Classifieds Success: Space Station Silicon Valley

The Nintendo 64 is the Nintendo console I’d say I’m the least familiar with along with the GameCube.  Apart from playing Mario Kart 64 in my best friend’s basement growing up, I never had an N64 in my possession until I was in my early 20s when a friend lent his to me for a few months.  In that time I dabbled in Super Smash Bros., Super Mario 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  What fun that was until I had to give it all back.

Since acquiring my own N64 last year, I’ve managed to pick up some greats for the N64.  Apart from games from franchises I know and love – The Legend of Zelda, Harvest Moon, Super Mario, Yoshi games – I was at a loss for what to track down and play.  Mr. Panda of Mr. Panda’s Video Game Reviews was gracious enough to leave me a long and detailed list of recommendations for the system in the recent past, one of which was Space Station Silicon Valley.  Thankfully he did because I managed to find a boxed copy of the game in town for $60!  Here’s a photo of the game, its box, and its skinny, skinny game manual (it’s 16 pages long, but is mostly a “notes section” and game controls.)

As usual, I watched and read few reviews on the game to get a feel for what it was all about.  The plot premise is a bit bizarre.  You’re essentially an obliterated robot that has to take over the bodies of animals to achieve various tasks.  From my first impressions, the game is absolutely hilarious.  I loaded up a save file on the cartridge to run around and see what it’s like and it had me laughing at the ridiculousness of stomping on a sheep and subsequently taking over its body for my own evildoing.  I love puzzle games and ones with goals that you have to meet, and this is a great combination of those two things.  I also like that the gameplay is casual.  It’s something you can put down and come back to later.  I seem to do this a lot with games so it’ll be a refreshing change from plot-driven RPGs that fade from the mind when you’re away for too long.

Has anyone heard of or played this game?  I’m curious to know if my first impressions are as accurate as I hope they are!  The online fans of this game desperately want a sequel, so that’s always a great indication of an excellent game!

Thanks for reading!

-GG