Classic Nintendo
There has arguably never been a better or more lucrative time to capitalise on the nostalgic tendencies of gamers.
Following the monumental success of the Nintendo Entertainment System Classic, Nintendo has dropped its next website-crashing miniature revival, the SNES Classic. With pre-order numbers and public demand already at a fever pitch and the promise of support until at least the end of 2017, Nintendo is primed to once again dominate the holiday season.
Of course, it’d be naive to think that any company, especially Nintendo, wouldn’t already be in the planning stages of the next big thing. A recent hardware patent out of Germany has revealed Classic-style specs for what looks to be a Nintendo 64 controller, the machine that popularized many of Nintendo’s franchises and propelled them into the 3D gaming sphere.
Should the nostalgia gods grant the hungry masses their wish and give us a Nintendo 64 Classic some time in the near future, the following is a list of some of the things we hope Nintendo is smart enough to include.
The Games
By far the most important and easiest part of our wishlist is the games we want to see Nintendo package into the Classic. While the N64’s library may not have aged exceptionally well (the polygonal art of the time has grown jagged over the years), it’s a lineup that remains impactful and damn fun to play.
Of course, times change and the world of IP moves fast, meaning that Nintendo may run into more troubles than just keeping up with pre-orders. Titles that we consider crucial for this list, like Goldeneye and the Banjo titles now fall under the ownership of Microsoft, but given Xbox’s recent willingness to cooperate with Nintendo, we’re holding onto hope.
If we’ve missed anything you think needs to be on the console, let us know in the comments below!
- Banjo Kazooie
- Banjo Tooie
- Bomberman 64
- Diddy Kong Racing
- Donkey Kong 64
- F-Zero X
- GoldenEye 007
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Mario Kart 64
- Mario Party 3
- Paper Mario
- Perfect Dark
- Pokemon Snap
- Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2
- Super Mario 64
- Super Smash Bros 64
- Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
- Wave Race 64
- Yoshi’s Story
Hardware Availability
Despite the positive reception to the NES Classic console itself, the availability of the hardware left something to be desired.
By the time production had ceased, Nintendo had sold a hefty 2.3 million units in the roughly five months it was available. It’s a staggering number and with such a high demand for more, Nintendo seemingly buckled under pressure and the supply line completely broke down. Many attributed the lack of units in stores to a long time criticism of Nintendo’s, the infamous artificial scarcity business model, while others brushed it off as Nintendo simply being caught off-guard that so many people wanted to buy their products again.
Smash cut to the pending release of the SNES Classic and things are looking tentatively better.
Nintendo has acknowledged the mistakes made with the NES, promising “significantly more” units available at launch and continued support for the new machine through to the end of 2017. However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, with several websites prematurely opening up pre-orders only to remove the page hours later and issue hundreds of cancellation emails. While hardly the direct fault of Nintendo, it doesn’t bode well that the big N and retailers aren’t on the same page with such a highly coveted item.
With all of this in mind, it’s difficult to imagine a future in which an N64 Classic edition doesn’t also suffer from the same mistakes, but we can still dream.
Bells and Whistles
Many of the Nintendo 64’s best experiences can be attributed to the inclusion of four player multiplayer, which may lead Nintendo to include more controllers than previous Classic Editions. It would undoubtedly drive the price up but may end up being a more affordable option than buying more Classic controllers separately. Also longer cables, please
The SNES Classic has been smartly designed to include some much-needed improvements to the original hardware, so naturally it would be nice to see Nintendo implement some changes to the beloved but flawed Nintendo 64. Save States, beautiful frames around pixel-perfect renditions of old games, the ability to record all of your gameplay and view highlight reels of previous sessions, and the ability to rewind gameplay to the exact moment you missed that jump are all great features that would go perfectly with the N64 library and we can’t wait to see what Nintendo try to add next.
If you have any things you’d like to see included with the N64 Classic Edition leave a comment below!
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