@JayJ Multiplayer games ! N64 vs. PS1 !

(There is a list in the end)

Does anybody else thinks, that Playstation's multiplayer library is criminally underrated, when comparing to Nintendo 64 ? (In this case multiplayer means at least three players)

Back in the day It was harder to find four players games to PS1, because there are so much games overall and about 50 multiplayer games if we do not count simulation based sport games. On N64 there are over 100 multiplayer games, but overall much less games, so it was easier to come by those games.

Nintendo did great move by combining multiplayer aspect with their most well known character Mario. Even today If you ask good multiplayer games for N64, first ones you will hear are Mario kart, Mario party, Super smash bros. Etc. PS1 got the same thing eventually with Crash bandicoot (Crash team racing, Crash bash), but most of it's multiplayer games burried into masses and some good ones were not released world wide (for example "Blaze and blade" was released on PAL and Japan)

And of course overall Nintendo marketed N64 as a multiplayer machine. For example four controllers build in, N64 game boxes show on front cover how many players a game supports, when on PS1 games that information is a little picture on back cover, overall, Nintendo wanted us to know that N64 is multiplayer machine. But Sony did not go without effort either. There were games like CTR and Speed freaks that got bundle packaging with multitap. However PS1's the biggest advantage against N64 is possibility to use two multitaps, which allows up to 8 players.

Now let's come to this day, when we have internet and all information easily accessible. it is no more problem to find out and get games. So If we compare the two consoles's multiplayer experiences , and how those games play today, both have many great multiplayer titles.

Considering how big the retro game scene has come, and how much people discuss and spread information,

I find it strange, that when talking/listing about N64's multiplayer games, people mention easily many four player games, but when talking about PS1, still many of the games are two players only. One example is watchmojo's videos about best multiplayer games for N64 and PS1, where all N64 games are four player, but with PS1 there are only two four player games mentioned ("Crash team racing" and "Smackdown"). This of course gives people opportunity to praise N64 as a ultimate party console, leaving PS1 mostly just a single player machine.

When PS1 mini was announced, I saw lot of wishes and predictions for it, but also for N64 mini (which looked likely back then). For N64 many feeled, that four controller support would be crucial for success. For PS1 I did not see even a single one comment about multi-tap (in the end I think there is only one game on the final list of games in the japanese PS1 mini that would support more than two players and that is "XI" also known "Devil's dice" on the west.)

Internet is full on debates about PS1 vs N64 and which one is the better console. That is why, I am surprised, that I have not seen people talking consoles's multiplayer experiences side by side. Usually a final verdict (based on memories from 20 years ago) is that N64 is a party machine and PS1 has it's RPGs. But like I said earlier, PS1 also has it's share of party games.

To proving my point, I made a list, where I took the most talked about N64 four player games (and some other good ones) and add them good PS1 alternatives. All games must have at least three players support and must have been released NTSC or PAL (so no Japan exclusives here)

N64: Mario kart, Diddy kong racing, Snowboard kids 1-2

PS1: Crash team racing, Speed freaks, Street racer (8 players split screen)

N64: Mario party 1-3

PS1: Crash bash, Bishi bashi special, Board game top shop (6 players)

N64: Super smash brothers

PS1: Poy poy 1-2, Blood lines, Pitball

N64: Mario tennis

PS1: Klonoa beach volleyball

N64: Mario golf

PS1: Everybody's golf 1-2

N64: Conker's bad fur day, Star fox 64, Jet force gemini,

PS1: Team buddies

N64: Goldeneye, Future perfect, Turok rage wars, etc.

PS1: Quake II

N64: Banjo tooie, Pokemon stadium 1-2, Donkey kong 64, Kirby 64

PS1: Pong, Rampage through time, Warlords, Lords of lunar (8 players)

N64: Beetle adventure racing

PS1: Destruction derby raw

N64: Excite bike 64

PS1: Sled storm

N64: Gauntlet legends

PS1: Blaze and blade: Eternal quest,

Syndicate wars

N64: Vigilante 8/Second offence, Battle tanx/global assault

PS1: Twisted metal 3/4/brawl

N64: Dr. Mario 64

PS1: Devil's dice (5 players)

N64: Micro machines 64 (8 players via split controllers)

PS1: Micro machines V3 (8 players), Micro maniacs (8 players), Circuit breakers

N64: Bomberman 64, Bomberman: second attack

PS1: Bomberman party edition(5 players), Bomberman world (5 players)

N64: F-zero X, Wipeout 64, Rush 2049

PS1: Wipeout XL/3 special edition (I know this is quite streching , but via system link these games support 4 players)

So at FPS genre PS1 can't really fight back against all those classics and while Poy poy games are fun, Smash is just amazing. On the other hand PS1 compensates those losses for having games like Micro machines, Street racer and Lords of lunar for big parties.

There are not too many sites, that focus to the multiplayer aspects of the games for the different consoles, but "Snackbar- games" is the best I have found. Allthough it seems not to open anymore.http://www.snackbar-games.com/

So any thoughts ? What are/were your favourites ?