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The N64 Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo 64
The fourth book in Chris Scullion’s critically acclaimed series of video game encyclopedias, The N64 Encyclopedia is dedicated to the Nintendo 64, one of the most well-loved games consoles ever released. Although the Nintendo 64 didn’t sell as well as some of Nintendo’s other systems, and it struggled in the shadow of the bold newcomer that was the Sony PlayStation, nearly everyone who owned an N64 was in love with it and the four-player multiplayer it provided as standard.
Despite its relatively small library, the Nintendo 64 had a healthy number of groundbreaking titles that would revolutionize the way we play video games. The likes of Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, Mario Kart 64 and The Legend of Ocarina of Time remain iconic in the eyes of video game fans over 25 years down the line. This book naturally contains those games, but it also contains every other game released for the system, no matter how obscure. It also covers every game released in Japan, including those for the ill-fated Nintendo 64DD add-on which never left the country.
With over 400 games covered, screenshots for every title and a light-hearted writing style designed to make reading it a fun experience, The N64 Encyclopedia is the definitive guide to a revolutionary gaming system.
Despite its relatively small library, the Nintendo 64 had a healthy number of groundbreaking titles that would revolutionize the way we play video games. The likes of Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, Mario Kart 64 and The Legend of Ocarina of Time remain iconic in the eyes of video game fans over 25 years down the line. This book naturally contains those games, but it also contains every other game released for the system, no matter how obscure. It also covers every game released in Japan, including those for the ill-fated Nintendo 64DD add-on which never left the country.
With over 400 games covered, screenshots for every title and a light-hearted writing style designed to make reading it a fun experience, The N64 Encyclopedia is the definitive guide to a revolutionary gaming system.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2024
21 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 9, 2023
A fun little flick through, I probably didn't need to read each and every blurb on this.
Chris seems like a nice guy who has a passion and is following it, so I do not want to be too harsh here. Instead, on the off chance he'll read this, I have some advice for what I would like to see in future books by him:
-More stats beyond just publishing date/publisher/developer. How many units were sold? How much did it cost to produce? How much money did it make? What is its current Metacritic rating (or some other rating system)?
-The write-ups don't need to focus on the plot so much, especially when it's a racing game or something where the plot is entirely irrelevant. For a majority of these entries almost the ENTIRE write-up is on the plot.
-More focus on the impact of the game. Was it liked/disliked? Has it aged well, poorly?
-More focus on unique game mechanics or things that were new/revolutionary upon their release.
-More focus on interesting facts or lore about the game development.
-It's cool that he personally took all of the screenshots for the book! But some of the screenshots are very difficult to parse what is going on, and are not especially representative of the game overall.
-More variety in entry length. We don't need a whole page for the 15th wrestling game by the same studio where the only changes are the rosters. Conversely, I think you could have filled multiple pages about Super Mario 64, Super Smash Bros., Ocarina of Time, etc.
-More personal stories! I get that this is supposed to be an "encyclopedia", but my favorite part of the book was the intro where Chris was talking about him and his brother playing all their favorite games.
Anyway, a nice book to get from the library to reminisce for a few hours.
Chris seems like a nice guy who has a passion and is following it, so I do not want to be too harsh here. Instead, on the off chance he'll read this, I have some advice for what I would like to see in future books by him:
-More stats beyond just publishing date/publisher/developer. How many units were sold? How much did it cost to produce? How much money did it make? What is its current Metacritic rating (or some other rating system)?
-The write-ups don't need to focus on the plot so much, especially when it's a racing game or something where the plot is entirely irrelevant. For a majority of these entries almost the ENTIRE write-up is on the plot.
-More focus on the impact of the game. Was it liked/disliked? Has it aged well, poorly?
-More focus on unique game mechanics or things that were new/revolutionary upon their release.
-More focus on interesting facts or lore about the game development.
-It's cool that he personally took all of the screenshots for the book! But some of the screenshots are very difficult to parse what is going on, and are not especially representative of the game overall.
-More variety in entry length. We don't need a whole page for the 15th wrestling game by the same studio where the only changes are the rosters. Conversely, I think you could have filled multiple pages about Super Mario 64, Super Smash Bros., Ocarina of Time, etc.
-More personal stories! I get that this is supposed to be an "encyclopedia", but my favorite part of the book was the intro where Chris was talking about him and his brother playing all their favorite games.
Anyway, a nice book to get from the library to reminisce for a few hours.
April 14, 2024
I will admit I did not fully finish this book as its massive and I plan to do so eventually. I have read enough to give an informed opinion of it though
A. The N64 had A LOT of sports games
B. It's a fine collection to read about. I wish the author did a bit more like the author of in Video Game of The Year did. You can tell the author is passionate about this, but for some reason the author clutches onto facts while letting his passion take the backseat. A shame, really. Because what are video games if not a product born out of passion?
Formatting is somewhat repetitive but for what it is; a encyclopedia on N64 games, it's great!
A. The N64 had A LOT of sports games
B. It's a fine collection to read about. I wish the author did a bit more like the author of in Video Game of The Year did. You can tell the author is passionate about this, but for some reason the author clutches onto facts while letting his passion take the backseat. A shame, really. Because what are video games if not a product born out of passion?
Formatting is somewhat repetitive but for what it is; a encyclopedia on N64 games, it's great!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews