I honestly wasn’t sure what to think of the Nintendo 64 when it first launched. As someone who was a big fan of what PlayStation was doing at the time, I really wasn’t sure if this cartridge-based home console was going to make the grade with me. I’m glad to say that the younger me was totally wrong about all that. The N64 ended up innovating through many of its first-party titles and brought a number of its franchises into the world of 3D gaming.
If I’m being entirely honest, I’m still not totally sold on its controller design after all these years, but I’ve at least gotten over it. There were just too many great games that I wanted to play that were only coming out on the N64, so I adapted. At least it was worth it though, because there were a number of games that did not disappoint in what ended up being an insanely influential era of gaming.
If you’re looking to see what the N64 has to offer, but want something you can pop in and start having fun with, you may want to start with some of these titles.
10
Pokémon Snap
Strike a Pose
My love of cozy Pokémon games knows no bounds! Pokémon Snap is all about one thing: making pocket monsters look good on film. It’s essentially a rail shooter where, instead of killing things, you just try to take the best pictures of Pokémon that you can. There’s really not much more to it than that. But the game did require you to play through levels multiple times to find all of its secrets and photo ops.
It’s a very laid-back gaming experience and one that’s easy and fun right from the start. Just make sure you get Snorlax’s good side.
9
Blast Corps
Demolition Man
If you grew up loving construction vehicles, Blast Corps basically gave you a chance to live out a fantasy and then some. Players were given access to bulldozers and other vehicles they could switch between in order to demolish anything hindering their paths. Eventually, you can even unlock giant robots to help you smash and bash anything and everything in your wake.
Blast Corps is one of those games where it’s hard to find anything else to compare it to because there just isn’t anything similar out there. It’s a really clever and unique gaming experience that you can get into right away.
8
Perfect Dark
What We Do in the Shadows
Rare was really on a roll during the N64 era. They kept churning out banger after banger. Perfect Dark was their attempt at doing something extra special from a technical and visual standpoint on the console. It was also just a really solid FPS game for the time, which, if you’ve ever even seen an N64 controller, was no easy task.
Perfect Dark took everything Rare had learned while making GoldenEye and let them create something original that squeezed every last drop of power out of the console. I actually used to play it all the time in the breakroom when I worked at Toys’R’Us back in the day.
7
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Red Leader Standing By
I’m a big fan of Star Wars games that let me fly all the cool spaceships, probably more so than any of the ones that let me be a Jedi. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron puts you in the cockpit of everything from an X-Wing to the Millenium Falcon as you take on various missions for the rebellion.
The game controlled remarkably well given the tech for the time and quickly became a personal favorite of mine. It was actually the game that convinced me to get my own N64. You don’t need to be a big Star Wars fan to get into Rogue Squadron, but it couldn’t hurt if you are.
6
Star Fox 64
A Space Dog Fight
While we’re on the subject of sci-fi spaceship shooters, Star Fox 64 is an amazingly, stupendously fun entry in one of Nintendo’s most underappreciated franchises. It expanded upon everything that made the original game a hit on the SNES while still maintaining its core concepts. It’s hands down one of the best rail shooters ever made. And with branching paths and two possible endings, there were plenty of reasons to play this one over and over.
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Star Fox 64 is not a hard game to get into, but it isn’t currently available on any modern console, unfortunately. But, if you happen to have access to an N64 or any of the older consoles it was ported to later, you should definitely do a barrel roll.
5
GoldenEye 007
Slappers Only!
Once again, Rare struck gold on the N64 with what was probably the most popular FPS on the console. GoldenEye 007 had a solid campaign mode that had you doing all sorts of super spy stuff in between shootouts. But where it thrived was in its multiplayer. As long as no one picked Odd Job, deathmatches between friends were insanely fun in GoldenEye. And there were a number of modifiers you could unlock, like big head and paintball modes.
At the time it came out, GoldenEye 007 was the most fun you could have with your friends on a home console. If you want to see what FPS games were like before, you could look up and down. Give it a try.
4
Mario Party
It Was Never About Winning
Look, it’s got the word “Party” in its name. Parties are fun. We could end the discussion there, but really, Mario Party had a lot going on. It was essentially a board game where you and your friends would play mini-games to earn stars. However, the game is endlessly cruel and sadistic, as you could end up losing stars by landing on a Bowser space or having them stolen by a supposed friend.
At the end of the day though, Mario Party was never so much about winning as it was about enjoying the ride. The series remains popular today and there are plenty of sequels for folks to try out.
3
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
I Will Play You the Song of my People
When Link’s adventures went 3D for the first time in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, it was a major turning point for adventure games. The scale of this game was so massive and the gameplay was so innovative for the time. From the Great Deku Tree to Hyrule Castle there was so much to explore and discover.
You can basically draw a straight line from Ocarina of Time to Breath of the Wild. So many of the concepts that we see in modern, open-world adventure titles began here. It’s a must-play for anyone that’s a fan of the genre.
2
Super Mario 64
Running into Walls
I wouldn’t say I’m a platformer puritan or anything like that, but I was reluctant to make the super jump from 2D Mario games to Super Mario 64. But when I finally did, I was glad that I had because it ended up being an amazing time and a highly influential title. Whether you were beating up King Bob-omb or helping a worried momma penguin find her baby, Super Mario 64 kept you entertained.
This was truly the beginning of the 3D platforming era, and it showed early on what the N64 was capable of doing. While its polygonal appearance may seem ancient, the enjoyment factor holds up if you ever feel like going on an adventure with everyone’s favorite plumber.
1
Super Smash Bros.
The Beginning of a Fighting Legacy
A fighting game where up to 4 players could face off in arena combat was essentially unheard of. That is until Nintendo decided to take some of its most well-known, and some lesser known, characters and let them duke it out. Super Smash Bros. doesn’t rely on complex button inputs or combos. In most cases, fights are a form of controlled chaos as you watch things happen, like Jigglypuff getting a Falcon Punch to the face.
From its inception, Super Smash Bros. has been made to be an enjoyable and easy-to pick-up party fighting game. Today, it stands as one of the most popular brawlers of all time with some of the most insanely stacked rosters of characters you will ever see.
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