupid drone guns? Too many was the answer. I had attempted this level many times only to be shot to bits thanks to pressure sentive flooring and the mechanical genius of drone guns. Sure, I could always use a playguide, but why do that now, and spoil the whole game? I don't think so.

It was a Sunday afternoon, "Goldeneye Time" as my sad self called it. This was when I slipped into a deep focus, where I would be in a trance like state for hours only slipping back into the real world to grab a Choc-Chip cookie or two (vital sustainance). In this state I was in prime form to stealth my way around darkly lit Train Depots, Chemical Warfare Facilities and the such. Many of these Sundays resulted in swearing fits and controller hurling, but there were also many that ended in happiness.

From battling Cradle as as feeble Agent, to protecting the pathetic Natalia in the Cuba Control Center. I had progressed to the final challenge, Egypt. Even worse, it was in Agent mode, I couldn't pass the damn level in Agent!

It was one cold Sunday afternoon that I finally cracked the puzzle of the floor (thanks to recoding what tiles were nasty and which were not on a bit of paper). Oh Joy! Once I had that done the game was over, I had finished Goldeneye! It was a sad moment. My cherished game had pretty much given me all it had to offer. I had finished it. That was all that mattered.

Now, where's Perfect Dark..."

Goldeneyes multiplayer may have been fantastic, but it can't compare to Super Smash Bros'. Quite simply, it is the greatest multiplayer game ever and probably will remain it until Melee surprasses it. I'd like to thank Capcom, because if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have been able to get Smash Bros when I did. You see, I was planning on getting Donkey Kong 64 and Resident Evil 2 for Christmas but RE2 was delayed to a date so close to Christmas that my Mum wouldn't have been able to get it for me, so I had to pick a different game. And as I flipped through the Xmas edition of N64 Magazine I thought occured, why not get this Nintendo beat-em-up that looks so good? Thank you Capcom, for allowing me to get that great, great game. And so Christmas night, New Years Eve and every other get-together for several months became "Smash Bros night" where my brother, two cousins, friend and I came together for hours of pure, unfiltered fun. There we would compete in game after game of sweaty, tense, excitement, laughing, shouting until we all had to go. Anyone who says gaming draws people apart is a liar, pure and simple. SSB's multiplayer was just something else, it was everything that made gaming fun condensed into a 5-minute game in one arena with four fighters. Testament to its greatest is the fact that we were still playing it regularly 2 years after its release. I only hope Melee can live up to it. Some of my favourite memories of the N64 were playing multiplayer with my friends and cousins. I remember when my family and my aunt, uncle and cousins went to Bondoran (a great, moderately-sized holiday town) for our holiday two years ago. My family stayed in a hotel and my cousins' family stayed in one of the small holiday homes near it. Every night after a night at the arcades and amusements my brother, two cousins and I would reside to their holiday home while our parents stayed in the hotel lounge for ages. There, we would sit and play 4-player F-Zero X until the wee hours of morning, we always had a great time. Now I know most kids my age would be out, "painting the town red", being one way of putting it, but only a true games diehard knows the pure fun to be had settling down with 3 mates and playing for hours on end. Such scenes were repeated every time we got together, whether it be a Christmas, New Years or whatever-the-occasion party. Granted, we don't really have much times like these anymore (hopefully Super Monkey Ball and SSB Melee will start them again) but my older cousin and I always find the time every Saturday afternoon for our ongoing Goldeneye rivalry.

Now all these were both Nintendo 2nd-party games so no wonder they were so good. In fact, 1st and 2nd party games carried the N64. You want proof? Out of my around 20 N64 games, 3 were 3rd-party and the rest were 1st and 2nd-party. This lack of 3rd-party support killed the N64 in terms of sales, image, profits etc. but didn't KILL it. Fact is Nintendo don't NEED 3rd-parties, I don't know about you but the only thing I buy Nintendo consoles is for the Nintendo games, 3rd-party games are just bonuses. Now this year, I plan to only buy 23 3rd-party Gamecube games; Super Monkey Ball and Resident Evil. Anyway, back to the N64. It seemed many people had wishful thinking regarding 3rd-parties on the N64. But we never got the big titles, and when we did they were usually either half-assed ports or arrived too late, Resident Evil as an example. It was great but arrived round two years, I think, after the PS version and still retained the dated control system. Kudos to Capcom for it though, most 3rd-parties didn't even make the effort. Not to get too negative though, there WERE times when the N64 was doing really, really well. One time that sticks out in memory was the infamous later half of 1998. We had the sublime Banjo-Kazooie storming that Summer followed by the cracking Winter. There we had The Best Game Ever, Zelda: OoT, the fantastic Turok 2, the rock-hard (but great fun) F-Zero X and 1080 Snowboarding and the original Silicon Valley accompianing DMAs fab Body Harvest. Such times were few for the N64 but when they came they rocked. But for us diehard N64 owners times rocked a lot. Maybe not in terms of sales, profits etc. but for just the sheer quality of games we had to choose from.

God how I loved Ocarina of Time. I mean, I always knew it was going to be great, brilliant even but nothing could prepare me for the adventure I was about to embark on. I can remember Christmas morning 1998 (my favourite XMas yet), seeing Zelda:OoT just sitting there in its box, perched in the living room beside all my other presents. Once the opening of presents and everything was over I quickly grabbed the box and ran up the stairs, sweaty with anticipation. I stood over my N64, box in hand trying to open it (it had one of those annoying plastic sticky things on it), but failing because of the excitement. So I ripped the box down the middle, slammed the cart into my N64 and felt my heart melt as Epona rid across the screen with that beautiful music playing. Once I took control of Link I just walked about Kokira Woods, awe-struck with the world set before me. And for the next month, I played the Greatest Game Ever Made ever waking minute. One Sunday stands out in memory, when my cousins (not the previously-mentioned ones) came over for the day. I got up early, I played. I went to Mass then I played. I got my dinner then I played. And until I had to go to bed that night, I played. Never has a game so captivated me, everything else seemed meaningless, I was totally sucked into the world of Zelda. I got really far that day, to the last temple or something. And every day that week I ran home from school, afraid that my brother would complete it when I wasn't there (he got home earlier than me). Unjustified fears maybe, but I wasn't taking any chances. In fact, I didn't complete the game until that Sunday. I can still remember that moment, playing tennis with Ganondorf and fighting the awesome Ganon with what little ammo I had left. It was 9:15, Sunday, January 24th 1999 (yes, I can remember the exact time!) when I struck that final blow and that majestic cutscene rolled there in front of me. I promptly ran down to the phone in the hall and phoned my cousin. It was supposed to be just a quick phonecall to "tell Steve I clocked the game", as I told my Mum, but ended up being a excited, blabbering pouring of genuine human emotion. "I did it, I completed it", "You should've see it, it's so cool" and "Oh my God, oh my God, it's over" were some of the few words my cousin could make out between the constant excited breaths. Zelda connected with me in a way no other game did, it was more than a bunch of coding on a cartridge, it was the greatest book I've ever read, the finest movie I've ever seen and one of the greatest experiences I've had. Oh, but it's not just me who feels this way, as Q&A Guy GamecubeGod testifies:

"I started to buy NOM (known as ONM way back then) at issue 59. It wasn't until a few issues after that that I started noticing this one game, entitled Zelda 64. Since Zelda: Links Awakening was the first game I bought out of my own choice, (I got my GB when I was SIX, along with Mario and Tetris) , I got very nostalgic over this title. Zelda. It took me back to the good times.

I steadily followed this game through it's progress, right up until it's release date. It went through several changes, looks, alterations, names and storylines, but finally it was released, under the very intruiging name 'The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time. But then disaster struck. I cried when my mum said I couldn't have it.

Time went on, and I wished I had one of those Ocarinas so I could go back and steal the money from my mum to get it. I gawked in shop windows, stared longingly at the boxes on the shelves, until one special day came along.......Christmas.

I couldn't believe it when it happened. I opened up a present, and there it was. I stared at it, and it stared at me. I promptly jumped up and down, ran around, shouting and screaming at the top of my voice 'I'VE GOT IT! I'VE GOT ZELDA!' I still remember that day to this date.

After the most antagonising of journeys (we were in Scotland over christmas), I finally got to play the game of my dreams. I placed the cartridge in so carefully that you might have thought it was my own life I was dealing with, and then I turned it on. I was greeted by Nintendo64 and the N-cube logo, over which I got very excited about. But then the true beauty came. Link, riding on Epona, entered the breaking dawn, and I fell in love.

Every dungeon filled my heart with happiness, all the people filled my mind with joy, all the side quests filled my body with fun, all the songs filled my spirit with love. I got all nostalgic over the brilliant brilliant music in Lon Lon Ranch, as it is a remake of the beautiful theme that is played in both Links house and Kakariko village in Zelda: A Link To The Past on the SNES. I was also ecstatic to see the return of this village. What effected me the most
(emotion wise), however, is that none of your old friends recognise you once you become old Link. That made me cry, when Mido says 'When I look at you, all I see is........him'.

I played that game for 10 days straight, for at least 8 hours a day, if not more. I explored every dungeon, won every heart, collected every Skulltulla. There is nothing in that game I haven't done. I have completed that game at least 100 times. To this date, no game has surpassed it, and quite frankly, no other moment in my life has either. It brings a tear to my eye every time I play it, let alone every time I think of it.

If I must sum this game up in a phrase, this is it. 'This game changed my life'." Few times have I genuinely felt emotion for characters in games but I can remember one time, do the words Majoras Mask ring a bell? The one area where Majoras Mask excelled,
beyond all reasonable doubt, Ocarina of Time was its story. I loved OoT's but Majoras Mask, well, it wasn't the huge overall game story but the little lives of Clocks Towns residents. I remember once when I was off, it was a Monday, and was alone in the house until dinnertime. When I got up in the morning I stuck on MM, and it stayed on. The day wasn't spent progressing in the main quest, but helping Clock Towns residents, talking to know them, actually getting to KNOW them. I got drawn into their lives, especially the girl whose fiancé had left her in suspicious circumstances. I genuinely wanted to help her, it was like these people were REAL, I felt actual emotions for them. It was an incredible feat in a game, one which few other games have recreated. It's games like these that make Nintendo the kings they are.

Kings they certainly are. Kings of originality, of creativity. Kings of genius lead by the great King himself, Shigeru Miyamoto. And though the N64 mightn't have done great sales-wise or in terms of mass media or the Nintendo fans that experienced the great days of the SNES's opinion, to me it was King of its generation. And come May 3rd, when my N64 retires to the cupboard, where it will stay aside from when Mario, Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, Majoras Mask or Ocarina of Time beckons me, and my Gamecube takes that coveted space on my desk between my TV and PC speaker I'll only have one thing to say.

"The king is dead, long live the king."