- Zelda: Majora’s Mask is now a native PC game, and every N64 title could follow its lead The Verge
- Nearly all Nintendo 64 games can now be recompiled into native PC ports to add proper ray tracing, ultrawide, high FPS, and more Tom’s Hardware
- Zelda: Majora’s Mask and Other Nintendo 64 Games Get Native PC Ports Through Unofficial Modding Tool IGN
- N64 Recompiled is like RTX Remix for console games, run them natively on PC with ray-tracing TweakTown
- Native Zelda: Majora’s Mask PC Port With Steam Deck Support, Gyro Aiming, High Framerates and More Released Wccftech
Tag Archives: N64
Unofficial PC ports of N64 games could be about to get a lot easier | VGC – Video Games Chronicle
- Unofficial PC ports of N64 games could be about to get a lot easier | VGC Video Games Chronicle
- Nearly all Nintendo 64 games can now be recompiled into native PC ports to add proper ray tracing, ultrawide, high FPS, and more Tom’s Hardware
- Native Zelda: Majora’s Mask PC Port With Steam Deck Support, Gyro Aiming, High Framerates and More Released Wccftech
- New Tool Allows N64 Games To Be Played With Ray Tracing, Uncapped Frame Rates And Ultrawide Support Time Extension
- New static recompiler tool N64Recomp aims to seamlessly modernize N64 games GBAtemp.net
Which Of Rare’s Classic N64 Games Would You Like To See On Switch Online?
Looking at the library of N64 games currently available if you’re a Nintendo Switch Onlne subscriber at the Expansion Pack tier, we now have access to not one, but two of Rareware’s all-time 64-bit classics in the form of Banjo-Kazooie and, now, GoldenEye 007. Just a handful of years ago this might have seemed like a pipedream, but with Banjo and Kazooie’s appearance in Smash Bros. Ultimate apparently helping to establish a ‘relationship’ between Nintendo and Microsoft — the owners of Rare for over 20 years now — having the Twycross developer’s work appearing once again on a Nintendo platform isn’t such a strange idea anymore.
There’s still a suite of games from the developer’s golden years that could potentially come to Nintendo Switch Online. Most are available on Xbox as part of the sublime Rare Replay package, and some of them, specifically those featuring Nintendo IP, are perhaps more likely to make an appearance on Switch than others.
So, we thought we’d round up the handsome stragglers and ask you which of them you’d like to see come to NSO in the most ideal of ideal worlds. You’ll find a poll at the bottom but first, let’s remind ourselves of the candidates from the era when Rare could seemingly do no wrong. We present nine games in chronological release date order, starting with a real Killer…
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Rare
Release Date: Jul 1997 (USA)
A port of Killer Instinct 2 from the arcades, Killer Instinct Gold was the second KI to appear on Nintendo platforms (well, third counting the Game Boy port) following the original on Super NES. The N64 didn’t get many great fighting games — the legacy of Smash Bros. is far and away the console’s greatest contribution to the genre, but platform fighters are very much their own sub-genre these days — and KIG is one of the system’s few fighters of note.
The chances of us getting this on NSO seem remote, seeing as the series was revived on Xbox in 2013. Imagine if KI was announced and not, say, DK64? We like a little KIG (we actually quite like saying ‘KIG’, too), but we don’t imagine this will come first in the poll at the bottom of the page.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Rare
Release Date: 28th Feb 1997 (USA) / 1st Sep 1997 (UK/EU)
Blast Corps involves clearing a path for a slow-moving truck carrying a malfunctioning nuclear missile to a safe detonation zone – a zone which is blocked by buildings and other structures ripe for destruction. As with many 64-bit titles, its early polygonal visuals are arguably looking a little dogged these days, but don’t let its looks put you off. This incredibly silly concept makes for one of most fun games on the N64.
We’d love to see this get some more love on Switch, but it seems unlikely given some of the heavier hitters below. For example…
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Rare
Release Date: 24th Nov 1997 (USA) / 21st Nov 1997 (UK/EU)
Diddy Kong Racing did for Mario Kart 64 pretty much what Banjo-Kazooie would do for Super Mario 64; namely, take the template put down by Nintendo and expand on it with colour and creativity to produce far more than a mere homage. DKR expanded the single-player into an adventure and the addition of planes and hovercraft required much larger, more complex circuits to race around. The game also provided the console debuts of Banjo and Conker, both now Microsoft-owned characters.
We saw a remake come to DS in 2007, and given the presence of Diddy, we think this would be a strong ‘maybe’ for a potential NSO re-release.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Rare
Release Date: 11th Oct 1999 (USA) / 2nd Nov 1999 (UK/EU)
An underrated entry in the Rareware library, Jet Force Gemini coupled cute design with chunky, gungy third-person blasting in a world-hopping quest to defeat insectoid overlord Mizar. Juno, Vela and trusty good boy Lupus’ adventure is not without flaws, but JFG is a surprisingly deep and satisfying one that’s worth investigating if you’re a Rare fan looking for gems that passed you by around the turn of the millennium.
Gotta be honest, we don’t much fancy the chances of this one coming to Switch given the fierce competition.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Rare
Release Date: 24th Nov 1999 (USA) / 6th Dec 1999 (UK/EU)
There are some who blame the collapse of the collectathon 3D platforming craze on Donkey Kong 64, and while it’s hard to argue that Rare perhaps went a little too far with the huge number of inconsequential collectable doohickeys, it’s a game which turns everything up to eleven and there’s something admirable about its unapologetic ‘more is more’ approach. With five playable Kongs (you know them well), huge worlds and an abundance of minigames (including emulated versions of the original arcade Donkey Kong and Rare’s Jetpac), DK64 was one hell of a value proposition back in 1999 and we think it probably deserves re-evaluation after a couple of decades of bashing.
Given that Nintendo owns all the characters in this one — and the fact it came to Wii U Virtual Console — this is a prime(ate) candidate for a little Switch Online love. C’mon Cranky, take it to the fridge.
N64 Classic Now Available to Play for Free for Some
One of the best N64 games — and one of the best games of all time across all platforms — is now available for free, but not for everyone. While the N64 didn’t sell as well as its competition or even well compared to some other Nintendo consoles, it, like every Nintendo console, except maybe the Wii U, boasts a very impressive library littered with incredible exclusive games. One of the greatest examples of this is GoldenEye 007, which was re-released today via Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X this week. And if you have Nintendo Switch Online or Xbox Game Pass, you can play the re-release for no extra charge. How long it will be available via the pair of subscription services, hasn’t been clarified.
If you check one of these boxes, there’s still one more caveat, at least if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, the game is available via both tiers of the subscription service. If you’re trying to access the game via Nintendo Switch Online though, you will need the Expansion Pack, the premium tier of Nintendo Switch Online.
“Enter a world of espionage as Bond in GoldenEye 007,” reads an official blurb about the game. “Your covert operation to stop the GoldenEye weapon satellite spans the globe-you’ll infiltrate underground bases, charge through a military train and slink around the depths of a jungle. Along the way, M will brief you on your objectives and Q Branch will support your efforts with an array of gadgets, but the ultimate success of this mission is yours alone. Save the day, then go for the gold in spy-vs-spy action locally or online in the four-player multiplayer mode and enjoy round after round of first-person competitive action.”
If you’re intending on checking out GoldenEye007, there are some differences between the versions you should know. Only the Xbox versions support 4K. In addition to this, they also provide a higher frame rate. Negating these perks is the fact that these versions only support split-screen local multiplayer, while the Switch version offers online multiplayer.
Nintendo Expands Its Switch Online N64 Service With GoldenEye 007
Well, it’s officially here – you can now play GoldenEye 007 on your Nintendo Switch! Provided you have access to the Expansion Pack service, your mission begins now.
Rare’s famous licensed FPS first arrived on the N64 in 1997. In this new and slightly updated version, players can now participate in online multiplayer. The Switch Online + Expansion Pack service also allows users to save and load game states at any time – making playthroughs a lot easier.
Here’s a bit more about this latest addition to the Switch Online service, courtesy of Nintendo’s PR:
“Enter a world of espionage as Bond in GoldenEye 007. Your covert operation to stop the GoldenEye weapon satellite spans the globe – you’ll infiltrate underground bases, charge through a military train and slink around the depths of a jungle. Along the way, M will brief you on your objectives and Q Branch will support your efforts with an array of gadgets, but the ultimate success of this mission is yours alone. Save the day, then go for the gold in spy-vs-spy action locally** or online in the four-player multiplayer mode and enjoy round after round of first-person competitive action.”
The remaining titles in Nintendo’s current batch of N64 NSO games include Mario Party 3, Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Stadium 2, 1080 Snowboarding and Excitebike 64. Japan will be getting Harvest Moon 64, too.
Iconic GoldenEye “Gong” Sound Potentially Missing From Switch Online Version
Update [Thu 26th Jan, 2023 21:05 GMT]: Digital Foundry’s John Linneman has stressed that while he “doesn’t know” the exact details, as speculated elsewhere, this could be down to emulation issues.
“N64 doesn’t have an actual sound chip so everything is done in software… So I suppose the emulator simply isn’t emulating the sound chip correctly. Older versions of N64 emulators had this issue in the past.”
So, as many suspected, it sounds like this is a potential emulator issue. Again, we want to stress that, at the time of writing this, the sound effect is only missing in the video and we won’t know if the iconic sound is missing from the Switch version until it drops on NSO tomorrow.
Former Rare composer Graeme Norgate has also pointed out the missing sounds in the clip on Twitter, saying “hope this isn’t the final version” while tagging Kirkhope.
Original article [Thu 26th Jan, 2023 18:15 GMT]: Yesterday, Nintendo decided to drop a bombshell on us and announce that GoldenEye 007 is, at last, coming to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers this Friday, 27th January. What a treat! We’ve been waiting for this news since Nintendo revealed it would be coming to the service eventually.
Just a couple of hours after the announcement, Nintendo shared what might just be one of the most iconic pieces of music from the game — the Q Watch music by legendary Rare composer Grant Kirkhope. It still absolutely rules, but when we had a listen, we (and users on ResetEra) noticed something was missing…
Did you notice it? The ‘gong’ noise? It’s not there! *gasp* In case you’re not familiar with the music, this is what it should sound like.
Okay, so we haven’t got our hands on the game yet, so we can’t verify if it’s simply missing in NSO release or if it’s just missing in this clip. Still, we’re worried about losing what is probably one of the defining sound effects of many of our childhoods.
Many suspect that, if it is missing in the full game, it could be an emulation issue. Previous NSO releases such as Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Paper Mario have had issues unique to their NSO-emulated versions such as missing fog or menus going too fast. Nintendo has been good about patching these problems out, so if it is present, we’re hopeful they’ll also be able to fix this.
The ‘gong’ sound is not just an iconic part of GoldenEye 007 on N64 though — it’s a big part of the movie’s soundtrack too and something of a trademark for French composer Éric Serra. Serra composed the score for the 1995 Bond movie, but you can also hear the famous sound effect in Luc Besson’s Léon: The Professional in tracks such as ‘The Game Is Over’ and ‘What’s Happening out There?’.
A few years back, Grant Kirkhope shared how he managed to recreate what he calls the ‘sonar’-type sound after years of being asked, and @RareLtd showcased fellow composer Robin Beanland demonstrating its genesis:
Hopefully, this is all just a little stumble in the pre-release clip Nintendo shared, but we’ll find out soon enough. We also don’t know if the same issue will be present in the Xbox version, which also releases tomorrow, but we’ll be keeping an eye ear out just in case.
Did you notice the missing sound effects? Do you think it’ll be present in the NSO version when it releases tomorrow? Let us know!
Nintendo Switch Online Subscribers Get Free N64 Surprise
Nintendo Switch Online subscribers on Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED — or, more specifically, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers with the Expansion Pack — just got a free N64 surprise. In addition to adding the first two Mario Party games on N64 to the Switch Online Expansion Pack library, Nintendo has dished out free N64 icons, the first of their kind.
The icons come as part of a new promotion where each month Nintendo will add new N64 icons for Switch Online for Expansion Pack owners to claim. For the month of November, there are Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, and Kirby 64 icons. In December, there will be icons for F-Zero X, Yoshi’s Story, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The promotion will then finish in January, when Mario Kart 64, Paper Mario, and Star Fox 64 will feature.
Below, you can check out an official promotional image for this month’s icons, courtesy of Nintendo PR:
As noted, these icons are locked behind the Expansion Pack tier of the subscription service, which has been the case for all of the free icons Nintendo has released for Switch users this year. In addition to free icons, the Expansion Pack tier allows you access to retro games beyond just the SNES and NES. For example, it nets you N64 games. And it’s N64 that has been the focus of the subscription service lately, hence why there are now N64 icons.
For more Nintendo coverage — including all of the latest Switch news, Switch rumors, Switch leaks, and speculation involving the Nintendo Switch — click here or, alternatively, peruse the relevant links listed below:
As always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think. Will you be redeeming any of these N64 icons and rocking them going forward? If so, which ones?
Nintendo Expands Its Switch Online N64 Library With Two More Games
Nintendo’s latest N64 games for the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service are now officially available. Yes, that’s right – Mario Party and Mario Party 2 have arrived!
As previously noted, the first game arrived here in the west in 1998/99 and the second title followed up on the same platform in 1999 in Japan, and the year 2000 locally. These new versions are both supported by the Switch Online functionality and four-player multiplayer.
Here’s the PR about both:
Mario Party:
Mario Party launched for the Nintendo 64 system in 1999 and was the original party-starter for the series! In this classic four-player party game, you’ll join Mario and friends across nine action-packed Adventure Boards and 56 minigames in colorful multiplayer* (or solo!) competition.
Mario Party 2:
Keep the party going with Mario Party 2 and celebrate like it’s the year 2000 all over again! Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom friends return for another round of Bowser-bashing board-game action, complete with fancy costumes, new Adventure Boards and minigames
Japan’s Switch Online + Expansion Pack service also received Mario Party and Mario Party 2 this week.
Will you be returning to these games on the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service? Tell us below.
Nintendo Expands Its Switch Online N64 Service With Two More Titles
Nintendo has announced it will be adding the original Mario Party game and Mario Party 2 to the Nintendo Switch N64 service on November 2nd. Here’s the rundown about each game from Nintendo’s official PR:
Mario Party:
Mario Party launched for the Nintendo 64 system in 1999 and was the original party-starter for the series! In this classic four-player party game, you’ll join Mario and friends across nine action-packed Adventure Boards and 56 minigames in colorful multiplayer* (or solo!) competition.
Mario Party 2:
Keep the party going with Mario Party 2 and celebrate like it’s the year 2000 all over again! Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom friends return for another round of Bowser-bashing board-game action, complete with fancy costumes, new Adventure Boards and minigames.
Of course, to join in on the fun, you’ll need to have a subscription to Nintendo’s Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. This gives you access to N64 games, Sega Mega Drive / Genesis titles and also additional DLC content in certain Switch games. Japan will also be receiving the same two games on November 2nd.
The remaining titles in Nintendo’s current batch of N64 NSO games include Mario Party 3, Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Stadium 2, 1080 Snowboarding, Excitebike 64 and also GoldenEye 007. Japan will be getting Harvest Moon 64, too.
Here’s the list of games still on the way to the service in 2022 and 2023:
What do you think of the latest games announced for the Switch Online service? Tell us in the comments.
Poll: What Switch Online N64 Game Are You Most Excited About?
Nintendo’s Direct presentation earlier this week was loaded with all sorts of announcements, and one of the highlights was the segment announcing a new batch of N64 games for the Switch Online’s Expansion Pack service.
While GoldenEye 007 is arguably the highlight for many Switch owners out there, we’re still curious to know exactly what our community here on Nintendo Life is most excited about, even if you don’t have a subscription. We’ve also added in the Japan-only NSO release Harvest Moon 64.
Vote in our poll and leave a comment below.