What’s up, retro legends!
Today we’re talking about a console that looked like a spaceship, had a controller from another dimension, and gave us some of the greatest 3D games of all time.
Let me introduce you to the Nintendo 64, aka N64, aka the reason you and your cousins stayed up ‘til 3AM screaming at each other during GoldenEye.
🛸 The Launch That Blew Minds (and Storage Space)
It was 1996.
The PlayStation had just dropped some CD-powered fire, and people were wondering: “Is Nintendo cooked?”
Nintendo was like:
“Nah. Here’s a console that looks like Batman’s Wi-Fi router and runs on CARTRIDGES.
Also… here’s Mario. In full 3D.”
💥 Boom. Super Mario 64 changed gaming forever. Like literally, game design professors still talk about it in lectures. It wasn't just Mario in 3D — it was joy in analog stick form.
🎮 That Wacky, Wonderful Controller
Let’s talk about it.
The three-pronged alien fork that we all somehow learned to love.
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🕹️ It had one analog stick, six face buttons, and a trigger on the bottom.
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No one knew how to hold it at first. Some kids grabbed the left and right prongs. Monsters.
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You needed to grow an extra thumb just to use the D-pad and joystick at the same time.
And let’s not forget the Rumble Pak — the first time your controller vibrated and you were like:
“Wait… the game is ALIVE?!”
Mind. Blown.
🔥 Banger Games Only
Let’s be real — the N64 didn’t have a ton of games.
But the ones it had? LEGENDARY. Straight classics. No filler.
The Hall of Fame lineup:
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Super Mario 64 – the GOAT. Platforming perfection.
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – the game that made grown men cry in the '90s.
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GoldenEye 007 – no Oddjob or we’re not friends.
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Mario Kart 64 – friendships ended at Rainbow Road.
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Super Smash Bros. – the start of all controller-breaking tournaments.
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Banjo-Kazooie – the sassiest bear-bird duo in history.
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Star Fox 64 – “DO A BARREL ROLL!” still lives rent-free in my head.
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Perfect Dark – basically GoldenEye's cooler cousin.
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Pokémon Stadium – for when you wanted to actually see your Charizard destroy.
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Donkey Kong 64 – yeah, it needed an Expansion Pak. And yes, the DK Rap still slaps.
🧠 Fun & Ridiculous N64 Facts
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🥵 The N64 controller didn’t come with a memory card — you had to buy it separately and slot it into the controller.
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📦 Game boxes were cardboard. You know how many of those survived? Like... five. Worldwide.
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🧠 Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the highest-rated game ever for years. Some say it still is.
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🧃 Some games came in crazy cartridge colors — like Donkey Kong 64 in banana yellow and Zelda: Majora’s Mask in freakin’ gold.
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🎤 Hey You, Pikachu! came with a voice mic and let you talk to Pikachu. He almost never listened. But we still tried.
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📺 Split-screen GoldenEye was a 4-player chaos fiesta — on a 20" TV with 144p. You still somehow knew where everyone was hiding.
🧓 And Yeah… Your Dad or Uncle Still Owns One
He keeps it in the garage “just in case.”
He’ll bust it out at family parties like it’s Excalibur.
And when he fires up Mario Kart 64 and smokes you at Wario Stadium without even using drift…
You’ll know.
He’s been training since 1996.
🧠 Why N64 Still Hits in 2025
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🕹️ Local multiplayer energy – when 4 people shared one screen and pure chaos.
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🎨 Graphics that were “ugly cute” — everything looked like mashed polygons, but we LOVED it.
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🧠 Game design breakthroughs – camera systems, analog control, real-time 3D combat… it was revolutionary.
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🎮 The N64 made games feel big, free, and funny.
It wasn’t just a console. It was a vibe. A moment. A freakin’ personality.
🏁 Final Thoughts
The Nintendo 64 was weird, wild, and way ahead of its time.
It gave us worlds to explore, friends to fight, secrets to unlock, and cheat codes to abuse.
It gave us memories — sleepovers, tournaments, yelling “NO ODDJOB!” at your screen, and discovering that Zelda could actually break your heart.
If you grew up with it, you know.
If you didn’t?
Go borrow your uncle’s, fire it up, and start with Mario 64.
You’ll get it.
