Game Sack

[M4R14NO94]

Yup. Good times were had back then...

Great episode, by the way.

[zetastrike]

Remember when this thread was about the episodes of that show Joe and Dave did on YouTube?

Those were good times.

Joe and Dave are probably spinning in their graves. And they're not even dead

[Barone]

Not much you can say about the N64, except that it sucks.

Damn, I repped you just a moment ago!

Well, the N64 specs looked amazing to me back in those days but the lack of a CD add-on ended up hurting its library IMO.
It was not like in the Sega CD days, when most of the companies weren't pushing the CD space capacity with actual in game content...

The N64 games usually have lacking presentation due to that and the music is low quality most of the time.
I like the idea of being able to get rid of the horrible PS1 loading times but for some types of games big storage capacity is a must...
Also, I feel that the system could have had some great 2D games or at least good 2D fighters if there was a CD add-on.

And there's the publishing costs related to cartridge releases that several companies weren't ready/willing to pay.

[zetastrike]

What are the N64's sound capabilities? I can't find any info about it. Is it just a shitload of PCM channels?

[Barone]

All that I could find was:

Sound: 16-bit Stereo. ADPCM-support. Some games used MP3 audio (software-driven).
Channels: 100 PCM (max, 16-24 avg.). Each channel consumes about 1% CPU time.
Sampling: 48.0 kHz (max, 44.1 kHz is CD quality)

[j_factor]

What are the N64's sound capabilities? I can't find any info about it. Is it just a shitload of PCM channels?

Just software. No sound chip.

[sheath]

What are the N64's sound capabilities? I can't find any info about it. Is it just a shitload of PCM channels?

edit - RATS NINJA'D

It has to use the CPU to generate the sound. Its audio capabilities are only as good as the code driving them and the rest of the game engine and the ROM size.

[Barone]

GBA does that, right?

[sheath]

As far as I know the GBA is directly comparable to the 32X so, depending on how far that comparison goes, yes.

[Barone]

Wouldn't have made more sense to use a CD add-on with such sound configuration like the N64 has? I mean, it requires a lot of space to make the music sound any good.

[Joe Redifer]

Joe and Dave are probably spinning in their graves. And they're not even dead

We'll make it a point to spin when we die.

[sheath]

Wouldn't have made more sense to use a CD add-on with such sound configuration like the N64 has? I mean, it requires a lot of space to make the music sound any good.

I'd say it is more of a problem of Nintendo being totally left off the hook by the media and the developers for not providing super optimized audio code from square one. I mean, if all of the talk about Saturn dev kits is really that important, surely Nintendo screwed the pooch here and ought to be verbally flogged for it on the Internet for all eternity.

[The Coop]

For me, the N64 is a niche system. It may be a Nintendo system, but it's nowhere near as widespread game-wise as the NES, SNES and Gamecube. Sure, it had good games, but some genres got utterly left behind; RPGs, shmups, run 'n guns, fighting (or rather, good fighting), and others, just didn't get much attention on the 3-D platforming, racing and sports saturated system. Sure I like some racing games, and platformers are usually enjoyable, but there was just too much left with little or no representation on the system to put it up there with the likes of the Genesis, Saturn, PS1, and PS2; systems that covered a lot of geners pretty well. I even found more to enjoy on the Master System and Sega-CD, two systems with (I believe) fewer games released for them.

I don't hate the N64, as I've had a lot of fun with the likes of Star Fox 64, Mischief Makers, Doom 64, Jet Force Jemini, Wipeout 64, and others. But if I had to put it in a line up of the systems I own in terms of how much I play it and all that, it would be near the end of the line... if not the outright end of it.

[Barone]

For me, the N64 is a niche system. It may be a Nintendo system, but it's nowhere near as widespread game-wise as the NES, SNES and Gamecube. Sure, it had good games, but some genres got utterly left behind; RPGs, shmups, run 'n guns and others, just didn't get much attention on the 3-D platforming, racing and sports saturated system.

This.

Sure I like some racing games, and platformers are usually enjoyable, but there was just too much left with little or no representation on the system to put it up there with the likes of the Genesis, Saturn, PS1, and PS2; systems that covered a lot of geners pretty well. I even found more to enjoy on the Master System and Sega-CD, two systems with (I believe) fewer games released for them.

Another problem, IMO, is that the N64 library (as the Wii's in some extent) is lacking in terms of more traditional franchises in favor of fantasy/Nintendo characters-based games. Games like Diddy Kong Racing are cool and all but they don't replace the lack of franchises like Need For Speed (that was actually good in those days) (I really wanted to see NFSIII: Hot Pursuit on the N64). Super Smash Bros. will not be enough to compensate for the lack of SNK and Capcom fighting games as well...
There's also little to no PC and arcade ports...

I don't hate the N64, as I've had a lot of fun with the likes of Star Fox 64, Mischief Makers, Doom 64, Jet Force Jemini, Wipeout 64, and others. But if I had to put it in a line up of the systems I own in terms of how much I play it and all that, it would be near the end of the line... if not the outright end of it.

Again, this.

[Obviously]

For me, the N64 is a niche system. It may be a Nintendo system, but it's nowhere near as widespread game-wise as the NES, SNES and Gamecube. Sure, it had good games, but some genres got utterly left behind; RPGs, shmups, run 'n guns, fighting (or rather, good fighting), and others, just didn't get much attention on the 3-D platforming, racing and sports saturated system. Sure I like some racing games, and platformers are usually enjoyable, but there was just too much left with little or no representation on the system to put it up there with the likes of the Genesis, Saturn, PS1, and PS2; systems that covered a lot of geners pretty well. I even found more to enjoy on the Master System and Sega-CD, two systems with (I believe) fewer games released for them.

I don't hate the N64, as I've had a lot of fun with the likes of Star Fox 64, Mischief Makers, Doom 64, Jet Force Jemini, Wipeout 64, and others. But if I had to put it in a line up of the systems I own in terms of how much I play it and all that, it would be near the end of the line... if not the outright end of it.

I totally agree with everything you've said here. Because of that I've been wrestling over whether or not I want to sell my N64 stuff to buy things that I want more instead. Out of all my consoles the N64 is one of the biggest dust collectors. There's still those handful of games that keep me from being able to part with it though.