#Cancelled N64 Games

[bison2winquote]

Dinosaur Planet [N64, canned] (Rare)

source

[chatretr0]

EarthBound 64 Gameplay (Cancelled)

[alln64games]

SimCopter 64 (Prototype)

PAL release: N/A

NA release: N/A

JP release: N/A

Developer: Maxis

Publisher: EA

N64 Magazine Score: N/A

In my previous looks at franchises, I noted all cancelled games. Due to the amount of N64 games, I will be just looking at playable prototypes, the first of which is SimCopter 64, which was playable at E3 1997. It was planned to work as a standalone title, but would be compatible in some way with SimCity 2000, SimCity 64 and Mario Artist (all ended up being Japan-only games), although none of that was ever integrated.

In this prototype, you fly around as you please and can help sort out emergencies such as traffic jams and speeding cars (the full game would have had more, like the PC version). These are solved by hovering your spotlight on the cars and pressing a “shout” button. You get money for completing these tasks (there’s a sound effect but no HUD display).

You can also get out of the helicopter and walk around. In both flight and on the ground, none of the buildings have collision, so you go straight through them. The city looks nice, but draw distance is very low. It’s very likely that this was adapted into the free roam aspect of SimCity 64, which was from a first person view.

Footage from a later build has been see, but this is just a few seconds of footage and the build itself hasn’t been shared. This version has some text explaining what to do, a HUD showing health and money and has collisions.

SimCopter 64 is an impressive early demo of a 3D city on the N64, but I don’t think it would have performed well on the platform.

The PC version of the game received mixed reviews in its appearance earlier this year, but the Japanese developers promise the 64-bit version will be veritably rejigged with 30 new pre-built cities.

- N64 Magazine #5

Should it be finished?

SimCopter was released on PC with better integration and better graphics, so there’s no reason to see the finished version of this. That said, I would be much more interested in SimCity if minigames like this were part of the package.

[mchi22]

the n64dd is such a frustrating topic man. so many fuckin projects were abandoned and are totally lost nowadays because of it and i hate it

[kidfur]

you know, maybe it was a good thing the n64 DD fell flat on its face, because if it was actually successful, EVERY OTHER n64 game would have been DD exclusive xD

[orangeloungeradio]

Classic Cancelled Game of the Month: ROBOTECH: Crystal Dreams Developer: GameTek Publisher: N/A Platform: Nintendo 64 Video Courtesy of: ROBOTECH Harmony Gold, Inc.

[wrestlingpepper]

With all of these rumors and "leaks" going around regarding the Switch's successor, my main hope for it is that all of the legacy titles currently in the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service carry over to it and be available day one. I'm not going to pay a single cent into their legacy content next Gen if they're expecting us to be perfectly fine paying for the same damn eighty NES games, sixty SNES games and twenty Nintendo 64 games all drip fed at an average rate of like two titles a month over the course of six years for the fourth console generation in a row; especially if they're going to make us wait a year or two for it and be fine with just NES for a year for the third generation in a row.

Nintendo wonders why people just pirate and emulate instead of going the official route? It's because their preservation of their own legacy content is a joke and the only legal alternative is paying hundreds for ancient, degrading hardware and software that may not even work to somebody who has had no hand in making it trying to make as much money as possible off of someone else's nostalgia

[nintendroid]

Happy belated birthday to the Nintendo 64, released in North America on September 29th making it 28 years old!

No other console I've owned gives me the nostalgia bug like the N64. I have so many stories of the adventures I had with it I could almost write a book. Maybe someday I will, but for right now let's talk about how you can celebrate Nintendo's most unappreciated console. We'll look at some modern software, some underappreciated games you should play and some cool N64 oddities. (NOTE: None of the items mentioned are sponsored. I just really dig the products)

Essential Hardware:

Brawler 64 Controller!

Available wired or wireless, the Brawler is for players who want to play the N64 with a more modern controller. I bought one some years back and have been nothing but satisfied with it. Check out my original review here. Shop here.

The Everdrive 64!

A cartridge capable of storing every N64 game EVER! Not just official games either, but fan-made game mods too! An absolute must if you're hardcore into N64 gaming. It should be noted, there are cheaper alternatives out there, but the rumor is that they can fry your console. KRIKzz-brand Everdrive's are known for their quality and for my money I want something that's not going to ruin my hardware. Check out my original review here. Shop here.

Underrated Games: Even with such a short library, there are good N64 games that don't have the Nintendo or Rare label on them. These aren't all of them, but here's a few that pop up in my mind when I think of the topic of underappreciated N64 games. Yes, some of these are ports but the N64 ports are the way I experienced them and I still prefer the N64 versions.

Duke Nukem: Zero Hour

In my opinion, the best sequel to Duke 3D. Don't let the 3rd-person perspective deter you, this is an authentic Duke Nukem game. Go through time shooting zombies, aliens, Jack the Ripper and send those alien scum packing. Duke's sense of humor is present, even under Nintendo's famous censorship guidelines.

Road Rash 64

A motorcycle racing game where you clobber the other racers with pipes, crowbars and plungers while avoiding the cops. It's so awesome and features one of the greatest songs Sugar Ray ever put out.

40 Winks

It was cancelled at 99% complete in the N64's heyday but publishing company Piko Interactive bought the rights and gave it an official release in 2019. While not what I would call a "classic" It's still a fun game to play over a weekend. As mentioned in my original review, it reminds me of a 3D adaptation of Nightmare on Elmstreet for NES.

007 - The World Is Not Enough

While not quite known as it's big brother, TWINE is a fun FPS Bond game in its own right. Eurocom (who developed Duke Nukem Zero Hour and 40 Winks!) knew they wasn't going to top Rare's iconic Goldeneye, but they did their best and it shows. The one advantage TWINE has over Goldeneye is multiplayer bots so you can play multiplayer because you don't have friends willing to come over because you're a 35-year-old father of two with a mortgage and 9-to-5.

Mods: The modding scene on the N64 is opening up and as a result we're getting some quality titles that extends the life of our favorite system. The one's mentioned here can be played on your actual N64 with the assistance of an Everdrive.

Smash Remix

Everyone collectively loves the original Super Smash Bros, but we can all agree it's pretty barebones in terms of content. Smash Remix fixed that with tons of new N64-era appropriate character additions, new levels, gameplay modes, music, costume changes and MORE. Phenomenal mod if you're a Smash 64 fan.

Shotgun Mario

Its Super Mario 64 but he has a shotgun. Fun for a laugh but adds a fun new mechanic to a classic. No more hoppin-and-boppin, Mario is here to dispense justice!

AKI-engine Wrestling Game Mods

I know most of you reading this aren't wrestling fans but the N64 had some iconic wrestling games thanks to Japanese studio AKI. Fans have been making mods for the AKI-developed titles like WWF No Mercy, Virtual Pro Wrestling 64, WCW vs NWO World Tour ect for years. It's hard to choose just one and each game has a wealth of characters, new arenas, match stipulations, create a wrestler options and much more.

Weirdo N64 Products: Any other time I would have 100 things to list but this is all I could find in the short time I have.

N64 Shirt!

Yes this bad boy is official. What other officially licensed shirt has Fox McCloud and a stormtrooper on it? In modern times, your best luck of finding something like this would be in a midwestern flea market.

Bill Goldberg Memory Card!

WCW legend Bill Goldberg had a memory card for some reason. I'm not complaining because it's awesome. Nothing I would love more than looking down after losing races in Diddy Kong to see big Bill yelling at me, motivating me to be a champion.

In conclusion: The N64 is a flawed but legendary console - it's popular but underrated, widely-known but intimate. My wishlist for the future is more awesome game mods of well known titles AND lesser known titles (let's fix Superman 64 or Carmageddon!). If you read this far, I hope this got you in the mood to play some N64.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

okay so since nobody knows who the fuck the Emblem of Foundations is we can just say its whoever the fuck we want niche character? the lord of the cancelled N64 game? an original character from any number of fangames? K*ga himself? it could be fucking anything and i think we should lean into that more as a fandom

Its anna.

Source: dude trust me

[doubleddenden]

I see some people worrying that the Teraleak will cause Pokemon projects to be delayed or canceled (thanks to a fake leaker who lost his credibility trying to stir the pot like usual), especially ZA.

I'm not a leaker with inside info, I'm not a TPC employee, I'm just a lifelong fan like many others- just to preface this.

My opinion is this, for what little it may matter: I don't think any game projects are in any rush to be canceled or completely restarted from scratch. This leak is huge and does cover other facets of the franchise like anime and movies- those could be possibly affected, but I'd say the chances of anything deep in development being outright canceled is near zero- not impossible, but very low.

Imo the worst that may end up happening across the board is that stories in the works may need to be rewritten, characters planned reworked, certain new Pokemon or forms shelved for later or permanently jailed like other beta Pokemon, or maybe get delayed a bit longer than what they normally would have.

That being said, there's something very important people need to realize about this: Pokemon isn't a passion project, it's a franchise that makes more money than any other. They are a business that makes products to be bought, watched, consumed, all in pursuit of appeasing people in suits who like money. That sounds like a cold take to some, and I'm sure there are plenty involved that are passionate about their work, but money is the MAIN objective here- I think we can all see why SV released so early despite clearly being unfinished with that understanding.

In other words, there are billions of dollars tied into a lot of projects going on. Shareholders and investors will want their money back and extra. Employees need to be paid for their hard work, and while the games don't make nearly as much as mobile games or merch, that's still a pretty heavy billion or more dollars earned with each release, quality not really important. This year, they're banking on merch, tcg, mobile games, and especially TCG pocket to help make up for the gap year.

However that still leaves the next year or two. They are balls deep in ZA and gen 10 production right now, it is literally too late to turn back now or risk SV but WORSE, and to drop it all because of a leak is tantamount to lighting billions of dollars ablaze and shooting your own ass with a pistol.

A source code and a possible PC build being out there can lose a little money, but let's be real: most Pokemon games have leaked before their scheduled launch date to be available for some form of Piracy. I can attest that this has been the case since- from my own memory- HGSS's and BW's initial releases. In recent times, SwSh and SV both were being emulated days and weeks before commercial launch.

And you know what happened? They still made so much money that the more recent games have collectively sold more than most of the older gens.

Sure, you can emulate, you could try the pc build if it ever leaks- but the pc build supposedly requires specific specs to play- in other words, it is most likely a dev build meant for simulating the Switch or Switch 2 specifications. Emulating is harder to do the more recent a game is, and not all pcs are made for it in general (my "gaming" pc can play plenty of Steam Games just fine, but it absolutely shits itself trying to run an RPGmaker game or trying to emulate anything more complex than the gba or n64). Even then, most fans would prefer to play the games on original hardware because it simply WORKS the best and as close to intended as possible, and it is just easier to buy a game than figure out how to get just the right settings to run a Switch game at lower fps and overall quality, let alone find a source for a game that doesn't come preloaded with a virus or a tracker to get you fined. In other words, people who emulate are probably a very small percentage of the total player base, and people who would emulate a more recent Pokemon game are probably smaller in that group. And let's be real- the people who will emulate were already planning to anyway.

Let's be clear- a source code can be worked wonders with... if you have the time and know how to figure out how to do it and THEN the time and know how to also do it. If you're a game studio and it is your JOB to work with it, you get paid to do so for many hours a day. If you're a fan trying to get a game to run natively on pc or other devices, you're most likely going to be doing this while you're off work or dealing with other life commitments, and it'll still probably take more time than if you were someone who originally made it.

Here's 1 more important thing: yes, this is probably the earliest a Pokemon game project has gotten leaked, but A. It is not leaking to the public YET other than 2 or 3 small bread crumbs that barely mean anything OOC and only stated by the one guy who has it. B. Although ZA is playable, even the Leaker himself said that the game still needs to have more side quests and things worked on. It's not the final product yet, in other words, meaning even if he did go back on his word and leak everything, there will still be things missing they haven't added as of August of 2024 when GF was breached. That definitely includes Pokemon, plot lines, etc.

All of this being said- people will buy the games. Simple as that. That's guaranteed money. That's money they want and need. So what this means overall is that ZA and gen 10 will most likely not be canceled- least of all as a way to "punish" fans for the actions of 1 guy.

A delay, perhaps? Well, all we know about ZA's release window is what we've already been told: 2025. That's it. No point in 2025, just the year, anywhere from January to December. If they decide to redo huge portions of the story- which I doubt they'll erase too much- we probably won't even know about it until the next big leak (which if gf have half a brain they'll invest more in their cyber security, if nothing else than for their own safety) or unless we are told to our faces by them directly, which I doubt. Any delays will strictly be internal rather than on our end- maybe they'll need to delay from April to November of 2025 for ZA, but we don't know that because all we know is 2025!

In simple words, if something changes, we won't know anything until after the fact. We won't see a difference from our perspective until later, like how we're now discovering a bunch of new gen 3 and a few gen 5 beta Pokemon 22 to 15 years after the fact. Worst outcome is maybe they'll cut content and blame the leak- but let's be real, they cut content anyway because of anything from time constraints to "kids and their smart phones."

It'll be fine. Don't stress about that.

[trackerkitsune]

The only Goncharov adaptation that matters is the video game adaptation Super Goncharov (1992) on the Super Nintendo. Followed by Super Goncharov 2 : The Return of Goncharov (1994) released two years later. Both adventure games with role playing elements allowing the players to go deeper into the plot of the original film and developing a more intricate, intriguing and complex storyline. A perfect addition to the saga. I must also give credit to the attempt made by Nintendo of creating something unique and new with Goncharov Kart (1995) on the Game Boy, who mostly was a success thanks to the use of the original themes and soundtrack from the first film (not to mention it was released at the same time as the VHS boxset of the original film with THX remastered audio). Now I know my opinion will divide among the true fans of the saga but personally I think Goncharov 64 (1997) on the Nintendo 64 was a terrible adaptation despite being a commercial success. The switch to a 3D plateform game was a poor decision and imo it lost itself trying to edulcorate the original storyline and atmosphere of the movies to try to touch a broader and younger audience. Proof of it being the catastrophic follow up to this game : the awful Goncharov Evolution (1998) developed in a hast to capitalize on the relative success of the previous opus. Some will disagree but I believe the poor sales of it compared to the astronomical budget invested into it was the main reason why sales of the Nintendo 64 also dropped significantly the same year and why in the end the console was discontinued by Nintendo. It only got worse for Nintendo when they announced their new Gamecube console only one day before it was confirmed they’d lost the rights for Goncharov video games adaptations against Sony after a legal battle that costed several hundreds millions of dollars to both companies. A shame because I was excited by the (then tragically cancelled) Gamecube adaptation : Goncharov versus Goncharov (2001/unreleased) and especially by the two immersive accessories it was meant to be played with. The GonchaPad(tm) an innovative gamepad allowing the player to shoot with a customizable rifle-like pad all the while controlling the character, and the GonchActive(tm) interactive headset allowing you to connect with your character and interact with them in real time. I know Sony’s acquisition of the commercial rights gave us amazing adaptations on the PS1 and PS2 but they were imo classic and basic games with no risks taken. We’ll see if the recently announced Goncharov-VR (2025) on the PS5 will be up to the standards of these classics. I fear trying to innovate only for the sake of it could give us another catastrophic modern interpretation of the saga like last year’s Goncha’Party (2023)… I mean turning the Grand Orchestra and Opera scenes into a karaoke may help the players being more involved, but you will never change my mind about the fact it’s a complete travesty of the author’s work! I guess we’ll see next year.

Oh yeah, god the N64 3D adaptations were pretty bad... the platforming was clunky as heck and I really don't understand why they did Katya so dirty with the altered plotline either! Honestly I liked the Sony games for the franchise, something about their polygonal aesthetic really vibes well with the original film's styling.

[n64retro]

64DD

The Nintendo 64 Disk Drive - 64DD was an add-on peripheral for the N64 announced back in 1995 and which would provide more storage space for gaming and applications by using 64 MB rewriteble magnetic disks. After several games being canceled or simply ported to other systems or released as regular N64 cartridges, and development troubles, the 64DD was finally released exclusively in Japan on December 1999 as a subscription service only. The 64DD was discontinued as February 2001 with only 10 magnetic disks launched.

[sometipsygnostalgic]

the more i learn about nintendo during the SNES and N64 era the more apparent it is that shigeru miyamoto is or was a huge asshole

-Nintendo loved the graphics RARE made for Donkey Kong Country, so they pressured Miyamoto to make Super Mario World 2 with a similar fidelity... he said it looked like a "childrens book" and made Super Mario World 2 into Yoshi Island with "child graphics" in response.

-Miyamoto hated Starfox 2 because it looked better than Starfox 64 when the 64 was supposed to be the better console, so Starfox 2 got cancelled

-he pressured the Zelda team to make Majora's Mask in just 1 year and they all had various issues with crunch and breakdowns

idk. mario man be a jerk

EDIT: ok im looking a bit more into the star fox thing since and to be fair i think strategically waiting for starfox 64 was probably a better idea than releasing a previous gen star fox sequel, but the game was 95% complete.

[magicalgirlagency]

I know this is a magical girl blog, but since you've mentioned indie games, I wanna know which ones are your faves? I assume the list isn't a big one, considering how you dislike horror games...

Pizza Tower (has Horror elements, but it's overrall bonkers and with a bitchin' soundtrack! An update with The Noise as a playable character is in the works!);

AntonBall (and its upcoming sequel, AntonBlast, which it's more close to the Wario Land 4 experience than Pizza Tower);

Captain Wayne: Vacation Desperation (it's not out yet, but it's basically DOOM combined with One Piece);

Freedom Planet (I like how it started off as a SonicTH hack, only for it to grow into its own thing. Things get intense in the sequel!);

Spookware (WarioWare but spooky! And with graphics similar to Paper Mario, too!)

Thunder Ray (it's Punch-Out!! but waaay more intense! Like Shonen manga kind of intense!);

Fight Knight (DOOM combined with Punch-Out!! Also has an intense Shonen manga vibe);

Cosmic Boll (A colorful Beat 'Em Up with Sonic-y designs. Most likely discontinued/cancelled);

Kyle & Lucy: Wonderland (Yet another game with Sonic-y aesthetics and gameplay, combined with Felix the Cat. Looks like it has been discontinued/cancelled, sadly);

Friday Night Funkin' (the fact that this game has managed to help Newgrounds stay relevant after the death of Flash is quite an amazing feat!);

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (What if CD-i Zelda were its own original thing? And what if it were actually good?);

Pulling No Punches/Punhos de Repúdio (this one's brazilian! A Beat 'Em Up where you fight against antivaxxers with Bolsonaro as the Final Boss!);

Spark the Electric Jester (Sonic, Kirby and Ristar all combined into one);

Hazelnut Hex (a short but sweet Cute 'Em Up);

Smile For Me (a First Person game with Psychonauts-esque aesthetics set in the 90's where you go around helping troubled people, calling the attention of its mysterious and whimsical doctor as you go);

In Stars and Time (a monochromatic RPG about being stuck in a timeloop);

Cavern of Dreams (N64-styled Collectathon where you play as a cute baby dragon);

Super Lesbian Animal RPG (used to be a MLP fangame, but had to be altered due to copyright issues);

Them's Fighting Herds (same as SLARPG, but as a 1vs1 Fighting Game à la SkullGirls);

My Friendly Neighborhood (okay, this one's actually Horror, but it has heart and passion put into it);

Cuphead (the amount of dedication and research put into the old-timey visuals is admirable. Even the Netflix series is stylish!);

Hades (the Greek Mythos kid in me V I B R A T E S);

Berserk Boy (Mega-Man lookalike with soundtrack composed by Tee Lopes!);

Penny's Big Breakaway (by the Sonic Mania devs! And Tee Lopes works on the tunes, too!);

Undertale (well, duh. Deltarune didn't captivated me as much, though...);

Hollow Knight (not a big fan of MetroidVanias, but this one's got beautiful visuals);

The Plucky Squire (an adorable indie that has been in the making for 20+ years, with an ex-Pokémon designer as its co-director. Strong Zelda/Paper Mario/LittleBigPlanet vibes on this one);

PsiloSybil (Crash Bandicoot-esque game protagonized by a cute curvaceous mushroom gal);

Melatonin (think Rhythm Heaven, but dreamier, pastel-colored, with lo-fi, and more grounded in reality).

And that's all I have so far right now. Might update this list if I remember something else!

[alln64games]

Legend of the River King 64

JP release: 27th November 1998

PAL release: N/A

NA release: N/A

Developer: Pack-In-Video

Publisher: Victor Interactive

Original Name: Nushi Tsuri 64

N64 Magazine Score: 56%

Nushi Tsuri is a series of fishing RPGs that were released between 1990 and 2007. A few games have received western releases under the name Legend of the River King on the Game Boy and Game Boy Colour. Some of the later games were called River King in North America, but Harvest Fishing in Europe, to try and market it as a Harvest Moon spin-off (the mainline games of both franchises were made by Marvelous, but River King was first).

While the N64 version of Legend of the River King was marketed for a western release at some point, it ended up getting cancelled, so we’re left with a Japan-only game, which heavily relies on Japanese text. Google Lens is fine for rough translations, but is unfortunately not quite up to the task for specifics like translating fish names and other technical things like baits and lures. Still, I tried out what I could.

The game is presented as a top down 2D RPG and it looks lovely in motion, especially the water. Movement is surprisingly unrestrictive as it seems you can climb up any surface and swim through the water – there is one section where you’re blocked that’s part of a lengthy quest to reach the main objectives. The setting seems to be based on the British countryside (my girlfriend even commented on the look without seeing the red post box or football field), but with Japanese buildings.

The game stars a large family, and you get to choose which one to play as. While most of the game is the same for each, they have their own end goals. The girl I picked wanted to find a rare fish that uses a nest because it’s something her fiancé wanted to see. Along the way, you need to hone your skills by catching fish in order to get better equipment and win tournaments.

While the game is pretended in a cure and lovely 2D format, it changes completely once you get a bite on your rod. You are presented with a 3D view of the very nicely detailed fish. You need to use the analogue stick to make the fish think that the bait is real (it’s very difficult to figure out the tight motion) and use the a button to reel in. If the rod starts to strain, you’ll feel a rumble and you’ll need to let go until you see enough slack on the line to start reeling in again.

I found the fishing to be very difficult, even after reading tips online, and still struggled with the little indoor fishing that lets you fish as much as you want without using resources. You need to keep your eye on both your supplies and the quality of your rod.

Exploring the areas of the game (that I could access to – I never got the bridge repaired to access the blocked off areas), I did manage to find an old man that talked about the fish my character was after, as he laments that the species is now incredibly rare due to pollution. I did attempt to fish in this area on the off chance that I would find one, but I couldn’t even get bite, even trying lots of different bait.

I imagine that the information needed to figure out what kinds of rods, lures and baits you need to use in different locations is somewhere, but as Google isn’t great at translating those kinds of things, it’s lost on me, so this was kind of the end of my adventure. I did manage to catch a few fish, and you fill out an encyclopaedia with information – and you can make the model of the fish move its mouth by pressing A, so I had fun making it sing along to the tune of the music.

There is also more than just fishing. Wildlife will also attack you, either form you walking into them on the map or random encounters. Everything – seagulls, mice, eagles, cats, starfish – is out to get you, and you have three options: placate them with food, attack them or run away.

On top of catching fish, you also collect bugs and flowers. With bugs, you find them on the map and use your net to start the “battle” phase where you use a net or your bare hands to collect the bugs in a first person view. Cutting flowers is a bit more simple.

Legend of the River King seems like a nice and relaxing game, and it’s a shame that the language barrier makes it difficult to fully play and enjoy. I do really like this kind of RPG where the “combat” is something that isn’t a battle system, such as the handheld Mario Golf and Tennis games.

Even though I couldn’t get very far in the game, I enjoyed the time I spent with it.

It’s almost impossible to get a decent way into it if you’re not even slightly conversant in Japanese, such is the option-heavy nature of the text – but we did have a fair amount of fun once we discovered how to fish.

- Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #26

Remake or remaster?

It would be nice to see an English translation of this game – and perhaps a Story of Seasons fishing game.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to get Legend of the River King 64

[apple-pecan]

Sin and Punishment (2000)

once upon a time, a small company called Treasure existed. they made a bunch of awesome games but none of them sold particularly well, but that didn't stop them. until the early 2010's in which case they actually did stop. oops. either way they had a bunch of cult classics under their belt and had the idea to partner up with nintendo themselves to work on their first fully 3D game.

thus Sin and Punishment was made and it sold twelve billion copies and solved world hunger and world peace was finally achieved. just kidding, no one bought it because it was a japan exclusive N64 game, a country the N64 did awful in. a north amercian release was in mind from the very beginning (to the extent that all the voice acting is in english and not japanese) but it was cancelled because nintendo are cowards. thankfully they rectified this mistake in 2007 when it got released on the virtual console and it's been playable on all their main home consoles ever since. about time.

so what's the deal? why's this game so good? think star fox 64 with the plot of end of evangelion. it's a rail shooter where you have a rapid fire gun, the ability to melee enemies if they get too close, and a player character bound to the laws of gravity that can walk from left to right, jump, and dodge roll. there is also a worthless lock on mode that you should never use.

what follows is a non-stop barrage of action, explosions and vast amounts of awesome boss fights. so, like the best kinda games treasure made. BUT IN 3D!!!!!!! it's always a rush of energy and fun and there's never a dull moment. but it comes at a price: this game is horrifically short. you can easily beat the entire game in around 40 minutes, and aside from unlocking harder difficulties there's not that much of a reason to play again. except yes there is because the game is fun as balls and you can replay it to get a high score. i guess what im trying to say is think of this more as an arcade game rather than a full fledged AAA adventure, and you'll be good.

if you bought this game back when it first came out (somehow) the steep price would've been an issue. but if you have the nintendo switch online expansion pass, this is included in the nintendo 64 catalog for the low low price of 0 dollars. i mean, besides paying for the expansion pass but. you know what i mean. or you could pirate it that's fine too. either way, play this game however you can, it's the very definition of short but sweet. definitely treasure's best game on the N64, just narrowly beating mischief makers, and honestly one of the best games on the N64 in general. play it, you won't be disappointed.

9/10

NOTE: my favorite part was when saki turned into EVA-01 and said "AWW YEAH IT'S SIN AND PUNISHMENT TIME" and he sinned and punished the evil twin clone of the planet earth so hard it exploded. this joke is still funny right.