Nintendo 64 at 30 and My N64 Memories

The Nintendo 64, Nintendo’s 5th generation home console, just celebrated the 30-year anniversary of its June 23, 1996 launch in Japan (it made it to the United States on September 29 of the same year). Nintendo Life commemorated the occasion with a collection of Nintendo 64 memories in “All-Consuming, Joyous, Heartbreaking” – Your Nintendo 64 Memories. Long-time readers will know that I have some olden and more recent Nintendo 64 memories of my own. I was inspired by the Nintendo Life article to share some of my personal favorite Nintendo 64 memories and anecdotes.\ This is not my original Nintendo 64 (mine was standard black). But my only extant Nintendo 64 is the special Hey You Pikachu version. Those are my original Mario Party and Yoshi’s Story cartridges, however. Pre-Nintendo 64 Context The Nintendo 64 made a strong “first impression” on me. But understanding why requires some pre-Nintendo 64 context. I have dated myself in many previous articles, notably when I discussed my…