Nintendo 64

This is the game that managed to outsell all competing PlayStation 2 software for two straight months in Japan? I asked myself this question practically every second I played this game. I must confess that I am not at all a Kirby fan, but that isn't why I was so perplexed as to why this game was made. I do agree with Scott on all of his points, but I have to say something on two aspects to the game.

To resolve this, Nintendo and HAL, a second party of Nintendo, created a game featuring a slow-moving character that was little more than a circle with feet and put him in a sidescroller, similar to Super Mario Bros. The result was Kirby's Dream Land.

Game Description: Kirby, that cute mushy star of other Game Boy, NES, and Super NES games, has arrived on the N64 in this nearly 3D game. For those of you who don't know Kirby, think of him as an adorable action hero with an eating disorder—in battle, he often swallows his enemies whole and then spits out everything except their powers. Absorbing the attack style of a rock enemy, for example, allows Kirby to later apply a rock shield in his defense.

Game Description: Excitebike 64 is an updated version of the classic NES game Excitebike. This realistic motorcycle racing simulation features high-resolution graphics, three progressive bike classes, and both a rider and track editor. Speed through six outdoor courses and six indoor stunt tracks. You can also show off over 32 stunt tricks in this fast action game. As an added bonus, the original NES version is hidden inside this game.

If there's one thing that Nintendo has in its corner, it's the huge collection of franchises that it can go to time and again when in need. With the Nintendo 64 needing to prove itself to the masses, Nintendo tapped Super Mario to showcase the system in the form of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Kart 64. As things became more dire, Star Fox 64 and The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time appeared in all their 64-bit glory to quiet the naysayers. But now as the console reaches the end of its lifecycle, Nintendo seems to be tapping even more of its properties lately. Donkey Kong saw some action last year, and this year Nintendo picked its ancient racing classic that hasn't seen the light of day since the 8-bit NES console was in the talk of the town. I'm talking about Excitebike, the high-flying, 2-D, motoracing title that was a hit in the '80s, but is back in full 3-D under the name Excitebike 64.

Excitebike 64 is another fun Nintendo racer for the Nintendo 64—no surprise when you consider how much it has in common with Mario Kart 64, Wave Race 64 and F-Zero X. They're all structured exactly the same, but that's okay. All of those games were way fun, and each gave us a different way to race—go karts, jet skis, futuristic hovercraft. With Excitebike 64, we get the Nintendo treatment with dirt bikes, specifically Motocross and Supercross racing.

Game Description: Joanna Dark must fight power, greed and an intergalactic conspiracy in this spectacular first-person shooter. Perfect Dark shines in solo mode and improves upon the awesome multi-player mode that made predecessor GoldenEye a smash hit.

Now that the game is finally here, I am happy to say that Perfect Dark has met most of my expectations and provided one of the most solid multiplayer games on the market to date.