Amongst the cameos of Wario are one aiding protagonist Scoots in the video game Densetsu no Stafy 3, and in the scenery of Pilotwings 64.

Along with Pilotwings 64, it was one of the launch titles for the console.

Pilotwings 64 is a follow-up to Pilotwings for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System ( SNES ), which was a North American launch game for its respective console in 1991.

Also like that game, Pilotwings 64 received production input from Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto.

Pilotwings 64 is a 3D amateur flight simulator that puts the player in control of one of six pilots as they try to earn pilot licenses through various forms of aviation.

Similar to its SNES predecessor, Pilotwings 64 serves to demonstrate the graphical capabilities of its gaming hardware.

Although the flight simulator did not initially enjoy the same commercial success as its fellow launch game Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64 went on to sell over one million copies worldwide.

Pilotwings 64 is a 3D flight simulator in which the player must complete a variety of missions involving different airborne vehicles and air sports.

There are three main events in Pilotwings 64 required to complete the game, each of which has its own objectives and unique flight controls centered around the Nintendo 64 controller's single analog stick.

Pilotwings 64 also features several bonus events that are unlocked if the player performs well in the main missions.

Lastly, Pilotwings 64 features a " Birdman " mode that puts the character in a bird suit and gives players the opportunity to freely explore the game's detailed, object-dense environments set among its four distinct islands.

Pilotwings 64 was co-developed by the Texas-based graphics company Paradigm Simulation and Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development ( EAD ) and Integrated Research and Development ( IRD ) divisions.

Paradigm worked directly with a team at Silicon Graphics and spent nine months developing a technology base for Pilotwings 64 and Paradigm's other Nintendo 64 releases.

Development on Pilotwings 64 began in earnest during June 1995, with Nintendo working on the game design and Paradigm working on the technical production.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the producer of Pilotwings for the SNES, reprised his role for Pilotwings 64 and oversaw the project from Japan.

According to Miyamoto, Pilotwings 64 was designed to allow gamers to experience free flight in realistic 3D environments on the Nintendo 64.

He indicated that there was never an issue as to whether Pilotwings 64 should be more of an arcade game or a simulation, as their goal was to " always have a more arcade feel ".

Similarly, Pilotwings 64 prominently demonstrates the graphical features of its own console.

Navigation of these environments is relatively smooth thanks to Pilotwings 64 taking advantage of several key Nintendo 64 hardware features.

After finishing the soundtrack to Super Mario World, Kondo was in charge of the sound programming for Pilotwings, and created the sound effects for Star Fox.

The soundtrack for Pilotwings 64 was composed and arranged by Dan Hess.

Pilotwings 64 was one of thirteen Nintendo 64 games shown at Nintendo Space World in November 1995 when the console was first unveiled to the public as the " Ultra 64 ".

Pilotwings 64 was released in Japan on June 23, 1996 as one of three Nintendo 64 launch titles, the other two being Super Mario 64 and Saikyō Habu Shōgi.

Pilotwings 64 saw a release in European nations on March 1, 1997, when it was one of three launch games along with Super Mario 64 and Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.

Pilotwings 64 was well received by most reviewers.

After their briefing time at E3 2010, Nintendo announced a sequel titled Pilotwings Resort for the Nintendo 3DS, which was released as a launch title for the handheld console.

The character of Lark in Pilotwings 64 for the Nintendo 64 was based on Nester.

Its title was a play on the fact that many of the titles for the N64, at the time, had been labeled with the number 64 after the title ( Pilotwings 64, Super Mario 64, etc .).

Paradigm Entertainment, which previously worked on flight-based Pilotwings 64 and AeroFighters Assault on the N64, was able to get heretofore unseen draw distances on the N64.

About 90, 000 copies of Pilotwings 64 were sold in its first few days on sale in the country, putting the game at number four on the NPD Group sales charts for that September.

In July 2007, the United Kingdom video game magazine Edge included Pilotwings 64 at number 69 on its own " Top 100 Games " list.

Pilotwings 64 managed to sell about one unit with about every tenth Nintendo 64 console, with regional sales totaling 136, 986 copies by the end of the year.

In his release review of the Nintendo 64, The Seattle Times contributor Steven L. Kent found that the flight mechanics and vast areas featured in Pilotwings 64 make it one of the most impressive games ever made.

Paradigm announced at E3 1997 that they were producing a Nintendo 64 sequel to Pilotwings 64.

* Pilotwings 64 at Nintendo

* Nintendo 64 ( 1996 ) — Super Mario 64, and Pilotwings 64

Classic Mode 7 games include the Super NES titles F-Zero, Terranigma, Pilotwings, Yoshi's Safari, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Super Castlevania IV, Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Dino City, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Super Star Wars, Chrono Trigger, ActRaiser, Exhaust Heat, 7th Saga, Top Gear, Kirby Super Star, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Pilotwings on the SNES makes use of the power of the 16-bit console, principally its Mode 7 capability.

The technical team studied the original Pilotwings extensively during development.

Pilotwings 64 also applies z-buffering, which keeps track of an object's depth and tells the graphics processor which portions of the object to render and which to hide.

The six playable pilots in Pilotwings 64 are all named after various birds.