Remember why Star Fox 64's Rumble Pak was so special

I am thoroughly enjoying the new remake of Star Fox Star Fox 64 which was a remake of Star Fox. It all comes rolling back! I was going to write something about what a Nintendo experience it is on the Switch 2. I'm going to write about how the Nintendo 64 version makes me feel when I was twelve. Is it a deep game? no But it's like they took what I thought was Star Fox 64 and actually did it. You may disagree, but that's not what this column is about. Instead, I want to talk about how the Rumble Pak that came with Star Fox 64 was the greatest thing ever. Top Ten Best Choices Humanity Ever Made.

Now, before you get all, “Well, actually!” I know that Rumble Pak for the Nintendo 64 wasn't nearly the first video game to have a force reaction. Some arcade games already had versions of Star Fox 64. There were also unique gaming-ready consumer devices like the Aura Interactor, a large vest that turned bass into tiny vibrations. I own this product and it's hard to overemphasize the extent to which it does not work. I mean, it vibrated, but it felt like having a heavy, but extremely low-powered Bluetooth speaker on your sternum. It sucks and I spent my own childhood money on it, so I have experience on the matter.

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You can stop wondering if Star Fox needs another remake. It's a near-perfect version of one of the best games Nintendo has ever produced.

But Rumble Pak, oh, man. It seemed silly. It sounded stupid. A big, bulky, battery-powered device that plugs into your controller. Not only does this make the controller bulky, it also takes up a slot that we thought we should be using for a memory card (I'm sorry, controller pak!). But Star Fox 64 came with it, and the box promised it was going to be crazy. Or, at least, it used a very 1990s “this is not your father's game” font that sounded so cool when I was a teenager. I was almost tempted to skip it as it felt awkward and awkward for these new consoles for adults. I am grateful that I was so wrong.

Fox, Peppy, Slippy, and Falco on Star Fox.

Using the Rumble Pak for the first time in Star Fox 64 was like seeing a new color. It drew me in. I could feel every big explosion, every broken somersault. For the first time, I was able to truly picture myself on the Irving, flying a spaceship that responded to my every move. Sure, it could be a simple parlor trick. Sure, the force feedback on the Rumble Pak is almost hilariously quirky compared to the types of haptics we have on controllers now. This is what the new generation of games meant to me. Nice graphics, of course. But new technology that immerses you in the experience. If I'm going to get virtual reality for the next 20 years, I can at least literally feel the experience as if I'm holding a flying stick.

Maybe that's what I loved the most. It was a visual medium that was adding a tangible tactile element. My abstract controller inputs translated to action on the screen and, finally, amazingly, the action on the screen translated to my controller. A world of cartoon animals flying spaceships felt physically real. The bright flash and health bar were great for gauging damage, but nothing let you know you were in danger like an enemy barrage or a sharp hit against a wall. I was flying the ship and I had to suffer the consequences myself. It was a foolish thought for a twelve-year-old boy, but what can you do? I loved it.

It's funny, because haptics and force feedback weren't necessarily a gimmick for games. Hell, many games still don't have it, especially those that use a keyboard and mouse. It's not necessary for experience and it's not like it alone is the final decider. But think of the world that immediately followed the Rumble Pak and Sony's DualShock that would soon follow. Imagine Metal Gear Solid or Ocarina of Time without force feedback. Oh, the games will still be great, but I won't miss some of the big moments if I don't feel the controller in my hand going crazy. Psycho Mantis not being able to move your controller with his mind is a travesty. And, as we should expect from any hot technology, before long, haptics on controllers were setting off pretty wild discourses about sexuality.

The Rumble Pak alone didn't do it all, and it's true that some companies responded forcefully to the works before Nintendo's own vibrator came out. But that's always what I remember first and most about Star Fox 64 (outside of two lines of dialogue that I'll never stop saying). Star Fox 64 was and is a great game, but Rumble Pak made it an all-timer for me. It showed me that games could reach another “dimension” of fun that wasn't just a visual upgrade. And, unlike that scary vest, it was finally doing it right.