A look back: Cruis’n USA
Cruis’n USA was the third Nintendo 64 game I got and the first game purchased for us after that Christmas if I remember. It starts to get a little sketchy as to the exact order after this.
For as long as I can remember I’ve always been a fan of racing games of almost any form. Cruis’n USA might have been the ONLY racing game available which made the choice easy. It was always pretty hit or miss back then because this was before our internet days. Back then you either rented a game, played it at a friends house to see if you like it, or buy it because the box is cool. Perhaps a good thing though, because even though this game got TERRIBLE reviews I played the heck out of this game.
Dad always enjoyed playing racing games or sports games to a certian extent, and I remember this as one of the games that we’d sit down and play together from time to time. He wasn’t the cleanest racer! Though it was always satisfying when one of his careless attempts to block my pass resulted in him running head on into a school bus full of kids! Some evenings we’d sit and just play the Cruis’n mode and race from San Francisco to Washington DC and see who won.
I really played quite a bit of this game. You got newer faster cars for beating the game at a higher difficulty setting. Had it not been for that a lot of the replay value would have been lost. I remember getting all three versions of each of the four cars plus the three hidden ones: Jeep, Police car the only outward difference was the color, but the new ones were slightly faster. The police car and the bus were always great fun because you could tap “brake, brake, gas” and it would turn the flashing lights on. Ahh, it was the simple things! Ha ha.
I picked it up the other day and maybe I’ve been tainted by reading all the bad reviews, but the game sure doesn’t seem to have aged well. Maybe it’s because back in the day, I had all the courses memorized and the painfully short draw distance wasn’t an issue, because I knew what corners were coming up before the magically popped up on the screen! Courses like Chicago were still as tough as I remember though, weaving through the pillars in the tunnels and under the L-train. Thank goodness after a few races the old “pity factor”, as Mom always put it, kicks in. And for some reason the old photographic memory kicked in when I got to the records screen, and put my initals in as BOG. Why? I don’t know for sure, but that always the initials I used. This was before my KartMaster days, you know!
Indeed the game brought back some nostalgic memories, but unfortunately they were marred by blurry textures on the already blurry N64 and blocky car models, even by 1996 standards. After a few races the flaws begin to fade away though, and you can enjoy the game for what it always was, simple silly fun.
A look back: Pilotwings 64
Does it just take two to make a series? If so, this is the second in a series of rambling about some old Nintendo 64 games. I’ve decided to go through in the order I originally got them (to the best of my memory).
Pilotwings was the other game we got Christmas day when we got our Nintendo 64 and one of the few games that were even available at the time. If I recall there were 10 or fewer games to choose from when the N64 was launched back in 1996. While the game wasn’t at all what I expected it to be, it turned out to be one of my favorite games of all time.
I never had a Super Nintendo, and therefore wasn’t familiar with the SNES version of Pilotwings. As I unwrapped the package and saw the blue skyies and sweet helicopter I assumed it would be a sort of aerial fighting game. But like they say, don’t judge a game by its box art. I was actually pretty disappointed in the game at first, hoping for fast paced missile locking action, I instead got hang gliders and rocket packs. The disappointment was short lived though once I found out how terribly fun the game was!
The game ends up being a test of your flying skill, and adapting to the different physics of each vehicle. Each one takes a different kind of finesse, whether it’s hitting the updrafts in the hang glider, or conserving fuel and battling crosswinds in the jet pack. Some of the challenges were simple and straightforward, like flying through a course of rings, but others were a little more zany. Some of the missions had you smacking a giant bouncing ball into a goal, or shooting your pilot out of a cannon to targets unseen.
The characters were all cookey. Even though the character your choose doesn’t make much difference other than slight handling characteristics and colors, they all have distinct upbeat personalties just from their hollers and screams. Depending on who you selected when choosing your pilot, they’d greet you with a comical expression from Goose’s “Yeeeeehaaaaw!” to big breasted Robin’s sultry “Oooh yeaah.” What’s the rating on this game again?
I suppose one of the main reasons I enjoyed the game so thoroughly is because of its mixture of insane challenge and relaxing gameplay options. Getting gold on all the missions is quite a task. And I still to this day don’t have a perfect score for many of them. But at the same time you could unlock the Birdman mode, which was basically a free play. No objectives, just fly around the island of your choice. This was a fantastic feature because it let you explore almost every nook and cranny. So many details hidden away it would be a shame not to take some time to take it all in. Scale models of real city skylines, whales in the ocean and the occasional sea monster, churches with church bells ringing, and of course the round of applause for flying under that low arch or bridge. Birdman was always a great way to melt some of the stress away from a long day.
The music was great, though in retrospect very elevator-esque. The graphics were pretty impressive for the time. Limited draw distance created some perspective problems at high altitudes but a majority of the time the landscapes were detailed and very much alive really pulling you into the game. While not a game that you can sit and play for hours, it was a game with all the right ingredients that was refreshing to play every time you picked it up whether you wanted to accomplish anything, or not! There wasn’t often a reason not to play Pilotwings.
Am I taking it too far?
I posted yesterday reminiscing about Super Mario 64 and my memories of getting the new Nintendo 64. Well we have the nice big TV in the living room. But to be honest, N64 games don’t look too great on it. Trying to play games that are mostly 320×240 on a 1080p widescreen leads to much blurriness. I found that the experience just wasn’t the same.
So with one of the two extra TVs I have lying around, I set up a little gaming station in the computer room. Now I can just plop back in my chair and fire up some old skool gaming. Now I just need to get me one of those old video chairs that sit on the ground and rock back!
We’ll see what Andrea says when she gets home. I’m sure she’ll think it’s ridiculous.
A look back: Super Mario 64
Well I’m feeling nostalgic. I was reading some old reviews on the old N64.com site. Now IGN.com. I don’t want to commit to calling this a series yet, but I’d like to take some of my old games and revisit them. Share my experiences from a time when I spent WAAAY too much time playing games and a new perspective.
Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 were the first two games we got back on Christmas 1996. I was 14 then, and really not expecting the new Nintendo under our tree. I was still a fan of the old NES games, and still had our original second Nintendo hooked up, but I always just figured I’d be content to play the new Nintendo 64 over at a friend’s house whenever they got one.
All that changed pretty quickly. I remember getting excited looking at the box (not this excited) with a tinge of disbelief that my parents had splurged on such an expensive toy. $199 at the time of it’s release. My thoughts had quickly changed to: “I can’t wait until all my friends come over to see this.” As we hooked it up to our also new 27″ Magnavox TV there was a brief moment where I thought, “Which should I try first? Mario? Or Pilotwings?” But when you have a brand new Nintendo, and a brand new Mario game. You ALWAYS choose Mario!
I still remember quite vividly sitting on the floor amidst the empty boxes and trash bags full of wrapping paper, staring in awe of not only the Nintendo 64 starting up for the very first time, but also the big new TV. For 10 minutes we took turns running around the castle lawn climbing trees, doing handstands, diving in the water and swimming. Running through and interacting with a true 3D world was quite the experience at the time.
Little details were impressive like the birds that would fly from the trees, butterflies that would fly away when you approached, and schools of fish in the water. But as I played I was curious where all the enemies were. Every other Mario game plopped you right into the action, hopping on goombas and the like. I finally headed into the castle after exploring every square inch there was to explore outside. Still no bad guys, even inside the castle. But Bowser’s ominous laugh clues that there would plenty of confrontation to come. But to heck with that! There’s walls and balconies to jump off!
It actually took a bit of getting used to, adapting to a more open ended approach to the Mario levels. No longer was it weave your way though obstacles and enemies just to make it to the end of a stage. And you didn’t have to beat one level before you move on to the next. You often can do the levels in whatever order you prefer. But despite the differences it was still very familiar as a Mario game, very intuitive and VERY fun!
As a younger kid with the original NES, I had always enjoyed the Mario Bros. games and even beaten a couple of them, but not until after Mom had already beaten them once. Well I was a bit older now and my motor skills were a bit more refined (along with my patience). Maybe lame, but I still remember being a little proud being the first one in the house to make it to the end and beat the final match with Bowser. Quite an intimidating battle the way the new system was able to present the game in a more immersive package. Here you are, little Mario having to take down something 4 times your size that breaths fire, shakes the ground loose when he stomps! I still remember getting frustrated trying to wing Bowser only to miss one of the bombs and have him come right back. But somehow watching the final cinematic ending and the credits with highlights of all the levels, there was a sense of accomplishment there.
There’s all sorts of little moments that you just wish you could go back and experience for the first time all over again. Racing the penguin. Chasing the eel and the hidden underwater cave. Metal Mario. Big small world. The list goes on and on. A couple that stick out are some of the stars on the Tall Tall Mountian, where there were several blind jumps, that you either got the star, or fell clear to the bottom of the level, or just plain died! I still remember memorized exactly where to put the star in the cannon sights to hit it every time: Right at the bottom of the circle, where the edge just starts to blur. How do I remember that? Tick-Toc Clock was also one of those frustratingly fun levels, that really highlighted how refined the controls really are.
Even today, despite the dated graphics, Super Mario 64 is still a fantastically fun game. Getting all 120 stars is still a challenge and I’m sure it’d take a good memory jog to even remember where all of them are. It’s just a fun honest game that you don’t need to set aside an hour to play. 12 years later it’s worth keeping the N64 around, even if only for this one game.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwHwN_HS9g4]
03.4.08Oh no. Game competition e-mail updates!? I’m doomed.
I remember back when I was younger. Prolly junior high age. The N64 was hot on the scene and Mario Kart 64 was brand new. OH how I loved that game. And still do. My obsession came in the form of Time Trials. For one reason or another I got hooked on it. I used to get a gaming magazine called “Tips & Tricks”. Each month, at the time, they would publish a new fastest time for the Mario Raceway track. I’d spend a week or two trying to beat the time in the magazine, and eventually do so. The small little segment got so popular that evenutally they started including other tracks. I guess from there I was hooked. I laid down some blistering times on all the tracks I could, wait for the next issue, and repeat.
Cue the internet.
Once we got online, I was able to look up other people that played the game. Compare times and after a few days, somebody (who saw my time) worked on it, eventually beat it and posted it. Pictures for proof of course. Which was acceptable proof in a time before the rise of Photoshop. So back and forth we would go challenging, and besting, each other’s records.
Now, real time updates?
I just got a new game on my computer called Audiosurf. Where you take your music collection already on your computer, and you get to ride a course generated from the song, trying to score the most points. Hard to explain, so if you don’t know what it is, check a video HERE. One of the cool features is it automatically posts your scores and shows you how you compare to everyone else that played that same song. Nifty. As if that’s not enough. I’m at work today, and check my e-mail. And it’s a message notifying me that 10 MINUTES AGO Biebs beat my score for one of the songs I played.
Right now it’s just this game. But soon with any game I’ll be able to know when the bar has been raised, and I’ll be FORCED to sit and hone my skills until I’m once again atop the masses. Only to cause countless others to do the same, and thus the never ending cycle of striving for that extra 10 points, that extra .003 seconds. If they ever include this feature in Mario Kart, I am surely doomed.
This will be cool! (When we learn how to play!)
When Andrew came out for Christmas he was telling his dad that he’d gotten a ps3 and Rock Band and it was all sorts of fun! Duane said he’d like to have it. I poo-poo-ed the whole idea, thinking I’d never find it at Walmart. Well, turns out I was WRONG! (In all sorts of ways!)
First of all, I had no idea what the game is. I just figured it was another version of Guitar Hero, and in my defense it sort of is. It’s just a lot more involved.
Secondly, I really didn’t think I would find it in the store. Well, Jamie and I were shopping yesterday and we nearly tripped over a big shipment of them sitting in the middle of the aisle waiting to be put away.
Lastly, after the holidays we’re one of those people that really needs to watch the cash flow. Oh wait, I was totally right on that one. But this game looked to be too much fun to pass up and I decided to blow the extra money for the ‘special edition’.
This is a fun game! It gets everyone involved. There are drums, guitar and microphone. Granted, we can’t figure out how the microphone works yet, but I just took a half hour after work last night and played a couple of songs. The drums are hard, guitar is a little easier than Guitar Hero.
We’ll have to bring it up when we come visit. You guys can join our Rock Band!!
How nerdy am I?
Well let me tell you. I’m playing Guild Wars last night winding down from the day. And I’m getting close to heading to bed, but I find out that there’s a Polar Bear minipet that you can get from one of the chests for the special Wintersday event they did for Christmas/New Years.
Aww…look at that cute little guy! I love the mini pets in this game, but this one was special. There’s only a couple known to exist out of the 4 million or so players, so prices were astronomical that these things were going for. One person offered a price of 1500 ecto…or about $100 REAL US Dollars based on the exchange rate in game currency is being sold for. That’s pretty crazy if you ask me! So I ended up staying up later than I anticipated, trying to get my hands on one of these polar bears to sell. No such luck as the odds are apparently those of winning the lottery.
Oh, it gets nerdier.
So this little guy caused such an uproar, that I’m just sitting in one of the towns trying to convince myself to go to bed before midnight. Then all of a sudden the Guild Wars “Community Relations Manager” comes online in the town I’m in, and starts asking if anybody has seen the polar bear because SHE hasn’t even seen it. The real nerdy part is I snapped a screenshot of my standing next to this video game “celebrity”.
I’m lame, I know. But at least I’m not obsessed with the game or anything. I mean I was in bed by 1:00!
12.27.07Riddle me this:
How does a band get erased on Guitar Hero? I’d gone to all the trouble of completing a level on Guitar Hero and went back to step up a level and my band is gone! Is it a glitch or would it be someone erasing my shtuff?
Let’s face it, not quite a LARGE SCALE problem, but still kind of tics me off!
12.26.07Well we got Guitar Hero 3…
Here’s how:
We’re over at Andrea’s Sister’s house passing the time until everybody shows up. Andrea claims the wireless guitar is giving her fits, so we hook up the corded one. I finally get a turn and am thoroughly sucking it up, when across walks Andrea and catches the cord on the guitar. The PS2 goes flying, and the disc goes sailing out of the machine hell bent on destruction.
We get everything situated again, put the disc back, and all seems well and good. Until a couple songs start skipping. Uh oh! So she decided to buy them a new copy of the game and we took the scratched one! She’s so sweet! We got a disc scratch fixer. The scratch still looks pretty nasty, but it doesn’t seem to skip anymore.
So on top of that I got a closet organizer, Drinking Checkers (you play with shot glasses instead of checkers) and a microwave. If anybody needs a microwave let me know, we have two now!
12.23.07Well, I’ll be!
I’ve been goofing around with the PS2 and, if you can believe it, I’ve managed to make it through a few songs on the medium level. There was no cheating involved, but I’d have to say there was a whole lotta luck to it!
John brought over Guitar Hero II and it is easier. Seriously! The third one makes me do these bogus battles to finish some of the levels. I’ve tried and tried and can’t get the hang of that!
So, it is clear that there isn’t much skill involved in my passing a few songs on a higher level…just plain luck!