Nintendo 64 Madness
There was always a ritual to it: Untangling the impossibly intertwined controller cords, arguing with friends and siblings about whether to play Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros (and then arguing over whether anyone was allowed to use Toad), blowing on the cartridge (which almost certainly did not work) and then, finally, watching with preadolescent awe as that 4-sided “N” twirled onto the screen.
Easy to use (aside from a controller that was apparently designed for a three-armed alien) and boasting a lineup of colorful, kid-friendly games that emphasized cleverly-designed challenges and puzzles over blood-spattered warfare, the Nintendo 64 was the perfect gaming system for kids.
Its best titles invariably worked with, rather than against, the graphical limitations of the system’s hardware, using bold colors and simple polygons to create cartoonish worlds that remain vivid today. Combined with the frequently ingenious mechanics of its games, which included such all-time classics as The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, StarFox 64 and GoldenEye, the N64’s unique aesthetic and sensibility ensures it remains playable today — there’s a reason used systems are immensely popular on eBay. Countless kids spent countless hours of countless afternoons testing each other’s skills on Rainbow Road. Now the games will be tested as they fight for the title of best Nintendo 64 game.
