Today is the 25 Year Anniversary for the launch of the Nintendo 64 in North America!
The N64 launched along side Mario 64, which was a revolutionary game for its time. It was the first time that the world experienced a 3d platformer; Where you could move around in 3d space.
The launch happened early in my high school years. My friend got the N64 at Christmas of the same year. He invited me over, and I was blown away with Mario 64 and the unique controller of the N64.
It wasn't long before I was able to get my own console. I did beat Mario 64, but never managed to collect all 150 stars.
It wasn't long before Nintendo's other favorite series launched, with Zelda Ocarina of Time. It was a revolutionary RPG that brought the series into a 3d space. This game was the most talked about among my class at the time.
A great feature of the N64 is that it had 4 controller ports built-in.
When it came to multiplayer racing games, Mario Kart 64 and Wave Race 64 were simply awesome. Mario Kart 64 required some skills to get in first place, but those that fall behind got better items to help them catch up. In Wave Race 64, waves would knock you around and challenge you and your friends.
Smash Bros 64 was the first 4 player fighting game that I experienced. To win, you had to throw your friends off a cliff when their health was low and be the last one standing. My friends and I all found our favorite characters and mastered them. Usually we would master a few.
Along with the Nintendo 64 25 Year Anniversary, Nintendo has announced a new way to play N64. On Nintendo's current console, the switch, you will soon be able to play select N64 games. An optional N64 type controller will launch with this enhanced N64 Online Service.
