Nintendo 64

I found that seeking out and traversing through the often hidden alternate routes to be funny, thrilling and addictive, but where we differ is that while Dale found that there was enough in the gameplay department, I wanted something more. It seemed strange to me that I would play the game expecting an arcade racer, but ended up enjoying this other unexpected adventure/exploration feature.

Game Description: In Beetle Adventure Racing you can leave the road behind and drive anywhere you want. Start out with a Single Race or take on a friend in Duel Mode, then jump into a Championship Season to uncover hidden tracks. If you prefer smashing to dashing, duke it out with up to four players in a Beetle Battle where free-for-all bashing mayhem rules!

Stubborn as they are, Nintendo just would not deliver the hardcore fighter that fans of the genre demanded for the Nintendo 64. They fell back to their corporate policy of making games that were fun to play for the entire family. Instead of a hardcore brawler, Nintendo produced a hybrid. A game that plays as much like a platform title as it does a fighting game. The mixing of genres was not the only risk taken with the game. Nintendo avoided using the generic cast of muscle-bound men and women or mutants and animals and instead went in a totally different direction. In Super Smash Brothers, you get to control any of your favorite mascots from the Nintendo game library. The object of the game is simple: pummel your opponents and knock them off the stage until you're the only one left.

You are familiar with the hype and whether it was generated by the media, George Lucas, or the fans themselves, it's helped to sell everything and anything Star Wars. Whether a product was any good was irrelevant, if it was graced with Star Wars, it was a must-have for any "true" fan. So as soon as Nintendo announced that they had a limited exclusivity deal with LucasArts, many in the media saw it as a coup for Nintendo. Others, however, doubted the game's significance because although it carried with it a big-license name, Pod Racer (as it was then called) was still merely a racing game.

Perhaps the best aspect of Racer is that it positively draws from the movie, including a temporary boost and repair feature that Anakin Skywalker clearly utilizes in the movie. These two features add an extra dimension because a level of on-the-fly resource management, not often seen in racing games, is introduced.

The over-the-top multiplayer mode in Super Smash Brothers was good enough to outweigh the games major flaws for Dale, but that wasn't the case for me. I simply couldn't get past how shallow this game played in single or multiplayer modes. For me, it boiled down to the near-MIA of attack moves.

Game Description: Super Smash Bros. pits Nintendo's biggest stars against each other in an all-out slugfest. Delivering fast-paced fighting action which is easy to learn and tough to master, this game features new moves, never-before seen battle arenas, and a fresh arsenal of special items. They've raced cars, they've thrown a party, and now Nintendo's cast of characters is taking its competitive spirit someplace it's never been before: the ring!

Game Description: Get behind the controls of a Podracer as Anakin Skywalker or any one of over 20 Podracers, as you feel the power of racing a twin-engine craft at 600 miles per hour. Visit eight distinctly detailed worlds as you make your way through Tusken Raider attacks, methane lakes, anti-gravity tunnels, and more. Each intense competition pits you against more than 20 opponents, as you do what you must to be the first to the finish line.