Nintendo 64

This was the last cartridge based console I bought, way back in 1996. I initally purchased this console with two controllers and three games: Super Mario 64, Pilot Wings and Wave Race. These are still excellent games almost 10 years later and they all possess something many of today's modern games lack - fun and playability. Who cares about accurately rendered 3D environments or 15 minute cut scenes! Give me gameplay anyday. On that note, here are some of my absolute essential N64 games:

Super Mario 64 - Released in 1997 by Nintendo

Super Mario 64 contains 15 massive 3D worlds that are cleverly laid-out so that there's never a dull moment. Each world requires Mario to find seven stars, and also find a hidden secret star, in order to move onto the next area. This game recaptures the classic gameplay style of the orignal 2D series that was on previous Nintendo consoles. This is just one game that has excellent replay value and is fun for everyone from children to adults.

Golden Eye 007 - Released in 1997 by Rare

GoldenEye was the best game in 1997, and to this day is arguably the best FPS to ever come out as it is the game that revolutionized the First Person genre. There is a lot more to do in this game than just blow away your enemy. Goldeneye 007 is built around 18 varying levels that must be played through in linear fashion in the easy mode, which will open up the possibility of playing the game in harder levels once completed. You will need to master all the different weapons available, as in some levels there are only a one or a few weapons available. You will also need to perform covert operations in typical Bond style all based on actual events from the Golden Eye movie. Awesome.

Wave Race 64 - Released in 1997 by Nintendo

Wave Race 64 features nine challenging water courses featuring buoys, ramps, mines, hairpin turns and more. You can compete in single races or in championship mode, which has three difficulty levels. The higher the difficulty level, the tougher the courses become and the more routhless your opponents get. The challenge of the game is to race with the realistic water/wind physics inside the game (the first game to do something like this) and to also maintain max power the entire race - miss just one buoy or crtical track section and you lose it and need to build it up again. Great water racing game.

Pilot Wings 64 - Released in 1997 by Paradigm Entertainment

Pilot Wings 64 is the best flight sim for the Nintendo 64. You choose a character and tackle flying assignments with various craft to gain your pilot wings. You are required to successfully complete challenges with a Hang Glider, Rocket Belt and Gyrocopter. If you make great scores during your challenges, you can open up bonus games. These include Sky Diving (Parachute), Birdman outfit (complet with wings and feathers), Jumble Hopper (huge bouncing device) and the human cannonball where you try to hit a distant bull's eye on a target. Heaps of fun.

Banjo-Kazooie - Released in 1998 by Rare

Banjo-Kazooie is a platform game that features a goofy honey bear named Banjo. Banjo runs around in tight yellow shorts and carries his raucous, red-crested bird friend Tooie in his backpack. Together, the bear-bird duo must use teamwork to complete various challenges and to rescue Banjo's sister Tootie from the ugly evil witch Gruntilda, who wants to steal her beauty. Bottles, a mole with Coke-bottle glasses, is around to teach everything from the basic moves to advanced techniques that they need to survive. On your missions, you will need to collect musical notes, Jiggys (puzzle pieces), Jinjos, Honeycomb pieces (adds to life bar), and Mumbo tokens. Some doors are locked with musical spells where you must have a certain number of musical notes in order to open them while new areas require puzzle pieces to complete the locking puzzle to open them up. This is great family entertainment and a welcome change from the plumber :)

Mario Tennis - Released in 2000 by Camelot

Mario Tennis is an arcade style tennis game featuring Mario and all the usual friends including Luigi, Peach, Toad and Bowser. You can play a quick 2 game set to a 5 set marathon match and compete in a tournament against all the characters. With a simple, yet realistic game control, you can mix up your game with lobs, volleys, and varying degrees of topspin and slice. Strike your serves at exactly the correct time and your serve is much more powerful. There are various courts and surfaces to play on, all with various degrees of ball speed and bounce height. With singles mode, doubles mode and challenge mode, and the ability to have up to 4 players on the court at once, there is lots of game options available. Great fun.

1080 Snowboarding - Released in 1998 by Nintendo

1080 Snowboarding is an action packed snowboarding game. You race your character through six mountainside tracks while attempting to score the highest amount of points by performing trick moves (in trick mode) or by getting through the course as fast as possible (in time and match mode). Match mode puts you up against computer opponents that you are required to beat over 4 to 6 courses. With 30 different tricks to master, you have plenty of tricks to try and the harder the trick, the higher the score. With the excellent graphical detail adding to the game (includes falling snow and powder) and split-screen two player mode, this game is great fun on your own or with a mate.

All-Star Baseball 2000 - Released in 1999 by Acclaim

All-Star Baseball 2000 is a great baseball game that features 30 major league teams and stadiums in full detail. You can play the game in a variety of modes including exhibition, season and playoffs. The control mechanism of this game is where it really shines. You have excellent control over pitching, batting and fielding. You can line up and send pitches into exactly the spot you want. When batting, you can shift the bat and direct your swing so you can target left field or right field with ease. It is also easier to make double plays due to the manner in which you can throw to and between the bases. The game also reacts slightly differently when game conditions change. Weather and surface effects a teams performance, home games can slightly favour the home team and player streaks, slumps, and errors based on real life posibilities. The game also features commentary from New York Yankee broadcasters John Sterling and Michael Kay. My favourite baseball game on the Nintendo 64.

Ridge Racer 64 - Released in 2000 by Namco

Ridge Racer 64 is based on the arcade classic and it does a pretty good job of maintaining all the fun from that game. You race against 19 other cars on 8 different tracks (includes all tracks from the original Ridge Racer). You must drive as quickly as possible to complete sections of the track in the specified time to reach the checkpoint to extend your time. While going fast, you will need to control and manage the drift your car possesses when it goes around high speed corners. Failure to do this will result in your car smashing into the side walls or spinning out. This is one of the quickest racing games on the Nintendo 64 and with its four-player mode, there is room for everyone to join in. Drift away!

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Released in 1998 by Nintendo

Considered by many to be the greatest single-player video game ever created (not in my opinion, but close), Zelda - Ocarina of Time features young Link who lives in the Kingdom of Hyrule. Link starts out as the only elf without a fairy, but Link soon meets up Navi, and sets out on this adventure which inevitably turns into a rescue mission for Princess Zelda. Link is lead through dark dungeons, villages, into a volcano, to the bottom of a lake, through a haunted desert, into a magical forest, into a giant tree, inside the belly of a beast, and even through time. Link must defeat strange monsters lurking in the area and stop a growing evil spreading thoughout the land. And a vast land it its, taking a very long time to explore it all. This is not one of those one weekend RPG games and it is also far more rewarding to find the objects and secrets of this game than to use a guide. One of the best RPGs around.

Tasting Notes: Hardy's Oomoo Shiraz 2003

My first post for a while, been a bit busy with work. So, for a change of pace, here is one the best $10 shiraz wines I have had for a long time. Usually, a $10 wine can be very hit and miss, but the Hardys 2003 Oomoo Shiraz is a wine that I enjoyed very much.

I picked up three bottles from Dan Murphy's to have when the family came around. The Oomoo (14 % vol.) is made from 100% McLaren Vale shiraz grapes that are grown near the Torrens river, west of Adelaide.

The rich red/purple colour of this wine is very vivid and I found it's palette ranging from plums to blackcurrant with a touch of dark chocolate. It also has a hint of mint and a spicy aftertaste. The tannins are very soft, most likely due to the ripe fruits, making this very easy to drink. I think this wine would also go very well with Osso Buco or a beef stew.

For $10 a bottle, how can you go wrong. Get a few bottles of this so you can save your favourites for yourself!

Sid Meier’s Civilization I

Civilization I is the game that started it all. What a gaming masterpiece. I recently re-acquainted myself with this wonderful game and lost 4 hours of time.

Civilization I is a turn-based strategy game where up to seven civilizations are spread across the world, each starting with next to nothing. You can play the game on five different skill levels and with over 9 different civilizations, each with their own points of differences and advatanges. You will be involved with a battle to conquer the globe and along the way, you must deal with balancing your economy, maintaining civil order, and keeping your population fed. Throughout the game you will engage in war, develop diplomatic and trade relationships with other civilizations, and eventually send a spaceship to Alpha Centauri.

The beauty of the game is that there are no set paths a player is forced to take and you are open to test your own strategies. You can spend time and money conducting research advancements like Iron Working, Engineering and Combustion to enhance your civilization's technology. You can build a strong millitary to defend your civilization and use them when necessary to attack other civilizations.

You can expand your civilization by creating many citys and encouraging population growth by using settler units. These settler units can found new cities, explore the surrounding area and create roads, irrigation lines, mines and even railroad tracks between your cities. Roads allow units to travel further during their turn and also enhance trade between cities. Trade and commerce are especially important if you want to maintain your military and cities. You can also build Wonders of the World to give your Civilization the historic appeal and to keep your civilians happy.

It's totally up to each individual player how to proceed, but those looking for success will strike a balance between all of these elements. I am so glad I spent some time again with this fantastic game. More information about the entire Civilization series can be found at civfanatics.com