Nintendo 64

NEW REVIEWS THIS WEEK:

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Hey, tedizslayer here to give my review on the classic Banjo-Kazooie!

Banjo-Kazooie has been released for over 10 years now, and it remains my favorite game of all time. After the evil witch, Gruntilda (or “Grunty”), captures Banjo’s sister, Banjo and his bird friend Kazooie must venture into Grunty’s lair to get her back. In order to take on Grunty and save Tooty, Banjo and Kazooie must navigate through 9 worlds that are accessed through Grunty’s lair. These levels have tons to offer, and you will travel to many different places, including a forest that changes through seasons, a winter wonderland filled with evil snowmen, and even a haunted graveyard. Each world has 10 “Jiggies” that you must get (similar to stars in the Mario series) by completing a wide variety of challenges. You need a certain number of Jiggies to unlock each progressive world. You also collect notes (golden musical ones), which you will need in order to enter certain areas of Grunty’s lair. Many friends will help you in each level, including Bottles – a mole who will teach you new moves when you find him, and Mumbo Jumbo – a shaman who will transform you into anything from a walrus to a pumpkin. You’ll also meet a lot of other characters who need your help (here’s a shout out to my good friend, Captain Blubber). The levels are always a blast to explore, and they have so much to offer that you can play through the game several times and still forget where to go sometimes. The designs are great, and this really is one of the best-looking games on the N64. Of course, its platforming and adventure are top-notch and right up there with Super Mario 64. It has a good balance of some tough challenges, but nothing impossible. Another big thing in this game is the terrific music. The songs are all very catchy, and do a great job of adding to the mood of each level (the music for Mad Monster Mansion is dark and creepy, while Freezeezy Peak makes me feel like I’m running downstairs on Christmas morning). They also change slightly as you move throughout the level: by going underwater, the tone changes to a quieter and gentler one, while entering a cave might make it slower and eerier. It’s some of the best music I’ve ever heard in a game. Overall, Banjo-Kazooie is a timeless classic that will never get old for me. Having played through it more times than I can count, I never found anything wrong with it, and it’s always just as fun as it was when I first got it so many years ago. It scores a perfect 10 in my book. If only Rare had never left Nintendo and gone to Microsoft, then we could really have established a solid series here. Thanks for reading, and stop back soon for another flashback!

-tedizslayer

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Hey, this is tedizslayer, here to bring you back to the past with the amazing Banjo-Tooie!

Many of you know that my favorite game of all time is the stellar Banjo-Kazooie, and its sequel comes close behind it on my list of favorites. Banjo-Tooie is set two years after Banjo and Kazooie defeated the evil witch Gruntilda and trapped her under a boulder in the ground, and peace has restored itself to Spiral Mountain. But it is not to last. One dark and stormy night, as Banjo and Kazooie are playing a quiet game of cards with their good friends Mumbo and Bottles, the ground begins to shake violently and loud bangs fill the air. Mumbo goes to investigate what all of the commotion is, and amidst the thunderstorm, he sees to his horror that Grunty’s two sisters have drilled through the ground to free Grunty, who is now dead-looking and boney. Mumbo runs back to warn the others of what has happened, and while Banjo, Kazooie, and Mumbo escape, Bottles is trapped inside the house and killed by Grunty. Only his ghost remains over his burned body. In order to avenge Bottles and stop Grunty from fully coming back to life, Banjo and Kazooie, once again aided by Mumbo, decide to follow the tracks of the drilling machine that Grunty escaped in. This introduces an entirely new area to the game. Instead of having all of the levels in Grunty’s castle (such as in the first game), the levels are accessed through the new home world outside of Spiral Mountain: Isle O’ Hags. Although it’s technically not one of the levels, Isle O’ Hags has many cool spots to explore, including a clifftop and the Jinjo Village. Who knows, you may even find some hidden secrets in it! The levels are all new in Banjo-Tooie, although many of them have similar elements and the same characters from the original game (Gobi, Boggy, Captain Blubber, and Tiptup, to name a few). At the same time though, everything is new. The game’s levels are somewhat larger than those of Banjo-Kazooie. One really interesting aspect of the levels is that there are many passages that link levels together, so that you can transfer from one level to another without even having to go back to the Isle O’ Hags. This provides for a lot of different challenges, since many events in the game are linked throughout several worlds. For example, upon finding their dear friend Gobi the camel locked up in Grunty’s amusement park-themed world, they set him free, and meet him again later in a lava world, where he helps them to get through. There are also a lot of cool new abilities in Banjo-Tooie. These include new types of eggs for Kazooie to fire (Grenade eggs are literally a blast), a new first-person view (in which Banjo holds Kazooie like a gun and fires eggs out of her beak) in certain areas, new transformations for Banjo and Kazooie to change into (this time provided by the Shaman Humba Wumba), and new attacks, like Banjo’s backpack swing. But one of the coolest things in Banjo-Tooie is that you can now split up Banjo and Kazooie by finding special pads throughout levels. The two can separate in order to accomplish a variety of different tasks, and can learn special moves and attacks that they can perform only when they are by themselves. Oh yeah, and another awesome thing – you can now control Mumbo as well. As already said, Banjo and Kazooie get transformed by the shaman Humba Wumba in this game. Meanwhile, Mumbo can venture out of his skull house and perform magic (such as bringing a giant statue to life) to allow Banjo and Kazooie to access new areas. The new character combinations are great, and provide a whole new level of gameplay. Overall, Banjo-Tooie is an extraordinary sequel to an extraordinary game, and a must-have for all owners of the N64. It is a flawless platformer and a classic adventure game. It lives up to Banjo-Kazooie by receiving a score of 9.5. With loads of secrets and a thrilling story, Banjo Kazooie is a game that just can’t be missed.

-tedizslayer

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tedizslayer here to give you a review on Conker’s Bad Fur Day.

Conker’s BFD was originally formed under the name of Twelve Tails: Conquers Quest. It was supposed to be a platformer/adventure game for people of all ages. Then the game was delayed a series of years, and when it was next displayed as a demo, it had undergone a major change. It now had the name of Conker’s Bad Fur Day, an M-rated game meant only for adults. It remained a stellar platformer/adventure game, but was changed everywhere else. CBFD revolves around the story of Conker, a red squirrel who just wants to get home after a long, sleepless night. Instead, he embarks on a quest that brings him to all places doing all types of things, among them an entire world made out of poo and inhabited by dung beetles, to a wasp’s nest in which you blast invading swarms of bugs while in a hive-mounted machine gun turret, and even to a prehistoric night club where you must pee on rock partiers to essentially reach Conker’s trapped girlfriend, Berri. The game is outrageously funny, but please note that there are some parts that are not appropriate to all ages. The story doesn’t flow entirely throughout, as there are parts in the game that remain unrelated to the rest [How can you possibly link killing zombies in a vampire’s mansion to going to war with an evil army of savage Tediz?] One nice thing about this unlinked story is that you can play certain parts of the game in different orders. For example, near the beginning of the game you can choose to either go to the poo-filled world listed above, or to a farm-based area. Either way, you will always be enjoying and laughing at the environment that you’re in. Another major aspect of the game is its stellar multiplayer. There are numerous modes to play, including Beach [in which you must help or stop Frenchy squirrels to make it safely into their base from the vicious Tediz], Raptor [in which you take the side of either the caveman or the dinosaur in a classic match of the “survival of the fittest”], Heist [in which you join one of four teams to steal money from a bank and defeat the other competitors], War [in which you choose the side of either the Squirrels or the Tediz and play one of two modes: Total War {deathmatch} or Colors {capture the flag}], and a classic Deathmatch mode [you can enter codes found on the Cheats Tab of our website to unlock special characters for this mode]. The multiplayer is sufficient to play by yourself with computers, but is even better in a group of friends. Conker’s Bad Fur Day is an amazing game that brings forth comedy, stellar platforming, and even great cutscenes and voice-acting. Although it was a commercial failure, it will always be remembered as one of Rare’s best. I give it an 8.5/10.

*NOTE: CBFD was later released on the Xbox 360 under the name of Conker: Live and Reloaded. It featured up-to-date graphics, but lacked the former multiplayer modes listed above, though it did have the same story and levels. Most people consider Live and Reloaded to be worse than Bad Fur Day, as Bad Fur Day’s multiplayer was deeply missed in Live and Reloaded; also, the N64’s graphics in Bad Fur Day seemed to fit the game more properly than the Xbox 360’s did in Live and Reloaded.

-tedizslayer

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Hey there. ruby331 here reviewing Diddy Kong Racing.

While most hardcore N64 fans love this game I find it not so appealing. The game has a very weak story mode, and unless you are hopped up on morphine, the multiplayer is very lack luster. The story mode consists of you selecting a character and racing against even more characters. If you win first place, a pedophile genie will award you a golden balloon that allows you to proceed to the next level. Along the way (by completing certain challenges) you can unlock new characters like Drumstick the rooster and TT the clock. These characters provide no special abilities so it’s almost pointless to go out of your way to unlock them. This is repeated over and over until you beat the game. The only twist in this game is that you can select which type of vehicle you want to use before the game starts (Hover Car, Kart, or Airplane). Other than that, this game has bright graphics and that classic N64 nostalgia which is why those classic Nintendo fans love this game so much. Diddy Kong Racing for the N64 scores a 6.4/10 on the ruby331 scale so I don’t upset tedizslayer too much.

-ruby331

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Oh, why hello there! ruby331 here with a review on Glover.

Glover, hated by some, loved by others. I happen to think that this is literally the worst N64 game ever made. The game starts out with a Wizard brewing a potion. Somehow, he dies or something and then one of his gloves slips into the potion. This glove turns evil and removes all of the “power shards” from the castle (these ugly little diamonds that power the castle). So Glover, being the good glove, sets out on a quest to roll around a little ball and collect all of these “power shards” to restore peace to the castle and the land surrounding it. First of all, even if you actually do the tutorial level, you still don’t know half of the controls. Secondly, the map gives you almost zero direction so I found myself constantly getting lost. Lastly, until you collect all of the “power shards” really creepy music will play in the home world scaring the crap out of you if you are ten years of age or younger (Glover is rated E for EVERYONE). The only somewhat positive thing I can say about Glover is that the levels are creative but again it’s easy to get lost because the overall sense of direction is very vague. Glover scores a 3.6/10 on the ruby331 scale. They should reamake this game for Wii! No…not really.

-ruby331

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ruby331 here reviwing Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.

In Kirby64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby, a cute, lovable ball of fun, is put into a game where he has endless amount of hilarious abilities. You think of it, Kirby can turn into it in this game. You want Kirby to be a giant stone golem? Done. You want Kirby to be a refrigerator that spills out food? Done. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is one of  my favorite and the best side scrollers of all time. The storyline is very solid and the boss battles are so much fun. The best part of the game is the hours you will spend trying to combine abilites like bomb and fire to create a brand new ability like fireworks! The one downside of this game is that it is very quick to beat and way too easy to lose a lot of health and die in a short amount of time. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards scores an 8.7/10 on the ruby331 scale! Oh and Kirby says HAI.

-ruby331

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ruby331 on the scene with a review for Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.

Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is truly a masterpiece. Many people feel that Ocarina of Time is better than this game, but I whole-heartedly disagree. The game basically revolves around Link aquiring all different kind of masks that bestow upon you all kinds of different abilities that let you solve all kinds of different problems. Along the way you will meet many different colorful characters that help you out. Some of the puzzles and dungeons can get pretty tough though so I would recommend a strategy guide. If that doesn’t work out for you though you should try some glitches (see our cheats page). The environments are all very colorful and diverse, for instance, in one zone there is a point where you have to raft down a poison river and in another you have to race Gorons through a snowy race track. No matter where you are in the game, there is always something fun to do. The graphics are excellent for that of a Nintendo 64 game and there are almost no glitchy textures or rough patches or anything like that. Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask scores a whopping 10/10 on the ruby331 scale. I can’t wait for the release of Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword coming soon!!

-ruby331

Sapphire 11 here with my review for Mario Party 3 for the Nintendo 64!

Mario Party 3 is the third game in the Mario Party series, and the game is my all time favorite Mario Party. This game is only available for the Nintendo 64 and is the last Mario Party game to be on the N64. The story behind Mario Party 3 is that a new millennium star is born and wants you to become a superstar. In story mode you have to play on every board and beat the computers on every map. You get graded every time you do win, and you get a star for winning. Aside from playing the classic board maps, this game is the only one in the series to have a really fun duel mode. In duel mode you select a character, and each character has their own partner. Players play on really small maps with different rules and spaces and the object is to attack the other player with your partner from either in front, or behind the other player, and to get the other player’s heart points to 0. There are many partners to choose from, but make sure you have coins because your partner(s) will vanish if you don’t.  Mario Party 3 was also the first and only Mario Party to have Game Guy. Game Guy is a shy guy who makes you gamble all your coins and verse him in challenging mini games. You can play these games by landing on a game guy space on most maps and you can unlock the game guy room in the mini game library, but to be honest I really don’t know how to unlock it! The mini game library is really fun and clever because all the games you unlocked are in book form and each mode has their own book color. These are the following types of mini games in Mario Party 3: 4 player, 2 vs 2, 1 vs 3, battle, item, and ???. There are many mini games that I love in this game and the maps are crazy and really can puzzle you. Two new characters were also introduced into this game: Waluigi and Daisy. I still play this game to this date and the staff knows how well I am at this game, and at all Mario Parties On Sapph’s scale of gaming this game gets a 9.5 and is a must have for any gamer looking for a legendary party game! Come back soon for yet another review!

-sapphire11

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Yo yo yo! ruby331 here with a review on the legendary title Paper Mario!

Games literally don’t get any better than this. Paper Mario is by far one of the best games that was ever put out on the Nintendo 64. The idea of the game is that you are basically Mario…but paper and the whole world is made out of paper. In other words theres a lot of paper. As I was saying, you play as Mario and go on an adventure to collect all of the star spirits so that you can rescue Peach from Bowser’s floating castle (go figure). Along the way you meet many, many different partners that help you in and out of battle. For instance, one of the partners that you meet is a Lakitu and he can carry you over dangerous surfaces for a short amount of time. Each character has their own unique background and personality. The partners are just one essence of the game that is so much fun. Another great feature of the game is the bosses, each boss (there are 42 in all counting mini bosses) has their own unique strategy and design. Most of them are REALLY hard! Basically, there are a lot of little and big things that come together to make Paper Mario so much fun and long lasting. Paper Mario scores a solid and worthy 10/10 on the ruby331 scale. (Sorry I had to cut this one a little short but I have lots of work to do).

-ruby331

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Hello! tedizslayer here to dish out my review for Star Fox 64!

As the second game to be released in the awesome Star Fox series, this one is easily my favorite. You play as Fox McCloud, the leading member of the Star Fox Team, and are sent out along with Peppy, Slippy, and Falco at the request of General Pepper. He asks you to fly throughout the many planets in the Lylat System to defeat the forces of Andross and take on the boss himself, ultimately stopping him from conquering the galaxy. The game is arcade-style, meaning that every time you turn it on and select the main game, you start off at Corneria and always end up six levels later (a total of seven) at Venom, facing Andross; but the way you get there can always change. By earning a certain number of points per level, defeating a boss quickly, or even taking hidden warps between levels, there are a total of 16 individual levels and 25 different routes that you can take to reach Andross. This can even give you a special ending and certain unlockables (see the Cheats page for details). While most of the levels have you controlling the classic Arwing, two special levels allow you to use the Landmaster, and one even lets you go underwater in the Blue Marine! Along the way, you face a variety of missions, including facing the Star Wolf team, blowing up an enemy train, and saving your own base that is under attack. The variety in the game makes it unique every time you play it. It also features a great multiplayer mode. Although you can only use Arwings in battle when you first get the game, by completing difficult challenges, you can also unlock Landmasters to use; even better, you can unlock a mode in which you play as one of the four pilots themselves! Star Fox 64 is a blast, and it is one of the true masterpieces of the N64. With intentionally terrible voice acting, great gameplay, and loads of secrets throughout the game, I give it a 9 out of 10. But now, I have to go, because Slippy has just alerted me that “SOMETHING’S COMING FROM THE SEA!!!” (probably his best quote in the game) and I must move on to face Andross before he destroys the Lylat System.

-tedizslayer

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Hey everyone! tedizslayer here to review the very first Super Smash Bros.

Honestly, do I even need to write a review for this game?? If you’ve never played it before, you must have grown up in a cave or something; we’re talking about a true masterpiece here. Although Melee and Brawl, the two sequels to this game, are both also amazing and have fresher controls, a lot more characters and stages, and many more modes to choose from, neither of them have the same classic nostalgic feel as the original. Super Smash Bros. was Nintendo’s first game that brought together some of its biggest characters into one game: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Link, Samus, Kirby, Fox, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Captain Falcon, and Ness. With its allstars all gathered together in one place, only one thing was meant to come – one of the best fighting games ever created. To be played by one to four players, Super Smash Bros. has you fighting either alongside or against your friends in some of the most intense, heart-racing battles ever to come. A variety of moves and items will make every match different, and the satisfaction of slamming Jigglypuff offstage is too great to describe. The only flaw with this game is that from time to time a glitch will occur that erases all of your save data. While this can be very annoying, there are only four characters and one stage that must actually be unlocked. Since none of these are very difficult to unlock, having your data erased isn’t the end of the world, but I do wish it could be fixed. Overall, the original Super Smash Bros. is a timeless classic that came from the glory days of the N64. I give it a 9.5/10 for its originality and for all of the good times it has brought. Although today all of the attention is aimed at Brawl and the alleged SSB 4, we’ll never forget the good old classic that started it all.

-tedizslayer

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tedizslayer here, reviewing Yoshi’s Story!

Yoshi’s Story has a cheesy story line, strange environments, and all-around feels like its creators were focusing on an audience of 6 year-olds. But at the same time, it is a pretty fun. It is one of the fewer games on the N64 that has 2-dimensional gameplay, although a lot of the artwork in the game has a 3-D look to it. As a group of Yoshis, you travel through many different worlds, eating fruit and battling bosses, all in order to reach true happiness. Yeah, that’s it. Similar to Star Fox 64, it is arcade-style, meaning that you will always start over on the first level, but each time you play you can take a different route and travel to different levels each time. In order to beat each level, rather than getting to the “end,” you must collect a certain number of fruits. A lucky fruit is randomly selected each time, and its value will be greater than that of the other fruits, so keep your eyes peeled. These frutis will also help you to recover health. You have a set number of lives each time, and each life is one of the different-colored Yoshis in the group. However, there are hidden Black and White Yoshis in the game, and by finding them in one of the levels, you will gain extra lives from them. The game is somewhat short if you play right through it, but by going back and unlocking different levels it can some replay value. Overall I give Yoshi’s Story a 7. It is very unique and definitely different from a lot of games from its time, and although it doesn’t offer as much as many N64 games offered, it still can be fun to play.

 

-tedizslayer

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