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Nintendo 64
Action: Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64 had a lasting impression on game design for its 3-dimensional graphics, responsive soundtrack, and open-ended exploration. Designer Shigeru Miyamoto placed this familiar story in a world of such visual solidarity that players were awestruck.
To support the vibrant graphics, the game combined interactive audio, environmental sound effects, and a musical score from Koji Kondo to create an immersive soundscape that carried players through the adventure.
The Nintendo 64 controller also provided new options for movement through the game.
Players had greater control over the camera view, and Mario was now able to swim, crawl, climb, grapple, tip-toe, and do a variety of jumps in order to get past obstacles and enemies.
This freedom, combined with a world that was more vivid and "real" than people had seen before, captured the imagination of fans and made this the most beloved Super Mario game of all time.
Target: Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 was the sequel to the popular Star Fox game on the Super NES. In this version, the technology was finally powerful enough for designer Shigeru Miyamoto to realize his full vision for the game, which included daring space combat sequences and complex environments.
All of the animals featured in the game come from Japanese folklore. The hero, Fox McCloud, was inspired by depictions of foxes on the gates of the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto, Japan.
The arches the player flies through in the game evoke the thousands of gates for which the shrine is famous.
Star Fox 64 successfully combined ancient folklore with imaginative science fiction to create an exciting experience unlike any seen before on this system.
Adventure: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the first game in the Zelda series to boast 3-dimensional graphics.
To help players navigate the complex world, designer Shigeru Miyamoto and his team introduced several new game mechanics, such as locking on to targets and context-sensitive buttons.
The most radical innovation, however, was the ability for the protagonist, Link, to jump on his own. Maneuvering in a 3-dimensional world was a new challenge, and Miyamoto felt it better not to frustrate players by asking them to control jumping in a 3D space.
Ocarina of Time stood apart from other Zelda games for more than just its graphics. In previous games, the visual emphasis was on the main character of Link. In this one, however, the designers wanted the focus to be on the game's world, creating an "interactive experience" that was cinematic in nature. They did this through an independently-controlled camera that provided grand, sweeping views of the surrounding environment without taking control away from the player.
Tactics: Worms Armageddon
Worms Armageddon was the fifth game in the innovative and comical Worms series developed by Team 17. The designers added an unusual twist to the concept of a traditional turn-based strategy game, by making worms the combatants and composing battlefields from the landmarks of Paris, kitchen sinks, and piles of toys, cars, or books.
Each player commanded a team of worms with the goal of eliminating the opposing team before their contingent was wiped out.
The whimsical and cartoon-like animation contrasted with the huge variety and extravagant nature of the weapons at the worms' disposal.
To add further complexity, players had to consider gravity, trajectory, and wind as they deployed each weapon, whether it was a shotgun, hand grenade, or exploding sheep! |