Originally posted by: jonebone
Originally posted by: cosmicjim
I think a lot of these answers are short sighted.
Disapointment was the key word in the first part. Disapointment is a big part of why the n64 had terrible sales.
Mario Party and Smash Brothers aren't really new franchises. They are new games types with existing characters.
Spyro vs Banjo is a better comparison, and which one of those has had more success?
The mario kart thing is pretty much an agreement.
The rpg argument is pretty shallow. It just illustrates how bad the n64 library is. Sour grapes excuse.
N64 had terrible sales because it was an old technology competiting with the new. Disc based games were new and "in" back then, and PS1 actually got backing from big names like Final Fantasy. That's why it did better than Sega Saturn who lacked good 3rd party support.
You can argue Mario Party isn't a new franchise, but it was the first to succeed in the emulated board game genre. With over 10 games to date, it's pretty damn successful whether you want to argue the semantics or not.
As for RPGs, is there anyone here who exclusively plays RPGs and nothing else? N64 also destroyed PS1 in the FPS genre. You can't even name a good PS1 FPS, they don't exist. The best games they got were hybrids like Metal Gear Solid (Action / Adventure) and Resident Evil (Survival Horror). N64 consolized the FPS genre with Goldeneye, Perfect Dark and Turok. The PS1 library was also overloaded with garbage PC ports in an attempt to increase profits. You ask people about Myst, Diablo and Rainbow Six, and they all will be recommended on PC, not PS1.
PS1 did dominate the fighters though, because fighters are a 2 player genre. Smash Bros did surprisingly well but there's a million PS1 fighters out there and Tekken has sold tons of copies.
Each has their pros and cons, but to act like PS1 is entirely superior to N64 is ignorant. Yeah it outsold N64 but sales aren't everything, otherwise Wii would be unanimously regarded as the best console from this generation.
And for the real icing on the cake, look at how many people play N64 today vs. PS1. PS1 is obsolete due to backwards compatibility, which sure isn't helping it's collectibility. N64 is rising in collectibility because most people have to actually buy the hardware to get the full experience. Emulation barely affects it also, because most N64 gamers are in it for the local multiplayer.
You wanted a CBFD or Earthbound on PS1? I'm not sure there was a one hit wonder like this on the ps1 but if you are looking for game with a bit of a cult following I'd have to say FF7 or SOTN.
N64 had Goldeneye. ONE awesome FPS. No other FPS was close on PS1 or the N64.
As a store owner during this time I can tell you that Medal of Honor sold pretty well on PS1 and Perfect Dark was a disapointment to many and stores were left with stacks and stacks and stacks of unsold copies.
It isn't even fair to compare the 2 systems because PS1 has serious depth that the N64 did not have. IMHO you could have made the N64 a plug in play with the top 5 or so games and thrown the rest away.
