Things N64 did better than other Nintendo consoles

Summary

• Nintendo 64 introduced a controller with analog sticks, which sets a standard for future gaming controls.

• N64 had revolutionary games, as Super Mario 64The Zelda: Ocarina of Timeand Goldeneye 007, who redefined their respective genres.

• N64 brought along popular Nintendo franchise as MarioThe The legend of ZeldaThe Donkeyand Pokemon into the world of 3D games and expands their reach in the process.

Among Nintendo's extensive range of video game systems, Nintendo 64 is one of the most important and fascinating. The company's first transfer to the world of 3D graphics may have come relatively late to the fifth generation of consoles, but it still managed to have a huge impact on the entire industry.

Oddly enough, N64 is far from Nintendo's best or most successful console, but its fans still talk very fondly about it because it only did many things well, and in areas where its predecessors and successors faded in comparison. Nintendo 64 stood out in many different ways, and the following examples perfectly reflect everything it did better than most of the other Nintendo consoles.

1

Innovative hardware

Its analog stick changed the game completely

Nintendo 64 was (and still is) known for its strangely shaped control unit, which included a Analog stick It allowed players to completely control a character's movement in a 3D game. Of course, when this console came out, there were of course already other systems that can run experiences with completely 3D graphics (such as Playstation or Sega Saturn), but their characters were moved to just move in the four directions for a regular D-pad.

When Nintendo 64 was launched together with Super Mario 64The entire gaming industry immediately realized how satisfying and innovative to be able to fully control the movement of a character. This innovative hardware not only affected its main competitor, Sony, to release a double analog control unit for PS1 a year later, but it also made analog sticks a mandatory part of each subsequent game control from that point onwards. In addition, N64 was the first Nintendo console to have four built -in control gates (without the need for an extra accessory), which made it perfect for multiplayer.

2

Innovative software

It had some of the most important titles in the history of the game

But of course, a console's innovative hardware cannot thrive unless it has a well -made innovative software as well, and Nintendo was fully aware of this. The above mentioned Super Mario 64 was built around the console's revolutionary analog stick and as a result of its enormous impact, it became the best -selling video game in N64's entire catalog.

That is not because two years later Nintendo released Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time On the same console, which not only quickly got the title of one of the best video games ever created, but also revolutionized the action adventure genre with its level design, its open world and its Z-goal mechanic. Also was there too Goldeneye 007 – Rare adaptation of James Bond Film of the same name, which completely redefined how the first personal shooters were played on home consoles. Each individual Nintendo system has its fair share of innovative games, but N64 came out at an exact moment in time that enabled several revolutionary titles for a few years.

3

Brought many beloved Nintendo franchise to 3D

Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and more made the jump to 3D during this generation

Another advantage of the console generation where Nintendo 64 debuted is the fact that this was the moment each company jumped into the gaming world with 3D graphics And as a result, many beloved Nintendo IPS made the jump to 3D on this console. The most famous example is Super Mario 64that was as revolutionary and well received as Super Mario Bros on NES. The legend of Zelda The series also made this hope with Ocarina of timeWhich also became one of the console's most influential and successful titles.

There was too Mario Kart 64the first of many sequels to Super Mario KartThe Donkey Kong 64The first and only 3D games in Donkey franchise to the release of Donkey Kong Bananza 2025 and Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon SnapTwo 3Dspin-off off Pokemon Franchise, who had previously debuted at Game Boy in 1996, the same year that N64 came out. Unfortunately some popular Nintendo IPs (like Metroid or Fire emblems) skipped this generation and had to jump to 3D on the company's next console, Gamecube.

4

Excellent multiplayer games

N64 was the most social console in the history of the company

All Nintendo consoles (both those who came before and after Nintendo 64) had a huge collection of fun and popular multiplayer experiences, but this one stood more than anyone else in this regard. Wii is the only other Nintendo console that can even compete with the N64 when it comes to multiplayer games, but it still fades in comparison in many ways. For starters, it came with four built -in control gates, which means that users did not have to buy a separate accessory to play with up to three friends.

But the N64 also had a huge collection excellent Multiplayer titles It was as entertaining as they were addictive, which caused players to play with their friends for hours at a time. And best is that it really had something for everyone: kart-racing fans could play Mario Kart 64 and/or Diddy Kong RacingFPS fans could play Goldeneye 007 and/or Perfect darkFighting Game fans could play Super Smash Bros or Murderer instinctSport fans could play Mariofinnis and/or Mariogolfetc. It is also important to point out that this console is where the famous Marioma The series debuted, which quite a lot of redefined party game genre.

5

Completed a long console war against a rival company

Nintendo defeated its biggest competitor, Sega, during this generation

An intense rivalry between Nintendo and Tough was born under The two previous console generations, especially when the latter suddenly released its revolutionary 16-bit system, Sega Genesis. While Super Nintendo was undoubtedly the superior 16-bit console, Genesis was still able to maintain a loyal consumer base for many years, with its high quality exclusive and its several accessories. Of course, the hope for 3D in the mid-1990s was a crucial moment for this rivalry, and unlike its two predecessors, Nintendo 64 was able to destroy its main competition.

N64 was better than Sega Saturn in every way (especially in terms of price, controls and exclusivity), and even Sega's early sixth generation console, Sega Dreamcast, such a commercial fault was that it caused the company to stop manufacturing consoles completely. Of course, Nintendo's defeat cannot fully contribute to the success of N64 (mainly because Sega made several questionable business decisions during this time), but Big N could easily have gone down the same way as its rival if it never took a revolutionary 3D console with a fantastic collection of excellent exclusive.

6

It did very well despite its late release

N64 came out two years after PS1, and it still gave it some tough competition

Nowadays, Nintendo tends to release its consoles a few years before the competition, which means it can have the upper hand during a specific generation. However, Nintendo 64 is a notorious exception as it came extremely late to what was undoubtedly the most important generation in gaming history (the one where most companies made the jump to 3D) and yet it still managed to have a huge impact, sell many units and become a respectable rival for Playstation 1.

Oddly enough, N64 came out almost two years after the launch of PS1, but it still made surprisingly well in terms of sales, with over 32 million units sold during its lifetime, not to mention that it revolutionized the entire industry with both its software and hardware. Of course, PS1 was still the undisputed “winner” of this consolentation, but the fact that N64 became its biggest competitor even though he released two years later is nothing but impressive. Unfortunately, this tactic did not work for Nintendo a second time, as Gamecube came out a year after Playstation 2, and it performed much worse than both its competition and its predecessor.