Advancements in technology call for advancements in gaming. When Nintendo released Star Fox in 1993, the 3D technology of the Super FX chip was considered revolutionary. But when the PlayStation hit shelves a year later, Nintendo's hardware seemed dated by comparison, making them eager to get in on the 3D boom. Enter Nintendo 64, the eccentric girl promoting Nintendo's first ever 3D console!
Originally meant to be named "Ultra 64," Nintendo 64 was born in Japan to a father from the United Kingdom. It was from him that she grew up knowing about the British rock scene of years past, taking inspiration from artists such as The Beatles. This led her to become an aspiring guitarist and vocalist, which led to her getting noticed by Nintendo's top talent agents.
Despite her debut launching with only three titles, Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 were big hits. The former is frequently cited as one of the best and most influential games of all time, including its soundtrack. Nintendo 64's distinct "MIDI" style set her apart from the competition, as her music made heavy use of sampling and dynamic tracks. Her concerts greatly upped the flashy stage effects, with some of these being so much even she had a hard time keeping up if you look closely! Many great titles such as Ocarina of Time, Star Fox 64, Super Smash Bros. and F-Zero X were only a fraction of her timeless library.
N64's personality has been described as delightfully passionate, energetic and confident. She brought a type of energy to Nintendo that had never been seen before. One so intense, in fact, even her producer had a hard time dealing with her sometimes! A rarity among idols, she brought a number of her own ideas to the table, such as the use of live guitar for the ending song of "Yoshi's Story," which many say is one of her best concerts. Sources say her passionate personality frequently got herself into arguments with Super Famicom in the office, but the two of them would make up eventually.
N64 is also notable for working with UK-based developer Rare frequently, prior to their acquisition by Microsoft. She flew to their office on multiple occasions to work with their composers and develop some of her best soundtracks for titles such as GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark and many more. "Sloprano" from Conker's Bad Fur Day is considered a fan favorite, but sadly no songs from that game were ever performed live due to its mature rating and oddball sense of humor.
In Japan, 64 did a number of "Disk Drive" concerts which were received positive reception but were largely unpopular. The failure of the N64DD as well as the Nintendo 64's relative unpopularity compared to previous Nintendo idols was a significant blow to her morale and career, but she carried on nonetheless. In interviews she has stated that she thinks she may have had a bit too much confidence in Nintendo, which led to a burnout in years post-graduation.
Graduating in 2002, Nintendo 64 started a shift in trends where Nintendo idols were produced in discrete generations rather than kept around for extended periods of time. Despite everything, she considers her career largely a success. While not on stage, 64 has cited various artists as inspiration during her time at Nintendo, most being foreign to Japan such as Eminem, 2Pac and Scatman John.