Space World 2001 Recap: Three N64 Sequels

Written by Kyle Williams on August 28, 2001

Space World 2001 Recap: Three N64 Sequels: Just look what new hardware can do for already great titles!

Space World 2001 has come and gone and we have had the good fortune to see more of Nintendo's GameCube, which makes its U.S. debut this November. Along with getting an updated hardware release date (18 November), we have received more information on several of the titles that will make the GC worth owning. The first batch of games that we are going to look at in Gaming Target's Space World recap are sequels to some of Nintendo's finest Nintendo 64 titles. Take a look below and see how Super Smash Brothers: Melee, 1080 Snowboarding 2, and Wave Race: Blue Storm are shaping up.

Super Smash Brothers: Melee
U.S. Release - December 3, 2001

Super Smash Brothers was, in my opinion, a complete surprise when it debuted on the 64-bit Nintendo. I didn't think much of the game during the preview stages, but once I played it I found that it was a frantic brawling game that was easily worth the price of admission (and then some). Last week I got the opportunity to play the GameCube sequel and let me tell you, there is more of everything in the new version. Melee is adding several new characters including Peach (from Mario fame) and the Ice Climbers (from the NES game of the same name) to an already impressive lineup and is offering a more balanced play experience for the characters making a return appearance. Gone are the days where Pikachu can sweep up the floor with his devastating electric attack.

The frantic action of the original Super Smash Brothers is perfectly recreated in Melee, only with magnitudes more happening on the screen at any given time. Several new items will be falling from the sky including a Kirby star and the infamous Magic Mushrooms that have been powering up Mario and Luigi for years. While the gameplay of the series has never been the most advanced, it always has been (and still is) great fun. All of the tweaks and balancing have turned an already classic title into one of the best games of the year. Expect SSB:M to be in short supply this holiday season and start making arrangements to get your copy now.

1080 Snowboarding 2
U.S. Release - Early 2002 (Delayed till 2004)

I have heard some people argue that the original 1080 Snowboarding was the only five-star title on the Nintendo 64. Those people are in for another treat early next year when the incredible looking follow-up hits shelves. Sure, EA is bringing their acclaimed SSX series to the GameCube at launch, but the extra time that Left Field Studios is being given to work on 1080 2 should be able to give it the technical edge. Already the game is looking simply fabulous, although we have yet to see how it will look during gameplay execution. With Left Field's track record and the excellent gameplay of the original as a starting point this game has excellent potential to wrap the snowboarding title up.

Wave Race: Blue Storm
U.S. Release - November 18, 2001 (Launch Title)

Wave Race: Blue Storm is the follow-up to the fantastic N64 launch title, Wave Race. While the original game set the bar for all other water based games to jump for, Blue Storm is raising it. The original Wave Race is single-handedly responsible for selling countless units of N64 hardware with it's breakthrough gameplay and excellent water effects. WR:BS is setting itself up to do the same thing for the GameCube. As a matter of fact, Blue Storm is going above and beyond the original, especially in the performance of the multiplayer modes. Wave Race was limited to a two-player mode that suffered from a drastic decrease in graphical performance while Blue Storm is going for the whole sha-bang with four-player action that hardly takes a performance hit at all. If pictures are worth a thousand words, then the early screen shots and video footage speak volumes about what this game is doing with the available power of the Nintendo GameCube. If there is only one game that I get at launch time, it is going to be Wave Race: Blue Storm.

There is my verdict on the upcoming sequels to Wave Race, 1080o Snowboarding, and Super Smash Brothers. The more that I see of the Nintendo GameCube the more that I am convinced that it is going to come out ahead in the coming console war. Keep your eyes turned to Gaming Target as we take a look at more of the games spotlighted at Space World later this week. Party on and save your nickels and dimes, there are only two and a half months until the 'Cube hits shelves.