N64 Magazine Issue 11

Introduction

Issue 11 focussed on Spaceworld ‘97 - Nintendo's Japanese version of E3, with a huge feature showcasing everything that happened across three days in Tokyo. Of course there were plenty of upcoming games to be showcased, and the stars of the show were Banjo Kazooie Ocarina of Time, with plenty of new information and screenshots. There was also a first look at 1080 Snowboarding, and the first play of F-Zero X. There were at least 30 other games in either video or playable form, showing the N64’s 1998 was looking bright. Nintendo also showcased the 64DD, and how it was set to revolutionise the way we play games, with a number of new bits of software and hardware announced in conjunction with the add-on.

Brand new to the news section this month was the Fanzine Farm, a carry over from issue 9, showcasing some of the readers' own magazine attempts. Max Everingham also reported back from Tokyo, with the massive announcement that Pocket Monsters 2 was on its way - although the first one was still nearly 2 years from being released in the UK.

During the show James got a chance to talk to the two biggest names in Nintendo, the legendary producer Shigeru Miyamoto, as well as president of Nintendo Hiroshi Yamauchi, covering the past, present and future of Nintendo, and all the new games and technical innovations coming to both the Game Boy and N64. He also put together a diary of his experiences at Spaceworld, and the best way to experience such a big show, including making sure you visit the Akihabara gaming market to find some fantastic gaming deals.

In contrast to the previous issue, there was only one new UK game launched this month - with Tim giving San Francisco Rush 82%, praising the graphics and lifespan of the game, but calling the sounds the worst of any N64 game he’d seen up to that point. It also dropped points as the game didn’t take advantage of the processing power of the N64. There were another 7 games reviewed on import - Japanese title 64-O-Sumo gathered itself 90%, despite the language barrier. The average was brought down significantly by a couple of duds, with Wheel of Fortune scoring 17% and Mortal Kombat Mythologies scoring a then record low of 9%, which was almost unplayable given it’s criminal use of pressing up on the d-pad to jump - despite needing precision platforming.

There were guides this month for Diddy Kong Racing and Mischief Makers, as well as reader Benjamin Coffer’s guide to the multiplayer for Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey. There was the usual general tips section, whilst the Nintendo Hotline this month focussed on common questions about Goldeneye 007.