N64 Magazine Issue 5 | Nintendo Mags

Introduction

The August issue promised plenty of brand new games, as the team finally reported back on an impressive showing from that years E3 games show in Los Angeles. These was the first look at important games like Banjo and Goldeneye, as well as more information on F-Zero and Extreme-G. There were also previews of some games a long way off like Hybrid Heaven (released in late 1999) and Conker’s Quest (released nearly four years later in 2001) - however the games in this issue showed that there were plenty of reasons to be excited about the N64’s immediate future.

As expected, the news this month focussed on E3 and the plethora of new games announced. There was also the unfortunate news that Starfox’s UK release was delayed until October, as well as a manufacturing issue with some Mario Kart 64 cartridges. Jason Moore also reported on several obscure retro things in his Retroworld column. Max Everingham also gave us the next chapter of his Tokyo diaries, this time looking at how Tamagotchis were about to be released on the Game Boy in Japan.

UK reviews were a bit thin on the ground on this issue, with Blast Corps the only UK release - Jon Smith scoring it at 88% - with praise for the way it utilised the N64, although it dropped points for it’s lifespan, as it was extremely quick to run through. Import reviews had a bit more to offer, with racing game Multi Racing Championship (MRC) scoring 81%, shooter Hexen scoring 69%, platformer Go Go!! Troublemakers scored 90% and beat-em-up Dark Rift scored 72%, showing that there was plenty of variety coming to the N64, albeit not quite ready for UK release just yet. James also had a look at the Japanese release of Shadows of the Empire, scoring that at 75%.

There wasn’t much in terms of guides in this issue, however Tim showcased his E3 diary, which gave a good idea of what his week was like in Atlanta. This issue also kicked off its Mario Kart 64 championship, with the aim to track down the best Mario Kart player in the UK, this was alongside looking at the multiplayer modes of the game. There was also the final part of the Mario 64 guide, covering how to get all the coins in the last 5 courses of the game.

At the back of the mag, they concluded their overview of the developers currently working on games for the N64, this time covering Europe, including big hitters like Rare, Ubisoft and Acclaim.

Articles

Future Look

Goldeneye 007
Banjo Kazooie
Extreme G
F-Zero 64

Coming Soon

Conker's Quest
Body Harvest
Buggie Boogie
Ken Griffey Baseball
Yoshi's Island 64
Bomberman 64
Silicon Valley
Superman
Space Circus
Tetrisphere
Dual Heroes
Top Gear Rally
Duke Nukem 64
Lambourghini 64
Clayfighter 631/3
Robotech Crystal Dreams
Mission Impossible
Legend of Zelda 64
Mother 3
WCW vs NWO: World Tour
Tonic Trouble

Reviews

Hexen
Author: Jonathan Davies
Country: Us
Score: 69%
Dark Rift
Author: Zy Nicholson
Country: Us
Score: 72%
Shadows of the Empire
Author: James Ashton
Country: Jap
Score: 75%
Multi Racing Championship
Author: James Ashton
Country: Jap
Score: 81%
Blast Corps
Author: Jon Smith
Country: Uk
Score: 88%
Go Go!! Troublemakers
Author: Jonathan Nash
Country: Jap
Score: 90%

How To

Make it through E3 Alive
win an N64 Magazine Competition
Cheat at multi-player in Mario Kart 64
Get a 'perfect' high score on Super Mario 64

Features

The N64 Magazine Mario Kart 64 Championship
The Euro Files: Inside Europe's games Industry

Staff

Jonathan Davies Editor
James Ashton Deputy Editor
Tim Weaver Games Editor
Wil Overton Art Editor
Paul Jarrold Art Assistant