Nintendo 64 Livestream: Questions and Answers

In 2017 I announced on stream my intention to play through all 296 Nintendo 64 games on real hardware live.  So in order to answer some of the most common questions, I've created this Q&A!

Q: What happened to the challenge?  Why are you resuming it?

A: Originally, I began the challenge in January of 2018 and stayed pretty active on it until April, when my RGB modded Nintendo 64 began to go on the fritz, constantly resetting itself to the point where I couldn't play any N64 game for more than 10 minutes.  After trying everything to get it to work again (new Expansion Pak, new power supply, etc) I still couldn't get it to work.  Unfortunately, my stock Nintendo 64 looked horrible on the TV and worse on the capture card and I couldn't afford another RGB modded N64 (or better yet, an HDMI modded one).  I also began to get anxiety about constantly focusing on the challenge and not being able to do other stuff, like play other games or create walkthroughs so I quit the challenge.  However, after reviewing my 2018 progress, I noticed that 75% of my coverage was the N64 challenge and I regretted not completing the game.  I ended up pulling out my stock N64 to play and getting new cables for it and really enjoying it.  Not only that, the games looked pretty great on my new TV and I ended up getting an AV to HDMI converter which worked awesome so I figured "why not restart the N64 challenge?".

Q: What's different this time?  Are you gonna abandon it again?

A: This time, it's going to be a fun side project instead of my main focus.  I'm playing it mainly because I love the N64 and I enjoy it's library and want to get more acquainted with it.  But I realize that if I focus on it primarily, I'm going to burn myself out again.  So this time, I'm going to play the games when I want to or when I have time (which I have less and less of compared to last year).  That way, I don't feel obligated or guilty if I play a PS4 game or cover a different game on my channel and can just focus on what made this challenge fun: playing N64!  While that means I may complete games at a much slower pace, it will be much healthier for me to do it that way.  I'm also not making the save files available for download anymore, simply due to lack of interest.

Q: Why are you doing this project?

A: The Nintendo 64 was the system I remember investing in the most growing up and after playing through a few games recently on it, I decided I wanted to try them all, especially since the library is small enough that this is obtainable.  After purchasing roughly a quarter of the library and an Everdrive, I realized this challenge is actually feasible.

Q: Are you emulating or are you playing this on real hardware?

A: I'm playing all 296 games on an official North American Nintendo 64.  My original streams were on an RGB modded N64 but it shortly fizzled out after only 36 games.  Starting with my 2019 streams, I'm using a stock N64 with AV cables and an AV to HDMI converter.  I started with a stock N64 controller modded with a GCN style control stick but now I've switched to my Retro Fighters modern N64 controller.

Q: Are you running it on composite?  RF Cable?

A: I'm using standard AV cables with an HDMI modifier.  Please be aware that due to the age of the N64 and the resolution it processes at (240i), the games naturally look blurry and jagged.  It's just the nature of the game!

Q: How many games are you going to complete?

A: All 296 North American released games.  Each game will have a list of completion requirements underneath.  I may do a few bonus episodes where I 100% complete a game or play modes not required to complete the game (or even Japanese games) but for now, the goal is the entire US library.

Q: Will these be with the real carts or Everdrive?

A: A mix of both.

Q: What do you consider completed?

A: Depends on the game but for the most part, beating it on any difficulty or getting a credits screen will constitute beating the game.  For sports games, I consider beating season mode (any # of games length) completion.  Harvest Moon 64 will likely be playing until you get rated in Year 3.  Prior to broadcast, I will list the completion goal on the bottom of the screen for clarity.  There may be some games I play past completion for fun (such as Mario 64) but I'm not going for 100% (or even higher difficulty).

Q: Are you setting a time limit for yourself?

A: No.  I want this to be a fun, nostalgic trip so I am able to play through and enjoy these games without rushing myself.

Q: Where are you streaming this?

A: On my main Youtube channel: Jerry Martin Gaming.  I decided to switch from my livestreams channel as I already have a retro fanbase on my main channel.

Q: Are you gonna play these solo?

A: I will be beating them solo but I will also have my wife and best friend DoubleD join me while playing a lot of these games, such as Mario Party or Perfect Dark.

Q: Can I download the save files for the games you're streaming?

A: Unfortunately, due to lack of interest and a good place to host these files, I will no longer be hosting the save files.  If you'd like them, please DM me on Youtube or Twitter.

Q: Why did you start Conker (Game 4) on File 3 but end on File 1?

A: I started the stream on the real cartridge but after accidentally skipping a cutscene off stream (and wanting to facilitate the sharing of my save files), I restarted up to the point I had reached on stream using my Everdrive.

Q: On Waialae, you considered it beaten by winning the tournament but didn't.  Why?  (Where's the Waialae save file?)

A: Originally, I was under the impression that you had to beat the tournament to see the credits.  Instead, you just have to place.  I may come back to this game later.  Also, for some reason my profile did not save to the memory card, as seen in the beginning of the stream (which was the second stream) so I was not able to upload the save.