Back in September, we reported on a mod for Super Mario 64 created by Kaze Emanuar which allowed players to play the game online with up to 24 players at once. The project’s videos and the creator’s Patreon account were soon taken down by Nintendo, although the mod continued to live on through online distribution.
Now, eight months later, the project has been revived under the new name of ‘Net64 2.0’, acting very similarly to the previous edition with a few new additions such as playable Sonic and Knuckles options. The video above shows off this new build and describes how it all works should you be interested. The new version also enables players to search for open servers to join, adding new multiplayer possibilities like this capture the flag minigame.
Speaking to Kotaku, Emanuar says that he is hopeful that this version will stay around online for longer than the original.
“I don’t know if [Nintendo will] go after Net64 too, but I believed that they only took down SM64 Online because it got so super popular and came out right before Odyssey anyway. I think this client will stay up for a little longer than the SM64 Online one.”
It seems that this is only the start of Emanuar’s ambitions, too, with other N64 projects such as a version of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask that makes use of Super Mario characters and powerups, as well as a Super Mario Sunshine mod that makes use of the original ‘SM64 Online’ engine, both in his mind.
Do you like the idea of playing classic Nintendo games online with friends? Do you think this is something Nintendo may create itself alongside the upcoming NES game multiplayer features? Let us know your thoughts down below.