Nintendo 64 revisited: It looks weird but it’s still amazing

I’ve mused about the Nintendo 64 before, how it helped shape my childhood and introduced me to an exciting new world of entertainment. I still remember obsessing over the “Spot the Dot” contest on Nickelodeon and how devastated I was when I didn’t win. When I finally got one the Christmas it hit the U.S., I was over the moon. It was the best gift I’ve ever received.

Whenever the console comes up in conversation I can’t help but get nostalgic. Twenty years after it hit the market, and Nintendo’s groundbreaking console is still being talked about. Remember GoldenEye? Remember Blast Corps? Remember Mario Kart? Remember how weird you thought the controller looked, and how good it felt in your hand?

Remember that video of the brother and sister unwrapping the Nintendo 64 on Christmas? That was more or less my reaction, and I pretty much maintained that level of enthusiasm for the next several months after I got it as a present; every day I would gleefully sit in my room, controller in hand, and quietly shout to myself, “Nintendo 64! Ahh!”

Since this past week saw the console turn 20 years old, I thought it would be cool to snap a fresh gallery, just so we could once again admire at what a marvel the Nintendo 64 was (and still is). It has odd curves and plenty of unorthodox features but it remains one of the most significant releases in gaming history.

If you grew up in the 90s, chances are the Nintendo 64 was a part of your life. I still get misty-eyed when thinking about the good times I had playing Super Mario 64 and Star Fox 64. No console then or since has had such an impact on me and I don’t expect that will change for as long as I live.