While attempting to expand my familiarity with Nintendo 64 games, I thought I would start with a title-release game that wasn't the almighty Super Mario 64. At the time, I could see people having a blast back in the day with this game with its mix of open-world exploration and tough precision challenges. However, exploring empty polygonal terrain with janky cameras isn't as appealing through a modern lens. I found more worth in completing the missions with a gold medal ranking. There isn't an incredible amount of content to Pilotwings 64, so learning to master the controls for each vehicle is how to get your money's worth. The controls are pretty straightforward and match most arcade setups, but mastering the physics of each mode within the game's environments will take some time. The jetpack and gyrocopter missions are some casual fun. Though, the hang glider is pretty stinky. That thing after the first mission is a slog, and landing it with accuracy feels like trying to guess a coin flip correctly five times in a row. I ignored the final hang glider missions simply because they weren't as fun and more obnoxious than challenging to get through. It's a shame because the hang glider missions feature a serene little tune instilling calmness in such a depressing world (the real one, not the game). However, I could not remain calm after hang-gliding for four minutes on each mission just to get no points by crashing the landing. The extra unlockable modes do provide extra gameplay length and charm. I found trying to get perfect bullseyes with the bonus cannon vehicle intuitively satisfying. One thing I strongly dislike about Pilotwings 64 is it will find ways to create dead time near the start or end of some missions. You will be eager to replay or skip a mission but will get stuck in some lengthy animations before moving on. With no nostalgia bias, the game is still enjoyable, to an extent, even with these lazy quirks. Land that gyrocopter in the middle of the landing strip for maximum points! Or park this game in a middle-of-the-road category and leave the keys in the vehicle.