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As the years slip away, video games companies continuously give us new games to look forward to. But what if we want to play an older game? Unfortunately, consoles do not last forever and as we get older it seems that we simply lose the ability to play the games that entertained us as children (this statement ignores the Wii's Virtual Console, of course). However, emulators provide a solution to the problem... Project 64 roms give us the ability to replay full Nintendo 64 games. Read on to learn more.

What are Emulators?

Emulators are light-weight programs that act as functional substitutions for gaming consoles. They not only allow you to play existing video games, but also hack games to create new levels, challenges, etc. Emulators are mostly used for older consoles, such as the NES or the SEGA Genesis, but can used for newer consoles (though they are generally in serious need of improvement).

How do Emulators Work?

Basically all you need to know (unless you want to make your own emulator) is that the emulator program is able to open files known as ROMs or ISOs. ROMs are images of games that originally used cartridges (SNES, N64, etc.), and ISOs are images of games that were originally on discs (PS, Dreamcast, etc.). However, one emulator cannot play all ROMs or ISOs. To play a SNES ROM, you need an emulator that acts as a SNES. To play a PS ISO, you need a PS Emulator. To play 64 roms, you need an emulator like Project 64. Make sense? Good.

What are the Benefits to Using an Emulator?

Emulators allow you to enjoy a seemingly infinite number of games free-of-charge on your own computer, they take up a very insignificant amount of space on your hard drive (unless you're using an emulator for a new console), and they allow you to save your game whenever and wherever you see fit. I (Xalo) own the original Chrono Trigger for the SNES. However, I imagine many of you guys grew up with an N64 or even a later console, completely missing out on a legendary game. Once a console has lived out its lifespan and the only alternative is to buy it again to play on another console (which will again be replaced in about 3-5 years), what are you supposed to do? Emulators offer the only solution for gamers who just want to relive the classics they grew up with.

So They're Perfect, Right?

Well, nothing is perfect. The ESA has made it illegal (and often times impossible) to download some ROMs, making it difficult to find the game you're looking for. They make it illegal on the grounds that the Wii's Virtual Console is designed to let you relive your childhood by selling you yesterday's technology at today's prices. Also, many download sites look a little sketchy and should not be trusted immediately. Oftentimes the companies that made these original games are no longer in existence and are definitely not making any more money from sales of the game itself. So, buy the game on virtual console if you wish, but we prefer the comfort of our computers. There's nothing quite like the ability to save your state at any point in the game with a Project 64 rom. Also, if you don't want to get frustrated or have your hands burst in flames, we recommend you purchase a USB controller. They are around $10-$15 new but are definitely worth it if you plan on playing any fighting games (see Street Fighter).

So Which Emulators Should I Download?

We recommend the following emulators:

+ RockNESX - NES emulator

+ ZNES - SNES emulator

+ Visual Boy - Advance, GB, GBC, and GBA emulator

+ Project64 - N64 emulator

epsxe - PSX emulator

This has also been published as: project 64 emulator on Zimbio, project 64 emulator on Blogspot, project 64 roms on Hubpages.

The author is an administrator of http://gamegimp.net a gaming site that revolves around emulators, roms, and retro games.

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As a Wii fanatic, the best way to get a Wii game is to have it free of charge and a lot of web sites nowadays are giving out these Wii games free for downloading. However, downloading these games for free should be done with extra caution because just like other free downloads online such as music, video or other files, they come with risks as consequences for its free of cost feature resulting to a waste of time and spending more money.

Downsides of Free Wii Games

The most immense threat about downloading free games for your Wii is the threat of getting spyware and viruses on your computer. This can turn out to be a really serious problem for you if you are not extra careful in choosing the right download sites that offer games free of these spyware and viruses. Even if there are remedies for these virus attacks, it would be a totally different matter once the viruses infect your game console and end up paying a technician to repair your Wii for you.

Another downside of downloading free games in unsafe web sites is the possibility that the files you are downloading are damaged. Downloading a game takes a lot of time and it would really be frustrating that you get to realize the damage only after the download has been completed. You just wasted your time waiting for the completion of the download only to find out that the game file is actually damaged.

Safe Downloading

If you really want to save cost without the hassle of putting up with spyware or viruses and the probability that what you are downloading is damaged, then you must be extra careful in picking out the web site where you will be downloading your Wii games. Just because a web site is offering a Wii game download free of charge does not necessarily mean that this web site is unsecured or unsafe for you, your computer and your game console. There are still sites that are safe and it all depends on how you choose your downloading site.

There are sites that offer subscriptions and do not require you to pay for each downloaded game or require you to pay a monthly membership fee. You only need to pay once in these sites in order to have full access of their database for free. For a one time payment, you will be able to download all of the games that you want to have on your Wii console and the best thing is that you are not constrained by a bandwidth limit thus making it possible for you to download Wii games as many times as you want.

However, if you do not want a one time payment, you can just stick to becoming a member of particular download site. These sites also contain large databases of Wii games and not only that; you can also download music and movies in these sites.

The great thing about a site that offers subscriptions is that it guarantees Wii users that their games are virus free and absolutely genuine. For a little amount, you will be freeing yourself from all the stress of spyware, viruses and damaged files. Now, you wont have to worry about spending so much just to get your computer repaired and you Wii as well and you will not be wasting your time and effort downloading for games that do not live up to your expectations.

S. Stammberger is the owner of Download Wii Games - Visit her site and learn about the best places to download Wii games, music, movies, and software.

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