We all remember the first games console we bought with our own money. Not Christmas or birthday money, nor pocket money saved up over the months, or any combination of the above. No, what I mean is actual earned money, be it from paper rounds, part time jobs or that first wage packet you spent nine times over in your head before getting your hands on it. For me, that console was the Nintendo 64.
It was the year of our Lord Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Seven, and I was but a young man starting at Kingston University. I found myself a part time job (£5.00 per hour (over £9 in 2020) which was bloody good for the time) and balanced working 35 hour weeks and studying in order to save what little I could from the old-style student loan that seemed like a lot of money back then - oh the innocence (and stamina) of youth. Naturally, being a gamer, I took my old Sega Megadrive with me and for the first couple of months, that was my sole gaming fix. It didn't take long to save up the money in order to give in to the temptation of an N64, where a trip to HMV in the Bentall Centre relieved me of about £150 (£275 in 2020) for the console and about £70 (£130 in 2020!!!) for Turok the Dinosaur Hunter. I was a happy man.
This became my go to console, the Megadrive being carefully packed away for the return home. It didn't take long for me to finish Turok and search out other games and, in the November of that year, I picked up Goldeneye 007. That, as they say, was that. To this day, the N64 remains one of my favourite gaming machines.
This book, N64 Anthology by Math Manent, aims to cover pretty much every single aspect of Nintendo's third home console and provide the enthusiasts and collectors among us a reference par excellence. That is not to say its appeal is limited to those niche markets - no, this tome is also for anyone with a passing interest in console gaming of the period.
So, what do we get? Well, an 8.5 by 10.5 inch hardback book, 360 pages in length on rather nice glossy paper. I can't fault the physical quality of the book at all. It's great. But what about the contents?
The anthology is divided up into several sections: a history of the origins and life of the console, interviews with two industry veterans along with some developer quotes, a hardware section, a list of all the games released for the N64, a section on the ill-fated 64DD add-on, cancelled games, collectors items and a piece on the N64 around the world. Also included is a collectors index where you can mark off items in your collection (I would never, ever mark this section!), the list of the original Kickstarter backers and a pictorial guide to N64 advertising around the globe (Collector's Edition only). Let's take each of the sections in turn.
The history of the console covers 54 pages, from it's origins to its final software release. This is as detailed a history that I have ever read on the subject and won't be a disappointment to anyone unfamiliar with the tale. There is even a section on the lesser known iQue Player, so this book is off to a cracking start.
There are two interviews: Martin Hollis of Goldeneye 007 fame and Eric Caen, President and co-founder of Titus Interactive, a prolific supporter of the N64. Both are informative interviews, Caen's more so, as Hollis has been interviewed many a time over the past twenty years and whilst there are some new nuggets here and there, it does feel pretty familiar. Caen, on the other hand, gives a very interesting interview (aided by some very good questions). His perspective is not one usually found in gaming magazines. It was enjoyable to read and I gained a new perspective on the videogame business during the late 1990's.
The hardware section is pretty straight forward, covering the console itself, the controller, Game Pak and other accessories.
The real meat of the book the games section. Here, every title released gets an airing, with box art, at least one screenshot and a description. Also included are release dates where region applicable, a rating, a rarity score and sales figures where known. This is why this book exists and any collector of N64 games needs this in their library. For most readers, it's one hell of a guide to the software range that the N64 hosted and dispels the belief that it didn't have much of a library. For the collector though, everything you ever needed to know about the N64's software is here.
The 64DD, whose teased promise and then eventual disappointing release in Japan only, seems to be one of the greater what-ifs of that console generation. It's given a great description here along with the tiny software catalogue that did see a release. It's not a huge section but it's good to see it get an airing.
The cancelled games chapter is a smidge longer though each game only gets a brief paragraph - for some this is more than enough as the title may have been simply cancelled without warning or released on a different format. Rarities and collectors items are mildly interesting (to me) but could also fall under the category of marketing tat - depending on your point of view. It's still a worthwhile addition to the anthology. The final part, for the Collector's Edition of the Anthology, is focused on the advertising used for the N64 and its games around the world and is brought to life by the glossy, high quality paper. It also harks back to when magazine advertising was a big thing in console gaming - online was getting there but, back then, the printed word was king.
If you can't already tell, this is a brilliant reference book. Packed with detail, an absolutely monstrously complete software guide and with superb print quality, it's a must for any N64 fan and a highly recommended publication for any gamer. It's not exactly cheap but you are getting your money's worth. You can buy it direct here or the usual online bookstores.
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