Many younger gamers don’t understand how truly revolutionary and important the N64 was in the history of video games. While games such as Star Fox back on the SNES may have bravely attempted to use polygons in video games, it was a completely on rails game experience and in a world with no textures. It was the N64 that truly brought the true 3D gaming that we are all currently spoiled with into our homes. But the revolution in home gaming didn’t just stop there for Nintendo. Another revolutionary milestone of the N64 was the debut of force feedback into video games. This of course came in the form of the rumble pack. Thats right, before the N64 gamers could never feel a tank shaking the ground as it approached behind them or the after shock of a massive explosion, or the feedback of force on a tight turn in a racing game. Also the new analog controller, and with it the ease it gave for those new “free roaming 3D games” that we are now accustomed to these days, is yet another result of the N64. But, enough about the system, it was the games that I loved. While I could choose from some of the top games of all time that would appear on any video game websites list such as Zelda OoT, Goldeneye 007 or Super Mario 64 , I will start off with Wave Race. This is a great and fun racing game with amazing water physics for its time. Wave Race was one of the very first N64 titles to come out and one of the most fun racing titles of that generation. The game was very good looking for its time and of course came out well before the RAM expansion pack, yet it still held up as one of the best looking racing games the system ever had. The game had 2 modes, a stunt mode that I personally was not that into and the racing mode that I played the heck out of. The different track locations and changing weather conditions really played a big roll in Wave Race and unlike some racing games that took place on water, Wave Race truly gave the imaginary feeling that you were actually on a Jet-Ski. Depending on how you hit a wave, your course would be altered either for the better or the worse. The race courses were fun and filled with short cuts and obstacles to avoid. The music was decent and the sound was good, even the annoying announcer had some sort of charm to him as he constantly told you how you were doing . While a sequel would be made on the Game Cube with better sound and graphics, it was the original Wave Race that will always stand out in my mind as the better game.

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