Although the N64’s library wasn’t exactly teeming with decent realistic racers (Top Gear Overdrive and Ridge Racer 64 were perceived as the format’s finest), it did have plenty of superb ‘alternative’ racing games.
Two of these head to Wii U Virtual Console this week – 1080° Snowboarding and Wave Race 64. They’re often regarded as the best snowboarding and jetski racers of all time due to their excellent track design and realistic snow/water physics.
1080° Snowboarding also featured this intro with incomprehensible lyrics. Something about licking freaks? We’ll never know. Or really care.
Nintendo must still be in the Christmas spirit as purchasing either 1080° Snowboarding and Wave Race 64 on the same Wii U results in a 50% discount for the other. Both are the superior US versions, too.
The UK pricing is currently unknown as Nintendo are yet to release an official UK roster for this week. £8.99 is the usual the price of N64 re-releases though, so that’s a safe assumption.
Speaking of discounts, EnjoyUp Games’ 99Moves and Abyss are both due a drop on Wii U this week. Then on 3DS Nano Assault EX, Football Up 3D, Real Heroes Firefighter 3D and a handful of mediocre Circle Entertainment games are in line for a cut. Nano Assault is well worth a look.
This leaves us with Story of Seasons on 3DS, also due at retail this week. It’s the final retail release of the year, no less, and a rather unexpected one at that. We simply assumed that Amazon’s 31st December release date was a default.
Published by Nintendo themselves, it’s actually a rebranded Harvest Moon game. “It may not be the most polished game, with its finicky frame rate and an underwhelming 3D display, but the charming characters and satisfying gameplay make this a game worth any Harvest Moon fan’s time†said Nintendo Life in their review.