On the SNES there were only a dozen or so 3D games. The Super FX chip was required to be built into cartridges to generate very simple 3D graphics with a low framerate. This raised manufacturing costs. The most notable 3D Super FX game was Starfox. The best Super FX game was Yoshi's Island which used the chip for advanced 2D effects.
In the Nintendo 64 era, the gaming world seemed obsessed with 3D visuals. From memory, there were only three 2D Nintendo 64 games: Yoshi's Story, Pokémon Puzzle League and a Japan-exclusive Treasure title. 2D games were for the GameBoy. It's like developers were afraid reviewers would critisise 2D games of being behind the times.
Some games might have been better in 2D. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was originally a Nintendo 64 game. It probably would have had a smoother development cycle if 2D graphics were used, and it was critisised for having bad graphics when it eventually got released on the GameCube. Donkey Kong 64 did not transition nicely from a 2D platformer to a 3D collectathon. It was a good game but not a great game. Castlevania 64 was good but Symphony of the Night on the Playstation was great.
There are certain series which never got a Nintendo 64 game. Metroid and Advance Wars skipped the Nintendo 64. Fire Emblem was delayed until it eventually got released on the GameCube.
I can't help but wonder what the system missed out on, and what sort of 2D graphics it was capable of rendering. Considering how great Yoshi's Island looked and how much more power the Nintendo 64 had, there were probably some gems which never came to be.
In the Nintendo 64 era, the gaming world seemed obsessed with 3D visuals. From memory, there were only three 2D Nintendo 64 games: Yoshi's Story, Pokémon Puzzle League and a Japan-exclusive Treasure title. 2D games were for the GameBoy. It's like developers were afraid reviewers would critisise 2D games of being behind the times.
Some games might have been better in 2D. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was originally a Nintendo 64 game. It probably would have had a smoother development cycle if 2D graphics were used, and it was critisised for having bad graphics when it eventually got released on the GameCube. Donkey Kong 64 did not transition nicely from a 2D platformer to a 3D collectathon. It was a good game but not a great game. Castlevania 64 was good but Symphony of the Night on the Playstation was great.
There are certain series which never got a Nintendo 64 game. Metroid and Advance Wars skipped the Nintendo 64. Fire Emblem was delayed until it eventually got released on the GameCube.
I can't help but wonder what the system missed out on, and what sort of 2D graphics it was capable of rendering. Considering how great Yoshi's Island looked and how much more power the Nintendo 64 had, there were probably some gems which never came to be.
