Your Friend Who Likes Games

This year, since acquiring my Nintendo Switch 2 and committing to a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, I often find myself perusing the collections of NSO games from the various console eras any time I find myself in between games and/or just looking for something to play. It’s a nice way educate myself on Nintendo game franchise history, seeing and playing the roots of what some of our favorite Nintendo games stem from.

Unfortunately though, at least during most play sessions in this space, I find that I am looking for a fresh experience that will surprise and grab me, but instead find the foundational games that didn’t quite have the technology yet, however innovative they were for the time they were made. Games that feel too clunky or too simple by today’s standards. Note that I recognize that I have the wrong approach here, and am well-aware of how important these games are. My not wanting to play a lot of this collection is not from a lack of appreciation in their importance, rather that I’m looking in the wrong place for something new and fresh to play.

But I can’t say surprises haven’t been found: I’ve noted how Kirby’s Dream Land 3 and Kirby’s Adventure really grabbed me for what they were, but I had a kind-of research curiosity going into those games beforehand. My point though, is that I have missed out on console generations at the times of their prime.

I’d be willing to guess that most subscribers to the various tiers of Nintendo Switch Online visit the various NES, SNES, Game Boy, & N64 collections to play old favorites. But for me, NSO is a museum of games and eras that I didn’t participate in at the times of their release. Does that mean I can’t play and enjoy them today? Of course not, but it’s certainly different. The Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Super Nintendo collections feel easiest for me to find novel and enjoy, as I did not have too much of a relationship to them in my youth. My family had a NES when I was a bit too young to fully understand it or get into it. The N64 though… that was the console I always dreamt of having. That was the console everyone else seemed to have.

My video game console history lacks a little bit of Nintendo, and I’ve been on a bit of journey to explore that as of late. My order, in general, goes something like this: PlayStation 1, Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch 1, PlayStation 5, Steam Deck, PC, Switch 2. My feelings at the time of writing are that, out of all the Nintendo console generations I didn’t not participate in during the time of release, I wish I could have played the N64 during the late 90s the most.

And I think I say so because I don’t feel those games hold up too well today if you don’t already have a relationship to them. I also feel, playing ports of them on a Switch 2 docked to a 4K TV is not the most authentic way to experience them. I wish I could have owned and played Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Snap, Super Mario 64, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Star Fox 64, and other foundational 3D Nintendo games all when the new-ness of 3D was a wowing factor in the presentation and culture. I don’t have a problem with the charm and play of the games today, but I personally have a hard time seperating Pokemon Snap from the beauty of New Pokemon Snap – insert any N64 game that now is on it’s third and more-fun-to-play iteration. I’m now jaded with the baggage of what the N64 helped create for the future and didn’t get the chance to own the experience at home to experience when the wave hit gaming culture. However, in my childhood, any chance I received to play the N64 – whether it be a friend, cousin’s, school friend’s, or family friend’s house – I certainly took advantage. Here are some fun stories.

“Dillon, make sure you take turns.”

A few core memories come to mind when I think of the N64. The first has to be told of a childhood friend who had it all. I’ll spare his name of course, but he was a single-child of parents who didn’t mind flaunting their financial success. He had an N64 hooked up to his living room, and SNES in his bedroom. I could pick out the smell of his living room from a sniff test, and remember the giant wicker basket full of N64 cartriges he had under his parents’ giant box TV. I’d be surprised if he didn’t have every N64 game Nintendo had to offer at the time of each release. As an adult, I can now see how this purchasing of whatever he wanted to keep him entertained was parental neglect, but that’s a whole other convesation… Anywho.. My friend at the time was a bit of a gatekeeper.

I remember any time I had the privilege of spending time at his house or sleeping over, I’d drool at the idea of us playing any form of N64. I’d even take watching him play if he wouldn’t pass the controller. And frankly, as I think back to it now, I think he knew that, and I think he liked having that power over me. Me being young, I may have been too obvious about my desire to play, but he certainly didn’t like openly share for my sake. He liked to be the one that chose when/what/if we played. And I remember being so wildly curious about what all the games looked like and how they played. The most I remember playing with him was Mario Kart 64, and I can’t say I blame him for protecting his other save files, I get that. But the sort of, ‘I have this and you can’t have it’ was a power I think he learned from his father and liked to practice on me too. Spoiled. I can say so confidently because I too very keenly remember his sticker drawer – filled with all sorts of relevant and cool cultural icons. He’d tell me I could have some, I’d look through the drawer, but he’d tell me no more than yes in regards to which ones I could take home. But more on Mario Kart 64 later.

The next core memory I have is one of a 4th-grade birthday party I attended in which I got my hands on the birthday boy’s N64 Pokemon Snap. Him and a friend had been playing when I arrived, and the controller was generously passed then. When it became my turn, I played and kept playing. The two friends met other friends that arrived, and I obsessively kept playing. I knew it was my chance. My mom wasn’t there, and the parental figure in charge barely knew me enough to authoritate me to stop. Tag was played. Hide and seek was played. Cake was had. Gifts were opened. Happy Birthday was sung. I played. The whole time. I remember being kindly asked to join and saying something along the lines of, ‘No, I’m okay right now, thanks!’ But I soaked up the game and console I hadn’t had the chance to play. My mom found out I played the entire time and she was not thrilled. I think that particular friend was upset with me? Our friendship didn’t last very long. He moved a year or two later. And I gained a core memory of snappin’ Butterfrees. I promise I’m an okay person. ;p

The last one is less impactful, but marked my envy of the coveted NFL Blitz. My mom had a family friend who had a kid who was much older than me – teens while I was still in elementary school. And yep, you guessed it, he had an N64. I remember feeling pretty decent at video games in my youth, my mom knew I liked games, and sure enough, my mom’s friend’s kid was playing NFL Blitz when we arrived for a visit one day. My mom expressed how much I liked games, and his mom encouraged him to let me play too. He of course was frustrated, I would have been too at that age (again, get away from my save file!). He gave me the, ‘here, you can play as the other team,’ and handed me the P2 controller. I remember thinking, ‘If I only had more time with NFL Blitz on N64 I wouldn’t be struggling.’ He demolished me of course, and me, having no real challenge of a player 2 in my household and online gaming not in existence yet, I was threatened by this. I tattled on him of course. He liked my company even less then.

I’m of course happy with my youth and my time with Crash Bandicoot and other PS1 titles. Owning two competing game consoles was unheard of at the time. But the N64’s cultural influence of the time was unavoidable. I of course wanted it so badly and had very little control over that. But it did seem to be the console most other people had and by the stories I told above, you can read that I got my fill when I could. Why is all of this N64 stuff surfacing this week? Well, the release of Nintendo’s new Star Fox of course.

I might be the perfect candidate

So Star Fox 64 can be added to the list of games that my friend-at-the-time gatekept from me in our youth. I only remember getting my hands on it once or twice, and maybe watching him play a couple times. Like I said, he never wanted me to enjoy too much. Wild. But I, too, have tried to play Star Fox 64 on NSO this year and it’s been a tough sell. The controls and physics feel tough to figure out now, but trust me that I know it worked well then and with a proper N64 controller. I bounced off a couple times knowing very well that it’s a foundational N64 game that I may rather watch now… until…. boom. Announcement of a Star Fox remake exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2.

At the time of writing, Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2 launches at midnight and I have my pre-order queded! It looks to celebrate the foundational series, from what I hear it stays true to original game sequences, and it has updated controls and graphics. I played the demo and loved it. I always loved the on-rails shooter approach and I’m excited to play a game that has that foundation and looks this good. But the real reason myself, and others that may lack experience with the series may benefit here, is that we don’t bring an original experience to compare it to, and a cherished one at that. That’s not to say a player who loves the original can’t love this game, but they’ll certainly have a different experience than I will. I’m thankful I get to approach Star Fox thinking, ‘yeah, I know what that game was and how important it was then. I’ve never played it, but I don’t feel like I necessarily have to now.’ Some purists may disagree, and that’s okay. I’m looking forward to my time with the remake, even if its my first time.

The NSO N64 game that worked for me this week

I said there’d be more on Mario Kart 64 later, and here it is. 🙂

Through my exploration of Nintendo Switch Online N64 collection this week, Mario Kart 64 was the only game that stuck and I think I know why – I already have a relationship to the game. Mario Kart 64 proved to be a familiar and fun revisit when the others could not. Mario Kart 64 feels like the game at the very least everyone else had through various stages of my life. Often turned on at gatherings, parties, and sleep-overs, it’s an easy one to get accustomed to. A game, too, in my youth, that I remember dreaming about a lot after playing somewhere else.

This time around, I took note on how thankful I was that this Mario Kart iteration was actually challenging. Mario Kart now continues to act as a simple, family-friendly and fun onboarding experience for new Switch owners. The ceiling doesn’t prove to be too difficult and online play, in my opinion, feels more about the luck of your items and timing than it does skill… but I suppose you could argue that’s what Mario Kart is. Regardless, I’d welcome more challenge in the newer games. Winning feels good when it’s not automatic. I spent a few retries attempting to get 4th or better for the game to allow me to move along in each cup.

What really stands out for most I think in Mario Kart 64 is both how the sprites are rendered and how they behave in the 3D space. The sprites are technically 2D but ‘shot’ from all 360 angles around the vehicle and character to imply tilt, turn, and movement. Then they slide wildy and a bit delayed as if you were trying to operate them on ice. If you’ve never played this version before and are used to newer iterations, I’d think one would find it quite difficult to control. But I’m assuming most may feel – playing their older N64 favorites – this sense of familiarity and muscle memory while revisiting.

Conclusion

Regardless of what any one player chooses to play, we can never escape the context of now. Nostalgia is often sold to us but games will never feel like they did back then, because we are not who we were back then. That can be a painful truth to realize, but if we’re honest about it, I feel that we can further zoom into what games we enjoy and prefer to play today. Or rather, what games we still need to play. What experiences are still worth our time? What feels novel, fresh, and exciting? Or what may provide comfort and enjoyment to you today? Each player has their own answers to those questions. Today, the N64 feels like something I missed, but I wonder if I can invite that child back into today and say, ‘Hey, check it out, it’s all yours now and you can play as much as you’d like.’

Thank you for reading,

Your Friend Dillon