Nintendo 64 System - Video Game Console

by Nintendo

Product Features

• 64 bit system

Product Details

• ASIN: B00003E4EB
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (120 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,286 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Editorial Review

Nintendo first dabbled in video games during the industry's early years of the mid-'70s. Generations of successful gaming console releases through the years led to the much-hyped 1996 launch of Nintendo 64, a system that represented a giant evolutionary leap in video game technology. Within the first three days of launch, hundreds of thousands of gamers hunkered down with Mario 64, considered by many to be one of the greatest video games ever created. Even today, the system's excellent design continues to host an ever-expanding library of breakthrough games.

Nintendo 64's popularity among younger gamers is no surprise. Well-respected games featuring such long-lived and much-loved personalities as Mario (of arcade classic Donkey Kong fame), Zelda, and Banjo-Kazooie are easy to learn and offer enormous replay value. But times are a' changin' and the system's ever-growing library of titles has expanded into every genre of games imaginable, including games better suited for older gamers. In fact, some of the most acclaimed--in some cases, groundbreaking--games available on any platform today are packed onto N64's old-school cartridges.

Under the system's hood, its appeal to the young certainly didn't produce a less mature gaming machine. On the contrary, the 64-bit system boasts impressive graphics, stereo sound, and numerous accessory enhancements, including a high-resolution pack that boosts graphics to awe-inspiring resolutions.

Start your library with Goldeneye 007, Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, and Star Wars: Episode One Racer--these titles represent a decent start to any N64 cartridge library.

With the recent launch of Sega's Dreamcast system, Nintendo 64 is being left behind as the leader in video game technology. And with newer game systems featuring CD-based games, the system's expensive cartridge format is proving itself an archaic and unconventional storage format. But, at a sub-$110 recommended retail price for a console with two controllers, innovative accessory enhancements and a great library of games keep the system's rabid fan base satisfied, if not eager for Nintendo's next evolutionary step. --Eric Twelker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Low Price, Amazing # of titles available = great fun, November 22, 2000

By 

Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast" - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Nintendo 64 System - Video Game Console (Video Game)

Released in 1996, the Nintendo 64 is the oldster of the current generation of game systems. It is extremely impressive, therefore, that it has held up as well as it has. While the other games have had to come out with new consoles, requiring more money and new game purchases in most cases, the N64 has remained quite playable and current.

Mario 64, one of the first games available, is still one of the best games available. Other games such as the Zelda series, Pod Racer, and Mario cart are equally as fun and give days if not months of gaming fun. The library of games available for the N64 is simply HUGE.

The Nintendo 64 recently released an Expansion Pack which upgrades the graphics and speed of the machine, allowing games such as Pod Racer to show off even higher class graphics than the base system. Newer games, like Majora's Mask, require the expansion pack to play.

We've owned a N64 for years and find that no matter who comes over to visit, or what the age group of the visitors, there is always a game that is vastly fun to play. There are single-player games, party games, competition games, cooperative games, thinking games, shooting games, and everything in between.

For a household looking for a fun way to spend time together or to relax and have fun, the N64 is definitely worth looking into. It holds up well compared to the other consoles on the market, has a huge library of games available, and offers something for everyone.

64 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nintendo 64 VS. All the other Systems, December 27, 2000

By 

"naomiii" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nintendo 64 System - Video Game Console (Video Game)

If you are trying to decide which video game system you want to buy, Nintendo 64 is the way to go. N64's library has something for everyone. PSX and Dreamcast tend to focus more on Action, Shooter & Fighting games, whereas Nintendo is a more Family-friendly system.

N64 is about quality not quantity-- it has far more quality games than any other system --Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Mario Kart, Snowboarding 1080, Tony Hawk, Mario Party 1 & 2, Diddy Kong Racing, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Wave Race 64, Star Wars, and Starfox 64 are a few.

N64's accesories include: Rumble Pak, Expansion Pak for better graphics, Controller Pak for saving data, and a variety of colorful controllers.

I have had N64 for 4 years, and it has never let me down. The qualities to look for in a gaming system are the quality of the Games, and all the other platforms are lacking. And for a console & 2 controllers, you can't go wrong!

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best system on the planet., August 10, 2000

By 

Andrew Langgard (Regina, Canada) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Nintendo 64 System - Video Game Console (Video Game)

Nintendo 64 is the best system to date. So what if it doesn't have as many games as the Playstation, who cares? So long as the games that it does have are really awesome (i.e. Zelda is the greatest game ever, Mario 64, Perfect Dark, D.K., Slugfest, and F-Zero X)it'll do fine. Another thing, loading time is a non factor here, Playstation takes to [darn] long, and cartrages are far more durable than CD's, so you can slam your cartrages around and they don't get busted.

In conclusion, N64 is the best system for games, fun, and multiplayer because of it's four controller ports. I suppose that's why they call it "The Fun Machine".