If Nintendo puts out some games we won't have to keep finding names for this.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/41104/episode-443-autumn-of-too-many-leaves
The calendar rolls into September, and RFN keeps rolling with New Business. First up Gui has a duo of party-game hybrids: Wii U party platformer Runbow and Wii relationship-decimating party RPG Dokapon Kingdom. Next up, Jon covers himself in paper cuts on the jagged 3D models of otherwise-classic Treasure shooter Sin and Punishment, now available on the Virtual Console. Greg discovers what he's fighting for with Mega Man X4. Lastly, James gives an update on LBX and before diving head first into long-running RFN gag Tube Slider. You can see James suffer in the tubes in the New Business Preview.
After the break, it's a trio of Listener Mail questions. Spurred by the sudden announcement of Amazon selling Wii U and 3DS digital games, the show launches into a discussion of potential new features Nintendo could add to their network in the near future, and what should be expected on NX in particular. An innocuous question about good introductory RPGs predictably spirals into infighting. Lastly, we have an inside baseball discussion over the obligations and best practices of video game journalism (thanks to Neal and Donald for their help with this question).
Just a reminder, we're getting ready for our next Retroactive: Mario games not featured in Mario Maker. Keep in mind, this is literally ANY game in which Mario makes ANY appearance. You can send your suggestions for the poll, your mailbag questions, or end music suggestions to the RFN Mailbag.
I love the N64 so i'm going to have to defend it a little bit here.
The N64 connected to a HD TV will look rough unless these things come into play.
The N64 outputs a progressive signal through SCART which we do not have here in the US unless is some very specific monitors. So already the N64 is at a disadvantage on HD LCD screens.
Games that support high rez mode with an expansion pack look much better on a HD TV because the higher resolution. So for instance Perfect Dark in 480p with a SCART cable actually looks good running on the old N64. Doesn't run very smooth lol. But you get the idea.
Also the Wii U virtual console for N64 games is horrible. Terrible. It's even blurrier and much to dark. Go play the Wii N64 game and compare it to the Wii U one and right away you will see a difference in color, brightness and clarity guys.
I love the N64 so i'm going to have to defend it a little bit here.
The N64 connected to a HD TV will look rough unless these things come into play.
The N64 outputs a progressive signal through SCART which we do not have here in the US unless is some very specific monitors. So already the N64 is at a disadvantage on HD LCD screens.
Games that support high rez mode with an expansion pack look much better on a HD TV because the higher resolution. So for instance Perfect Dark in 480p with a SCART cable actually looks good running on the old N64. Doesn't run very smooth lol. But you get the idea.
Also the Wii U virtual console for N64 games is horrible. Terrible. It's even blurrier and much to dark. Go play the Wii N64 game and compare it to the Wii U one and right away you will see a difference in color, brightness and clarity guys.
While I agree that N64 can look pretty nice with the right setup, every N64 worldwide needs to be modded to display at its best.
Once its modded it'll display a 240p RGB image that can then be sent to an upscaling unit such as the XRGB Mini, this is the best way to play N64 games on a modern set. However, there is an HDMI board being worked on that will be an even better option once its out. A professional CRT such as a Sony PVM is also a great option if you can track one down.
As for RPG choices, I'd throw in the first Golden Sun. That was actually my first traditional RPG outside of Pokemon.
It's totally possible to make N64 games look great in HD. Just look at Rare Replay.
I don't think any hi-res (480i) mode N64 games are supported by Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. I do think they would probably look very good. Anyway, my point is that Rare Replay shows you can emulate N64 games to look good on HDTV. Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini, and Conker all look great on XB1, and I don't think that's because Wii U is underpowered.
N64 games can look great if given an upscale and or polish. The Banjo games on 360 are largely untouched graphically, aside from a few textures, widescreen and framerate and look really good.
Wii U N64 VC isn't great, but for a casual audience of the system perfectly playable, Wii VC does look nicer though. The main reason to possibly look into going the real hardware route for N64 is simply because many of the games will likely never be re-released, especially on Nintendo platforms.
Not a cheap option though.
N64 games can look great if given an upscale and or polish. The Banjo games on 360 are largely untouched graphically, aside from a few textures, widescreen and framerate and look really good.
Wii U N64 VC isn't great, but for a casual audience of the system perfectly playable, Wii VC does look nicer though. The main reason to possibly look into going the real hardware route for N64 is simply because many of the games will likely never be re-released, especially on Nintendo platforms.
Not a cheap option though.
I use the actual system still. The games look great on crt TV and s cable and the n64 has a big library that is still not available anywhere else. Sure Nintendo and rare games are covered but that system had a ton of other great games
Silicon Valley how I love thee.
No way guys. Playing on an actual N64 is not a good solution because those joysticks on the controllers just wear out and have to be replaced
N64 games can look great if given an upscale and or polish. The Banjo games on 360 are largely untouched graphically, aside from a few textures, widescreen and framerate and look really good.
Wii U N64 VC isn't great, but for a casual audience of the system perfectly playable, Wii VC does look nicer though. The main reason to possibly look into going the real hardware route for N64 is simply because many of the games will likely never be re-released, especially on Nintendo platforms.
Not a cheap option though.
I use the actual system still. The games look great on crt TV and s cable and the n64 has a big library that is still not available anywhere else. Sure Nintendo and rare games are covered but that system had a ton of other great games
Silicon Valley how I love thee.
That's why I have been buying/collecting and setting up my N64 for optimal output :) . I currently use an RGB modded system on a Sony PVM CRT. A friend of mine has an XRGB Mini and the N64 looks great on that, HDTV's suck at upscaling. I'll be looking into the HDMI board mod as well for the easiest and best output for the system.
That said, its not for everyone and even the Wii U versions are okay for most, even if they do look worse.
Yeah, although I still have my original controllers in nice condition. It's worth having the system to play games that aren't available elsewhere and accurately.
Plus I have the Hori Mini controllers, good condition original controllers, along with some custom PCB's for the GameCube style stick replacement. Makes them very close to the N64 stick, but won't wear out.
Funny you mention DKC. As you mentioned SNES DKC on CRT looks good and VC version on HDTV looks meh...I can agree, but if you plug your SNES into your HDTV via the composite cables it came with then DKC literally looks like vomit
I think the type of TV matters for old games too. I have a plasma TV, and old games look much better on it than they do on any LCD screen. There are several reasons for this, as a plasma has more similarities to a CRT with its glass screen, great contrast, deep black levels, etc. It also has much less latency than LCD, so no perceptible controller lag. Adjusting things like the sharpness level on a game-to-game basis can also help.
While any good-quality flat-screen CRT will always be best for old games (which I still have and sometime use), SNES and N64 games still look surprisingly decent on my plasma, enough that I often play them there for convenience. Plus, the select few N64 games that support widescreen look quite nice in 16:9. NES remains crap on it, though.