Nintendo 64 games we want to see re-released on 3DS

by Paul on May 15th, 2012

Say what you like about the 3DS’s botched launch, I really love the console. Despite Nintendo getting it so wrong with the pricing and a dearth of quality launch titles, you have to admire the way Nintendo were quick to jump on the offensive to turn things around.

Now, just over a year on from release, it’s got a great selection games, with plenty more on the horizon and it passed the five million sales mark just before its first anniversary, which makes it the fastest-selling console in history. Sure, you’d be right to argue that the console should have remained in development for a bit longer so that a second circle pad could have been incorporated into the design and we could have avoided the Circle Pad Pro debacle, as well as waiting for the double act of Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 to be ready as launch titles but I think they’ve done a heck of a lot of good work to win back some disillusioned fans, me included. Nice one Ninty.

New titles aside, Nintendo have done sterling work to bring back Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and Starfox 64 and the decision to keep the games intact in terms of how they play but giving them a next generation-style tidy up is bang on the money as far as I’m concerned. They’re classic games and they do not need to be tweaked and ‘updated’. This got me thinking about other games that are worth being given another chance to shine. Here’s a few contenders from the Nintendo 64 which, as long as Nintendo keep the actual gameplay of the originals intact, will be ripe for a re-release on the 3DS.

 

Super Mario 64
Yes, I know it’s already been re-done on the DS and as good as that version of the game was it just didn’t gel for me. I never liked the way that Yoshi, Luigi and Wario had been added to the DS remake and the controls just weren’t up to the job. So, what better example to show off what I’m looking for in these re-releases than the game that kick-started the 3D revolution; the original game but with upgraded visuals is all I ask for! I know that a lot of people will complain about Nintendo recycling their old titles but you cannot deny that it’s one of the greatest games ever made and a re-release on 3DS that enables it to have proper analogue control and all new visuals would be amazing; just look at what they achieved with Ocarina, now tell me that Super Mario 64 wouldn’t look absolutely gorgeous in 3D!

 

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Yes, yes … I want GoldenEye and Perfect Dark as well but let’s be honest; it ain’t gonna happen. So, with the 3DS in need of a decent shooter I refer you to my third-favourite FPS on the N64. Some say that Turok 2 is the better game, but it’s Turok’s first outing on Nintendo’s 64-bit wonder machine that ticks the box for me. Sure, the poor draw distance had you playing in fog not seen since the ‘pea-soupers’ of Victorian London but in my view that helped add to the game’s atmosphere immeasurably; dinos appearing from the mist like something out of a Stephen King novel never fails to generate scares. It was fun as hell to play and, let’s face it, you’ll never get tired of shooting Raptors in the face. Add in the possibility of getting some multiplayer deathmatch going over wi-fi and that makes this re-release all the more enticing. Some will say that the controls won’t fit. To that I say phooey! The circle pad controls your view, the four face buttons control your movement, L and R are for aiming and firing and the touchscreen is there for your weapons inventory and map. Easy!

 

Shadow Man
I love this game, mainly because it was really good at creeping me out and not many games have managed to do that. For those who haven’t heard of Shadow Man, it’s a dark and atmospheric Zelda clone with a really engaging story that feels like you are playing through a particularly nasty nightmare. You play as a man who has a voodoo mask implanted into his chest which enables him to go Deadside, the place where all souls go when we die. An evil entity called Legion dominates Deadside and he is building an army so that he can storm our world and take over. It’s up to you to take him out. The game is very non-linear and challenging, especially as you get into the latter stages of the game and I’d love to see what can be done with the models and textures here in a 3DS update. Not only that but it would do wonders for the 3DS’s mature audience and to redress the balance against those people who insist that the 3DS is just for children.

 

Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
There’s been lots of talk online recently that should there be enough demand for a Majora’s Mask 3DS remake then Nintendo would definitely consider doing it and I really hope that happens. I would love to see this game get re-released. Using the same engine and graphics as Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask was a darker, more atmospheric game and I think a lot of people passed it by as a result. If you missed out then this is definitely worth giving a go. It tries out a few new ideas that haven’t been seen before or since in the Zelda series, the most important of which is the three day deadline you have to save the land of Termina which means you are constantly feeling the pressure to keep moving, and it really is quite unique. Let’s hope that Nintendo decide to do a remake!

 

Wave Race 64
The 3DS is in need of some more good racers and I reckon Wave Race 64 is an ideal candidate for the job. It offers a nice twist on the racing genre that sees you racing jet skis over a variety of ocean and river courses. It was state of the art back in the day because of how Nintendo must have used some form of dark arts to make the water to look and behave so realistically. When you think about how long ago that was, just imagine what Nintendo could do with the graphics and water behaviour coding now! Not only that but it was really fun to play too and you were never sure when a rogue wave would come out of nowhere and send you flying into a wall. It made for some pretty tense races, especially when playing on the multiplayer with a human opponent and I can see this playing really well over wi-fi with your mates. Nintendo made a sequel on the GameCube (Wave Race: Blue Storm) and while that was good it didn’t really capture the magic and imagination of the original N64 title which is why I want to see it getting a second chance on 3DS.

 

So what do you reckon? Do you agree with these ideas? What other games would you suggest? Let us know in the comments.

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