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Friday Flashback: Pilotwings 64

The NES pioneered a lot of video game concepts, and the SNES perfected them. However, the SNES didn't quite get everything right, and for a few games it took the 3D processing power of the Nintendo 64 to reach true excellence. Mario Kart was great, but Mario Kart 64 was amazing. F-Zero was great, but F-Zero X was amazing. Pilotwings was decent, but Pilotwings 64 was awesome.

Mode-7 graphics were awesome for some effects, but the early Super Nintendo games really overused them. While they produced the best racing and flight effects at the time (until Star Fox came out with the SuperFX chip, at least), they were really missing something. Pilotwings 64 gave players an entire 3D world to fly around, not just a strange, flat landscape with ethereal floating rings over it. The Pilotwings 64 levels were big and detailed, with great flourishes like Mario's head on Mount Rushmore. The added dimension of graphics really made the flying feel more real, with mountains and buildings actually sticking up in front of players instead of laying flat like Mode 7 textures.

The advent of the N64 analog stick made control much better in Pilotwings 64 than its predecessor. Between the flat, Mode 7 graphics and the d-pad, the original Pilotwings controlled awkwardly, and challenges that required precision were nearly impossible. In Pilotwings 64, the improved, 3D graphics and an analog stick that could make very slight motions turned even the previously awkward rocket belt and bird man flights into entertaining, accessible experiences.

Most importantly, Pilotwings 64 was arguably the last real, non-nostalgic appearance of beloved Nintendo Power mascot Nester. Okay, he was named "Lark" in the game, but look at him. Perfectly round head, red hair, irritating smirk. That's Nester.

For some genuinely mysterious reason, Pilotwings 64 has yet to appear on the Virtual Console. You can see some hints of Pilotwings 64 in the flying levels of Wii Sports Resort, but it's not the same. However, Nintendo is working on a new Pilotwings game for the 3DS. Hopefully it'll bring back some spark to the quirky, casual flight sim series.