That system was the Nintendo 64 and it was released to the Japanese public on 23rd June 1996 – a whole decade (along with the turn of a century) has passed since Super Mario turned 3D.

In fact, from inception to completion, “Project Reality” had been in development for well over two years, changing its name along the way from “Ultra 64” to “Nintendo Ultra 64” and eventually finalised as “Nintendo 64”. Throughout that time, Nintendo struggled to keep to deadlines, experienced their first real hardware failure in the shape of the Virtual Boy and had witnessed a slow dwindling of interest in its 16-bit output due to the arrival of optical-media based consoles such as the 3DO, CD-I, Saturn and PS-X. Defiantly, Nintendo refused to follow suit for their successor to the Super Nintendo and developed a powerful cartridge-based console capable of displaying the most advanced 3D graphics ever seen in the home. Along with the help of their experienced and exceptionally talented team of game designers, it was a plan they believed would put them at the summit of the videogaming world once again.

With the tit-for-tat battle between SEGA and Sony well underway, Nintendo’s internal development teams were set the unenviable task of bringing their beloved franchises into the third-dimension on brand-new hardware, with little previous 3D game design experience. Under the control of Howard Lincoln, Nintendo’s American counterparts repeatedly assured the eager public and press that, thanks to the exceptional power of the Silicon Graphics’ designed hardware, Nintendo 64 would brush aside the competition with consummate ease and that the extra delays being imposed on the system would be worthwhile. In Kyoto, NCL were also confident and got to work doing what they had always done best: creating unique and deeply compelling software that could be enjoyed by all. Nintendo had already begun secretly assembling its most experienced in-house teams to develop and research a new generation of videogames, as sequels to Super Mario, Mario Kart, StarFox, Yoshi’s Island and Wave Race (a Game Boy racing game) were set in motion. Shigeru Miyamoto oversaw the development of four of these titles in particular, but there was one game he was determined to be involved with more than any other.

Although details of the hardware specifications had been announced earlier in the year, it wasn’t until the official unveiling of the Nintendo 64 in late autumn of 1995 during the Shoshinkai Trade Show at the Makuhari Messe convention centre, that the public got its first glimpse of the console. Most notably, the system control pad, which had been kept hidden until this point, was showcased. Designed by Genyo Takeda (co-producer of Wave Race 64) and his R&D Team 3 at Nintendo, the controller had an unconventional three-pronged design. It included a standard D-pad (included to allow fighting games to play well on the console), a slot for inserting a “memory pack” into the back of the unit itself and, most significantly, a 3D-stick, which allowed for full analogue control in three-dimensional environments. With four controller ports on the front of the machine as standard, it would also be the only console to allow simultaneous 4-player gaming without the use of an extra adaptor.

Two games were demonstrated and playable at the event; Super Mario 64 and Kirby’s Air Ride. The latter was heavily criticised by those who saw it, despite it only being around 20% complete at the time. After being stuck in development hell for some years to come, the concept would later be abandoned altogether, only to curiously reappear on the Nintendo GameCube under the same title several years later. However, one demo involving a short, portly plumber running around various vibrant 3D worlds had truly captured the imagination of the attendees. Coupled with the new revelatory analogue-stick controller, Super Mario 64 did much to convince both players and developers there was great potential in Nintendo’s 64-bit system.

In the months leading up to the Japanese release date, NCL was hard at work, but feeling the pressure. Development on Wave Race 64 (which initially included hover-craft style machines bouncing through the waters before human jet-ski riders were implemented) and Mario Kart R (later named Mario Kart 64) was proving problematic and both would eventually fail to be made ready for the launch. A reputedly stubborn Miyamoto-san insisted his opus Super Mario 64 “wasn’t perfect” and requested more development time. It was granted, and so a further two-month delay was imposed on the Japanese 21st April release date, which also meant subsequent US and UK dates were staggered further behind to allow for localisation and additional software to ship with the system.

On 23rd June 1996, the Nintendo 64 was finally released in stores across Japan accompanied by three games; Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64 and chess game Habu Nanako no Saikyou Habu Shogi from Seta. Early reports stated almost every system sold with a copy of Super Mario 64 - a trend that echoed around the globe months later.

Super Mario 64

The concept of a 3D Mario game had been prototyped years before on the Super Nintendo by the EAD team, but unhappy with the performance of the existing technology, Miyamoto-san had to wait several years before he could realise his vision to an acceptable standard. Early versions of the game were played out in small experimental areas as the Mario physics, camera work and enemy characters were defined, whilst character controls were tested on keyboards and modified Super Nintendo pads before the final controller design and system architecture were finalised.

During the end of its development and with the console specification now complete, the game came under severe pressure to be finished having already forced the delay of the system launch itself. With the game carrying massive importance for Nintendo, the staff worked overtime and several extra internal personnel were drafted in to get the game onto shop shelves that June. In fact, such was the strain on this team, programmer Hajime Yajima (who had previously programmed the likes of Pilotwings and Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo) decided he never wanted to code videogames ever again and subsequently left Nintendo and the industry behind after the game was complete.

But few could deny Nintendo’s efforts and persistence hadn’t been worthwhile as its emergence earned unanimous praise from gaming publications and the vast majority of gamers who had patiently waited for its arrival. With zero loading times, silky-smooth intricate controls and 15 vast, colourful areas to discover, Super Mario 64 was a joyful playground, brimming with ideas and clever touches. Each area - whether it was in the depths of a crystal-blue lake, the creepy boardwalks of a haunted mansion or under the heat-drenched glare of a hazy desert - each world enticed the player to explore, until every one of the game’s 120 stars were discovered. The game made excellent use of not only the hardware, but also the new 3D-stick controller and arguably represents the pinnacle of the 3D platformer even to this day.

The sight of a wing-capped Mario, gracefully soaring through the crayon-blue skies in his newfound dimension, is surely still one of the most poignant moments in modern gaming history.

Pilotwings 64

The 1-year development process involved Paradigm modelling the four vast landscapes of the game and implementing the control methods for each of the flight apparatus. From there on, EAD helped iron-out bugs and intermittently suggested play elements and gameplay structure, but the rest was left up to them.

Paradigm’s technical know-how shone throughout the game from the smooth frame-rate to the richly coloured surroundings. The gyrocopter, rocket belt and hang-glider each require deft movement of the 3D-stick and players have to contend with wind directions and steady landing approaches to succeed. Just as it did in the original, every task required concentration, but nothing in this game stopped players deviating from a mission and wandering around the incredibly detailed environments. From mountains, roads, hidden cave systems, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, houses and villages and even a ski resort with a fully working ski-lift, the game is packed full of miniature details.

Pilotwings 64 was the finest example yet of the console’s graphical power, and thanks to a charming soundtrack and its slow-paced gameplay, it is also one of the most relaxing gaming experiences money can buy.

In the face of increasing adversity throughout its lifespan, Nintendo and their in-house teams relentlessly insisted they create high-quality software that only they could seemingly produce: hoping upon hope that one of their titles would eventually topple the balance of dominance in the N64’s favour. It never quite happened, and their attitude towards game development has since changed as a result - as evident with the GameCube and soon with Wii.

But, without those games; the Ocarina of Time’s, the F-Zero X’s and the Super Mario 64’s, the videogaming world would be a different and perhaps much gloomier place.

It’s because of that we wish the Nintendo 64 a very Happy 10th Birthday.