Show Report
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Show Report is an article written by Dan Owsen available via the "Newsroom" section of the official Nintendo website. The article is focused on the Shoshinkai event in 1996, with Dan discussing the various games shown at the show. Two of these were games in the Super Mario franchise, these being Mario Kart 64 and Yoshi's Story (referred to as Yoshi's Island 64).
Portions relating to the Super Mario franchise[edit]
- BIG NEWS
- Despite hints at the last Shoshinkai that Zelda 64 might be ready at this year's show, it was only shown in video form. Even those glimpses looked impressive, though. The 64DD hardware, however, was there, in operation. Nintendo models with digital cameras took photos of show-goers, which were then texture mapped on a rotating cube on a big screen display. Other big hits of the show included Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Nintendo's "Jolting Pack" controller accessory, and Konami's J. League Perfect Striker.
- MARIO KART 64 -- NINTENDO
- Mario Kart 64 was game of the show. Even though there were tons of game play stations featuring this game, there was always a long wait to play. What's new in the Nintendo 64 version? In brief, the tracks are improved in length and quality. They have ups, downs, big jumps, tunnels, sweeping turns, tight hairpin turns, and tons of variety. I can tell it's going to be fun to find shortcuts in these courses! Items also seem easier to come by, and there are new items too. The Nintendo 64 supports four-player simultaneous play, and in Japan the game will be sold with an extra black and grey colored controller. I also heard that the US version of Mario Kart 64, due out next year, might be compatible with the "Jolting Pack" controller accessory.
- STAR FOX 64 -- NINTENDO
- Second only to Mario Kart 64 was another big Nintendo title, Star Fox 64. Although this game was only about 50% complete, it was very playable. So far, the game play seems to have a mixture of different types of levels. Some mission are course type, as in the first Star Fox game, others are wide open, full 3-D. The polygon ships and enemies look light-years better on Nintendo 64, and there are some really cool special effects for explosions and special weapons. The action unfolds in a really cinematic style, with the between mission cinemas blending seamlessly with the action. To top it all off, there is a four-player simultaneous dog fight mode where players compete against each other. Star Fox 64 also used the "Jolting Pack" to vibrate your controller when you were hit by enemy fire, crashed into something, or used your speed boost.
- YOSHI'S ISLAND 64 -- NINTENDO
- Unfortunately, this game was only visible in a few short glimpses on video, but to me, this was the most surprising game of the show. Unlike the Super NES game, which used a hand-drawn style, the graphics in the N64 version are pre-rendered and look spectacular! The enemy characters are huge, and many N64 hardware special effects were used in their creation. Even though this is supposed to be a "2-D" game, with its solid, pre-rendered characters, it looks like it has a lot of visual depth. According to Mr. Tezuka, the Producer of this game at NCL, the target completion date is next summer.
- DORAEMON -- EPOCH
- Doraemon was one of the lamer Nintendo 64 titles. Even though it was obvious that most of the game play was lifted directly from Super Mario 64 (if you press the trigger your character crawls), the developers did not copy the fun, well-planned levels or the intelligent camera views on the action. This game seemed far from complete, so hopefully some of the kinks will be worked out before it hits the market, though it is unlikely it will ever be released in the US.
External link[edit]
- Article (archived)
