Welcome to NShooters, if we feel that you as a shooters fan will be interested in a game or peripheral, we will give it coverage right here on NShooters. If you enjoy other genres of games in addition to shooters, then be sure to visit NAdventures and NSports in order to get your fill of gaming content. Check out http://hub.ngenres.com for the highlight stories from each genre.

Editorials   Happy Birthday N64, ol' Chap
- By Ryan Eid

Hard to believe, isn't it? Five years ago on this day, September 29, the N64 launched nationwide, to a huge audience eagerly awaiting to play Mario 64 in all three dimensions. At the time, it became the most successful launch in history, and that year's most successful and most wanted item (outside Tickle Me Elmo, of course).

Five years later, the system is all but gone. One lone title remains for its release (Powerpuff Girls...), and there has been very few games all year (though some stellar ones, like Paper Mario and Conker's BFD). But in less than two months, Nintendo's new baby launches here in the US: GameCube. And this time it looks like Nintendo has righted many a wrong, so in 2006 we can look back on the GameCube and have even better memories of it then we do the beloved N64.

Sure, Nintendo 64 had its share of problems. And lack of software. And was void of entire genres. But it was (and still is) a great little system. I'm sure everyone reading this has fond memories of some multiplayer GoldenEye and jaw-dropping Zelda experiences. It wasn't so much how many games the system got, but what the games were, and many of them were all-time greats.

From a purely shooter standpoint, the N64 was gaming heaven. Thanks to Rare alone, GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, and Jet Force Gemini was enough to keep any action game happy for months at a time. But even beyond that, there was so much the N64 had to offer. Whether it was the next Star Wars game (all of which were excellent), or the next Turok sequel, or even Star Fox 64, the Fun Machine kept shooter/action fans happy until the very end.

But what Nintendo 64 will be known most for (in the positive light, anyway), will be its multiplayer prowess. Nintendo redefined gaming with something so simple as standard 4 controller ports in the system. Anyone with friends that played games needed an N64. From the afformentions first person shooters, to Mario Kart and F-Zero X, to the THQ wrestling games, to Super Smash Bros, the "Fun Machine" quickly became known as the "Party Machine".

So we look back, five years ago, the first time we saw the oddly shaped controller (and undoubtedly held it the wrong way for the first few times) and the sleek, gray cartridges, and thank the N64 for a great five years of gaming bliss. It's been a great ride. But we can't think of it as the end, we must think of it as a beginning. The N64 was just a prelude to the brand new and exciting GameCube. So, happy birthday N64. It's been a great ride.