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[TerrierChad]

I'm currently in the process of creating an N64 E-Zine. In the very early stages at the moment. I'm planning on doing the usual shtick: reviews, walkthrough, features, etc. One sticking point I'm having at the moment is that I want to do in as close to chronological order of game release as possible. I'm looking into splitting it in to issues covering a three month period with special editions for the launch, the Christmas period and import games. The thing is though is that I can't find a definitive release list with the releases dates of the games in the UK. A lot of them are easy enough to find but for a lot of games all I've managed to find is the year of release. Not a major problem at the moment given it's still in the planning stages but an annoyance none the less. Does anyone know of a definitive list with the release dates for the UK releases?

This is the list I have compiled currently using various sources over the internet. Some games have had so many conflicting release dates I don't know which is right so I've gone for what I think are the more reliable sources: Nintendo, IGN, etc. The ones with "??" in the dates are the ones I couldn't find at all. Also note the dates are in British format. Any gaps filled in would be much appreciated.


N64 Games (PAL)
1997
01/03/97: Pilotwings 64
01/03/97: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
01/03/97: Super Mario 64
01/03/97: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

14/03/97: Mortal Kombat Trilogy
26/03/97: FIFA 64
01/04/97: Wave Race 64
09/05/97: Killer Instinct Gold

01/06/97: International Superstar Soccer 64
01/06/97: Mario Kart 64
30/07/97: Dark Rift
25/08/97: GoldenEye 007

11/09/97: Mission: Impossible
01/10/97: F1 Pole Position 64
01/10/97: Mace: The Dark Age
01/10/97: MRC: Multi Racing Championship
10/10//97: Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey
20/10/97: Lylat Wars
24/10/97: Madden Football 64
01/11/97: Bomberman 64 (1997)
01/11/97: Clayfighter 63 1/3
14/11/97: Duke Nukem 64
21/11/97: Diddy Kong Racing
28/11/97: War Gods

05/12/97: Top Gear Rally
01/12/97: Automobili Lamborghini
01/12/97: Hexen
01/12/97: Mischief Makers
02/12/97: Doom 64
06/12/97: Chameleon Twist
09/12/97: Extreme-G
12/12/97: San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing
20/12/97: FIFA: Road to World Cup 98
22/12/97: Blast Corps
??/12/97: NFL Quarterback Club ‘98

1998
01/02/98: Nagano Winter Olympics ‘98
12/02/98: Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero
12/02/98: WCW vs. NWO: World Tour
23/02/98: Olympic Hockey ‘98
26/02/98: NHL Breakaway ‘98
??/02/98: Tetrisphere

01/03/98: Fighters Destiny
01/03/98: Yoshi’s Story
16/03/98: Snowboard Kids
12/04/98: Cruis’n USA
12/04/98: Dual Heroes
14/04/98: GT 64: Championship Edition
15/04/98: Aero Fighters Assault
18/04/98: Mystical Ninja starring Goemon
01/05/98: AeroGauge
01/05/98: Forsaken
18/05/98: World Cup 98
24/05/98: Quake

01/06/98: Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey ‘98
10/06/98: Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside
10/06/98: Virtual Chess 64
16/06/98: Wetrix
25/06/98: Cruis’n World
??/06/98: Rampage World Tour
??/06/98: Robotron 64

17/07/98: Banjo-Kazooie
01/08/98: All-Star Baseball 99
01/08/98: Iggy’s Reckin’ Balls
21/08/98: WWF  War Zone
24/08/98: Waialae Country Club: True Golf Classics

01/09/98: Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.
01/09/98: Chopper Attack
01/09/98: G.A.S.P!! Fighters’ NEXTream
01/09/98: International Superstar Soccer ‘98
01/09/98: NBA Hangtime
18/09/98: F-1 World Grand Prix
15/09/98: Mortal Kombat 4
15/09/98: Off Road Challenge
30/09/98: Body Harvest
30/09/98: Holy Magic Century
01/10/98: Bomberman Hero
09/10/98: 1080 Snowboarding
06/11/98: F-Zero X
30/11/98: NHL 99
30/11/98: WCW/NWO Revenge
??/11/98: Air Boarder 64
??/11/98: Bust-A-Move 3 DX
??/11/98: Glover
??/11/98: NASCAR 99
??/11/98: Space Station Silicon Valley

01/12/98: Extreme-G 2
04/12/98: Rakugakids
04/12/98: Starshot: Space Circus Fever
07/12/98: V-Rally Edition ‘99
08/12/98: FIFA 99
11/12/98: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
18/12/98: Buck Bumble
??/12/98: NBA Jam ‘99
??/12/98: NBA Live 99
??/12/98: NFL Quarterback Club ‘99
??/12/98: NHL Breakaway ‘99
??/12/98: Top Gear Overdrive
??/??/98: Bust-A-Move 2 Arcade Edition
??/??/98: Knife Edge
??/??/98: Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr.
??/??/98: NBA Pro 98
??/??/98: Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

1999
01/01/99: A Bug’s Life
15/01/99: Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
??/01/99: Madden NFL 99
??/01/99: S.C.A.R.S.
04/02/99: Rush 2: Extreme Racing
07/02/99: Quake II
26/02/99: Gex 64: Enter the Gecko
26/02/99: Virtual Pool 64

05/03/99: Penny Racers
05/03/99: South Park
09/03/99: Mario Party
09/03/99: Re-Volt
09/03/99: Shadow Man
12/03/99: Twisted Edge Snowboarding
??/03/99: Vigilante 8
30/04/99: Micro Machines 64 Turbo
30/04/99: Snowboard Kids 2 (AUS ONLY)
01/05/99: All-Star Baseball 2000
11/05/99: Hot Wheels Turbo Racer
02/05/99: WipeOut 64
14/05/99: Castlevania
17/05/99: Star Wars: Episode 1: Racer
21/05/99: Rampage 2: Universal Tour

18/06/99: Charlie Blast’s Territory
18/06/99: Mystical Ninja 2 Starring Goemon
25/06/99: All Star Tennis ‘99
??/06/99: Racing Simulation: Monaco Grand Prix
23/07/99: Superman
25/07/99: Flying Dragon
25/07/99: Milo’s Astro Lanes
30/07/99: Command & Conquer
??/07/99: Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers
09/08/99: WWF Attitude
10/08/99: Rugrats: Treasure Hunt

04/09/99: Beetle Adventure Racing
14/09/99: Mario Golf
24/09/99: Hybrid Heaven
30/09/99: Duke Nukem: Zero Hour
30/09/99: F-1 World Grand Prix II
30/09/99: Premier Managers 64
??/09/99: Magical Tetris Challenge
??/09/99: NHL Pro 99
09/10/99: NFL Quarterback Club 2000
10/10/99: Knockout Kings 2000
12/10/99: Destruction Derby 64
12/10/99: South Park: Chef’s Love Shack
12/10/99: WWF Wrestlemania 2000
15/10/99: The New Tetris
22/10/99: Bass Hunter 64
22/10/99: Camageddon 64
24/10/99: Tonic Trouble
29/10/99: Monster Truck Madness 64
29/10/99: Rayman 2: The Great Escape
02/11/99: Jet Force Gemini
19/11/99: Super Smash Bros.
??/11/99: World Driver Championship

01/12/99: Gauntlet Legends
01/12/99: LEGO Racers
06/12/99: Donkey Kong 64
11/12/99: Worms Armageddon
17/12/99: Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M.
17/12/99: Earthworm Jim 3D
17/12/99: Road Rash 64
17/12/99: Roadsters
17/12/99: Rocket: Robot on Wheels
17/12/99: Xena: Warrior Princess
26/12/99: Turok: Rage Wars
??/12/99: Fighting Force 64
??/12/99: NBA Live 2000
??/12/99: Tom Clancey’s Rainbow Six
??/12/99: Ready 2 Rumble Boxing
??/??/99: Centre Court Tennis
??/??/99: Chameleon Twist 2
??/??/99: Lode Runner 3-D
??/??/99: NBA Pro 99
??/??/99: WCW Mayhem

2000
21/01/00: NBA Jam 2000
09/02/00: Resident Evil 2
25/02/00: Vigilante 8: 2nd Offence
28/02/00: Top Gear Rally 2
??/02/00: Supercross 2000

03/03/00: Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
03/03/00: ECW Hardcore Revolution
03/03/00: Nuclear Strike 64
03/03/00: South Park Rally
??/03/00: Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko
??/03/00: Paperboy
02/04/00: Disney/Pixar Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue
07/04/00: Pokemon Stadium
07/04/00: Ridge Racer 64
14/04/00: Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes
21/04/00: Disney’s Tarzan
21/04/00: Rat Attack
??/04/00: BattleTanx: Global Assault
01/05/00: John Romero’s Daikatana
05/05/00: CyberTiger
14/05/00: Hydro Thunder
19/05/00: Perfect Dark
??/05/00: NBA In The Zone 2000
??/05/00: PGA European Tour Golf

01/06/00: International Track & Field 2000
13/06/00: Starcraft 64
07/07/00: Operation WinBack
01/08/00: Looney Tunes: Taz Express
12/08/00: Tom and Jerry in Fists of Furry

01/09/00: Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000
01/09/00: Pokemon Snap
29/09/00: International Superstar Soccer 2000
13/10/00: Blues Brothers 2000
13/10/00: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
13/10/00: Mario Party 2
27/10/00: Daffy Duck Starring as Duck Dodgers
03/11/00: Maria Tennis
10/11/00: Michael Owen’s WLS 2000
17/11/00: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
17/11/00: San Francisco Rush 2049
24/11/00: Mickey’s Speedway USA

08/12/00: Disney’s Donald Duck: Quack Attack
08/12/00: F1 Racing Championship
08/12/00: Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
08/12/00: 007: The World Is Not Enough
15/12/00: WWF No Mercy
??/??/00: Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding
??/??/00: Top Gear Hyper Bike

2001
19/01/01: Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker

02/03/01: Pokemon Puzzle League
30/03/01: Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
30/03/01: Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers
23/03/01: Star Wars: Episode 1: Battle for Naboo
06/04/01: Conker’s Bad Fur Day
06/04/01: Tigger’s Honey Hunt
12/04/01: Banjo-Tooie

08/06/01: Exitebike 64
06/07/01: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
03/08/01: Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage

08/09/01: Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion
05/10/01: Paper Mario
12/10/01: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
19/10/01: Pokemon Stadium 2
16/11/01: Mario Party 3

[meppi]

That looks like quite  counting task.

I just looked through my collection list which includes the dates when I purchased games or systems, and it made me remember just how badly we were getting treated here in Belgium at the time.

The N64 didn't even release over here at the UK launch.
I actually picked up a system from the Netherlands since it did get released there, while we had to wait 3 months longer or so for whatever reason. :-/

So even though I picked up nearly all my games when they hit the store, those dates will probably be off by weeks if not months when compared to the UK releases.

[TerrierChad]

Erk, that is pretty bad D: We tend to moan in the UK (just in general lol) but even we don't get it as bad as some markets. Pretty sure I read somewhere that Brazil didn't get the 64 until the end of 1997.

[meppi]

Well things did pick up with the Dreamcast. Well, as long as you don't think about the system coming out a year later than in Japan.
These days we really have nothing to whine about over here, besides the incredibly inflated prices.

But then I buy just about everything from online shops anyway. Nearly all of them from the UK.
Paying €70 for Gears of War 3 right now for instance, or getting it for €14 when Zavvi had a sale last week sure is a bit of a difference. 

Same with just about anything else, but to a lesser extent. Like getting Pandora's Tower for €42 instead of the local price of €55 on launch.
Savings like this mean I get to buy a lot more games then I would normally be able to do if I should buy them locally.

And that Brazil info is certainly the way it is.
Not sure how far they are at this point, but last thing I heard was that they were getting the PS2 a while back.
I remember seeing Master System games still being released over there when we were deep into the Saturn years.

[BKK]

Yeah, a lot of those are wrong, but that's not unusual for UK release dates on the internet. The best way to find out the actual release dates (or release weeks at least) is to check the weekly ELSPA/Chart-Track charts which have tracked actual retail sales of UK computer and video games back to the 1980s. Unfortunately Chart-Track's online archive only goes back to 2003, so I've been gradually building up an archive of older charts.

The problem with this method is that it only covers games big enough to make the charts, but for bigger games at least it gives a good indication for when those games actually did get released.

Here's all the N64 games which debuted in the Top 20 charts during 1997;

WK09 97 (01/03/97) - Super Mario 64 / Shadows Of The Empire / PilotWings 64
WK10 97 (08/03/97) - Turok
WK13 97 (29/03/97) - FIFA 64
WK17 97 (26/04/97) - Wave Race 64
WK24 97 (14/06/97) - Mario Kart 64
WK26 97 (28/06/97) - International Superstar Soccer 64
WK36 97 (06/09/97) - Blast Corps
WK39 97 (27/09/97) - ?Doom?*
WK40 97 (04/10/97) - ?Multi Racing Championship?**
WK41 97 (11/10/97) - Lylat Wars
WK44 97 (01/11/97) - Extreme G
WK45 97 (08/11/97) - Goldeneye
WK49 97 (06/12/97) - Diddy Kong Racing

*Charts as "Doom", N64 is given as one of the platforms
** Makes Top20 in Week 41 for first time, but previous week (40) was 22nd. Could possibly have released earlier than Week 40.

As you can see it's quite a bit different to the dates in the OP, even Turok seems to have not been a launch title, actually coming out a week later.

[meppi]

If anything, Turok being a week after launch does ring a bell for me.

But some others seem off for me.

I got Waverace 64 Monday, April 21th 1997,
Blast Corps Thursday September 4 1997 (could have gotten this a day before the street date)
Lylat Wars Satuday October 4 1997 so it should have been out on Friday the 3rd.
Diddy Kong Racing Thursday November 27 1997 (possibly released Friday the 21th)

But again, these aren't firm UK dates at all since I got those as Dutch, Belgium releases in the local shops.

[BKK]

If anything, Turok being a week after launch does ring a bell for me.

But some others seem off for me.

I got Waverace 64 Monday, April 21th 1997,
Blast Corps Thursday September 4 1997 (could have gotten this a day before the street date)
Lylat Wars Satuday October 4 1997 so it should have been out on Friday the 3rd.
Diddy Kong Racing Thursday November 27 1997 (possibly released Friday the 21th)

But again, these aren't firm UK dates at all since I got those as Dutch, Belgium releases in the local shops.

Those dates are for the week ending on a Saturday so;

I got Waverace 64 Monday, April 21th 1997 = WK17 97 (26/04/97) - Wave Race 64 = Match
Blast Corps Thursday September 4 1997 (could have gotten this a day before the street date) = WK36 97 (06/09/97) - Blast Corps = Match
Lylat Wars Satuday October 4 1997 so it should have been out on Friday the 3rd. = WK41 97 (11/10/97) - Lylat Wars = +1 week in UK
Diddy Kong Racing Thursday November 27 1997 (possibly released Friday the 21th) = WK49 97 (06/12/97) - Diddy Kong Racing = +2 week in UK

But yeah, even today it's pretty common for games to release in different European countries in different weeks due to having different distributors/publishers, and back then UK, Netherlands, and Belgium all had different distributors;

In some Member States, Nintendo acts as the official importer and distributes its products to wholesalers and retailers itself. This is the case in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Spain. At the beginning of the investigation period, Nintendo also distributed its products itself in Belgium, the UK and Ireland, but later appointed independent official importers for these countries. The Games Ltd, part of John Menzies, became Nintendo's official distributor for the UK and Ireland in 1995. CD-Contact Data GmbH became Nintendo's official importer for Belgium in 1997. In Portugal, Italy and the Scandinavian countries the official importers are or were Concentra, Linea GIG Spa and Bergsala AB. In Greece, Nintendo products were distributed by Itochu Hellas EPE, a subsidiary of Itochu, until 1997. At that point, the distribution was taken over by Nortec EA.

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/02/1584&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

So I don't think we can reliably determine UK release dates from other countries.

[TerrierChad]

Cheers for the heads up man! Much appreciated.

Aye, I think getting exact release dates is going to be highly unlikely. Even Nintendo's UK website is inaccurate to an extent as they had the UK release of Diddy Kong Racing set a couple of months before the console got released Mind you, the main thing I wanted to do was the to get a rough idea of the dates so I know more or less what order to do them in. What I think I shall do is send Nintendo's UK customer services an e-mail to see if they have any release dates for those ones where I don't even have a month.

[BKK]

If you're not too concerned with being 100% accurate then here's a few of the ones where you're missing the month,

19/12/98: Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (Week Ending)
24/12/99: WCW Mayhem
17/03/00: Top Gear Hyper Bike
10/12/01: Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding

??/??/98: Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr. (No UK release, Australia only?)

[TerrierChad]

Right, change of plan. Due to the difficulty in creating a chronological list of N64 games as well as buying said games the site is going in a different direction AND assuming I have the time it will be launched this weekend. It will no longer be N64 exclusive. Instead it will focus on the 5th and 6th generation of consoles. Also, it will done in blog form too. Most of the writing has already been done so the first volume will be a UK N64 Launch special as I already had the reviews written up for those games.

Future blogs will be done on an ad-hoc basis. There will be the occasional special which will focus on a specific series or genre but most of the time it will be a variety of games from a variety of consoles spreading the 2 generations.

Time shouldn't be much of problem as I haven't got many shifts at work at the moment so I would say there should be a volume between once every 2 weeks to a month. Not setting a specific time for each volume though.