Why the Nintendo 64 is My Favorite Video Game Console of All Time

Over the years, I have played just about every type of video game system available. From the earliest days of home video games with crude computers like the Magnavox Odyssey 2, Atari 400, and Commodore Vic-20, to the early consoles, such as the Atari 2600, to the current consoles of today, I've played them all. On thinking back over all these different systems, one in particular comes to mind as the most outstanding console I've ever played. It's not one of the latest consoles on the market, although today's consoles are all very impressive. It is, instead, the Nintendo 64, and I'll tell you why.

Any console worth making is worth making because it represents a step up in gameplay experience from the previous one. Some steps are very subtle, with only a slight improvement in graphics or features, while other consoles take huge leaps over their predecessors. The Nintendo 64 represents one of the biggest leaps any console ever made.

To understand the immensity of the change in gaming that the Nintendo 64 represented, you have to go back and consider Nintendo's two previous consoles. The NES and Super Nintendo systems were 8-bit and 16-bit, respectively. When the Super Nintendo system was released, it was an improvement over the legendary NES system, but an improvement in degree and not in kind. The graphics were better, the sound was significantly improved, and other options, like being able to save a game, were big pluses.

However, the leap from the Super Nintendo system to the Nintendo 64 was nearly unbelievable. It was a difference of the most radical sort. The Super Nintendo, like it's predecessor, was basically a two-dimensional game machine. The Nintendo 64 made the leap into three dimensions with grand style. When I first saw Super Mario 64, I was utterly amazed. Gamers had never seen a three-dimensional game of such depth and magnitude before.

The Nintendo 64 was home to games that were legendary, titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 64, and Star Fox 64. These games were such huge jumps from their Super Nintendo versions and were so well done, that they are still extremely popular on the Wii's virtual console.

Nintendo's two subsequent follow-ups to the Nintendo 64 were both admirable consoles, but neither one could match the enormous technological leap that the Nintendo 64 achieved. It is for this reason, as well as the incredible games, that the Nintendo 64 is my favorite console of all time.