Pilotwings 64
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pilotwings 64 | |
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo IRD Paradigm Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Shigeru Miyamoto, Genyo Takeda |
| Composer(s) | Dan Hess Akito Nakatsuka |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
| Release date(s) | JP June 23, 1996 NA September 29, 1996 EU March 1, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Flight simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media | 64Mb (8MB) Nintendo 64 cartridge |
| Input methods | Nintendo 64 controller |
Pilotwings 64 (パイロットウイングス64 Pairottouingusu Rokujūyon) is a video game for the Nintendo 64, released in 1996, along with the launch of the console. It was one of two launch titles for the Nintendo 64, the other being Super Mario 64. It is a sequel to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Pilotwings, which was also a launch title for its respective game system.
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[edit] Gameplay
In Pilotwings 64, as with its predecessor, the player must complete a variety of missions using different airborne vehicles. Examples include destroying various ground targets within a limited time using a missile-equipped gyrocopter, navigating through large floating rings placed throughout a city using a rocket belt, taking a picture of a smokestack while riding a hang glider, and firing a chosen character out of a large cannon towards a target several hundred yards away. For each mission, points are awarded based on time, damage, fuel usage, accuracy, softness of landing, and similar criteria.
The game also places a large emphasis on exploration, with detailed, object-dense environments and a special mode whose only purpose is exploration, the Birdman mode. Many interesting quirks can be found in the landscapes of the game, including a creature based on the Loch Ness Monster, representations of other Nintendo characters, and other such things. Its soundtrack was also praised, particularly the jazz pieces.
[edit] Development
The first pilot of the six, Lark, was thought by many game players to have a striking resemblance to the former mascot and comic strip star of Nintendo Power magazine, Nester. Some say this cameo appearance was the work of Paradigm Simulations, but as mentioned in the above point of trivia, the characters were actually designed by Nintendo itself. The September 1996 issue of Nintendo Power magazine covered PW64, and on the page describing characters, the short intro for Lark actually states that there's no mistaking it's Nester himself.[1] A year later after the game's release, in September 1997, the landmark 100th issue of Nintendo Power would again state that the two characters were in fact one and the same.[2]
[edit] Reception
Pilotwings 64 was rated the 117th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list in February 2006.[3]
The game has an aggregate rating of 80% on metacritic.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Nintendo Power: "His handle is Lark, but everyone in class knows this guy is Nester." Nintendo Power. Nintendo of America. September 1996, page 25.
- ^ Nintendo Power: "NP's very own comic strip character, Nester, entertained readers since our very first issue. After December 1993, he went AWOL (however, he's been spotted masquerading as "Lark" in PilotWings 64) (...) " Nintendo Power. Nintendo of America. September 1997, page 10.
- ^ "NP Top 200", Nintendo Power 200: 58–66, February 2006.
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/n64/pilotwings64
[edit] External links
- Pilotwings 64 at GameFAQs
- GameRankings reviews
- Pilotwings 64 at MobyGames
