As Nintendo’s first true foray into the 3D gaming space, theNintendo 64was responsible for paving the way for many of the company’s iconic franchises as they are known today. Games likeSuper Mario 64andThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeare still viewed as some of the best, most influential games in their respective series. However, theN64is home to more than a couple of game that have yet to make their way off of the platform, but these two may be the most unique.
When it released in 1996, the N64 faced competition from Sony’s PlayStation and its use of CD-Roms. The cartridges of the N64 helped with faster load time, but limited the storage space available to developers and made future backward compatibility nearly impossible. As such, re-releases of N64 games have largely come in the form of digitalVirtual Console releases on the Wii and Wii U, as well as the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Despite Nintendo’s efforts to bring a large portion of the N64 library to modern platforms, some games have yet to see re-releases.
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Buck Bumble
Published by Ubisoft,Buck Bumbleis an N64 exclusive that warrants attention. Launching in 1998, the game sees players control its titular bee character with action-adventure flight mechanics, drawing many comparisons toStar Fox 64. The game is set in the “far future” of 2010s London where a chemical spill has mutated insects, causing a group of them to form the evil Herd bent on world domination. Buck Bumble joins the Resistance against the Herd, being implanted with cyborg technology that grants him the use of hi-tech weaponry to defeat the minions of the Herd.
The game featured both single and multiplayer modes, which was one of the elements praised by players leading to a generally positive reception at launch. One mode, called Buck Battle, was a PvP-style dog fight where players would take flight with the goal of shooting and eliminating their opposition. Another mode, Buzz Ball, was a variation of soccer where players could shoot their opponent to disable them. While these modes earnedBuck Bumblea cult following, its sales numbers were not high enough to earn a sequel, and there has yet to be a re-release via theNintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
Hey You, Pikachu!
Although thePokemonseries is certainly not trapped on the N64, this unsuccessful attempt at a spin-off never saw a future re-release or sequel.Hey You, Pikachu!was designed to capitalize on the mascot’s popularity at the height of thePokemoncraze in 2000. Players were tasked with helping Professor Oak test out his new PokeHelper device that would allow communication between humans and Pokemon. As such, the game relied on the gimmick of talking to Pikachu through the included Voice Recognition Unit (VRU) and microphone that could translate speech into commands for the character.
While the novelty was unique at the time, it received mixed reviews criticizing the very limited gameplay and imprecise nature of the VRU. It’s likely due to the constraints of the required hardware that the game hasn’t seen a re-release. A spiritual successor titledPokemon Channelwas released for theGameCubein 2003 that also featured a Pikachu who players can befriend and play with. However, it has only loose gameplay connections toHey You, Pikachu!,and can’t really be considered a sequel.
