Nintendo released their new system the Wii U  last year, Sony recently announced that the Playstation 4 will be released by Christmas and the next generation Xbox console is doubtlessly not far behind. In an effort to see how games have changed over the years two reporters took a trip down memory lane and revisited the classic Nintendo 64. Here are the impressions of the three games they played.

GoldenEye: Released in 1997, this first-person shooter follows the exploits of spy James Bond as he fights the Soviets.

Looking back at GoldenEye at first we were not impressed. Completely counterintuitive controls left remembering how to kill the bad guys an enormous challenge and the less than stellar (although as poor as expected) graphics made it hard to determine if a pixelated blob in the distance is an enemy or a tree—at least until it shot us, at which point we determined what it was rather quickly. Aiming was a chore and actually hitting the pixelated little man in the distance was rather hard. That being said, once we got used to the controls we enjoyed ourselves on multiplayer, as we attempted to shoot each other in dark narrow hallways. While this may not seem that great, the sheer difficulty of actually getting points (it seems to take half a magazine if not more to actually kill them) and the preposterous firefights where we two blindly shoot at each other while standing stone still (moving and shooting at the same time was not allowed) are nonetheless somewhat enjoyable, in a funny sort of way. Once we adjusted to the controls we had a good time. The single player campaign is nicely done but we focused mainly on multiplayer as we found it more entertaining.

Super Smash Bros.: This brawler was released in 1999 and features characters such as Mario, Link and other citizens of the Nintendo universe and lets you use them to beat the living daylights out of each other.

This game certainly lives up to the legend and remains a timeless classic. The variety from character choices to maps adds for a thrill that is never the same. While playing in a group setting, Versus is an excellent game mode. Battling to be the last man standing, you must avoid obstacles on the map, along with opponents and various weapons that appear randomly.

The single player mode also withstands the test of time. In an attempt to complete different types of stages against computer controlled bosses, new characters and maps are unlocked. The controls are not overly complicated and make the game much more enjoyable. An additional perk is the fact that the dated graphics are not detrimental to the game play: while a little blocky we could always tell what was going on. Overall, this game is good to play in any circumstance but especially stands out with friends, as nothing is more satisfying than sending your friends flying across the stage for a KO with a well-timed smash with a baseball bat.

Mario Cart 64: Nintendo’s take on a racing game, Mario Cart 64 lets you take control of Mario or his host of friends (and enemies) and race while dodging shells, bananas and other sadistic obstacles.

This game is fun for all but racing fanatics will get the most enjoyment. The track can be occasionally to hard see as the poor graphics lead to items, players and the track popping in the frame much closer to you than you would like. The overall game play however is still entertaining for both single and multiplayer, with the items doing a good job of preventing one player from getting miles ahead of the rest.

Our favorite mode however was Battle mode. Less of a racing game and more about survival, in Battle a player has three balloons. Every time you take damage, a balloon pops. Last player with balloons wins. Very simple, yet this simple game can bring about very close and intense matches.

The game is dated and not the most fun but does continue to live on as a game of entertainment for players of any generation.

In the end, the Nintendo 64 shows its age but remains an enjoyable system to play, especially with friends. The graphics can make it hard to tell what is on the screen on some occasions and on large screens pixels can be unusually large but if you are willing to overlook the poor graphics and focus on the games themselves, the Nintendo 64 will not disappoint.

If nothing else it serves as a nice trip down memory lane as the nostalgia of games one grew up with is always enjoyable and if you’re waiting for the next generation consoles maybe you should take a look back just to appreciate how far the industry has come.