One year ago, Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation changed the face of the video game industry and created a holiday craze introducing their new 64-bit game technology, the most advanced ever created.This holiday season, Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation have firmly entrenched themselves as the main competitors in the video game business, and their ranks are swelling, especially among teens.
One of the tricks of the trade for each company, however, is to consistently offer a wide array of games for the system that are both interesting and fun to play. So far, both Nintendo and Sony are rising to the challenge with exciting new titles released just in time for the Christmas shopping season and aimed at the 20-and-under crowd.
"Legend of Zelda 64" for Nintendo 64 is by far the most highly anticipated game this season. With great new graphics and an impressive following from previous "Zelda" titles, "Legend of Zelda 64," priced at $62.99, has proved to be a hard title for retailers to keep on the shelves.
"They went really quick. We unpacked them, and they were gone within a half hour," said Gary Parker, manager of The Game Pedler.
In "Legend of Zelda 64," the player takes on the role of Link, the main character. Link's mission is to defeat the evil Ganondorf, who is threatening the peaceful land of Hyrule and is determined to steal his way into the Sacred Realm in hopes of harnessing the power of the mythical Triforce. As Link, the player must collect weapons and tools and defeat various enemies in order to complete the quest.
"Legend of Zelda 64" uses much the same formula and storyline as the previous four "Zelda" titles. The role-playing approach to the game has proved extremely popular among fans of all ages, and all Nintendo has done is improve upon and tinker with the "Zelda" juggernaut.
"This one's definitely the best. It's supposed to be really long, so even the more advanced player will get plenty of playing time," said Ben Sceuell, a video-game sales representative at Media Play.
Nintendo has also catered to another group with one of its more popular new releases this Christmas. Fans of professional wrestling and virtual fighting alike will love Nintendo 64's latest wrestling installment, "WCW/nWO Revenge," which retails at $62.99. Although this game is aimed at these fan bases, it is entertaining and will appeal to all types of players.
"It has already been, and I'm sure it will continue to be, one of our most popular titles among all ages," said Sceuell.
Featuring over 60 of the top wrestling stars of the WCW and nWO, "WCW/nWO Revenge" allows the player to choose what wrestler he or she would like to be and also the matchup wrestler that he or she would like to fight. The player can also choose the venue at which he would like to fight from a list of real pay-per-view arenas. A wide selection of moves and weapons, a completely updated wrestler roster and realistic customized wrestler entrances make "WCW/nWO Revenge" an entertaining, if lighthearted, venture by Nintendo, already sure to be a Christmas hit.
Not to be outdone by its rival, Sony has come out with a few heavy hitters of its own this season. The most sought game so far this season for Playstation has been "Tomb Raider III," an action/adventure game priced at $49.99.
In this third chapter of the "Tomb Raider" series, the game's premise once again follows the adventures of one Lara Croft, a daring and determined archaeologist. Lara traverses the globe in search of rare artifacts and frequently encounters enemies that try to block and hinder her exploration. Only by using her head to create booby traps and other such foils for her enemies will Lara be able to make her discoveries and, in doing so, reach her objective.
Another of Sony's big prospects for the season is a sequel: "Cool Boarders 3," a member of Playstations' very popular virtual snowboarding series.
In this year's version of the game, players can choose from among 34 new 3D snowboard courses. Six world-class events are available for competition, including the Downhill, Boardercross and Half Pipe. The player can choose a custom snowboard from two of the biggest names in boarding today, Burton and Ride. To make things really interesting, "Cool Boarders 3" threw in an option that allows the player to punch an opponent while racing him or her down the mountain at breakneck speed.
"Cool Boarders 3" costs $49.99 and can be found, along with all previously mentioned games, at any Media Play, Wal-Mart or Game Pedler stores.
Althought new games are generally the biggest draw around Christmas, some favorites from last year are still hanging on for the ride.
"I think I'd want 'Goldeneye:007,' " said 15 year-old Ryan Clay of Bountiful, referring to the huge hit game of last season based on the movie of the same title.
For additional coverage of hot-selling toys, high-tech product reviews and other features, please follow this link, originally published Saturday.