3 UNDER-THE-RADAR N64 GAMES DESERVING SWITCH PORTS
Yes, Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack users want Goldeneye. And Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. And Turok. Gaming YouTube has been aflame with calls for more content from the service, which debuted its N64 offerings in October. (Folks are, however, celebrating its recent emulation upgrades.) Upon launch, this was the slate: Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Yoshi’s Story, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, WIN BACK: COVERT OPERATIONS, Mario Tennis, Dr. Mario 64, and Sin & Punishment. Some of those have been available in recent years via other consoles, compilations, and services. And the Expansion Pack service has since added games at a rate of one per month: Paper Mario, Banjo-Kazooie, and, soon, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Nintendo charges $49.99 annually for the complete trove of SNES, Sega Genesis, and N64 titles, so the entitlement is somewhat understandable for those who upgraded from the original SNES plan expecting a similar array.
For me, it’s not the quantity that Nintendo needs to boost, but the service’s diversity of genres. And there are plenty to choose from, pending rights obstacles: There were nearly 300 games released for the system between 1996 and 2003 (the last being Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3), and I remember at least 30 of them being quite good. Just a shooter, a fighter, and a new sports game would add spice to the menu landscape, I think. Below, I’ve collected three games worth ports in the coming year to stave off the hungry hordes:
A Bananas Shooter: Forsaken 64
Acclaim, 1998
At the time, there was something mind-blowing about the six degrees of freedom and lighting tricks of Forsaken 64. (I hadn't played Descent yet.) Its 360° treasure-hunting and dog fights were particularly potent with the original N64 controller joystick. And like Star Fox 64, different accomplishments brought different paths in the game.
An Underrated Fighter: Dark Rift
Tokai, 1997
Forget the dimension-jumping story, which is all about acquiring some master key to all of the universe’s secrets. The characters are the star here and are highly underrated in the pantheon of Nintendo fighters not found on other consoles. (Killer Instinct Gold, anyone?) Imbued with complementary fighting styles, weapons, and strong mechanics, its fighters are surprisingly engaging and distinct for how little the game is talked about these days. Take this fight between two favorites, Gore and Aaron Maverick:
A Downhill Diversion: 1080° Snowboarding
Nintendo, 1998
This popular snowboarding game can only be called "under-the-radar" for being missing from many of gaming media's Expansion Pack wishlists. Also: The third-person snowboarding game was already re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008, so it should only be a matter of time to see it surface again. The strongest components here are its physics and third-person perspective, having the replayability of its Tony Hawk-led peers. It was just a ton of fun and made me want to try the extreme sport (until someone told me it would require going outside).
‘WE ARE THE DEFENDERS OF THE NIGHT!’
As I said last week, everything you loved in the 1990s is going to get a new toyline this year. NECA is putting together a delightful collection of figures based on the Disney-produced show Gargoyles, about gargoyles who wake at night in modern-day NYC to protect the city.
Keith David, you may remember, did the voice for main character Goliath, and the guy who could have his own Six Degrees game a la Kevin Bacon. He also starred as Spawn himself in his HBO animated series—and the following characters for DC and Marvel series during that decade: Black Panther, Despero, Atlas, and Mongul.
Anyway, here’s a look at NECA’s Goliath, which has a couple head variations:
It comes with a few accessories, too, and the most notable is the jalapeño pepper. You may recall this meme-worthy scene, which it’s referencing:
Would be even cooler if the pepper had no real reason to be included. But still pretty neat.
SPEAKING OF THE ’90S (AGAIN)
Since last week’s OJ slammer was so popular in the feedback, here’s another find from the decade on eBay right now: a cache of Congo action figures for the low, low price of $91.70 (or your Best Offer):
The 1995 film was yet another Hollywood take on a popular Michael Crichton novel. How would I rank all of the 1990s adaptations of Crichton novels? you ask. Well, I wasn’t planning on doing this here, but OK:
Jurassic Park (duh)
Sphere
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The 13th Warrior
Disclosure
Congo
Rising Sun