Nintendo 64, aka…the Fun Machine.
25 years ago, Nintendo 64 made its debut to the store shelves in Japan (Released to the United States in September)…did you have one? Or still do?
To me, the Nintendo 64 was lets say…my last TRUE gaming console Sure, I play video games today (when I find the damn time…), but Nintendo 64 was that last game console that I enjoyed with childhood wonderment. It was the last game console that I ‘foamed at the mouth’ to get my hands on. Today’s gaming consoles are just improvements of whatever was before…maybe some polish, faster load times, sleeker look, whatever.
But that era in gaming? Changed how we would play video games forever…for many of us, it was the first true dive into 3-D video games, which is just how it is today. But in 1996? It was a revolution.
Much of the newer generation looks back on Nintendo 64 as that machine that didn’t age well, and truthfully? It didn’t…the graphics are blocky, analog sticks get old with age, and some games are just a disaster to play when there are much better options out there. But to me, I feel that is the charm of it. It was kinda the wild west of gaming where developers were trying to figure out how the gaming was gonna be for the rest of its life.
I get excited about new video games, but NOTHING like I did with Nintendo 64. We all grow up, mature, have kids, buy a car, or whatever. But that short time in 1996, all I could focus on was getting my hands on that game console.
