The Launch of the Nintendo 64 (1996) | Classic Gaming Quarterly

The Nintendo Entertainment System is widely credited with resurrecting the North American home video game market and was a defining feature of standard American childhood in the 1980s. In 1991, the Super Nintendo was released and immediately took on the Sega Genesis for control of 16-bit generation. A couple of ill-fated systems released in 1993 predicted the transition from home

gaming

to 3D, but it was the 1995

launch

of the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation that brought them into the mainstream, and even with triple-A titles like Yoshi's Island. and Donkey Kong Country 2 still to come, it was obvious that the Super Nintendo could no longer remain Nintendo's flagship product.

In this episode of Classic Gaming Quarterly, in

1996

Nintendo joined the 3D revolution by partnering with Silicon Graphics to develop the Nintendo 64. And although many members of the previous generation of gamers had moved on to the Saturn and Playstation, in the mid and late 1990s The 1990s The N64 turned a whole new generation of gamers into Nintendo fans. gaming dates back to the early 1980s, with vector-based arcade games like Battlezone, as well as home computer games including 3D Monster Maze. By the late 1980s, 3D graphics had matured to the point that racing games such as Namco's Winning Run and Atari's Hard Drivin' could, through the use of polygons, give a rough approximation of the real world.

However, polygon-based 3D graphics required powerful hardware, so home consoles of the time had to fake them with techniques like raster effects. In the 16-bit era, the Super Nintendo's Mode 7 scaling and rotation made pseudo-3D games like Pilotwings possible, but Nintendo's first foray into proper 3D gaming came with the development of the Super FX chip. , a graphics coprocessor that enabled polygon-based 3D graphics. The chip was most notably used in 1993's Star Fox, a 3D on-rails shooter game co-developed by UK-based "Argonaut Games", which also developed the chip. The Super FX chip opened Pandora's box and Nintendo wanted to emphasize 3D graphics in the future.

An improved version of the chip, known as GSU-2, was used to create Star Fox 2, which was completed in 1995 but never

launch

ed. At the time, both Saturn and Playstation had been released in Japan, and Nintendo wanted to avoid comparisons between Star Fox 2 and games on competing hardware. They also wanted to create a stronger association between 3D gaming and their upcoming entry into the home console market. Silicon Graphics created workstations that were capable of rapid 3D modeling, which initially had applications primarily in the fields of science and engineering. The company was founded in Silicon Valley by a group of Stanford University graduate students in 1982, and in the early 1990s, when Hollywood moved to using computer-generated special effects, SGI workstations were used in blockbuster films such as Terminator 2, and even appeared on screen in 1993's Jurassic Park.

Sensing the potential of using Silicon Graphics technology to develop video games, brothers Tim and Chris Stamper, founders of Rare, took advantage of their success in the NES to invest in a station of SGI work. Around the same time that Star Fox hit stores, the Stamper brothers were beginning development on one of the Super Nintendo's biggest games, and would use a new graphics technique to create 2D sprites from 3D renderings to develop Donkey Kong Country. . , which in the waning days of the 16-bit era helped put the final nails in the coffin of the aging Sega Genesis. Silicon Graphics specialized in producing highly advanced and expensive computer hardware for a limited target audience.

But in the early '90s they turned their eyes to the mass market and thought video games were their golden ticket. In 1993 they developed a prototype gaming hardware called the "Reality Engine", based on the MIPS R4300i CPU. “Look how, as the truck passes, the sign rotates. If your point of view were on the truck, it would look like a tree in every sense.” SGI founder Jim Clark first went to Sega of America's Tom Kalinske, but neither could convince Sega of Japan's skeptical president Hayao Nakayama. Clark then went to Nintendo and got a very different reaction from Hiroshi Yamauchi, who agreed to license the technology non-exclusively.

On August 23, 1993, Nintendo and SGI jointly unveiled their partnership, then called "Project Reality", announcing that it would have a hardware presence in arcades in 1994 and in homes the following year. In March 1994, the Stamper brothers, who of course already had experience creating video games using SGI hardware, officially joined Project Reality and agreed to develop games for an arcade-based iteration of Nintendo's next-generation hardware, starting with the 3D fighter Killer Instinct. Arcade powerhouse Williams would distribute the game in arcades under the Midway label, as well as producing its own game for the platform, Cruis'n USA. Although the intention of these games was to show that a title developed for the arcade could be brought home with few compromises, in reality the hardware in the arcade bore little resemblance to what would become the Nintendo 64.

Rare and Williams were the first two members of what Nintendo called its "Dream Team", a supposedly hand-picked group of mostly lesser-known third-party developers, as Nintendo's next big announcement ousted many of the big names from the field. Nintendo. Although the company had hinted that its new console could use CD-ROMs, in May 1994, Nintendo controversially announced that cartridges would remain its preferred medium. Cartridge media was faster, but also more expensive and at best had about a tenth the storage capacity. While they publicly stated that this decision was based on what they considered to be consumer demand at the time, it may actually have had more to do with reducing the cost of the hardware, with Nintendo's Peter Main admitting that it reduced the cost per unit. for at least $150.

This decision also allowed Nintendo to maintain tight control over software publishing, which had always been a defining feature of its business strategy. Leading third-party developers like Capcom, Konami, and Square, who until then had been major sources of quality third-party titles on Nintendo hardware, would come to have a greatly reduced presence in Nintendo's latest offering. In mid-1994, Nintendo released the first image of the console, now called "Ultra 64", likely a reference to Nintendo products designed by Gunpei Yokoi before video games, such as Ultra Hand and Ultra Machine. While this Ultra 64 was simply a prototype that was almost 2 years away from release, it ended up being the final cosmetic form of both the console and cartridge.

On January 5, 1995, the finalized hardware configuration of the Ultra 64 was announced, focusing on the NEC VR4300 64-bit CPU running at just under 94 MHz and interfaced with a 32-bit system bus. The 64 has 4 MB of RAMBus unified system RAM, expandable to 8 with the purchase of the 1998 Expansion Pak. The system uses the same multi-output audio/video connector as its predecessor, the Super Nintendo, and its successor, the GameCube, but unlike the SNES, the 64's video output is limited to composite video and s-video, and the RGB output requires hardware modification. . The real heart of the 64's hardware is the Reality Co-Processor, which is actually 2 chips in one.

The Reality Signal processor handles all 3D graphics processing as well as system audio generation, while the Reality Display processor performs pixel-level functions like texture mapping, anti-aliasing, perspective-corrected texturing, and trilinear mip mapping, all which combine to allow the hardware to display smoother 3D objects than is possible on the Saturn or Playstation, without requiring high polygon counts. Lastly, while both the Saturn and Playstation required a multi-touch purchase, the Nintendo 64 had 4 built-in controller ports, a feature not seen on a mass-market video game console since 1982's Atari 5200. Due to this, and Thanks to the 64's powerful chipset, many of the most popular titles for the system prominently featured 4-player play, including Mario Kart 64, Goldeneye 007, Super Smash Bros, and the Mario Party series.

The Japanese release of the Ultra 64 was scheduled for December 1, 1995. And with the industry leader set to release a $250 64-bit system just months after launching its own 32-bit systems, both the enemy traditional Sega as the newcomer to the market Sony would try to capture as much market share as possible before the arrival of the Ultra 64. The Ultra 64 made its world debut in its final form on November 24, 1995 at the Shoshinkai fair, also known as Nintendo Space World. The system's name had changed, becoming simply Nintendo 64. One rumor was that the "Ultra" moniker was a Konami trademark, ironically because they had created a shell company during the NES days to get around Nintendo's own limits on third parties. . party publication.

However, according to Nintendo itself, the name change was simply the result of the desire to create a consistent brand in all markets around the world. It was also announced at this show that the Japanese release date had been pushed back to April 21 of the following year. Although several games were shown at Shoshinkai, including concept animations of what would become Ocarina of Time, there were only two games available to play. Kirby Bowl 64 was developed by Kirby creator HAL Laboratory, and would eventually evolve into Kirby Air Ride, a game initially intended for release on the Nintendo 64 that eventually appeared on the GameCube in 2003.

The other game available to play was Shigeru's Super Miyamoto. Mario 64, which Nintendo at the time claimed was just the game's working title. Although the demo was announced to be only 50% complete, it was so polished that showing it to attendees felt like they were playing the final product, but the experimental version of the game would undergo many changes before its release the following year. It was also at Shoshinkai that the public first saw the Nintendo 64's unique reverse trident controller. The radical design features a unique 3-handle configuration and includes a standard D-pad and an innovative analog joystick.

The total number of action buttons on the face was increased to six and, along with the two side buttons, a fire button was added to the bottom. Lastly, the controller includes a peripheral slot, which can be used with a memory drive for saving games, a vibration pack for force feedback, and a transfer pack for transferring data to and from Game Boy games. and Game Boy Color. The controller was designed by Nintendo's Research and Development 3, led by veteran Nintendo hardware engineer Genyo Takeda. As head of R&D3, Takeda previously led the development of the battery-backed game save system that debuted in 1987 with The Legend of Zelda, as well as producing numerous notable games, including the first Punch Out!! franchise.

After being delayed once again, the Nintendo 64 was finally released in Japan on June 23,

1996

. The system sold for 25,000 yen and on launch day was available Saikyo Habu Shogi, a third-party title based on the game. Japanese table Shogi, along with first-party titles Pilotwings 64 and Super Mario 64 which, unsurprisingly, sold almost 1 to 1 with the system itself. Nintendo initially shipped 500,000 units to stores in its home country and they sold out in just one week. Throughout 1995 and early 1996, enthusiasm here for the Nintendo 64 was at a fever pitch, and the latest rumors were front-page news in seemingly every gaming magazine. The Nintendo 64 made its official debut in the American press the day before the Electronic Entertainment Expo, on May 15, 1996.

The release date was announced; September 30, as well as the price: $249.99. With the June launch of the N64 in Japan, consoles began to find their way into the hands of industry insiders, increasing national press coverage and, consequently, public anticipation for the system, with many gamers reluctant to join the ranks. the next generation of video games until Everyone's cards were on the table. In August, when the system had not yet been released, Nintendo announced a price drop to $199, bringing the system in line with both the Saturn and Playstation. They also moved the launch date up one day to the 29th because parents were complaining that the 30th was a school night andThey sent this VHS tape to registered Nintendo customers. “Welcome to N64…” Nintendo 64 systems were in stores, under lock and key, on the 26th in preparation for the release date, but when ubiquitous mall retailer Kay-Bee Toys broke the on-sale date and started selling systems immediately, Other stores followed suit and Nintendo had no choice but to give the green light to the early launch nationwide.

Breaking with tradition, the system did not include a bundled game and came with a single gray controller and a set of composite audio and video cables. Additional drivers in a variety of colors, as well as an RF adapter for older TVs, were available as separate purchases for about $30 each. The Nintendo 64 was released to great fanfare in the press and high consumer demand. In its first month on the market, the Nintendo 64 sold more than half a million units, and that November, Time magazine named the 64 "machine of the year," perhaps hyperbolically claiming that Nintendo had introduced a $10,000 in a $200 package. and hailing it as the first gaming machine to offer fully immersive 3D environments.

Although it would later become a two-horse race with the failure of the Sega Saturn in North America, in 1996 it seemed that the console war was not only continuing, but about to heat up. And the same gamers who had been told to stick with Super Nintendo during the launch of the Saturn and Playstation were now being encouraged to upgrade. Nintendo stated that they wanted to emphasize quality over quantity… “The key is not the quantity of games, the key is the quality of the games.” …only two games were available on launch day, each with a list price of $69.99.

Pilotwings 64 was the follow-up to 1991's Pilotwings, itself a launch title on the Super Nintendo. The game was jointly developed by Nintendo and Paradigm Simulators, who were part of Nintendo's “Project Reality Dream Team” and would later create the much-loved Beetle Adventure Racing. Pilotwings 64 is a great game in itself and expands on the original in every way, while also showcasing the power of Nintendo's then-new console. Unfortunately, Pilotwings 64 found itself in the unenviable position of appearing alongside one of the most anticipated video games of all time. The first truly 3D platformer was a little-known French title called Alpha Waves, initially released in 1990 on the Atari ST home computer and brought to North America as “Continuum” by Data East for the IBM PC.

The game uses simple, flat-shaded polygons and has the player move a simple polygonal geometric shape up and across a series of platforms. While extremely rudimentary, it was far above anything possible on a home games console at the time. Five years later, shortly after the console's launch, Jumping Flash appeared on the Sony Playstation, and while the game features a first-person perspective, greatly simplifying camera issues, it was a first hint of what was possible. bring the platform genre to 3D. space on more powerful hardware. Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot beat the Nintendo 64 to market in North America by just a few weeks, and while the game kicked off one of Playstation's iconic franchises, its linear levels, by their nature, lacked world exploration. open that would be characteristic of the genre in movement. forward.

In 1991, during the development of Star Fox, Shigeru Miyamoto was already forming the idea of ​​a Super Mario game set in a completely 3D world, but it was not until Project Reality was a reality that development of a Super Mario game began. Super Mario in 3D. started. As was the case with all previous entries in the series, the development of Super Mario 64 was led by Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, along with series newcomer Yoshiaki Koizumi as animator and assistant director. Koizumi joined Nintendo directly out of college, designing manual designs and writing stories and dialogue for both The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and its sequel Link's Awakening.

Initially intending to become a film director, Koizumi sought to introduce deeper stories into Nintendo games, sometimes to Miyamoto's chagrin, and would later co-design Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. The 3D model of Mario was created, probably by Koizumi, in a Nichimen Graphics software package called N-World, probably on a Silicon Graphics Onyx workstation. Instead of trying to take advantage of the system's palette of over 16.7 million colors to give the graphics a more realistic look, Super Mario 64 stays true to the franchise's art style, with Mario wearing a t-shirt and overalls. primary colors, in line with Miyamoto's vision. to create the game as an interactive cartoon.

The game begins with Mario outside the castle of Princess Peach, who has naturally been kidnapped, and this open area provides both the tips and the terrain for you to explore the game's new control scheme, which gives the player a level of control. much older. Once you're ready, you can enter the castle, which acts as a sort of hub for accessing the game's levels. Only one level will be unlocked at the beginning, and the other levels will be unlocked in the order you choose after collecting a required number of stars. Collecting these stars is the ultimate goal of each level, with a total of 7 stars available in each of the main stages of the game.

In the Super Nintendo launch episode, I said that Super Mario World was almost an adventure game disguised as a platformer, and this is even more the case with Super Mario 64. The game brought with it a major change to the core gameplay of Super Mario . title, and Nintendo was apparently taking a risk by affecting such a fundamental reinvention of its flagship franchise. Aside from the obvious switch to 3D, the game abandons the linear levels and takes place in an open, almost sandbox-style world, which encourages untimed exploration upon level completion. While your ultimate goal is to complete challenges leading to a star, you can spend quite a bit of time wandering around and interacting with various items in each stage, and Super Mario 64 offers a much deeper and more immersive gameplay experience than previous games. the series.

Unlike the small handful of 3D platformers that preceded it, Super Mario 64 features a revolutionary camera system that allows you to move the camera in real time during gameplay. Possibly a hallmark of the franchise, each of Super Mario 64's levels has a distinct atmosphere and unique theme. The game's graphics, while colorful, are, as expected, much more detailed compared to previous ones in the franchise, and I would say that Super Mario 64 has held up visually much better than most 3D games of its generation. Veteran Nintendo composer Koji Kondo also had a host of new toys to play with on the Nintendo 64 and used them to great effect when writing this game's soundtrack.

While many of Super Mario 64's tracks are familiar rearrangements of the franchise's core melodies, gone are the chiptunes of the 8- and 16-bit eras, replaced by an eclectic mix of jazz and orchestral styles. Mario's voice in Super Mario 64 is performed by veteran voice actor Charles Martinet, who began working for Nintendo at trade shows such as the 1992 Summer CES, where both his voice and movements were coordinated with a 3D-generated Mario. by Silicon Graphics in an interactive experience called Mario in real time. Martinet would go on to voice all the characters in 1994's Super Punch-Out, and his first in-game performance as Mario came in 1995's "Mario Game Gallery" for PC, but it was his work in Super Mario 64 that cemented the Mario's voice in the minds of the players.

In fact, it was Marinet's idea to make Mario fall asleep and dream about Italian food if you left him idle for too long. As great as it is, Super Mario 64, understandably because it was breaking new ground, is not a perfect game. While the new analog stick gave players more precise control over Mario, even Miyamoto himself admitted that players accustomed to digital controls would face a steep learning curve. And as innovative as it is, the camera system sometimes interferes with gameplay. Super Mario 64 also lacks a 2-player mode and, as a consequence, Luigi is absent from the game.

But in the same way that the original Super Mario Bros. influenced other two-dimensional platform games, the influence of Super Mario 64's gameplay and camera system can clearly be seen in other titles of both its own and later generations, and The game can be at least partly blamed for the industry's move away from 2D games as a whole. It's simply impossible to overstate the influence that Super Mario 64 had, both on the gaming industry and on an entire generation of gamers. In the same way that my childhood was defined in part by early video games and the iconic pop culture of the '80s, Super Mario 64 looms large in the memories of those who grew up in the '90s and has become everyone's game. the times for many people. favorite video game Of all the games released for the Nintendo 64 over its lifetime, Super Mario 64 is, for most people, the game most closely associated with the console.

It was also the best-selling game not only on the platform, but also of its generation, moving just under 12 million units. It also arguably set the standard by which all other 3D platformers of the era were to be judged, and was, in Miyamoto's storied career, his favorite game to develop. Like Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo, in its own generation, Super Mario 64 never received a sequel. It would be 6 years before the next installment in the franchise, with 2002's Super Mario Sunshine appearing on the Gamecube, and 11 years before the game's true sequel, Super Mario Galaxy, would be released on the Nintendo Wii.

To play Super Mario 64 but you don't have a Nintendo 64, the game was remade and updated for the Nintendo DS in 2004, and both the original and DS versions of the game are available on the Wii-U Virtual Console. That'll do it for this episode of Classic Gaming Quarterly, but before we go, I have to give a big thank you to CGQ viewer Sami, who sent the much-needed Nintendo 64 controller of his own from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. . For his trouble, Sami has a CGQ t-shirt on the way, and if he would like to support the program by purchasing a t-shirt, he can do so by clicking the Amazon link at the top of the video description.

If this is your first time visiting the channel, be sure to also check out our other launch videos. This time we're changing things up a bit and we're joined by one of my favorite YouTubers, Banjo Guy Ollie, with his rendition of Dr. Wily's theme from Mega Man 2. As always, thanks for watching and me. See you next time.