Pilotwings 64 is.... a charming tech demo.
It is clear that most of its aspect have been built to represent the revolutions of the Nintendo 64, since it was one of the main launch titles.
And despite being a launch titles, it has a lot of charm to it: it introduced its own quirky cast of characters, with different stats, behicle designs and voice lines, and the stages you explore are really cute (the stage with the Mount Rushmore with a Wario face cracks me up).
And there is some variety in the modes: it's weird there are not actual planes, but the different vehicles and the extra modes can be solid experiences: of all of them I feel the Rockets are the most fun, while Glyders and Copters can be a bit of a slug depending on the specific mission.... though Cannonballs, SKy diving and the "Hopping" minigame adds the extra charm that the game needed.
It's a cute game but... honestly nothing to write home about it.
It is clear that most of its aspect have been built to represent the revolutions of the Nintendo 64, since it was one of the main launch titles.
And despite being a launch titles, it has a lot of charm to it: it introduced its own quirky cast of characters, with different stats, behicle designs and voice lines, and the stages you explore are really cute (the stage with the Mount Rushmore with a Wario face cracks me up).
And there is some variety in the modes: it's weird there are not actual planes, but the different vehicles and the extra modes can be solid experiences: of all of them I feel the Rockets are the most fun, while Glyders and Copters can be a bit of a slug depending on the specific mission.... though Cannonballs, SKy diving and the "Hopping" minigame adds the extra charm that the game needed.
It's a cute game but... honestly nothing to write home about it.
Pilotwings 64 is a charming and surprisingly relaxing flight simulator. Soaring through the skies, taking on challenges like hang gliding, skydiving, and jetpacking is a blast! The visuals might be blocky by today's standards, but the controls are smooth, and it creates a real sense of freedom. While earning all the medals takes some serious skill, this is a classic N64 experience that's perfect for unwinding with short, enjoyable sessions.
Meh,existe para enseñar lo que la Nintendo 64 era capaz de hacer
I do not think Pilotwings 64 is a good game but that didn't stop me from playing a lot of it. It's amazing the kind of time you'll put into a game when you're 7 and you only have two games for your brand new Nintendo 64.
Hey, you!
Do you like watching people ricochet off of sheer cliff faces like ping pong balls? Do you mourn that you’ll never get the opportunity to launch missiles at the World Trade Center? Have you ever wanted to fire a buxom woman out of a cannon? If your answer to any of the above questions was “yes”, then I have two things to tell you. First: Seek therapy. Secondly and more importantly, however, you’re really doing yourself a disservice by not playing Pilotwings 64.
I’m given to understand that the original Pilotwings is something of a classic, being very technically impressive for the Super Nintendo and having a rather distinct aesthetic to it. Nintendo themselves seem to have a soft spot for it, referencing it in a handful of their other titles. I haven’t had an opportunity to take a crack at it myself, sadly, but I did happen to spot its sequel at my local game shop this past weekend. Pilotwings 64… A name I was aware of, but not one that I ever paid much mind to.
While the Nintendo 64 might very well be my favorite game system of all time, I’ve come to realize recently that I’m astonishingly ignorant of its relatively small catalog. I have a bad habit of hyperfixating on the “big ones”, brushing aside more mediocre or niche experiences across the gaming landscape in favor of titles with more fame (or even infamy) to their names. I have started to realize that I’ve deprived myself of a lot by doing so – even the most underwhelming games tend to have aspects that were decidedly inspired or born from love. Giving them a chance can force me to reevaluate or recontextualize my affinities and opinions. Worst case scenario, I’ll be able to answer people when they ask me questions about that one game nobody ever seems to talk about. Best case, I’ll have an experience that leaves a lasting impression long after I play it. I’m happy to report that Pilotwings 64 is decidedly in the latter camp.
The game almost immediately defied my expectations upon powering up my N64. Super Mario 64, Nintendo’s other launch offering, hits you with a big and colorful logo before presenting you with a massive disembodied plumber head, practically screaming “look how cool and advanced our fancy new system is!” Pilotwings 64 slaps you in the face with a funky bassline and an intro that looks like it was ripped from an educational VHS tape straight out of my elementary school days. I wouldn’t have called it especially impressive by comparison, but it sets the table neatly and is intensely evocative of its era. Needless to say, I was smitten.
All of your playable characters are named after birds. Their designs and renders are deliciously 90’s – just take a look for yourself. You may be noticing one of them seems uncannily familiar. Lark is probably a different character than Nintendo Power’s old mascot Nester… Although their writers did apparently suggest Lark is just a pseudonym (sadly, I haven’t been able to find the preview in question). His counterpart, Kiwi, is adorable. Goose and Ibis are the epitome of cool. Hawk is just an absolute unit and I want to give him a big hug. At any rate, I’m a fan. Their differences are more than superficial, too, as is helpfully outlined in the game’s manual. I presume Robin shares the heavy class with Hawk due to being weighed down by her preposterously prodigious polygons.
The tone of the game is broadly lighthearted, optimistic, and chilled out, though it seems to have a hilariously mean streak at times. Whether it’s because of the occasionally cruel challenges leveled at you or the over-the-top shrieks of your pilot as they plunge into a river, it’s admittedly a little too hard to stay mad at the game when it keeps making me laugh. Of course, the OST is big contributor in this, being at times quirky, but for the most part very mellow and smooth. Tied together with the twiggy player models and “I put this together in ten minutes using WordArt” style of the UI, I felt instantly transported to another place and time.
As to gameplay – at first blush Pilotwings 64 would seem to be nothing more than a simple mission-based flight sim experience, and if you play it as straight as possible that may still be your takeaway in the end. The controls across the hang glider, the rocket belt and the gyrocopter are intuitive but still demand enough fine adjustment on your part that they feel challenging to master. If you’re intent on getting those perfect scores, you’re likely to sink a good few hours into your attempts. Likewise, each of the three main vehicle types have enough variety in gameplay between them that each section feels distinct. You can also unlock a few additional minigames that provide some fun diversions from the core experience. However, there’s more to the game than just going for gold. Many maps have at least one secret tucked away someplace, and in most cases you can simply ignore your given objective and explore. If you’re the kind of person who likes to nose about in every weird little nook and cranny when you play games, don’t worry: Pilotwings 64 understands.
It’s worth making special mention of the maps here, as they’re quite visually impressive for this being one of the first N64 titles. They’re wide open with interesting designs and a valiant draw distance to support them. One particular standout is Little States, a miniaturized version of the contiguous 48 US of A with many of the expected landmarks. Not only is it shockingly expansive and filled with plenty of little easter eggs, but it also dreams of a utopian timeline where South Carolina doesn’t exist. There’s an unlockable “Birdman” mode that lets you lazily soar through the various locales at your own pace and explore every inch without needing to worry about performance. It’s an almost zen experience flitting from one end to the next, taking in the sights while basking in the mellow mood. You really get the feeling that the devs were proud of what they put together and wanted to share all of it with the player.
Overall, there isn’t a ton of content to speak of in Pilotwings 64 and not a ton of reason to come back once you’ve aced every available challenge. What’s more, the choppy framerate did make the more impressive aspects of the game a little harder to appreciate, though I can likewise acknowledge that I’ve perhaps become a bit spoiled by smoother experiences as the years have gone by. While I’m uncertain as to whether or not I would have fallen in love with this game as a kid, as an adult I’m very happy to have picked it up. It feels like a solid little title to come back to between bigger games – something to slot in when I just want to enjoy the powerful vibes for an hour or two.
Anyways, the moral of the story is: If you see a game that looks interesting, just try it. You never know what you’ll find.
P.S. I had read at some point that the increased framerate on Nintendo Switch Online’s version of the game can apparently make Birdman hard to control. Not sure if this has been smoothed out since its initial release, but it’s definitely worth considering when choosing a way to play.
Do you like watching people ricochet off of sheer cliff faces like ping pong balls? Do you mourn that you’ll never get the opportunity to launch missiles at the World Trade Center? Have you ever wanted to fire a buxom woman out of a cannon? If your answer to any of the above questions was “yes”, then I have two things to tell you. First: Seek therapy. Secondly and more importantly, however, you’re really doing yourself a disservice by not playing Pilotwings 64.
I’m given to understand that the original Pilotwings is something of a classic, being very technically impressive for the Super Nintendo and having a rather distinct aesthetic to it. Nintendo themselves seem to have a soft spot for it, referencing it in a handful of their other titles. I haven’t had an opportunity to take a crack at it myself, sadly, but I did happen to spot its sequel at my local game shop this past weekend. Pilotwings 64… A name I was aware of, but not one that I ever paid much mind to.
While the Nintendo 64 might very well be my favorite game system of all time, I’ve come to realize recently that I’m astonishingly ignorant of its relatively small catalog. I have a bad habit of hyperfixating on the “big ones”, brushing aside more mediocre or niche experiences across the gaming landscape in favor of titles with more fame (or even infamy) to their names. I have started to realize that I’ve deprived myself of a lot by doing so – even the most underwhelming games tend to have aspects that were decidedly inspired or born from love. Giving them a chance can force me to reevaluate or recontextualize my affinities and opinions. Worst case scenario, I’ll be able to answer people when they ask me questions about that one game nobody ever seems to talk about. Best case, I’ll have an experience that leaves a lasting impression long after I play it. I’m happy to report that Pilotwings 64 is decidedly in the latter camp.
The game almost immediately defied my expectations upon powering up my N64. Super Mario 64, Nintendo’s other launch offering, hits you with a big and colorful logo before presenting you with a massive disembodied plumber head, practically screaming “look how cool and advanced our fancy new system is!” Pilotwings 64 slaps you in the face with a funky bassline and an intro that looks like it was ripped from an educational VHS tape straight out of my elementary school days. I wouldn’t have called it especially impressive by comparison, but it sets the table neatly and is intensely evocative of its era. Needless to say, I was smitten.
All of your playable characters are named after birds. Their designs and renders are deliciously 90’s – just take a look for yourself. You may be noticing one of them seems uncannily familiar. Lark is probably a different character than Nintendo Power’s old mascot Nester… Although their writers did apparently suggest Lark is just a pseudonym (sadly, I haven’t been able to find the preview in question). His counterpart, Kiwi, is adorable. Goose and Ibis are the epitome of cool. Hawk is just an absolute unit and I want to give him a big hug. At any rate, I’m a fan. Their differences are more than superficial, too, as is helpfully outlined in the game’s manual. I presume Robin shares the heavy class with Hawk due to being weighed down by her preposterously prodigious polygons.
The tone of the game is broadly lighthearted, optimistic, and chilled out, though it seems to have a hilariously mean streak at times. Whether it’s because of the occasionally cruel challenges leveled at you or the over-the-top shrieks of your pilot as they plunge into a river, it’s admittedly a little too hard to stay mad at the game when it keeps making me laugh. Of course, the OST is big contributor in this, being at times quirky, but for the most part very mellow and smooth. Tied together with the twiggy player models and “I put this together in ten minutes using WordArt” style of the UI, I felt instantly transported to another place and time.
As to gameplay – at first blush Pilotwings 64 would seem to be nothing more than a simple mission-based flight sim experience, and if you play it as straight as possible that may still be your takeaway in the end. The controls across the hang glider, the rocket belt and the gyrocopter are intuitive but still demand enough fine adjustment on your part that they feel challenging to master. If you’re intent on getting those perfect scores, you’re likely to sink a good few hours into your attempts. Likewise, each of the three main vehicle types have enough variety in gameplay between them that each section feels distinct. You can also unlock a few additional minigames that provide some fun diversions from the core experience. However, there’s more to the game than just going for gold. Many maps have at least one secret tucked away someplace, and in most cases you can simply ignore your given objective and explore. If you’re the kind of person who likes to nose about in every weird little nook and cranny when you play games, don’t worry: Pilotwings 64 understands.
It’s worth making special mention of the maps here, as they’re quite visually impressive for this being one of the first N64 titles. They’re wide open with interesting designs and a valiant draw distance to support them. One particular standout is Little States, a miniaturized version of the contiguous 48 US of A with many of the expected landmarks. Not only is it shockingly expansive and filled with plenty of little easter eggs, but it also dreams of a utopian timeline where South Carolina doesn’t exist. There’s an unlockable “Birdman” mode that lets you lazily soar through the various locales at your own pace and explore every inch without needing to worry about performance. It’s an almost zen experience flitting from one end to the next, taking in the sights while basking in the mellow mood. You really get the feeling that the devs were proud of what they put together and wanted to share all of it with the player.
Overall, there isn’t a ton of content to speak of in Pilotwings 64 and not a ton of reason to come back once you’ve aced every available challenge. What’s more, the choppy framerate did make the more impressive aspects of the game a little harder to appreciate, though I can likewise acknowledge that I’ve perhaps become a bit spoiled by smoother experiences as the years have gone by. While I’m uncertain as to whether or not I would have fallen in love with this game as a kid, as an adult I’m very happy to have picked it up. It feels like a solid little title to come back to between bigger games – something to slot in when I just want to enjoy the powerful vibes for an hour or two.
Anyways, the moral of the story is: If you see a game that looks interesting, just try it. You never know what you’ll find.
P.S. I had read at some point that the increased framerate on Nintendo Switch Online’s version of the game can apparently make Birdman hard to control. Not sure if this has been smoothed out since its initial release, but it’s definitely worth considering when choosing a way to play.
Despite renting a bunch of N64 games during my childhood, Pilotwings 64 is one I never played and was never interested in playing, especially after growing up. Something about its visuals always put me off, mainly the characters, they look so ugly lmao, but I knew the soundtrack was a banger because of the Birdman track I’d listen to every now and then, some sweet sweet jazz.
But with it being available on NSO, I decided to give it a shot and I enjoyed it a fair amount! I’ve always heard people saying how it’s a soothing and relaxing game, and while that’s certainly true about the first few missions, this game gets TOUGH halfway through with its missions, relaxed is the last thing you’ll feel while trying to complete them, especially if you’re going for silver and gold medals, which I didn’t even bother trying to go for because I was getting frustrated with them (so I didn’t unlock yet the extra games that you do so by getting silver medals in every mission). But it’s the good kind of frustrating! It’s those challenges that are tough to complete but really satisfying when you’re finally able to do so, and then later you decide “maybe I should try going for that medal”. I miss this type of shorter games centered around score-based missions, they’re always extremely addictive and replayable, so I’ll definitely come back to this game in the near future to try and get those medals to unlock the extra games.
But with it being available on NSO, I decided to give it a shot and I enjoyed it a fair amount! I’ve always heard people saying how it’s a soothing and relaxing game, and while that’s certainly true about the first few missions, this game gets TOUGH halfway through with its missions, relaxed is the last thing you’ll feel while trying to complete them, especially if you’re going for silver and gold medals, which I didn’t even bother trying to go for because I was getting frustrated with them (so I didn’t unlock yet the extra games that you do so by getting silver medals in every mission). But it’s the good kind of frustrating! It’s those challenges that are tough to complete but really satisfying when you’re finally able to do so, and then later you decide “maybe I should try going for that medal”. I miss this type of shorter games centered around score-based missions, they’re always extremely addictive and replayable, so I’ll definitely come back to this game in the near future to try and get those medals to unlock the extra games.
Part of what made me want to play through all the Nintendo 64 games was growing up with Future Publishing’s N64 magazine. I only had a small number of games myself, but read about so many more. Pilotwings is one I remember getting mentioned a lot in the magazine throughout the years, and it always sounded fascinating. The image of a cannon and Mount Rushmore (with Mario’s face) was one I distinctly remember seeing a lot.
Pilotwings is an arcade-style flight sim game, although still requires a lot of skill to perfect, especially landings. There are three main vehicles, each of which have a series of challenges to complete, which then unlock additional modes.
The glider is first up and is definitely the weakest of the three main types. I can appreciate how it must have felt brand new, using a standard controller to control a game like this instead of a flight stick, not to mention the 3D worlds, which have lots of nice little details.
The challenges start out simple, and get more complex and difficult. There’s a nice variety such as quickly going through a string of rings, finding more widespread rings and finding certain objects to take photos of. You’re scored based on your speed and accuracy, and it all hangs on your landing, which is difficult but does feel like you’re in control.
The Rocket Belt (aka a jet pack) is immensely fun to fly. You have a strong thrust and a weaker thrust and will need to get across the map quickly, burst balloons, fly through a cave and land on platforms. Trying to avoid hitting the ground is difficult, even though the game tries to help by having a bar show up when you’re close to the ground.
I think the weakest aspect of Pilotwings was the camera, which was a challenge in early 3D games. This one is a bit strange as it pans the camera away from you rather than around your character, and reverts back when you stop pressing the c-button. Despite this, the jet pack is just extremely enjoyable.
The gyrocopyer is the third main one, and is equipped with rockets to blast targets with. This is much faster than the previous vehicles, so tend to use the whole islands, which are all really nicely designed with lots of little things to look at. I especially love “Little States”, a mini mainland USA with lots of details representing a few important locations. It would be lovely to see updated versions of these islands.
With the gyrocopter, you’ll have some ring challenges that feel like intense races and you get to battle a giant mech as it terrorises a city. The gyrocopter is a lot of fun, and is probably the easiest to land, although being accurate for a best score is still difficult.
As you complete the challenges, you’ll unlock bonus games. The first of which is a complete blast: human cannonball. You get three attempts at each target, with your best score out of the three being counted. This means that you have a few attempts to adjust your aim and power to account for the wind speed.
While it stars off simple, like the rest of Pilotwings, it gets really difficult, with some targets you can only see on the radar as they’re behind a mountain or below the cannon. It doesn’t stop the mode being enjoyable, though.
The second extra mode is skydiving. It starts with a rather wonky formation challenge above the clouds, but feels amazing when you get past and get full control of skydiving on the island. I wasn’t very good at the actual scoring, but the skydiving itself is really fun.
The last one I couldn’t get the hang of. They’re a kind of bouncing boot, but the controls just feel strange and I kept bouncing in directions I didn’t want to go and just fell over a lot.
My favourite mode of the game is locked behind getting a silver medal on all of these challenges, although you can temporarily try it out by finding hidden stars in the jetpack mode.
The Birdman mode is a free flight mode. You don’t have to worry about fuel and staying in the air is easy. There’s no challenges to complete, it’s all about enjoying the sights. It’s just nice and relaxing. The main mistake is how many people playing the game may never actually get to try it due to the game’s difficulty and needing so much to unlock it (I have to admit, I ended up using cheats).
Pilotwings 64 is a very interesting game and I really think it deserves another go. It did get a game on 3DS, but that just used Wuhu Island from Wii Sports Resort, which already had a plane more. I’d love a sequel that brought us the islands from this game in more detail, some new ones, plus all these modes and some new stuff. I’d also love just being able to choose free flight for any of the vehicles – having the challenges dotted across the maps would also be a great touch. A new Pilotwings could be a ton of fun.
Pilotwings is an arcade-style flight sim game, although still requires a lot of skill to perfect, especially landings. There are three main vehicles, each of which have a series of challenges to complete, which then unlock additional modes.
The glider is first up and is definitely the weakest of the three main types. I can appreciate how it must have felt brand new, using a standard controller to control a game like this instead of a flight stick, not to mention the 3D worlds, which have lots of nice little details.
The challenges start out simple, and get more complex and difficult. There’s a nice variety such as quickly going through a string of rings, finding more widespread rings and finding certain objects to take photos of. You’re scored based on your speed and accuracy, and it all hangs on your landing, which is difficult but does feel like you’re in control.
The Rocket Belt (aka a jet pack) is immensely fun to fly. You have a strong thrust and a weaker thrust and will need to get across the map quickly, burst balloons, fly through a cave and land on platforms. Trying to avoid hitting the ground is difficult, even though the game tries to help by having a bar show up when you’re close to the ground.
I think the weakest aspect of Pilotwings was the camera, which was a challenge in early 3D games. This one is a bit strange as it pans the camera away from you rather than around your character, and reverts back when you stop pressing the c-button. Despite this, the jet pack is just extremely enjoyable.
The gyrocopyer is the third main one, and is equipped with rockets to blast targets with. This is much faster than the previous vehicles, so tend to use the whole islands, which are all really nicely designed with lots of little things to look at. I especially love “Little States”, a mini mainland USA with lots of details representing a few important locations. It would be lovely to see updated versions of these islands.
With the gyrocopter, you’ll have some ring challenges that feel like intense races and you get to battle a giant mech as it terrorises a city. The gyrocopter is a lot of fun, and is probably the easiest to land, although being accurate for a best score is still difficult.
As you complete the challenges, you’ll unlock bonus games. The first of which is a complete blast: human cannonball. You get three attempts at each target, with your best score out of the three being counted. This means that you have a few attempts to adjust your aim and power to account for the wind speed.
While it stars off simple, like the rest of Pilotwings, it gets really difficult, with some targets you can only see on the radar as they’re behind a mountain or below the cannon. It doesn’t stop the mode being enjoyable, though.
The second extra mode is skydiving. It starts with a rather wonky formation challenge above the clouds, but feels amazing when you get past and get full control of skydiving on the island. I wasn’t very good at the actual scoring, but the skydiving itself is really fun.
The last one I couldn’t get the hang of. They’re a kind of bouncing boot, but the controls just feel strange and I kept bouncing in directions I didn’t want to go and just fell over a lot.
My favourite mode of the game is locked behind getting a silver medal on all of these challenges, although you can temporarily try it out by finding hidden stars in the jetpack mode.
The Birdman mode is a free flight mode. You don’t have to worry about fuel and staying in the air is easy. There’s no challenges to complete, it’s all about enjoying the sights. It’s just nice and relaxing. The main mistake is how many people playing the game may never actually get to try it due to the game’s difficulty and needing so much to unlock it (I have to admit, I ended up using cheats).
Pilotwings 64 is a very interesting game and I really think it deserves another go. It did get a game on 3DS, but that just used Wuhu Island from Wii Sports Resort, which already had a plane more. I’d love a sequel that brought us the islands from this game in more detail, some new ones, plus all these modes and some new stuff. I’d also love just being able to choose free flight for any of the vehicles – having the challenges dotted across the maps would also be a great touch. A new Pilotwings could be a ton of fun.
This is genuinely an incredible game, and I'm glad so many more people are trying it out thanks to the Nintendo Switch Online N64 app!
The amount of details in this game is great to see, the wacky situations you experience later in the game are funny as hell, and the selection of things to do is solid!
Not everything is perfect, and the game does get a bit hard by the end, especially if you wanna get all of the Gold Medals, but man, as one of the Nintendo 64's launch titles, I think you're getting your money's worth.
And the Birdman mode might be one of my favourites in all of gaming, as it's basically a "fuck around and see the scenery, without any pressure" mode, and those are ones I always appreciate.
I don't blame anyone for buying Super Mario 64 over this game, but this one is definitely great to check out!
The amount of details in this game is great to see, the wacky situations you experience later in the game are funny as hell, and the selection of things to do is solid!
Not everything is perfect, and the game does get a bit hard by the end, especially if you wanna get all of the Gold Medals, but man, as one of the Nintendo 64's launch titles, I think you're getting your money's worth.
And the Birdman mode might be one of my favourites in all of gaming, as it's basically a "fuck around and see the scenery, without any pressure" mode, and those are ones I always appreciate.
I don't blame anyone for buying Super Mario 64 over this game, but this one is definitely great to check out!
Piloting your way to that perfect score praying you can pull of that landing with the right criterias fulfilled while poking both middlefingers up to the skies as you get that zero point reward for landing impact. That is pilotwings 64. An otherwise utterly charming launch title for the N64 that flexed with what the system had to offer through its detailed and atmospheric playground and diverse mechanics.
So much nostalgia and still in awe for the cool little details spread around the isles, while vibing to those good jazzy synths eluded some of the pain of the later challenges. Hang glider can kiss my ass, jetpack and helicopter are pretty cool. And the unlockable extra vehicles/modes and challenges are all enjoyable as long as they last.
It's very short, but varied, some challenges more fun than others, both infuriating and rewarding to master due to how picky the score system is, but it has delightfully cozy vibes and was a pretty mindblowing game to experience back at launch.
So much nostalgia and still in awe for the cool little details spread around the isles, while vibing to those good jazzy synths eluded some of the pain of the later challenges. Hang glider can kiss my ass, jetpack and helicopter are pretty cool. And the unlockable extra vehicles/modes and challenges are all enjoyable as long as they last.
It's very short, but varied, some challenges more fun than others, both infuriating and rewarding to master due to how picky the score system is, but it has delightfully cozy vibes and was a pretty mindblowing game to experience back at launch.
2 STARS: I LIKED A COUPLE THINGS
Probably my first introduction to the concept of an open-world, the jet pack gave me a sense of freedom to explore and to see something in the distance and being able to go there. Also interesting how the game requires so much gentle input from a player, that would have been difficult to come to grips with as a kid, but I really tried the best I could at the time and I think that precision helped me in other games.
The jet pack is great, as is the human cannonball, but the hang glider, autogyro and sky diving weren't as fun and expressive. Also the N64's notorious performance issues really got in the way, even as a kid I knew it was junk.
Soundtrack is probably carrying the game to most, I love it, and never really heard anything like it. Arguably in the Top 100 game soundtracks ever.
Probably my first introduction to the concept of an open-world, the jet pack gave me a sense of freedom to explore and to see something in the distance and being able to go there. Also interesting how the game requires so much gentle input from a player, that would have been difficult to come to grips with as a kid, but I really tried the best I could at the time and I think that precision helped me in other games.
The jet pack is great, as is the human cannonball, but the hang glider, autogyro and sky diving weren't as fun and expressive. Also the N64's notorious performance issues really got in the way, even as a kid I knew it was junk.
Soundtrack is probably carrying the game to most, I love it, and never really heard anything like it. Arguably in the Top 100 game soundtracks ever.
Some of the later tests were annoying but I had a decent time overall.
Not much else to say. It’s basically a Tech demo for the Nintendo 64. A good one for sure, but there’s not much to it.
Not much else to say. It’s basically a Tech demo for the Nintendo 64. A good one for sure, but there’s not much to it.
There’s not much to say about this game other than I find it really difficult to land and that it was a good time waster for about a hour. I guess it’s a decent enough game as a tech demo for the N64.
Better than Microsoft's Flight Simulator
Cute li'l tech demo. This game is forgotten now, but it must have been impressive in a lot of the same ways as Super Mario 64 on the console's debut. Exploring the 3D landscapes, especially in Birdman mode, must have been something else.
The structure is about right compared to the original Pilotwings, but there are a few superficial decisions that make it glaringly obvious this game was developed by an American studio. Little States is the most obvious, but Crescent Island being the closest thing we've gotten to a StarTropics nod post-NES is another, as are the character designs (Lark is just Nester, Goose is almost certainly a Top Gun nod, Robin as the female heavyweight seems to be a boob joke). None of these are bad things; to the contrary, it gives the game its own personality. Just think it's notable.
It is very weird that there are no airplanes in Pilotwings 64. The gyrocopter basically plays the same as the light plane, so close enough - but still weird.
The mini-games are worth unlocking and playing through, but I'm otherwise content putting the game away with all Silver medals.
The structure is about right compared to the original Pilotwings, but there are a few superficial decisions that make it glaringly obvious this game was developed by an American studio. Little States is the most obvious, but Crescent Island being the closest thing we've gotten to a StarTropics nod post-NES is another, as are the character designs (Lark is just Nester, Goose is almost certainly a Top Gun nod, Robin as the female heavyweight seems to be a boob joke). None of these are bad things; to the contrary, it gives the game its own personality. Just think it's notable.
It is very weird that there are no airplanes in Pilotwings 64. The gyrocopter basically plays the same as the light plane, so close enough - but still weird.
The mini-games are worth unlocking and playing through, but I'm otherwise content putting the game away with all Silver medals.
Vibes as all hell. Definitely expands upon the Super Nintendo original by not only adding more content but also giving that full polygonal 3D world to fly around and explore in. The game has a very good length as well, with the game getting challenging but not infuriating near the end. The worlds to fly around in are all big and have plenty of things to discover in them which makes just flying around and vibing very enjoyable. I could see someone getting this with mario 64 at launch for the N64 and having a wonderful time. Absolutely worth a play.
Randomly started playing this game. I couldn't get into it as a kid, but I find it enjoyable as an adult.
Fun but frustrating, cannon ball game is king.
While I’ve played the Mario 64 to all 120 stars some four or five times now, until now I’d never so much as owned, let alone played, Pilotwings 64, the other launch title for the N64. After finding it at Book Off for 100 yen a few days back (and myself having a 100 yen off coupon), I felt it was high time to correct that gap in my play experience. It took me about 7 or 8 hours in total to get gold badges on all of the normal stages sans the last rocket belt one, and I also got silver (and sometimes gold) on all of the extra games as well to unlock all of the content. I did it on the Japanese version of the game, and I played it all on real hardware.
There really isn’t any narrative to speak of in Pilotwings 64. Perhaps there’s some in the manual or something, but there’s certainly none in the game at the very least. Regardless, the premise is perfectly clear without it. You’re here to get your flying certification! Well, certainly not a pilot’s license, as you never actually fly any planes, but something similar no doubt with all of the time in the air you’re doing XD.
You have your choice of six characters (who are only cosmetically different save for some very small exceptions) to go through all four tiers (Beginner, A Class, B Class, and P Class) of three activities: Hangliding, rocket belt-ing, and gyrocoptering (which is like a plane a bit, I suppose). Each class of activity has one to three tasks you need to complete, and each task has a score of 0 to 100 for you to go for, and depending on your total score, you’ll get a badge rank at the end (average of 70 is bronze, 80 is silver, 90 is gold, and all 100’s will get you a perfect score badge). Additionally, getting silver or better in all three activities of a rank will unlock a respective Extra Game activity to try out (which are cannonball, skydiving, and Jumble Hopper). Getting a silver or average in each of the three ranks of a respective activity will even unlock you a free flight mode for one of the game’s four different maps, so you can do victory laps to your heart’s content~ (quite literally).
It’s a very simple game, to be sure, but it’s good fun! Being a launch title, it’s not hard to see that Pilotwings 64 was a game explicitly made to carry on the legacy of the original Pilotwings on the Super Famicom. The N64 version is here to show off not just the console’s 3D capabilities for vast, open spaces, but it’s also here to showcase just what precision you can pull off in a vehicle using the N64’s snazzy new joystick tech. If you’re just here to see the credits, all that takes is getting bronze or better in each class of the main 3 activities. But if you’re like me and really wanted gold ranks, it’s going to take you a fair bit longer, and it’s also likely going to be a fair bit more frustrating to boot XD
The gyrocopter controlled the most intuitively to me, as it’s basically a plane in how it has acceleration and tilt and such. This isn’t anywhere as sim-like as an Ace Combat game, but it’s certainly closer to a flight sim than something like Star Fox 64 is. Hangliding was what I found consistently the hardest, as relying on only thermals to blow you upwards and having no other method of acceleration makes not only the flying challenges difficult, but it also makes landing very difficult to, as you only have one shot to get that approach correctly. Rocket belt missions usually weren’t too hard, but they easily have the hardest final challenges in the P Class rank. Landing will usually be your biggest challenge, as taking off is the easy part, but rejoining with the ground is harder. Landing, after all, isn’t just an important part of flying, but it’s also usually 30 to 40% of your score (both the accuracy of your landing on the bullseye or runway as well as how smooth a landing you did). I wasn’t nearly out of my mind enough to go for perfect scores, but I’m sure someone dedicated enough out there is going to have a whale of a time trying to get Pilotwings 64 completely perfected.
The Extra Game activities very much feel like the extra content that they are. They’re neat ideas using the existing physics and locations in interesting ways, sure, but they’re also pretty much one-trick ponies compared to the main three flying activities. The very oddly named Jumble Hopper is a pair of super jump boots you need to use to jump to the designated space as quickly as you can, but landing in water loses you points, and landing on too hard a slope or hitting an obstacle will send you flying and also lose you a TON of time. Skydiving has you trying to align yourself with your fellow divers five times before making a hangliding-like landing on a target. Cannonball is easily the worst of them for my money, as it has you trying to use angles and an NES Golf-like power meter to hit a distant target. It’s just trial and error, and it’s both the most easily mastered of the activities in this game while also easily being the most frustrating and least fun. Like I said before, they’re a neat distraction, but they’re definitely not worth of main activity status.
The game overall runs just about as well as it needs to. You don’t need to have very well adjusted eyes to see that the framerate is struggling REALLY bad a lot of the time, but the game is thankfully tuned well enough that this shouldn’t usually be a problem. The only place I’d say it’s possibly a problem is in the hit detection, as there were quite a few points where I effectively went through (literally) target rings instead of actually passing through them in a way the game recognized. It is my hypothesis that the really bad framerate was very likely either causing that collision issue, or at the very least it made it harder to judge than it should’ve been where the target I was aiming for actually was. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but it’s just one more frustrating part of an already often frustrating game, and the fact that tasks lack a quick-retry button just makes it all the more of a pain to retry when you mess up (particularly for the four minute+ missions later on in the game).
The presentation is pretty darn good for what it is. The music has a lot of fun tracks that fit the air of chill flying very nicely. It also has some of what I can really only call Banjo Kazooie-style weird tracks that add some strange if not unwelcome levity to their respective missions. The graphics are quite simple of course, as you’d expect for a launch title of this era, but they’re stylized enough that I think they hold up just fine.
Verdict: Recommended. While it’s not an all-timer like Mario 64, that’s some really stiff competition as far as launch titles go. On its own merits, while it may not be the most content-rich game in the world (for those of us who aren’t score attack maniacs), Pilotwings 64 is still a really fun little game. For framerate and ease of access reasons, it may be more appealing to play a more modern port of this game (such as on the N64 Switch Online service), but the N64 version is still plenty fun. Even for someone not super into flying games like me, I had a quite good time with it, and I reckon you probably will too~.
There really isn’t any narrative to speak of in Pilotwings 64. Perhaps there’s some in the manual or something, but there’s certainly none in the game at the very least. Regardless, the premise is perfectly clear without it. You’re here to get your flying certification! Well, certainly not a pilot’s license, as you never actually fly any planes, but something similar no doubt with all of the time in the air you’re doing XD.
You have your choice of six characters (who are only cosmetically different save for some very small exceptions) to go through all four tiers (Beginner, A Class, B Class, and P Class) of three activities: Hangliding, rocket belt-ing, and gyrocoptering (which is like a plane a bit, I suppose). Each class of activity has one to three tasks you need to complete, and each task has a score of 0 to 100 for you to go for, and depending on your total score, you’ll get a badge rank at the end (average of 70 is bronze, 80 is silver, 90 is gold, and all 100’s will get you a perfect score badge). Additionally, getting silver or better in all three activities of a rank will unlock a respective Extra Game activity to try out (which are cannonball, skydiving, and Jumble Hopper). Getting a silver or average in each of the three ranks of a respective activity will even unlock you a free flight mode for one of the game’s four different maps, so you can do victory laps to your heart’s content~ (quite literally).
It’s a very simple game, to be sure, but it’s good fun! Being a launch title, it’s not hard to see that Pilotwings 64 was a game explicitly made to carry on the legacy of the original Pilotwings on the Super Famicom. The N64 version is here to show off not just the console’s 3D capabilities for vast, open spaces, but it’s also here to showcase just what precision you can pull off in a vehicle using the N64’s snazzy new joystick tech. If you’re just here to see the credits, all that takes is getting bronze or better in each class of the main 3 activities. But if you’re like me and really wanted gold ranks, it’s going to take you a fair bit longer, and it’s also likely going to be a fair bit more frustrating to boot XD
The gyrocopter controlled the most intuitively to me, as it’s basically a plane in how it has acceleration and tilt and such. This isn’t anywhere as sim-like as an Ace Combat game, but it’s certainly closer to a flight sim than something like Star Fox 64 is. Hangliding was what I found consistently the hardest, as relying on only thermals to blow you upwards and having no other method of acceleration makes not only the flying challenges difficult, but it also makes landing very difficult to, as you only have one shot to get that approach correctly. Rocket belt missions usually weren’t too hard, but they easily have the hardest final challenges in the P Class rank. Landing will usually be your biggest challenge, as taking off is the easy part, but rejoining with the ground is harder. Landing, after all, isn’t just an important part of flying, but it’s also usually 30 to 40% of your score (both the accuracy of your landing on the bullseye or runway as well as how smooth a landing you did). I wasn’t nearly out of my mind enough to go for perfect scores, but I’m sure someone dedicated enough out there is going to have a whale of a time trying to get Pilotwings 64 completely perfected.
The Extra Game activities very much feel like the extra content that they are. They’re neat ideas using the existing physics and locations in interesting ways, sure, but they’re also pretty much one-trick ponies compared to the main three flying activities. The very oddly named Jumble Hopper is a pair of super jump boots you need to use to jump to the designated space as quickly as you can, but landing in water loses you points, and landing on too hard a slope or hitting an obstacle will send you flying and also lose you a TON of time. Skydiving has you trying to align yourself with your fellow divers five times before making a hangliding-like landing on a target. Cannonball is easily the worst of them for my money, as it has you trying to use angles and an NES Golf-like power meter to hit a distant target. It’s just trial and error, and it’s both the most easily mastered of the activities in this game while also easily being the most frustrating and least fun. Like I said before, they’re a neat distraction, but they’re definitely not worth of main activity status.
The game overall runs just about as well as it needs to. You don’t need to have very well adjusted eyes to see that the framerate is struggling REALLY bad a lot of the time, but the game is thankfully tuned well enough that this shouldn’t usually be a problem. The only place I’d say it’s possibly a problem is in the hit detection, as there were quite a few points where I effectively went through (literally) target rings instead of actually passing through them in a way the game recognized. It is my hypothesis that the really bad framerate was very likely either causing that collision issue, or at the very least it made it harder to judge than it should’ve been where the target I was aiming for actually was. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but it’s just one more frustrating part of an already often frustrating game, and the fact that tasks lack a quick-retry button just makes it all the more of a pain to retry when you mess up (particularly for the four minute+ missions later on in the game).
The presentation is pretty darn good for what it is. The music has a lot of fun tracks that fit the air of chill flying very nicely. It also has some of what I can really only call Banjo Kazooie-style weird tracks that add some strange if not unwelcome levity to their respective missions. The graphics are quite simple of course, as you’d expect for a launch title of this era, but they’re stylized enough that I think they hold up just fine.
Verdict: Recommended. While it’s not an all-timer like Mario 64, that’s some really stiff competition as far as launch titles go. On its own merits, while it may not be the most content-rich game in the world (for those of us who aren’t score attack maniacs), Pilotwings 64 is still a really fun little game. For framerate and ease of access reasons, it may be more appealing to play a more modern port of this game (such as on the N64 Switch Online service), but the N64 version is still plenty fun. Even for someone not super into flying games like me, I had a quite good time with it, and I reckon you probably will too~.
It does feel pretty spectacular, it does stimulate a lot the feeling of curiosity and exploration and gives its own freedom.
As an early title for a console deprived of frequent new releases, Pilotwings 64 quickly became my go-to time waster for the N64 as a way to pass the wait time in-between releases thanks to its relaxing and exploratory nature. I spent countless hours just flying around in the gyrocopter in the mini-USA map and enjoying the blocky sights that the game had to offer.
It's always difficult to explain exactly what Pilotwings is and what it aims towards, but it's essentially a flying academy basic sim with arcade controls. Aiming for the different types of medals was always fun and part of the challenge but overall the game has a relaxing nature and fun-to explore maps and environments. Performance wasn't great with some heavy frame drops but you can't blame the game much considering it's an early title with a lot going on as far as gameplay and environments.
Overall, this was a great early title and I have a ton of fond memories playing this both as a relaxing game as well as looking for a challenge trying to get the best scores/medals for each task.
It's always difficult to explain exactly what Pilotwings is and what it aims towards, but it's essentially a flying academy basic sim with arcade controls. Aiming for the different types of medals was always fun and part of the challenge but overall the game has a relaxing nature and fun-to explore maps and environments. Performance wasn't great with some heavy frame drops but you can't blame the game much considering it's an early title with a lot going on as far as gameplay and environments.
Overall, this was a great early title and I have a ton of fond memories playing this both as a relaxing game as well as looking for a challenge trying to get the best scores/medals for each task.
very fun and soothing, but lacks of a lot of replayability for someone like me who has no interest in obtaining high scores or improving themselves. pilotwings 64 is occasionally very tough, and not so much 'firm but fair' but rather 'firm but fuck you'. while this definitely makes for a satisfying game once you get everything right in that perfect run, actually getting to that point ranges from a fun challenge to a nightmarish abyssal hell-hole.
i love the cosy and relaxed vibe and peaceful soundtrack (the hang-glider music is a banger), as well as the slightly terrifying 3d models. every vehicle controls realistically and is hard to master, which is nice (i mean i've never flown anything before but i imagine this is how it feels). not a lot of content, but playing every level to a decent degree will definitely take a few hours. a really cool game, and probably my favourite in this series thus far.
gotta add at the end here, why are the screams when you crash so blood-curdling? they sound straight out of a horror film lmao
i love the cosy and relaxed vibe and peaceful soundtrack (the hang-glider music is a banger), as well as the slightly terrifying 3d models. every vehicle controls realistically and is hard to master, which is nice (i mean i've never flown anything before but i imagine this is how it feels). not a lot of content, but playing every level to a decent degree will definitely take a few hours. a really cool game, and probably my favourite in this series thus far.
gotta add at the end here, why are the screams when you crash so blood-curdling? they sound straight out of a horror film lmao
Se a gente pensar que em 1996, praticamente simuladores de vôo só exisitiam em PCs, essa sequencia do já revolucionário Pilotwings do SNES é incrível e inovadora. Só que é dificil na mesma proporção!
The controls are great and the scoring and secrets give the game a lot of replayability. Sure, the camera could be better, but what really bothers me about the game is that whoever decided on the filtering on the n64's textures should have gotten tied up and thrown into the ocean by the yakuza
surprisingly kind of fun! even though i hate hang gliding, the other two modes are very fun and although there is not much content here; it's pretty fun to pick up and try.
While attempting to expand my familiarity with Nintendo 64 games, I thought I would start with a title-release game that wasn't the almighty Super Mario 64. At the time, I could see people having a blast back in the day with this game with its mix of open-world exploration and tough precision challenges. However, exploring empty polygonal terrain with janky cameras isn't as appealing through a modern lens. I found more worth in completing the missions with a gold medal ranking. There isn't an incredible amount of content to Pilotwings 64, so learning to master the controls for each vehicle is how to get your money's worth. The controls are pretty straightforward and match most arcade setups, but mastering the physics of each mode within the game's environments will take some time. The jetpack and gyrocopter missions are some casual fun. Though, the hang glider is pretty stinky. That thing after the first mission is a slog, and landing it with accuracy feels like trying to guess a coin flip correctly five times in a row. I ignored the final hang glider missions simply because they weren't as fun and more obnoxious than challenging to get through. It's a shame because the hang glider missions feature a serene little tune instilling calmness in such a depressing world (the real one, not the game). However, I could not remain calm after hang-gliding for four minutes on each mission just to get no points by crashing the landing. The extra unlockable modes do provide extra gameplay length and charm. I found trying to get perfect bullseyes with the bonus cannon vehicle intuitively satisfying. One thing I strongly dislike about Pilotwings 64 is it will find ways to create dead time near the start or end of some missions. You will be eager to replay or skip a mission but will get stuck in some lengthy animations before moving on. With no nostalgia bias, the game is still enjoyable, to an extent, even with these lazy quirks. Land that gyrocopter in the middle of the landing strip for maximum points! Or park this game in a middle-of-the-road category and leave the keys in the vehicle.
Oh hell yeah, I still remember renting this along with the console from Blockbuster. Very peaceful game. Still have a mind to remix the Cannonball mini-game music some day
About what you'd expect from a sequel to the SNES game, but I found myself enjoying the SNES game more. Both the hang gliding and gyro copter seem too slow, though the gyro copter is still pretty fun I didn't find myself enjoying the hang glider missions. The rocket belt is really cool which makes sense since it's the series' signature vehicle. I like the extra cannon mode too.
The characters are cute though without a game manual on NSO, you just have to assume from the visuals what their traits are - thankfully it's pretty obvious.
The mini-United States is a cool idea, they did it way before Ubisoft did in that racing game!
In the end, it's free, it's an N64 game, it's not exactly a surprise I could reach the credits in 2 days. Going for high score could provide some more fun but I'm probably going to move on to other games.
The characters are cute though without a game manual on NSO, you just have to assume from the visuals what their traits are - thankfully it's pretty obvious.
The mini-United States is a cool idea, they did it way before Ubisoft did in that racing game!
In the end, it's free, it's an N64 game, it's not exactly a surprise I could reach the credits in 2 days. Going for high score could provide some more fun but I'm probably going to move on to other games.
The perfect Summah game. There's no stakes, no struggle, just you and the open skies and the rolling blue waves. The kind of game you throw on during a hot Summah month, basking in the buzz of your CRT in your tank top and shorts, AC roarin', window open so the whole world can see how you live, no shame in your soul because you've given yourself over to the Summah Vibes. Why does this grown man own so many toys? Hey pal, you're lookin' through my window into my home, maybe you should get yourself a tangerine push-up and a copy of Pilotwings 64 and learn to live a little.
Wait, what do you mean rent is due? Nah man, rent is like, a Spring or a Wintah concept. Rent's not real when you're havin' a Summah! Comin' to collect is a violation of Summah Law. What do you mean Summah Law doesn't exist? Are you trying to tell me, as I roll my bare toes through a kiddie pool full of sand that I've brought into my living room, that you're going to evict me and take my deposit? Take my Summah?
ah shit, i'm in trouble. can i crash at your place for a few nights? i'll bring Pilotwings 64 and we can have ourselves a little Summah, just you and me. i know i promised not to do this again but i have nowhere to go please don't hang up plea
Wait, what do you mean rent is due? Nah man, rent is like, a Spring or a Wintah concept. Rent's not real when you're havin' a Summah! Comin' to collect is a violation of Summah Law. What do you mean Summah Law doesn't exist? Are you trying to tell me, as I roll my bare toes through a kiddie pool full of sand that I've brought into my living room, that you're going to evict me and take my deposit? Take my Summah?
ah shit, i'm in trouble. can i crash at your place for a few nights? i'll bring Pilotwings 64 and we can have ourselves a little Summah, just you and me. i know i promised not to do this again but i have nowhere to go please don't hang up plea
I adored Pilotwings on the 3Ds, but this is just too damn janky to control and my sense of depth doesn’t work playing this game apparently.
I only want to play the birdman levels.