Pilotwings 64 - Reception and Legacy

Reception and Legacy

Pilotwings 64 was released in Japan on June 23, 1996 as one of three Nintendo 64 launch titles, the other two being Super Mario 64 and Saikyō Habu Shōgi. Pilotwings 64 managed to sell about one unit with about every tenth Nintendo 64 console, with regional sales totaling 136,986 copies by the end of the year. The game was one of two original releases for the system during its September 26, 1996 debut in North America, which was a few days earlier than the date set by Nintendo. While Super Mario 64 initially sold at a one-to-one ratio with each console in the United States, Pilotwings 64 sold an average of one copy with every fourth console. Despite selling out, some store locations for Electronics Boutique and KB Toys reported little or no units of the flight simulator being shipped to retailers. About 90,000 copies of Pilotwings 64 were sold in its first few days on sale in the country, putting the game at number four on the NPD Group sales charts for that September. Pilotwings 64 saw a release in European nations on March 1, 1997, when it was one of three launch games along with Super Mario 64 and Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. In the United Kingdom, it was listed by Esquire magazine as the "cheapest game in Nintendo's frighteningly-priced opening range of titles". It was confirmed in early 1998 that the game had sold over one million units worldwide.

Pilotwings 64 was well received by most reviewers. The game's combination of 3D graphics, realistic settings, and flight simulation were applauded by many news sources and major gaming publications. In his release review of the Nintendo 64, The Seattle Times contributor Steven L. Kent found that the flight mechanics and vast areas featured in Pilotwings 64 make it one of the most impressive games ever made. Glenn Rubenstein of the website GameSpot summarized, "The graphics, sound, control, and all around excitement add up to make Pilotwings 64 one hell of a great ride." Staff reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, and IGN all voiced positive comments on the game's polygon rendering and frame rates, as well as its sense of control and flying. Alex Constantides of Computer and Video Games enjoyed the game's large environments, exclaiming, "You'll not believe just how huge the islands really are and, because certain elements are hidden at first, it'll take you months to see everything." IGN's Levi Buchanan described this low-pressure, "challenge without competition" aspect of the game as a design philosophy adopted by later Nintendo titles such as Nintendogs.

Pilotwings 64 has been criticized for lacking innovative gameplay. The New York Times writer Ashley Dunn characterized the game's E3 demonstration as "brain-dead" in its gameplay and suggested that even young children would rather fly a dragon on the Sony PlayStation. Game Revolution issued Pilotwings 64 a particularly harsh review score, declaring the game to be nothing more than a graphical showcase for those with nothing better to do. This sentiment was echoed by the columnists of Next Generation Magazine, who noted the game as one that would most likely become a footnote in the history of the hardware on which it is played: "While it provides some interesting challenges, it's less a game than a drop-dead gorgeous example of the kind of rock-solid, smoothly flowing worlds the Nintendo 64 can produce." The sound effects present in the game were impressive to several reviewers, but the soundtrack has been negatively compared to lounge music and porn groove, although the 'Birdman' track was highly rated.

Pilotwings 64 was ranked number 38 in Nintendo Power's "100 Best Nintendo Games of All Time" in its landmark 100th issue in September 1997. In February 2006, it was rated the 117th best game made on a Nintendo system in the magazine's "Top 200 Games" list for its 200th issue. In July 2007, the United Kingdom video game magazine Edge included Pilotwings 64 at number 69 on its own "Top 100 Games" list. The UK's Official Nintendo Magazine listed it at number 40 on its "100 Best Nintendo Games" in February 2009.

Paradigm announced at E3 1997 that they were producing a Nintendo 64 sequel to Pilotwings 64. However, even though Nintendo expressed interest in Paradigm's early presentations, the game was cancelled because Nintendo did not have the resources to aid in its development at that time. There were rumors of a sequel on the Nintendo GameCube and later the Wii, development courtesy of Factor 5, but no game was ever shown. Pilotwings 64 itself has yet to appear on the Wii Virtual Console. After their briefing time at E3 2010, Nintendo announced a sequel titled Pilotwings Resort for the Nintendo 3DS, which was released as a launch title for the handheld console.