Would have been somewhat awkward to play with the N64 controller, but you simply cannot doubt the impact of a 2D Mario platformer on a console sales. I give it another 5-7 million in sales.

It would have been one of the best selling games on the N64 and good times would have been had by all.

The End

sales don't mean they won or lost a gen.. its about what gamers talk about, N64 won that gen because when gamers reminisce about that gen they talk about mario 64, mario party, paper ,mario, zelda, perfect dark, conquers bad fur day, golden eye.

very few PS1 exclusives are in the list, but MGS is in there, but for the most part people remember the n64s awesome games.

this is also why the wii didn't win this gen. half the games people talk about are not on the wii, even though the wii sold more then 360 and PS3 almost combined.

So generations are won by "what is most talked about?" great logic.. How can you even begin to measure something so ambiguous?

How else can you measure who won a generation if not sales? Everything else is relative. The numbers don't lie.

Uh all final fantasys, xenogears, castlevania, a lot of square games, silent hill..... More

I felt llike it would of been perfect to release a 2d Mario game on the 64 around the end of the 64 life, like Paper Mario did.

It definatly could have sold well in software, kinda doubt it would have impacted hardware much (would have seen a bigger rise in used system sales as opposed to new).

The thing is, that the hardware (and controller0 was designed almost exclusevily for 3D games, which is why 2D on the console was not largely developed, so I feel there could have been a lot of issues with even trying to develop it for the system to be honest.

note: I also recall reading about this is why Contra Spirits 64 never came to fruition (anyone else know about this?)
I think they had wanted to retain 2D elements in the game and there was just way too many problems with transitions.

It probably would have done very poorly. With Mario 64, this was the first adventure into a full 3D experience (Other 3D games before generally were on rails or had the user automatically navigated along the path). If that game came out, it would have been in the shadow of other very fresh feeling 3D games, and even in the Shadow of Rare's Donkey Kong Country games, and games like Kirby Superstar.

On the otherhand, when New Super Mario Brothers came out, it was in a time when 2D platformers were a large rarity. Although, people who think these sold systems need to look at the stats - for DS, sales were actually down in 2 of the 3 markets the week that NSB launched; and heavy sales were largely due to pack-ins. People mostly buy 2D Mario because they already have the system, or are just buying the system and want a recognizable Nintendo franchise to play when they get it - they probably don't buy a system for 2D Mario. On the otherhand, people bought N64 for Mario 64, and it was almost a year before sales picked up again (Around GE007, Diddy Kong Racing, and Mario Kart 64) after that initial launch period; and by then it was way too late.

Part of NSMB's success is nostalgia and the fact that we had to wait so long for it. It would have done ok, but I knew plenty of people then that wouldn't even play Symphony of the Night because it was 2D... 3D was shiny and new then, and 2D was being downplayed a whole lot.