Nintendo’s Big Rig Better Keep Up the Pace

I’d gladly surrender a couple of toes to keep my trusty Nintendo 64 safe. That’s how enamored I am of the little system that will change forever the way people think about video games.

But even though Nintendo is a notorious stickler for quality, I’m already starting to see the company’s flagship machine suffering from some of the same maladies that drag other systems down.

As the flow of N64 games picks up, it’s tough not to notice the gap in quality between Nintendo’s showcase titles such as Super Mario 64 and repackaged third-party stuff such as Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

Don’t get me wrong: Mortal Kombat is one of the finest line of fighters around. Others can only aspire to its mix of strategy, gore and humor. But I popped Mortal Kombat Trilogy into my N64 expecting a whole new level of sophistication. Sure, the graphics were a little crisper and the characters moved a little faster, but the overall play and feel was about the same as more recent 16-bit Mortal Kombat titles.

For instance, the Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis plays and looks great. Even though 16-bit gaming is already in its twilight, Ultimate MK 3 demonstrated how far it came from the early days, way back in the early 1990s.

Yet the jump onto next-generation platforms has not been all that dramatic. MK titles on newer, beefier platforms still play a lot like the originals. If play improvements are only incremental, why shell out the cash to buy a 32-bit rig or an N64?

Folks will no doubt keep buying the MK franchise because it’s the best game in town. But that can change. If Williams and Midway want to keep it alive, they need to figure out some new finishing moves of their own to bring the games up to the level next-generation systems and players demand.

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For its part, Nintendo needs to make sure that new titles live up to the expectations that players have for N64. Overall, it has succeeded. Wave Race 64, for instance, is one of the fastest and prettiest contenders in the ranks of JetSki racers proliferating across platforms.

Stack it up against JetMoto for Sony PlayStation and the difference between the two platforms is instantly apparent. JetMoto is a lot of fun, but its graphics are clunky and the load times can be annoying--even though they are shorter than most disc-based games.

Wave Race 64, on the other hand, has the speed advantage of a cartridge and all the graphics oomph the N64’s processors can deliver. Something as simple as water takes on new and beautiful significance when rendered by the N64. It’s the kind of effect that makes gamers’ jaws drop. And the play is lightning fast.

If Nintendo wants to maintain enthusiasm for its 64-bit box of wonder, it needs to set itself apart from the madding crowd. Cool graphics wear thin after a while if there’s no play behind them. Nintendo has the opportunity to give gamers a whole new experience. Let’s hope it does.

Staff writer Aaron Curtiss reviews video games every Thursday. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send letters to The Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311. Or send e-mail to Aaron.Curtiss@latimes.com