Contrarian view - N64 has better graphics than PS1

[Emuaust]

its something i have always wondered, was the 64 capable of decent 2d?
I thought with the cartridge there could of been huge loading benefits.

[jajaja]

Very good point when I was a kid the Triple Play 2000 commercial was stunning I mean Sammy Sosa looked so real. Now I look back and laugh because the new NBA game on the PS3 is stunning. I would say its all about perspective though. For the most part the art in the N64 games was much brighter as where many of the games for the PS1 were directed at a older audience so its give or take.

I remember telling a guy in my class how good Goldeneye was, like when you went close up to the enemy you could see the details in his face etc. That was great! Now.. it looks damn crappy lol

[Kevincal]

As for 2-D games on the N64, Yoshi's Story, Mishief Makers and Killer Instinct Gold were impressive to me.

[chicnstu]

Boot up Wipeout 3 if you need convincing

That's a racing game though.

[Nature Boy]

I bought an N64 in '97, and received a PS1 as a valentine's day gift in '99, and I have to be honest, I never really considered either of them to be graphically superior to the other.

Mind you I don't consider the Xbox to be superior to the PS2 or Gamecube . It might *technically* be superior, but for all intents and purposes I consider them all to look pretty much the same (they all shine at certain moments). And I don't give a rats ass as to which is technically superior (that's for the techheads amongst us)

[traser]

I only have one thing to say, and that is that for a so caled 64 bit machin.
The N64 dos a bad job of it all, it has mutch potanshal but gets so litel out of it.
I have both and have never mutch cared for the N64, but I love the PSX.

[Push Upstairs]

Neither the PSX nor the N64 can do 3D graphics "right".

PSX has a lot of pixels and some texture/polygon deforming (same can be said for the Saturn).

The N64 looks like it can do 3D better, but its overuse of blurring takes any advantage it had away.

Dreamcast is the first system to do 3D right.


This is probably the most civilized conversation i've ever had about an N64. It's one for the record books.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

As for 2-D games on the N64, Yoshi's Story, Mishief Makers and Killer Instinct Gold were impressive to me.

Those games all use polygons on a 2D plane, though, not true 2D sprite graphics. Even most of the 2D puzzlers on the N64 used this 2D polygon style. I would almost go so far as to say that the N64 couldn't do real sprite graphics (bitmapped backdrops yes, but I mean real tile-based sprites) if it weren't for Bangaioh, which looks for all the world like real 2D sprites to me unless someone knows better.


...word is bondage...

[Damaramu]

Back in the day, my friends and I always wondered if the N64 could do an arcade perfect Street Fighter II.

[Leo_A]

There were several non polygon 2d N64 titles, though nothing that can show its capabilities in that area. Midway Arcade's Greatest Hits Volume 1, Namco Museum, and the bonus games in Donkey Kong 64 come to mind.

[Kevincal]

Those games all use polygons on a 2D plane, though, not true 2D sprite graphics. Even most of the 2D puzzlers on the N64 used this 2D polygon style. I would almost go so far as to say that the N64 couldn't do real sprite graphics (bitmapped backdrops yes, but I mean real tile-based sprites) if it weren't for Bangaioh, which looks for all the world like real 2D sprites to me unless someone knows better.


...word is bondage...

Actually, they ARE all sprite based with very few polygonal background objects thrown in the mix ... The reason you think they aren't sprites is because they aren't just your plain old sprites...They use all of the neat effects the N64 is capable of to give them that smoothed over look.

[tom]

Mind you Nintendo always claims 'it's not the graphics that count, it's the game play'

That's why VCS was huge, Coleco not, that's why PSX is the world best selling console, and N64 is not.

[Anthony1]

I don't think you can equivocally say that the Nintendo 64 had better graphics or the PS1 had better graphics or whatever. They had strengths and weaknesses in different areas. At first blush, I would be inclined to say that the N64 was clearly superior, especially with 3D, but I'm not so sure I can really say that. If you compare WaveRace 64 to Jet Moto, it is pretty clear that WaveRace destroys it on a graphical level. No question about that. Having said that, the general blurriness of the N64 had such a negative effect on everthing, that in the end it's almost a draw. I think when you add the 2D capabilities of the PS1, with games like Oddworld and Rayman, I think you have to give the 2D advantage to the PS1. The 3D advantage would go to the N64, but the blurry factor negates much of that. Therefore, I think you are ultimately left with a tie. I guess one could say that one is above the other, and if I was to put one above the other, I would put the N64 slightly above, but the bottom line is there are tons of games that look like ass on the N64, and tons of games that look like ass on PS1, and they each have a number of games that look brilliant. If the N64 has slightly better graphics in general, then it's only by the slimmest of margins, and much of that has to do with the blurry factor. The overuse of fog and such to hide popup was also very disturbing.

[nebrazca78]

The PSX didn't blur everything to hell and back. Things were grainy but they were recognizable.

I don't want to play games that give me a headache.

That's funny, PS1's graphics cause my eyes to hurt but the blurrier N64 graphics are easy on my eyes. I always disliked the PS1's graphics so I definitely have to vote for N64.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Actually, they ARE all sprite based with very few polygonal background objects thrown in the mix ... The reason you think they aren't sprites is because they aren't just your plain old sprites...They use all of the neat effects the N64 is capable of to give them that smoothed over look.

You think so? I can't speak for Killer Instinct since I never played it much, but the graphics in Yoshi's Story and Mischief Makers don't look anything like sprites, not plain old sprites or sprites with any kind of neat effect I can imagine applied to them. The Jaguar or the Saturn could put out sprite graphics with amazing effects, but the results were still recognizable as sprites, they didn't come out looking like flat polygons. Most of the 2D games on the N64 look more polygon-like than the fake 2D polygon games on the Playstation do. Unless that was a conscious decision on the part of the games' makers, I'm going to stick to the theory that Mischief Makers and Yoshi's Story are strictly polygon based, just like Paper Mario.

Now things like Midway's Greatest Hits are indeed sprite based, so even aside from Bangaioh, the N64 could obviously do real 2D. There's also a good deal of 2D homebrew stuff.


...word is bondage...

[swlovinist]

As for 3D graphics, I give the edge to N64. The first party games really showed the power of the system. Mario 64 redefined an entire genre. The PS1 had good graphics and could do great CG cutscenes, but its actual 3D engine I feel was limited compared to the N64. 2D, music, and framerates were all hands down better on the PS1.

[Kevincal]

You think so? I can't speak for Killer Instinct since I never played it much, but the graphics in Yoshi's Story and Mischief Makers don't look anything like sprites, not plain old sprites or sprites with any kind of neat effect I can imagine applied to them. The Jaguar or the Saturn could put out sprite graphics with amazing effects, but the results were still recognizable as sprites, they didn't come out looking like flat polygons. Most of the 2D games on the N64 look more polygon-like than the fake 2D polygon games on the Playstation do. Unless that was a conscious decision on the part of the games' makers, I'm going to stick to the theory that Mischief Makers and Yoshi's Story are strictly polygon based, just like Paper Mario.

Now things like Midway's Greatest Hits are indeed sprite based, so even aside from Bangaioh, the N64 could obviously do real 2D. There's also a good deal of 2D homebrew stuff.


...word is bondage...

The majority of the graphics for the 3 games are indeed sprites. One method of effects used on the sprites is called "tri-linear mip-mapped interpolation"...HA! Somehow I remembered that term from reading so many videogame magazines in the 90's! I own all 3 games as well. The characters in KI: Gold are very obviously sprites. Indeed the backgrounds do use some polygons...But overall the game appears mostly sprite based, to me anyway. Yoshi's Story uses very few polygons. Only a few objects are polygonal, but most of Yoshi's Story is a mass of sprites. Mischief Makers is about like Yoshi's Story, but maybe uses a bit more polygons for background objects.