I can still picture that moment in 1997 when I first wrapped my hands around the N64’s bizarre three-pronged controller and booted up Mario Kart 64 for the first time. My buddy Mike had managed to snag the system at launch – his job at Best Buy had…

I need to start by saying – that title has a typo. It says “RPM” instead of “RPG.” But honestly, it’s kind of perfect because Paper Mario plays like it’s constantly in motion, constantly doing something unexpected, constantly rewarding you for paying attention. The team reviewed this and…

I’ve been gaming long enough to recognize a pattern – games that are immediately beloved become sacred, and games that are quietly good get forgotten. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is the second type. It shipped late in the N64’s lifecycle. It came out in the shadow of…

I’ve been analyzing game balance since the 16-bit era, and Mario Kart 64 sits in this weird position where casual players dismiss it as dated and technically competent players dismiss it for being less refined than later entries. Both groups miss something crucial – the item balance in…