Category: Game Reviews

Developer: Treasure Publisher: Nintendo Released: October 1, 1997 Rated: E 7/10 Few games attest to the undiscovered potential of the N64 library like the inevitable oddity that is Mischief Makers. To hearken back to the original intent of the controller design that divides and confuses so many, the dual design of the analog stick and… Read more

Developer: Midway Games Publisher: Midway Games Released: August 17, 1999 Rated: E 9/10 As much as I personally can rant and rave and go on ad nauseum about the pure, unspoiled joy of NFL Blitz, the series does leave me without much to say in each of its successive entries. It’s the type of dismissal… Read more

Developer: Hudson Soft Publisher: Nintendo Released: December 3, 1997 Rated: E 7/10 Hudson’s iconic mascot (I’d say he beats out Bonk the Caveman) debuts in 3D just in time for the ‘97 holiday rush, bringing another easy multiplayer option to utilize those four ports on top of a new adventure mode. While it sits adjacent… Read more

Developer: 3DO Publisher: 3DO Released: October 12, 1999 Rated: T 9/10 Sometimes when sequels come right on the heels of their predecessor, you feel like you can only expect so much. That quick turnover development time can only allow for so many foundational changes to the formula. But sometimes all it takes is that extra… Read more

Developer: Japan System Supply Publisher: Sunsoft Released: November 30, 1997 Rated: E 7/10 Coming in as an early entry to the pool of the N64’s signature genre, Chameleon Twist operates like something of a discount Yoshi title. The use of the chosen animal comes from a platformer based on using a prehensile tongue for puzzle… Read more

Developer: Midway (Arcade Original), Saffire Corporation (Port) Publisher: Midway Released: March 30, 1998 Rated: T 6/10 The original side-scrolling “smash-‘em-up,” as the franchise likes to call itself, got a healthy reboot in 1997, when Midway’s original three-player monster sim Rampage returned to arcades with Rampage: World Tour in 1997. A home port naturally followed and… Read more

Developer: Genki Publisher: Ocean Released: September 4, 1997 Rated: E 4/10 It would be great if seeing a developer like Genki contribute a racing title on the N64 could inspire confidence and excitement, given their future pedigree in the genre with the Tokyo Xtreme Racer franchise. But as one of the system’s perennial bargain bin… Read more

Developer: 3DO Publisher: 3DO Released: December 31, 1998 Rated: T 8/10 Somewhere between an army shooter and a car combat title, we arrive in the post-apocalyptic dudefest of BattleTanx, where roving gangs of tanks, big and small, roam the American countryside. With some help from a Captain Trips-like virus, 99% of women on earth have… Read more

Developer: DMA Design Publisher: Midway Released: October 20, 1998 Rated: T 6/10 With the late ‘90s being the boom period of media about fighting alien space bugs, the N64 proved to be no slouch in this department — in spite of all of the other trends it failed to meet. And while top-tier established developer… Read more

Developer: Opus Corp, Anchor Inc. Publisher: Ocean Released: January 26, 1998 Rated: T 7/10 When the N64’s genre shortcomings are listed off, we often hear about the RPGs (taken away by Square, Capcom, and to a degree, Enix) and the fighting games (again, Capcom, why must you forsake us so?). And while the RPGs are… Read more