SUPER MARIO 64: Smash Bowser with your Browser

I’ve been emulating this game as soon as I knew it was possible to do so back in the late 1990s. Nothing will ever beat playing the real thing with that awkward alien-looking controller, but this in-browser port works beautifully. It’s smooth. You can save your game and the sound works too.

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After reading this post by Nintendo Life, I thought I’d give it a try…

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The instructions pop up when you start the game. It’s a good layout if you’re using a keyboard. You should be able to play this on your Android phone if you have a keyboard. I tried loading this with the Brave browser first. I could play the game smoothly, but could not hear any sound or save, so I tried again with Google Chrome

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It was too hard for me to jump on the log to free Chain Chop (the big attacking ball) so I hiked to the top again. Hopefully it saves my game this time…

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Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this online-in-browser-port as much as I do. Now let’s kick Bowser’s ass!

Resources:

https://froggi.es/mario/

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/04/you_can_play_super_mario_64_in_your_browser

GAMEBOY: A new cartridge game for the original system three decades after launch is coming soon!

At first I thought this was an official Nintendo Gameboy game, but it’s a Kickstarter project that also plans to release a cartridge for the NES. Their goal was only $7,000 and I see it going up by thousands of dollars a day way past their target, so they’ll most likely succeed at producing both cartridges. They say they will not make any ROMs, just cartridges to keep the nostalgia for the classic alive.

All my previous games are sold and distributed mostly in physical cartridge (not ROM) since the main idea is to keep alive the spirit and gameplay of this legendary console.

Dana

Dear Nintendo,

Isn’t it great people still love your systems 31 years after they launched? Why not reward these loyal fans by creating a “Classic” division at Nintendo where you dedicate a fraction of your expenses to producing at least one game a year for every system you’ve ever produced? Yes, even the Virtual Boy. This would keep loyal Nintendo fans super happy and parents buying a system for their kids would feel more comfortable knowing that there will always be new games being produced for that system. I know Nintendo has enough cash to survive hundreds of years, so profit doesn’t matter as much as keeping fans happy and I think Dana and his Kickstarter here have found a great way to do just that. If my idea ever becomes a reality, I will be very excited to play a new N64 title every year. If this had been company SOP since the beginning, we could be enjoying Super Mario 64 X and Mario Kart 64 X by now as well as some cool Zelda 64 hits.

How many Gameboys do you think are still around? Even if only one percent survived the trash bin, that would still mean millions of originals and later versions are still working that could play this game. As a Nintendo fanboy, I’m happy to see that love for the Gameboy is still strong. Remember that old Johnny Cash song, The Gambler, which Kenny Rogers more famously sang…

If you’re gonna play the Gameboy,
You gotta learn to play it right!

As a kid, I always thought he was talking about my favorite portable gaming system not realizing the song was a classic from the 1970s about gambling. I think most people do that. They hear, see, or read what they want to rather than understand the whole thing.

Check out Dana’s Kickstarter here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/danapuch/new-cartridge-game-the-shapeshifter-2021/description

MORTAL KOMBAT TRILOGY: Emulating a 24 year old N64 gem with an Android phone + touch controls

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After clearing Super Mario 64 on my phone using only touchscreen controls I’m really getting used to it and am feeling more confident so I decided to take on Shao Kahn, release some fellow Kombater’s souls, and show everyone Scorpion is still boss today. Join us in mortal combat to save some poor sprites!

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Here are the best N64 ROMs to emulate and play with a bluetooth control on a phone in my opinion. What do you think?

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I can’t find a bluetooth controller in Luang Prabang, so I’m limited to using touchscreen controls only. Here is my list of games that work best. Did I forget any great games that can be controlled using touchscreen? I looked for some Super Mario 64 mods, but couldn’t get them to boot on the phone. We’d really appreciate any suggestions you may have!

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I found the AI was still very difficult to trick into a counter-attack trap after all these years even though I cheated like crazy using Mupen64Plus to save state, try again and again, and even slowed down time to 10%. I think Mupen64Plus does a good job of emulating most games, but it fails to fully take screenshots half the time. If you use your phone’s built in screenshot, the image will come out too small and you may see the onscreen N64controller. Do you know of a better emulator than Mupen64Plus?

You can download Mupen64Plus here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mupen64plusae.v3.fzurita&hl=en&gl=US

All of the images were saved during gameplay using Mupen64Plus. I used Procreate to stack all the pictures then exported them as animated GIFs. Thank you for looking back on this classic gem from gaming history with us today. No sprites wear harmed during the creation of this post

SUPER MARIO 64: Finally to Yoshi with 120 ⭐️ – Part III

I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d have the patience to clear this with annoying touch screen controls, but as you can see from my screenshots, it is possible. Super Mario 64 emulates well even on very old Android phones. I got it to work fine on a jailbroke iPhone 5 a long time ago, so I’m sure it works well today too. Do people still jailbreak iPhones? If you want to play this on a phone, I highly recommend using a bluetooth controller, but I got pretty good at controlling Mario and even doing multiple wall jumps by the end of the game using the touchscreen. I wonder how long it is until our VR headsets can just read our thoughts and our gameplay will be seamlessly linked with our intentions.


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I don’t think there was ever a bigger jump in quality gameplay then when Nintendo added the 3rd dimension with this classic gem. If I could travel back in time and meet my teenage self, it’d be fun showing myself how good I am at this game now. I’m sure I’d ask my future self about my favorite game and GTA would be the answer. I would explain how fun GTA is, but my past self would be shocked that the same game lasted over seven years and spanned three gaming generations. I’m 40 years old now. Does that mean GTA 6 VR Online with an Oasis account will be the final version for my lifetime? After talking about video games, I’d advice my young self to still join the army, but not the navy. That my 30s will be better than my 20s. To buy lot’s of Google and Amazon stock as well as 2 million Bitcoins. One to shadow Satoshi’s original million and one million BTC to play around with and enjoy life. That everything will be fine, just look out for the year 2020!


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Dear Nintendo,

I sent an email to you when I found out about the Wii U. It was a failed system because most people confused it with the original. In my email, I suggested calling the new machine: Super Wii. My suggestion still stands. It would be a marketing home run of a name especially if it were back compatible with old Wii games and used that fancy new AI that makes old games look 4K. Anyways Nintendo, I love you and am a fanboy for life. Thanks for all the great memories.

The Tortuous and the Mario

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When you first have to race the big turtle it’s a piece of cake, but he was the hardest star for me to get this time. I slowed down time, saved state cheated and long jumped like crazy until I beat him.

Conclusion

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It took me 17 days of relentless gameplay to clear all 120 stars the first time in 1996.
I posted Part 1 of this post over a month ago and Part II two weeks ago. I had Youtube, save cheats, and the ability to slow down time, so it wasn’t the same as doing it blind 24 years ago, but it was still a fun experience.


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Here are the N64 games I like playing using Mupen64Plus. Do you think I forgot any that can also be emulated and controlled well using a phone and touchscreen? I feel Super Mario 64 is the best game on the list. I think I will search for any fan made Super Mario 64ROMs to play next. Do you know of any? Thank you for going on this old Mario adventure with me again. All of the photos in the post were captured while playing on my Android phone. Has anyone else cleared Super Mario 64 on their phone?

SUPER MARIO 64: Midway to Yoshi with touchscreen controls – Part II

While the rest of the gaming world is all stoked about the new PlayStation and Xbox, I am stuck in Laos and in 1996 via the N64 emulator, Mupen64, on my Android phone. My last post made it to about 14 stars. I made it to 66 stars this time. Even though 66 is more than half way to 120, it doesn’t feel that way due to the difficulty of the final stars.

The Controls +

I know there are good bluetooth controllers that would make this a whole lot easier, but I don’t have one. I’m in Laos. It’s not like I can drop by Wal-Mart or order it on Amazon and the local shops all say I need to ride down to the capital city, a twelve hour drive, to find one. It took over a year for my son’s 2019 Christmas gift to arrive from Florida. I would still like to read any suggestions on controllers in the comments though.

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The only thing that is difficult to do with the Z button at the top left is long-jumping. It’s still possible, but you’ll mess up if the pressure’s on or you haven’t gotten used to it. My last phone couldn’t process more than one touch on the left side at the same time, so I had to learn how to play without long-jumping at all. The D-pad is missing which isn’t a big deal unless you’re playing Starfox 64 which needs it for certain moves. For most N64 games, it isn’t used at all or does the same thing as the analog stick.

Slow Motion –

One of the ways I dealt with the frustration of touchscreen controls not being as responsive to the real thing was by cheating. I would try to beat the penguin without cheating, but he’s a really sticky AI. If you thrash down at full speed, he’ll catch up and if you let him have a head-start, he’ll slow way down for you to catch up. I found 40% game speed was best for beating slides.

Slide for 100 ⭐️

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I wasn’t looking to beat Mr. Penguin this time. I was on the quest to find 100 coins in the level. The star appeared near the end of the race. I couldn’t long-jump to it so I went down again. When I came back down, the star wasn’t there. I should’ve collected coins from the slide first then scavenged the left overs to 100 around the mountain. Now I have to do it all over again. The save game cheat can’t help in this situation.

Random Path

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I’m sure world record speed runners have determined the most efficient path for clearing Super Mario 64, but I just went around and collected whichever star I felt like at the time. I was surprised that I had forgotten a few stars and that there were warp points that I’d never known about until now.


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Thanks for reading about my painful journey to find all the stars. Do you think I’ll make it all the way to 120 stars and see Yoshi or will there be a spot which is impossible to pass using touchscreen? I’m afraid any spots requiring multiple wall jumps will be my final roadblock, but it should still be possible to do with the touchscreen if time is slowed down. Has anyone else attempted this frustrating way of clearing Super Mario 64?

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: Majora’s Mask 🎭 20 Years Too Late…

I loved The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but sadly had never heard of Majora’s Mask because it came out in the year 2000. At that time I was on active duty in the U.S. Army and spent all my free time in college or in the Pacific Ocean trying to make it as a surfer. I got back into gaming in 2001, but I was in Thailand where they preferred PlayStation. Back then all the consoles were easily hacked and could play burnt discs that shops everywhere were selling from fifty cents to over a dollar. As a gamer it felt like Christmas walking home with a bag full of cheap games. N64 cartridges were expensive and weren’t easily pirated like the CDs used in the original PlayStation so most people in Asia (outside of Japan and Korea) never saw an N64 or any of its great games. Even now, people see me playing Super Mario 64 on my phone and ask about it.

I have good internet at home and most restaurants have WiFi so I don’t waste money on a data plan for my phone which means I will use it offline often. Getting a phone ready for offline mode has many benefits. If you’re at a party for example and the power goes out and then there’s no internet, you’ll be able to jam on because you have the song files ready or can still play games that don’t need the internet like N64 games. I can imagine going back in time and telling myself that every single Nintendo 64 game can be played on a phone that fits in my front shirt pocket and I would think that we made it to Star Trek. When I think about the limitations of file size, RAM, and speed they were working with back in the 1990s, these games really shine as true digital masterpieces of artistic creation and ingenuity.

After downloading every N64 game ever made on my phone, I had to delete 99% of them because most looked horrible, some wouldn’t load at all, and most were boring. I was sad to see that GoldenEye 007 couldn’t be controlled with the touchscreen and had to go in the bin too. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s MaskSuper Mario 64Wave Race 64Mortal Kombat TrilogyStar Fox 64Perfect Dark, and Super Smash Bros. were the only games that could be controlled with touch screen well and also survived my love of putting files in the trash bin.

The graphics looked good on my phone’s screen and the controls were smooth. It felt like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time but a bit different at the same time too.  The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was one of only three N64 games which REQUIRED the Expansion Pack which added 4MB of RAM. It really did make a difference and improved the quality of the gameplay, but was it worth buying it if it only worked on three games late in the life cycle of the N64? I remember having it and didn’t regret it at all. It was only $30 and came with the games that needed it so it was kind of a fair deal. I think many of us bought it individually and then bought games that came with it, so we’d just give the spare ones to friends who didn’t have it. I don’t know if it made any difference, in fact I remember many people complaining it made older games freeze up sometimes.

This starts off fun, getting to be Link again in glorious 64 bit plus expansion graphics, then this guy in a mask comes along and jacks our horse and ocarina.

He also turned us into this tree kid.

Flying around with flowers is fun. Nintendo always had a magical way of making games feel alive and full of fun compared to the competition. I bet that some new form of AI will be able to read these old games and reproduce them exactly like they were designed only in 8K resolution. There are many fan boys doing this now, but I think it will be done perfectly when an advanced AI does it.

With only three days left until time runs out I felt myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off not knowing what to do.

I rode my bike to this food court located at the start of the night market. I didn’t have WiFi, so I couldn’t rely on Youtube for a solution. Back in the day we’d get stuck for days or weeks on a game until someone’s older sibling told us what to do or we found a clue in an old Nintendo Power magazine.

Boom. Game over. The world has come to an end because I wasn’t fast enough. Oh wait. It’s like a 72 hour version of Groundhog Day. You get to start over, just without anything gained along the way. I would love if real life were like this without the getting stuck in the loop part. Playing old N64 games on my phone is kind of like that with the save option. It really makes the game a lot more fun not having to start all over again. I want to play these old games for nostalgia and relaxation, not to get stressed out, so I cheat using the save option all the time.

I found myself frustrated by this game, turned it off and went back the Super Mario 64, but it kept bugging me and I came back the next day to try again. I wish I had played this when it came out. I would’ve really loved it then. It’s honestly hard for me to get that into it after playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but it’s only 32MB in size and I’m glad it’s on my phone incase I ever want to play what is considered by many to be one of the greatest video games of all time.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit


Nintendo just released a real-world kart with a camera to play in your home. It costs $99 and comes with a USB chargeable Mario or Luigi and four gates to create your own courses. If you have a huge house and are willing to drop $400 on four karts and already have the Nintendo Switch then you can have some seriously fun game parties because the game supports up to four physical karts.

Creativity

Creating a Mario level has always been a fun experience, but now that it will be a mix of reality and game obstacles, it will be fun on a new level. I created Conversation Gaming to bring quality education to the gaming world and will surely use this game for events with my students in the future.

Xbox, Playstation, or a Mario Kart?

Many people are going to choose this $99 kart over a $500 system. Nintendo has always gone up againts more powerful hardware coming out on top and it looks like they’ve found a very creative way to do it this year.

Cats and Dogs

I’m looking forward to all the YouTube videos creative players are going to produce with this game. There will surely be funny moments where dogs and cats freak out seeing Mario and Luigi navigate the courses in THEIR living rooms.

Developer Interview

The guys who made this compare it to the jump from when Mario went from 2D to 3D. I honestly don’t think it’s that big of a deal, but mixed reality gaming is pretty cool.

Super Mario 64

Nothing has ever been a bigger deal or more revolutionary for gaming than adding truly 3-D graphics like Nintendo did a quarter of a century ago. There were some very crude 3D games like Wolfenstein and Doom, but they were just turn left or right mazes with 2D sprites. Going from Super Nintendo to the N64 was like upgrading from a PSP to a PS4. It was magical. Nothing has ever been more exciting or fresh since.

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I rode my bike very far to the “Super Mall” in 1996 to get my hands on a new Nintendo 64 and had to purchase the Mario 64 cartridge separately. They were giving the game away for free if you could slide down the Princess’s Secret Slide in under 21 seconds, but they only gave you one try. The graphics may seem crude today, but it felt like something from the future back then. On a funny side note, my son saw me playing it on an emulator which he imagined was a Chinese ripoff and laughed at what he thought was a pathetic attempt to copy what he was used to on the Switch.

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I didn’t go to swimming practice or Karate and even played hooky a few times in our 17 day marathon of collecting all 120 stars. I was kind of a late bloomer. I was 16 in 1996 and while my best friend was busy mackin’ on babes, me and his younger brother escaped reality completely and hooked my N64 up to his giant (at the time) 50 inch screen TV. People who weren’t even into gaming were blown away by it’s awesomeness. I remember feeling proud that I had a processor way more powerful than any of my school’s computers. I didn’t want my mom to know I had spent over $300 on everything, so I hid it in a bottom drawer and drilled holes in the back for the power and AV cables.

Emulators

I would love to hook up an original Nintendo 64 to an old TV along with a Super Nintendo an Sega Genesis while I rap that when I was dead broke that I could never picture this, but emulators are what most of us have now. I was super happy when I was able to get it to work on my PSP back in the day. Thanks to Project 64, it looks great on PC and if you have a Bluetooth controller, you can play it on your phone too. I’ve had some problems with Linux. They have Mupen64 Plus which is inferior to Project 64, so I ran Project 64 through Wine which slowed down the PC making it unplayable. Good job Nintendo! You made the game so different that it can still be difficult to emulate even today. I fully expect to play this game in VR in future versions. Some people have redone some levels in Unreal Engine. You can see one example here:

Thank you for reminiscing about MARIO 64 with me today. I’m going to ask my mammamia for some spaghetti now. Have a great day. If you want to emulate N64, check out Project 64:
https://www.pj64-emu.com/