The top Games for the Nintendo 64

I love the Nintendo 64. I actually grew up with an NES, and I loved the system. It boasts probably the most impressive library of any game console, and it was the birthplace of countless classics. But when I was about 10 or 11 my family was introduced to the Nintendo 64. This console hit me at the perfect time in my life. I was too young to have any real responsibilities aside from my little lawn mowing business. And I was old enough where my parents basically let me do whatever I wanted midday. I remember staying up all night with my younger brother and some neighborhood kids, just playing video games until the sun came up.


Having so much love for this system I decided to list the 11 top games for the N64. But first some honorable mentions that I really liked but didn't quite make my perfect list. 



Honorable Mentions


Duke Nukem 64

What Was It
This was the neutered, and watered down version of Duke 3D made specifically for Nintendo. This version of the game had the harsher curse words edited out, nudity removed, and was missing the music and some of the Charm of the original.

Why Was It Great
The game had one of the most fun multiplayers in the N64. Compared to other first person shooters it was super fast paced, it was difficult, and it was bloody. It was a nice diversion from GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, in the sense that it was more over the top, and had really crazy weapons. It also had computer players for the multiplayer matches if you didn't have 4 people to play with you. Duke 64 was one of the most fun times I had as a kid. If you have a 64 and any friends, you owe it to yourself to play it just once.


BomberMan 64

What Was It
A 3D update to bomberman! This took the simple arcade game into a new dimension. You played as BomberMan who is a ... well a Bomberman. You use bombs to fight off evil invaders, solve puzzles, and get to hidden areas.

Why Was It Great
Bomberman 64 is one of those super underrated video games that most people haven't played. The game had a storyline, characters, a huge 3D space to explore, TON's of unlockables, and even a secret ending for those willing to go the extra mile.  This game did the unlockable items right, by giving you a real reason to collect secrets. When you solved side puzzles and explored difficult to reach areas you'd unlocked new things for the multiplayer mode. I remember spending hours trying to find a secret way into a hard to reach place and replaying levels just to figure out a way to get in there. It was a truly challenging game that asked you to think outside the box.



Turok Games

What Was It
Turok was the first first person shooter that wasn't sprite based. That means that it had real 3D images that you could view from all directions. The game was based on a revamping of the classic comic and as far as I'm concerned the first one and Rage Wars are the only two worth your time. I'm talking the old school ones where the main character was still Native American.

Why Was It Great
The first one had amazing graphics and was one of the first games I remember the Non Playable Characters going Agro' on each other. The Rage Wars game wasn't super well done but it was fun. How many games do you get to play as a giant mutated Velociraptor or a pack of Compy's and tear your friends to pieces.

SnowBoard Kids 1 & 2

What Was It
There were two really popular games on the N64; Mario Kart, and 1080 Snowboarding. Then someone out there said "hey let's combine the two". What you get is SnowBoard Kids. A game where you play as cartoony friends who like to race and battle.

Why Was It Great
This game pretty shamelessly steals the concept of driving through item blocks and getting a random weapon that you could use on your opponents. All the different items had different effects. The snowman froze them so they can turn, the parachute launches them into the air, the ice block freezes them but they become a block that will knock you down of you're following too closely, the fan would boost your speed. What was also cool was in order to pick up the items, you had to gain points by performing tricks first. Both games are great with a large variety of different stages. Overall it was easy to pick up and play and lots of fast paced fun. Something anyone could quickly learn so it was a great party game.








Now it's time to start the list. Except I'm having trouble rating these games. They're all just about perfect. I'm not sure if I can order which one I like more so ...... fuck it! I won't. Here are my top 11 games all tied for 1st place.


1st   Jet Force Gemini

What Was It
Talk about a hidden gem on the system, even though it was made by Rare. Back in the day RareWare was to Nintendo...   what Pixar was to Disney, Or what Jordan was to the Bulls, What DeNiro or DiCaprio was to Scorsese, or what Kate Mickinnon is to SNL right now.

Oh Kate, You're the best thing to happen to SNL in a long time!

They're the golden boy. The one who always comes through. Not every Rareware game for N64 made this list, but every Rareware game is at least worth checking out.  In the game you play three members of the titular team 'Jet Force Gemini'. While carousing around the galaxy you witness these cutesy Ewok-esk type bear creatures getting massacred and subjugated by this insectoid race. The bugs attack you and you go off in a third person shooter adventure to defeat the bugs and save bear things.

Why Was It Great
This game was just so much fun. It came out not too long after Starship Troopers so bug blasting was very exciting. The game had a pretty impressive roster of weapons, intuitive level design, and different types of game play. You'd control all 3 characters (YES the dog too)  who each have unique abilities. It starts off as a straight forward linear game but then opens up for you to re-explore worlds and try to find new locations. One of the coolest things was that it had a 2 player feature for the main game. You find a little flying weapon named Floyd.

God I love that little guy

The 2nd player could control Floyd and help shoot the bad guys along with player 1, and even do little flying missions at certain parts. What stands out to me is just the level of polish that Rare puts into their games. In fact the game has a bitter sweet ending that actually made me a bit sad as a kid. There are so many little things in this game that are just done really well.  It had a really fun multiplayer mode. My only gripe with this game is that it didn't have computer players to fight against in the multiplayer. Otherwise it's pretty much a perfect game that is ridiculously under appreciated and recognized.

1st   Paper Mario

What Was It
Mario has a habit of jumping out of platforms and into other gaming genres. Some experiments work better than others.... But one thing that we know he excels at are RPG's. With the success of Mario RPG on the Super Nintendo, they decided to give him another RPG on the N64, but this time it would have some strange paper gimmick. Now normally gimmicks would be a bad thing but this one was so well done it spawned an entire franchise.



Why Was It Great
Paper Mario is like the perfect introductory RPG. If all the numbers and spells and items from a regular RPG seem daunting then here is where you want to start.

It's fun, it's not intimidating, it's easy to pick up and learn. I would recommend this to anyone as their first RPG before getting into other games. It' hard to explain why this game is so great aside from the fact that it's so damn addictive. I love the active controls where if you time a button smash on certain attacks it makes them more powerful. This gives the player a more hands on feel. It's a fun story, that takes place in a universe that we all love. If you haven't given this game a try then you really ought to pick it up, or it's Gamecube sequel.

1st   Banjo Kazooie / Banjo Tooie

What Was It
Here is one of the few games in the history of gaming that's arguably as good of a platformer as the Super Mario games. To be fair it owes a lot of it's design and controls to Super Mario 64, but still. This game is and it's sequel on the N64 are two of the best platformers of ALL TIME!!!

Why Was It Great
Banjo Kazooie took on an extremely dangerous task. It tried to improve upon a perfect formula. Mario 64 was perfect as is and so many other platformers since then were just cheap knock offs. But Banjo Kazooie, had fantastic music, intuitive level design. It mixed many different types of gameplay. It was funny, and just had that Rare level of polish to it. I included both the original and it's sequel because they kinda meld together for me and I have trouble remembering what parts came from where. While Mario focused on only the platformer form of gameplay, Banjo Kazooie did several different types throughout and did each one really well. It's just a really well done game. I use this term a lot when talking about these games but it's really polished. Both games fill me with memories of Christmas Day, playing with my little brother.

1st   Super Smash Bros

What Was It
Have you ever wanted to punch in Pikachu in the face. You ever wanted to kick Mario in the head? Well there's only one game series in the world where you get to do that. A fighting game that takes simple controls and simple rules and allows people to quickly beat the crap out of their favorite Nintendo All Stars.

Why Was It Great
What a novel concept. A game where you can't beat your friend by killing them. Instead you knock them off the platform you're standing on like American Gladiators. This game just got everything right. Characters we already like because they're from our beloved games. Each of them controls drastically different than the other so learning the game with a new character is a brand new experience every time. Controls that are easy so you don't spend hours in the menu memorizing button combos. And gameplay that can be a one on one fight, or a four way free for all with weapons littered everywhere. You don't learn special moves but as you play you learn certain combo moves that are most effective and use them against your opponents. Different types of gameplay and an old school sound test where you could hear the music of all the old games. This game laid the groundwork for all the future games in the series.

1st   Star Fox 64

What Was It
Probably the best rail shooter I've ever played. You are Fox McCloud, leader of the Star Fox team. The General of an earth like planet hires you to fight back against an exiled mad scientist and his seemingly unstoppable army of Minions.

Why Was It Great
This game did something that hadn't been done in the realm of video games since the pre Atari years of Arcade Gaming. It somehow actually made average players care about their high score. Sure gaming legends like Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe may fight over high scores but people born post the Super Nintendo Era don't even know what points are. In fact I've seen them confused when playing a game that listed points.

But I'll be damed if everyone i knew wasn't comparing scores for Star Fox 64. You see there were alternate paths to levels, and secrets to figure out. This is before the days when we just looked up everything on the internet. There were secret level endings, and alternate ways to beat it. Plus every level there was a kill count meeter. Bring it up high enough and you'd get a medal for that stage. Get medals on all the stages and Fox would wear a pair of sunglasses like his Pop.... I know it doesn't sound like much but back in the day being able to brag about unlocking the shades was a point of pride at my school.

1st   Perfect Dark

What Was It
Most people would say that GoldenEye was the best FPS on the N64. Well I respectfully disagree. Once again Rare, took the brilliance they had created with Goldeneye and made it even better! This game is still to date my favorite First Person Shooter of All time. In the not too distant future (where apparently private corporations have their own spies and armies) you play an agent for an organization called Carrington Institute who's purpose is to make contact with an Alien Species. You're dueling with another Corporation that plans to profit off of an intergalactic skirmish already going on. You play as Johanna Dark, nicknamed Perfect Dark for her all perfect scores as an espionage agent. And what starts off with you as an agent committing some corporate espionage, turns into a brewing intergalactic war with you right in the middle of it.



Why Was It Great
The funny thing about Perfect Dark is that I'd argue that the game was in fact, perfect. It was challenging, had great level design, and awesome story, 2 player main game, all sorts of different modes to play, excellent replay value and probably the absolute greatest multiplayer mode of ALL TIME. I actually cringe when I check my memory card and see just how many hours my brother and I spent playing that game. All the weapons have multiple functions, and there are a wide variety of weapons to choose from all with their own strengths and weaknesses. Whats really cool are the Alien guns you can unlock. The coolest being the Farsight. A powerful one-hit-kill sniper rifle that can see through and shoot through walls.

If you like to camp out in multiplayer matches it's basically the ultimate gun to troll your friends

For the times this was completely revolutionary, most people had never seen anything like it before in a video game. My favorite part about the game was how customizable the multiplayer was. First of all the has hands down the GREATEST MENU SCREENS EVER!

All players can customize just about everything in the game and all get to have menu screens up at the same time, so if everyone knows what they want to customize everyone can take a specific thing to work on. You could change what guns showed up where, the music that played, you could design your own character, set up teams with custom team names, turn on all sorts of cheats, and not only did you get to decide the difficulty of the computer players, you got to choose their personality and playing style. What I also love about the game is the element of just trying random shit that was in here. Rare had plans to utilize the gameboys new camera function to allow people to map their on faces on the multiplayer characters. It also had a Counter Operative mode where the single player could have player 2 positioned as one of the enemy characters and they'd fight against you as you played through missions of the main game. Overall, I could continue on about this game for pages but I just want to say, play it for yourself. It's pretty cheap nowadays and well worth your time.

1st   Conker's Bad Fur Day

What Was It
Once again, Rare delivers a game with just an insane level of polish. I don't say this often but the games a fucking masterpiece. But this was not for the feint of heart. Conker's Bad Fur Day was a game that asked hey lets take the cuteseyest most innocent looking character out of everything they own and turn him into a degenerate, alcoholic, self centered, amoral, yet undeniably funny little guy.

You control Conker, a cute little red squirrel who decides to have one hell of a bender with grey squirrel friends at a bar. He wakes up the next day with the worst hang over ever lost in some strange land. Conker has this strange balance of being this cheeky smiling friendly looking guy but if you actually listen to what he's saying he's actually kind of a prick, and it's hilarious.

While Conker tries to find his way home he runs into all sorts of crazy cartoon types, lots even more rotten than he is, including aggressive giant insects, cavemen, zombies, a giant opera singing mound of poo, a bumble bee trying to molest a sunflower, the Don of the local mafia, mad scientists, Nazi-like teddy bears, aliens, dinosaurs, and much more. The game came with a warning right on box that said not for people under 18.

The game had foul language, sex, toilet humor, and pretty graphic violence. But I always thought it was done well, they never really overdo it's dirty jokes. This game was perfect the only mistake they made was it was released too late. This game came out when the N64 was pretty much phased out and everyone had already bought a Gamecube, PS2, or Xbox.


Why Was It Great
This game was a parody of sooooo many things. It parodied old cartoons in that it asked what would happen in a cartoon/Pee-Wee's playhouse where all the intimate objects can talk, but what if all the talking chairs and couches and animals acted like degenerates. I cant tell you how shocked I was the first time a smiling cartoon clock told me to "Fuck Off" when I got too close.

It also parodies the platformer genre. Conker is a drunken squirrel. He doesn't do flips like mario and his only attack is to hit people with a fucking frying pan. And unlike the usual trope of platformers, Conker doesn't collect stars, crystals, jigsaw pieces, or golden bananas. Conker gets paid in cold hard cash.

It also has more movie parodies than I can count. Some are more obvious than others (ie A Clockwork Orange, Saving private Ryan, Jaws, the Matrix) but some were really subtle like Indiana Jones, and American Beauty. The gameplay is constantly changing every time you reach a new area. You never find yourself doing the same thing over and over again. It's probably the best looking game on the N64 the graphics were gorgeous and I don't think I've laughed harder at a game. And if that wasn't enough..... It has an awesome multiplayer. Because the style of Gameplay is constantly changing, there are multiple types of multiplayer games, all with AI characters to fight against and funny cutscenes depending on what team wins. There are 3rd person shooter games, tank games, racing games, a capture the flag type games, A D-Day type escape from a concentration camp game where you can be the runner or a guard, as well as (my personal favorite) a heist game where you all play competing mobsters trying to steal the most money from a bank.


 I may have talked this game to death but there is a reason that it's considered a cult classic. If you're a fan of edgy comedy and maybe a bit of toilet humor, then this game alone is worth the price of a refurbished N64. Trust me, you will have a fantastic time.

*as aside note, do NOT pick up the Xbox 360 remake. It's just not as fun and they took out a lot of the cool features.



1st   Mario Kart 64

What Was It
You know what this is. Every generation has their favorite Mario Kart. A game enjoyed in many a drunken frats. Personally I love the N64 version be cause it's the most free. You can find shortcuts and go off the track and figure little tricks that the developers didn't anticipate. For example I would use the lighting strike on tracks with a ramp knowing that they couldn't make the jump when they're small.

Why Was It Great
It's Mario Kart. It's fun in a bottle. I mean I know some people prefer Diddy Kong Racing, but I just found that games final stages to be too frustrating. I feel like Mario Kart tries to keep itself interesting by having the CPU players always stay within reach. Overall it was more engaging when you can make a mistake but still have a chance to get back into the game. I like a challenge but Rare's Diddy Kong racing was too unforgiving. You have to do the races perfectly, one fuck up anywhere and you might as well quit the race and restart. It was just less fun. Mario Kart is bright colorful bliss. I used to have fun not even racing but driving around the track just to see what secrets they held. And who didn't try to cheat by perfecting a strategy in rainbow road where you jumped off the track and landed back on the track.

A very risky shortcut but the game being so open allowed for stuff like that. The later games like double dash really kept to locked into a singular path. But with that we got more colorful and interactive tracks so I suppose it's a tradeoff.

I honestly don't know what else to say. It's a Mario Kart game, its easy and accessible and just more fun that I can put into words.

1st   Super Mario 64

What Was It
Possibly one of the best Launch titles of all time. It wasn't the first 3d platformer ever as some people give it credit for. But it's still one of the greatest platformers of all time. I'd honestly put this up agains 98% of all platformers since it's come out and I'd still say that this game is better. This game was the real test of the Nintendo 64. It showed the world what the N64 was capable of and it left all of our jaws on the floor at the time.

Why Was It Great
In the history of Gaming there have been TONS of platformers. One thing that the Super Mario franchise has done is perfect that formula. There are no other platformers that control quite like a Mario game. Id argue that while it wasn't the first 3d platformer, this game set the standard by which all other platformers are judged. You can still see the influence today. Banjo Kazooie had you learn new moves and level up as the game went on. Coker's Bad Fur day changed up the gameplay style ever new section. Super Mario did one thing, and it did it amazingly. And as you played through it and you got better and better at platforming, the game got more and more difficult, asking you to make more and more precise jumps, but you had played that far so you could do it. It had maybe the best variety of worlds of any Mario Game from the arctic tundra, to deserts, to active volcanoes, cliff sides, beaches, haunted houses, underwater worlds, caves, the heavens and hell, and of course the giant and mini worlds. The game is an amazing achievement.

1st   The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

What Was It
Don't act surprised you knew God Damn well that this game would be on this list. The Zelda Universe is one of my favorite lores of all time. Miyamoto and his team had already done and amazing job translating Mario to 3d, the question was could they do it for Link as well. As it turns out, they ended up making probably the most Epic game on the N64.

The Legend of Zelda is a game where you take control of a young boy that you get to name in the beginning of the game. While you were just living a normal lazy life before the Gods tell you that you were destined to save Hyrule. And without complaining, moaning how you don't want to do it, or freaking out, you pick up a sword and shield then say "Where do I start?"

Why Was It Great
This game once held the title at my school of greatest game of all time. Now I've heard from plenty of people who point out it's faults and say that it hasn't aged as well as you'd think. But you have to take into account the time that this game came out. It a lot of ways it really was the Skyrim of it's time. A huge expansive universe like we've never seen before. An engaging story and interesting characters. Real threats of danger but still with that Legend of Zelda Charm. I've mentioned before how I thought that some of the latter Zelda games got to bogged down with store elements and cutscenes. But this game hits a really nice balance. It was one of the first games on the N64 that felt so epic in scale. I loved every bit of it. The side quests, the universe, the characters, the mini-games. There were times when 13 year old me honestly wanted to be transferred into that world and just live there. The action was fun, the world was amazing to explore.

I spent more time trying to find secrets than actually working toward the end of the game. And still to this day I think it has maybe the most amazing final fight ending cutscene of any video game from that generation. Yes, I even liked it better that the ending to Metal Gear Solid. It wasn't quite a happily ever after, you don't really know what's going to happen next, but you have this beautiful bittersweet ending.








1st   Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

What Was It
This was a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, a rare sight in the Zelda Franchise. As a kid this game was kinda under appreciated, much like Zelda 2. But over time it's gotten the respect that it deserves. In this game a slightly older Link leaves to find a "special friend" the game never explains who the friend is. Most people believe that it was Navi your partner and guide who leaves you at the end of Ocarina Of Time. You end up in a strange land with you have your horse, your identity, and your items all stolen from you. You have to fight at first just to get them back but in that time you find out that in a three days everyone that you meet is going to be killed.

 Using your manipulation of time you can in a "Groundhogs Day" fashion, relive the last three days of this town over and over again and try to find a way to save it and everyone who lives there from utter destruction.

Why Was It Great
This game in a lot of ways was the Empire Strikes Back to the Ocarina of Time's Star Wars. The game kinda assumes you've played Ocarina of Time so it has tougher enemies, and more complex mazes. Many of the character models from the first game are reused in this one, which happens to be pretty funny sometimes. I love how one of the Bosses from the last game returns as a shop owner in this game. The game had a really interesting dynamic of reliving the same 3 days. As such you are given a schedule so you can mark down times when important events happen so you know when to be in certain places to help people.

I also really loved how this cements why Link is such a great character and a true hero. Link doesn't know anyone in Terminia. At the point where you get your horse back, you could easily give yourself a 3 day head start and get the hell outta dodge. But Link can't do that. He knows that these people are in danger and he stays only to save them. And on top of that, at the end of the game he doesn't even stay to take credit. As soon as everyone is saved, instead of going inside to join in the festival and tell everyone who their savior is, he takes off headed toward the horizon, leaving everyone wondering who it was who swooped in and helped them all.


 But what was impressive was the subtext of the game. This game was so utterly DARK as compared to other games.

People deal with their impending doom in different ways. Some turn to depression, others are in denial, some turn to anger. The whole game has a very dower mood to it.

You run into a woman who plans to either slip poison or alcohol to her baby sister and herself so that they can die peacefully in the bed together. A man who is abandoned by his entire family and faces the impending doom head on, knowing that he's about to die while shouting bring it on. A man so conflicted about staying to do his duty in the local government and running to save himself that you find him literally tearing his hair out on the third day.

The entire game deals with death in different ways and it's got a more complex message than any other Zelda game. Most Zelda games are simply about good vs evil. This games main themes were that of forgiveness and acceptance and the true meaning of friendship.

The game has death as a major theme. So much so that there are entire theories about how Link is actually dead the entire time. That he simply died at the beginning of the game, and how his entire journey is just him coming to grips with his death.

MatPat did a whole  video on this theory.

Personally I'd argue that while the game is all about death it's not about Link's death. The ending of Ocarina of Time seemed to imply that Navi didn't just leave Link. I think she died. It seemed like she had served her purpose and she was ascending into the heavens at the end of the game. Link goes on a quest searching for her, not wanting to accept what he already knows. That Navi is dead, and this entire adventure was just his way accepting that. 

Not normal themes for a  Zelda game or video games period. That makes this one of the best N64 games and one of the best Zelda games ever.

Well that's my list. What did you think. Did I leave out one of your favorites? Buck Bumble, Pilot Wings, Donkey Kong 64, Iggy's Wrekin' Balls? What was your favorite game on the system?