In a market of growth such as videogames (making more money than movies last year), Nintendo has continued to innovate over the last twenty years. In almost every console Nintendo has made (yes, even the Virtual Boy) there has been something that they have done that has pushed the envelope in either hardware or software.
The Nintendo 64 wasn’t a really innovative console unless you can count the rumble pack, but one One of the things Nintendo did was shine in the software department. Goldeneye 64 brought multiplayter FPS gaming to the console masses long before Halo, Zelda: Orcania of Time brought excellent story elements and adventure design just before Final Fantasy VII, and Paper Mario brought a unique twist to the RPG genre.
By combining little bits of side-scrolling, RPG, and adventure gameplay and including the world’s most beloved video game character, Nintendo created what may be one of the most unique games from the N64 era. Oh, and did I mention that the beloved character, Mario, was flat? Yes, all the characters were 2D in a 3D world.
Where does that bring us you may ask? Simple. Nintendo has fulfilled fan’s wishes the world over by releasing the game on the Wii’s Virtual Console.
Let me let you in on a little secret. I’ve played almost every console, but I’ve never played an N64 game. Not a single one. However, I have played the other two Paper Mario games to great length and I don’t expect to be disappointed with this one. I consider them to be the best games on their respective consoles. Here’s hoping I don’t get cut.
Sorry, I’ve been away for a while. I spent last week preparing for a day long job interview of which I nailed this last Sunday. It looks like my family will be relocating in a month. Hoo-rah.