Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Cruis'n and Killer Instinct that ran on its architecture, has remained a nostalgic gaming icon - despite its failure to continue Nintendo's market success due to the rise of the PlayStation. The N64 left behind a legacy of multiplayer titles, properly introduced the console world to first-person shooters, and became a haven for 3D platformers, and it all began on June 23, 1996 with an Italian plumber's first steps into the third dimension.
Super Mario 64's arrival alongside the Nintendo 64 marked one of only two launch games for the system, and Nintendo developers specifically designed the odd, three-pronged N64 controller to facilitate Mario's 3D movement. While the gaming world would eventually adopt dual-stick controls as the standard for these types of games, Nintendo's solution was innovative for its time and led to a game that is still considered by many to be one of the greatest 3D platformers of all time. Even those who prefer Super Mario Galaxy or other, more refined Mario adventures would be hard-pressed to argue that the character's transition to 3D could have been better executed.
From Zelda players who saw the fandom begin with Ocarina of Time, the system is an unreplaceable part of gaming history. Even those who stuck to PlayStation wouldn't deny Nintendo's impressive software output during the N64's lifespan, and the mark the console left on the big N hasn't faded even in the modern console market.
Many developers of today also find inspiration in the Nintendo 64's glory days, with many prominent titles of the last few years taking direct inspiration from the console's greatest hits. There's currently a wave of 3D platformers hitting the indie scene, both from verterans like Playtonic with Yooka-Laylee and from those inspired by the console like the Demon Turf by developer Fabraz. In the modding scene, games like Super Mario 64 and Goldeneye 007 are favorite subjects, including a notable mod that mixes the two and casts Mario as a superspy gunning down oversized Koopa Troopas throughout Peach's Castle.
Whether it's dusting off an old console or playing a modern day reimagining of an old classic, today's a great day to revisit the bygone era of the Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64. Unfortutanely, doing so by official means is difficult, as Nintendo has not rereleased many Nintendo 64 classics on modern hardware. One of the only times this did happen was in the recent collection of 3D Mario titles taken off sale after a limited time window closed. Hopefully, the publisher has an N64 expansion of Nintendo Switch Online's retro game offerings in mind ready soon so that everyone can see why Nintendo's third console is also its most fondly ed.
Sources: The Game Awards/Twitter, Stealth/Twitter, Nintendo Memmories/Twitter, MVG/Twitter