Recompilation: An Incredible New Way to Keep N64 Games Alive

[TheHeroOfTime]

There's a new way of making native PC ports from n64 games, making them run almost flawlessly. It's a huge success for the n64 emulation, and maybe in the future it will be also available for other platforms.

 

[Rahdulan]

Good stuff. Someone said online people committed to decompilations are usually interested in doing more than just playing these games on another platform. As such recompilations would probably benefit your "I just want to play this game natively" average player far more if they're so easy to use.

 

[deuxhero]

The modding stuff makes me wonder if this could make fan translations easier, freeing the makers of needing to implement stuff like variable width font or having to keep within a fixed number of text boxes (or, at least, boxes of practically limited size).

 

[Ezekiel]

The Mario 64 port was great. But the Ocarina of Time port had too many issues and made me decide that I will continue emulating. They can keep their Majora's Mask port.

 

[Odoryuk]

Wonder if this was made for N64 because of the cartridge-based nature (and it somehow makes it easier). I'd like to see a couple of PlayStation games running natively (Vagrant Story)

 

[Ezekiel]

No 4:3 option in Ocarina meant effects like Lens of Truth were messed up, pre-rendered houses were pillarboxed and Epona kept galloping while stationary after she went beyond the original aspect ratio in the ending.

A year later, the game suddenly crashes for me between certain areas. Probably needs a server update/sync or some shit. Bleh. The Mario 64 port was a very simple folder that could be moved around and still works perfectly for me years later.

 

[TheHeroOfTime]

The Mario 64 port was great. But the Ocarina of Time port had too many issues and made me decide that I will continue emulating. They can keep their Majora's Mask port.

The Majora's mask port is made by other guy. It works perfectly. Some effects have been improved so they match the 16:9. But you can switch to 4:3. Also you can play with the n64 framerate (To keep the original game speed for cinematics and such)

The guy is also working on an Ocarina of time recompiled but it's not ready yet.

 

[deuxhero]

Wonder if this was made for N64 because of the cartridge-based nature (and it somehow makes it easier). I'd like to see a couple of PlayStation games running natively (Vagrant Story)

PS1 is built around weird ass (even by early 3D standards) rendering style. Either you're going to magnify the horrible flaws, or do stuff per game.

 

[Odoryuk]

Wonder if this was made for N64 because of the cartridge-based nature (and it somehow makes it easier). I'd like to see a couple of PlayStation games running natively (Vagrant Story)

PS1 is built around weird ass (even by early 3D standards) rendering style. Either you're going to magnify the horrible flaws, or do stuff per game.

In emulators they already got rid of affinte texturing artifacts and vertex warping, I feel like it would have been also fixed is something like that for PS1 was created. If I understand correctly, this N64 solution also requires some tinkering per game.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Wonder if this was made for N64 because of the cartridge-based nature (and it somehow makes it easier).

It's kind of the opposite, since cartridges can have their own hardware to execute parts of the game. Starfox for the SNES is an example of this, as is that Pokemon typing game for the DS that uses the Slot-2 GBA cartridge to add Bluetooth to the DS for a keyboard. There's also a demake of Smash Bros for the NES recently developed that has wifi on the cartridge so you can play it multiplayer. A disc can just have data. I'm not exactly sure how many N64 games did anything like this.



EDIT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morita_Shogi_64 <--- N64 cartridge with a LAN port to play multiplayer.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Maybe those Duke Nukem games can be played on kb+m - no way trying them with pad...

 

[ind33d]

someone needs to do this to the leaked Zelda 64 E3 cartridges

 

[Ash]

N64 has a very unimpressive library, but advancements like these makes me hopeful for the future of classic console game modding in general. Currently the majority of the action there happens on NES/SNES/Genesis/Gameboys.

Maybe those Duke Nukem games can be played on kb+m - no way trying them with pad...

I would whole-heartedly recommend Zero Hour (N64) and Time to Kill/LotB (PS1) if you're into Duke Nukem and old school game design in general, with a splash of Tomb Raider love in the case of the PS1 Nukems. Simply solid games. Not must-plays, but you can't go wrong with them either. Well, I suppose Zero Hour is a must-play in that it is a competent third person shooter without dumb popamole design, which is somewhat rare. Definitely one of my favorite TPS, and perhaps my favorite N64 game...which isn't hard to achieve as there isn't much competition. Late 90s PC and PS1 blow it completely out of the water as a gaming platform. I had all three.