News started leaking out late last week that Nintendo had filed for the trademark on the "N64 Brand" for purposes of a video game program, controller and joystick for a TV game machine. It's the same process that they filed last year leading up to the announcement and release of the SNES Classic.
So we don't know when, but it would appear as if an N64 Classic system is coming and that's sweet. I never personally owned a Nintendo 64 back in the day but all the right people in my life did and I think I might have logged more hours on that system than any other back in the day.
Before we get too far, here's a quick reminder on what this Classic systems have looked like so far. To date we have the NES Classic, the SNES Classic and if you live in Japan the Famicom Classic. Essentially, these systems are mini replicas of the old school systems with a set number of games already in the system with ports for two mini controllers.
First question for me off that info is, will the N64 Classic have four ports? It was one of the first systems to open up to four player gaming back in the day.
Now to the real first question we all have, which games will they put on the system?
There were some real bangers on the old N64 system! I'm talking Goldeneye, Super Mario 64, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart, Wave Race, WCW/NWO Revenge, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Turok, Perfect Dark and so many more!
But there's going to be a catch with this new mini system that may put a little wrinkle in your excitement.
Liscensing.
The world of video games has changed quite a bit since the Nintendo 64 was released back in 1996. Mainly speaking, there's something in today's video game world that didn't entirely exist back then, at least not like it does today, and that is exclusivity.
It's going to take a lot of money and a lot of negotiations to get a game like Perfect Dark on this system as that is a Microsoft game. Not a big deal back in 2000, but now that Microsoft is a big time player and competitor of Nintendo's in the video game industry.
Furthermore, the landscape for sports games has changed a bit. So much so that games like NFL Blitz, Ken Griffey Jr Baseball and NBA Jam wouldn't look the way they do in your memory. The NFL has an exclusive rights deal with Electronic Arts, Major League Baseball has an exclusive deal with The Show on Playstation and the NBA has a deal with EA and 2K. All of that means that the team names, the player names and the likenesses from those old games would not be the same.
In other news, this will be me on the morning that the N64 Classic is released...