| Nintendo 64 Music | ||
The Nintendo 64
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Background
In 1993, as the Super Nes was becoming a domineering force in the console world, Nintendo began quietly whispering rumors of their next system. Dubbed "Project Reality," it would completely skip over the 32-bit platform and the plunge into the world of 64-bits (which was completely untread, despite the deception of Atari with their Jaguar). It would feature a speedy 93.75 mhz processor, and plenty of graphical processing power. However, it had one giant shortcoming: it was catridge-based. With the advent of the CD-ROM, publishers wanted less and less to do with cartridges - they had fractional storage capabitlity compared to a CD, and cost many times more to produce. Additionally, the project underwent several name changes (first to the Ultra 64, the Nintendo Ultra 64, and finally settled on Nintendo 64), as well as delay after delay. Despite this, the demand for the console in Japan was at a fever pitch by the time of it's release in 1995. Nintendo sold out of it's initial run within days. People couldn't get enough of the launch titles. And then they waited for the next wave. And waited. Games only trickled out due to the small amount publishers for the N64. Word of this spread (eventually even to the United States), and sales of the N64 fell sharply. Shortly later, it's US debut received a luke-warm reception. This threw Nintendo into one of it's biggest slumps ever, which it ultimately would not entirely escape until the advent of Pokémon. However, there were many excellent games for the N64. It was undeniably the master of the 3-D platform game, adapting many of it's 8 and 16-bit staples into the third dimension: Mario, Zelda and Castlevania all recieved this treatment with accolade from the industry and the fans. Also, the driving and first-person shooter genres have lended themselves well to this console. All-in-all, the N64 has produced a decent selection of games, and with them, some fairly decent music. Midi Files |
