Why The Lack of N64 Games?

[Hotspur Warrior]

Has Nintendo, or anyone else, given a reason as to the serious lack of N64 games on the Virtual Console? Because it's really annoying me. I don't expect them to release all the classics like Ocarina of Time and Mario Kart 64 on top of each other. In fact, I wouldn't mind if those two (and Goldeneye, if possible) were spaced out throughout 2007. But one N64 game in a month (over a month for America) is not good enough.

 

[Minto]

well.......just try and wait or e-mail nintendo plz some add me

 

[Tjharwin]

Hmm, I suppose the more "retro" games are proving to be more popular than the "old" N64 games. Having said that I think another reason could be that most of the best N64 games were made by Rare Never and most of the rights to the games lie with them. Nintendo are sorting this out though I believe.

 

[nkbswe5]

Nintendo are sorting this out though I believe.

Oh good. I'm not spending m money on a wireless router until the really good games start coming like Zelda, but more importantly, Pokemon Snap. I hope by April there is a sudden boom in n64 releases for a magical reason.

 

[Hotspur Warrior]

Oh good. I'm not spending m money on a wireless router until the really good games start coming like Zelda, but more importantly, Pokemon Snap. I hope by April there is a sudden boom in n64 releases for a magical reason.

Actually, Pokemon Snap wouldn't be a bad addition to the VC line-up. I only have 20 minutes experience of the game, having played it round my cousin's once, but it was a fun, carefree game that I wouldn't mind playing again.

 

[ocdan]

I hear a few more games will be coming with the new year

 

[PtonJalken]

hehe pokemon snap. good times, first game i got when i got N64 lol

 

[ericlewis91]

it sucks for 1000 points its a rip off!

 

[C'jit-kwei]

i love that game. good times, good times....

 

[Master Foot]

Killer Instinct Gold or even Killer Instinct 1 would be nice. DAMN you Microsoft for buying Rare and SHAME on Nintendo for not keeping them close to home. The Killer Instinct franchise could have been something, but they let it slip into naught.

 

[blanchedevereaux]

It's because there really were only a handful of successful titles, and they want to spread them out as much as possible. N64 had a pretty poor library, especially when you look past the 1st party games.

B.E.D.

 

[3mpathy]

Without the rare titles the n64 virtual console lineup really isnt that exciting...

 

[JerrodDRagon]

It's because there really were only a handful of successful titles, and they want to spread them out as much as possible. N64 had a pretty poor library, especially when you look past the 1st party games.

B.E.D.

Why do so many peoplel say this when the N64 is still being played today?
The N64 had great titles besieds Rare but there where alot of great rare games too (Banjoo, 007, Jet Force, Diddy Kong Racing and Conkers)
But the N64 is the only system I know that my firends still pull out and play in fact my brother is playing Zelda On it right now. But I dont lke the idea of 1 N64 game a month, it should be 2 thats better seeing how that means every 2 weeks you get can download a new N64 game and another title or 2 from a older system.

 

[ScuzzBuster]

I think part of it is the size of the N64 games as well. At 32 meg a pop you could have people filling up their flash drives in the first year of ownership downloading 2 or 3 month...especially if your moving a lot of pix or video there as well. Don't get me wrong, 512 meg is plenty of space, but if they really intend to do a large library of N64 games over the first couple of years it could get crowded on there.

Watch SD card prices...I picked up a 2 meg PNY card for under $40.00 at best buy a couple of weeks ago and could probably have gotten it a lot cheaper had I ordered online or held out. Works fine in the Wii and I don't anticipate filling the flash plus the SD for a long time or maybe ever if the life of the Wii is 5 years or under...

As much as I believe there are great N64 games to be had, I don't see myself investing tons of time in VC games...sure I've picked up Mario 64 and SMB as well as some classics like DK and DKjr, but I've got way too much Wii gaming (as well as some 360 gaming) to do to invest too much time in nostalgia and replaying old titles.

 

[blanchedevereaux]

Why do so many peoplel say this when the N64 is still being played today?
The N64 had great titles besieds Rare but there where alot of great rare games too (Banjoo, 007, Jet Force, Diddy Kong Racing and Conkers)
But the N64 is the only system I know that my firends still pull out and play in fact my brother is playing Zelda On it right now. But I dont lke the idea of 1 N64 game a month, it should be 2 thats better seeing how that means every 2 weeks you get can download a new N64 game and another title or 2 from a older system.

People say it because it's true.

Yes, there were some stunning games on the N64. However, there simply was a dearth of titles in general for the system, and the quality of many was suspect. That doesn't take away from the great games (Zelda, SM64, etc.), but it's simply a problem with mathematics.

What I think you are missing is sheer numbers here; let's say they release 2 N64 games a month, as you postulate. That means between now and next Christmas, 24 N64 games would come out. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find 24 N64 games with mass appeal, but further than that they simply could not keep up such a pace for the years they expect to milk out of the virtual console.

They don't want to burn all the good N64 games up so early in the life of VC. They plan on releasing games for years like this. There simply aren't enough N64 games that would be commercially viable at this point to release them in great quantity. Not to mention that some of the best titles will likely never be available because of the Rare/Microsoft connection; Perfect Dark and 007 (any Rare games that don't feature Nintendo-owned characters) won't make it to VC ever unless Microsoft suddenly decides to grow a heart.

I too would enjoy more N64 games for VC, but they don't have a lot to work with. I'll be surprised if we even get one a month, I'm thinking one will come every other month. That gives them a couple of years to deplete the major titles in the library.

B.E.D.