The rumbling controller, the pressure-sensitive analog stick, the 4 controller ports built right into the front of the console – the N64 had incredible ideas that would evolve into mainstays of modern gaming. But when we go back to the history of the Nintendo 64, it's the games themselves that live most fondly in our memories. From Super Mario 64 to Perfect Dark, what the console catalog lacked in scale (only 296 games were released for the N64 in North America), it made up for in quality. Some of the greatest gaming adventures of all time, like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Banjo-Kazooie, thrived on what was then an incredibly powerful console. The commitment to 3D gaming and (usually, at least) colorful, flashy characters and game worlds means that while some titles are approaching 25 years, they're still incredibly playable today. . Thinking of taking the plunge? These are the best N64 games that any gamer worth their salt cannot miss.
Best N64 Games
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time In some ways, the N64 was too reliant on Zelda and Mario: prolonged software dryness meant the console would go months at a time without heavy hitters. However, Ocarina of Time was worth the wait. This long-running adventure game has translated everything that's great about 2D Zelda games into 3D, including the dungeons, tools, iconography of the series, and sense of scale in its world. It's hard to imagine modern open-world games would look the same. without those first moments in Hyrule Field. It's still a classic, even if playing it on 3DS is the way to go these days.
Super Mario 64 The father of 3D platform games. Heck, the father of 3D gaming, period. A true game changer, when Mario made the leap into 3D with the N64's innovative analog stick, it was not just the evolution of the hulking plumber, but of gaming as a whole. Now over 20 years old, it still comes across as a joy to play thanks to Nintendo's waterproof control system and robust camera management options, which were notoriously difficult to define in the early days of 3D gaming. Packed with interesting things to do and secrets to discover, it has that magical Nintendo touch, in that every task it sets you is enjoyable in its own right. It's simply amazing that the Nintendo Switch was released before Nintendo went back to "free roaming" with Super Mario Odyssey.
GoldenEye 007 Released nearly two years after Pierce Brosnan's theatrically successful Bond film, GoldenEye popularized first-person shooters on consoles, particularly with its competitive local multiplayer mode. Its solo campaign, sometimes adapting a few seconds of the movie into dense levels full of secrets, was fantastic. But it's the multiplayer mode that has made the N64 the centerpiece of any gathering of friends. License to kill, slaps. DK mode. Much about this game has entered into popular language. Now all you need is a proper remaster.
Super Smash Bros. is by no means the best in the series, which is still debatable, though the modern Switch version is the most complete. It's hard to explain the sheer novelty of seeing Mario, Link, Pikachu, Samus Aran, and more. in just one game in the late 90s. It was very exciting. The original Smash Bros is an incredibly light affair compared to later offerings in its choice of fighters and levels, and good god Kirby is OP on this one. But its multiplayer was another great use of these four controller ports on the N64.
WWF Wrestlemania 2000 What may sound like in-ring pantomime was transformed by THQ into a great wrestler at WWF Wrestlemania 2000. Being one of the best fighting games of all time, it was a bit slower than WWF Attitude, focusing on light and heavy grappling hooks that would become battles for moves and counters. In terms of pacing, nothing else has managed to give the impression that you're taking part in a legitimate wrestling match, spectacle and all, like WWF Wrestlemania 2000. His follow-up, No Mercy, is also worth a visit.
Mario Kart 64 In hindsight, this may be one of the weaker Mario Kart games. But just by having this core powered by Nintendo's mascot, it's still a cut above the kart racers the series has inspired. Mario Kart 64 took full advantage of the N64's four controller ports, which allowed for an eventful local multiplayer experience.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron The PC had the intergalactic X-Wing and TIE Fighter series of flight simulations, but it wasn't until Rogue Squadron made console gamers feel the full force of aerial combat from the Star Wars movies. Sure, we gave it a try with the ambitious and brash Shadows of the Empire launch title, which opens the Battle of Hoth, but Rogue Squadron has propelled it to new heights. A long and difficult campaign that puts you in command of a fleet of classic Star Wars starships, it had great secrets to unlock and a fantastic medal system that allowed for high replayability.
One of the few Nintendo 64 games to require the RAM injection expansion module, Donkey Kong 64 was the zenith of the late '64s obsession with platformer collectors (certainly to the point of overkill). , in fact). Putting everything he'd learned on console so far into one giant ape-themed adventure, it gave him vast levels to explore, five different Kongs to control (each with their own unique abilities). ) and even a reasonably well-executed multiplayer shooting mode.
Banjo-Kazooie Mario may have been Nintendo's mascot, but Rare's Banjo and Kazooie gave it a run for its money when it comes to pure, happy gaming. Colorful, inventive, and with densely packed levels, Banjo Kazooie found a nice balance between tight 3D platforming and the full-on gameplay model of the time.
Perfect Dark Bond's license escaped Nintendo after GoldenEye, leading to EA's terrible Tomorrow Never Dies on PSone. Rare instead decided to make a spiritual successor called Perfect Dark, which had a completely different fictional setting and a lot more sci-fi weapons. Otherwise, it felt comfortably similar and its multiplayer was unbeatable, even having some of GoldenEye's best maps, under different names. Another important and influential addition to Perfect Dark was the ability to add AI bots to multiplayer, allowing you to play this part of the game without friends.
F-Zero X If Mario Kart was all about power-ups, F-Zero X was all about the speed of pure sci-fi. Being one of the fastest racers to date, he took the sprites and 2D tracks from the SNES game, reimagining them as twisting, turning, gravity-defying roller coasters. A series that awaited his return.
Pokemon Snap This is the best Pokemon game. No, seriously, stay with us! Instead of having to catch them all, you have to catch them all. It's essentially an on-rails first-person shooter, except your AK is replaced with a Polaroid and your enemies are cute portrait subjects. Although this is a short game because you're just taking photos of the Pokémon in the wild, the 3D rendering (a novelty at the time) turned out to be a big sell, because you used a certain number of lures and gadgets to convince rare Pokémon to Let them hide and strike their most photogenic poses.
Paper Mario Mario is no stranger to jumping into different genres, but it was irregular to see him in an RPG in the N64 era. Paper Mario picks up a few cues from Super Mario RPG on the SNES, fleshing out the mushroom kingdom in a way that platformers couldn't, but it also introduced a clever new aesthetic that saw Mario become 2D slice, with clever puzzle elements. using perspective along the way.
Mario Party The N64 had three Mario Party games, and you can choose which one was the best, there's not much on it. But the series has made good use of the console's ability to support four controllers, allowing players to engage in a whole series of mini-games to see who was better or faster. These N64 controllers have taken a lot of damage in more intense multiplayer matchups, and these days, the series has little credibility. But that again cemented the N64 as the place to enjoy multiplayer with friends.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer Widely considered the only good thing about The Phantom Menace other than Duel of the Fates, Episode I: Racer is basically an easier version of WipEout set on different Star Wars worlds. Tatooine is well represented, of course, with a training track and the Boonta Eve race seen in the movies. But it's the ability to customize your runner that makes the journey through this game a delight. It's a racing game for people who generally don't like it.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater Skateboarding is tough - just ask anyone who's ever worn a pair of Vans and broken their knee while listening to The Offspring. But Tony Hawk's Pro Skater not only made the sport easier, it also made it cooler. Stringing incredibly complex tricks around incredibly imaginative skate parks, no kid who played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater ended up with a real skateboard on their holiday lists. And the soundtrack also echoed.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask If Ocarina of Time is Star Wars, then Majora's Mask is The Empire Strikes Back. A clever mix of the cast and locations from Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask may reuse assets from this first 3D adventure, but it has its own dark attitude. Using a wild groundhog day-like vanity that has you working against the clock to prevent the end of the world, it's the craziest and (sometimes) most disturbing Zelda ever. A cult classic.
Star Fox 64 / Lylat Wars This third person shooter is still the best of the Star Fox games. It's basically Star Wars with talking animals, and with multiple paths through the game, you have to replay it multiple times to see each stage. Levels range from Death Star-style space stations to burning, lava-spewing planets, and it's easy to finish a run in one go. The 3DS offers the best version of Star Fox 64, but no N64 collection is complete without it.
Blast Corps Blast Corps, a bizarre action-puzzle game that has perhaps seen the most inventive developer at Rare, has seen you play the role of a demolition crew that must lay out a path for a truck loaded with explosives to pass through. Using a collection of vehicles and robots, this would allow you to level cities and towns, smash mechs and digger trucks into buildings, to protect your cargo. Difficult and addictive for all those who have already imagined themselves as demolitions experts, or as Godzilla wannabes.
Conker's Bad Fur Day After making some of the cutest platformers on console, Rare showed off their wicked British humor with Conker's Bad Fur Day. Yes, it was essentially another (like) 3D tuna-harvesting deck in the same mold as Banjo-Kazooie, but Conker was so ridiculously rude that a warning appeared on the box. He may have looked cute, but Conker was one tough guy.