The Best N64 Games of All Time
Like its predecessors, when the Nintendo 64 arrived in September of 1996, it was another game-changer. Players already had their favorite NES games and favorite SNES games, but N64 genuinely brought gamers into the three-dimensional world of gaming, and it was spectacular. Having 3D ability opened up all-new possibilities for gamers and game developers alike. A lot of classic titles came from this new era of gaming. Here are some of the best N64 games.
Command and Conquer
Already a popular PC game, Command and Conquer on the N64 did its PC cousin justice. Many challenging levels, fun infantry, tanks, and other vehicles to control, plus super weapons later in the game. Playing on the side of good or evil gave the game some replay value, too. Players also could have fun coming back to it every few months.
Excite Bike 64
ExciteBike 64 took everything gamers loved about the first game and improved it. ExciteBike 64 nailed it with massive tracks, monster jumps, fun stunts, and even a motocross soccer mode. The game had plenty of challenges as well, so you couldn't breeze through it in an afternoon, at least not winning every race easily. ExciteBike 64 brought a fun “extreme” sport into the 3D world with a bang.
Ridge Racer 64
Ridge Racer 64 had multiple modes, could support up to four players, and had some entertaining tracks to race on. Add twenty-five different cars to choose from, and for a racer dream.
Bomberman 64
Keeping the classic blow 'em up battles in, plus adding in a challenging adventure mode, made this a great game to play. Each stage had puzzles to figure out to collect all the extras in the game that unlocked more features. The classic four-way Bomberman battle felt as good as ever with new power-ups and fun explosions.
Cruis'n Series
The Cruis'n series included arcade titles such as Cruisin' USA, Cruisin' World, and Crusin' Exotica. Each had its own fun tracks with secret shortcuts to find. Constantly challenging players to get just a little bit faster by timing their nitro boosts just right each time was hours of fun.
All the Mario Party Games
What can anyone say about Mario besides he's awesome? Mario Party brought even the most casual of gamers to the N64. Each keeps the same premise of playing a board game with Mario characters. Gamers could participate in tons of fun little mini-games to collect coins (or just bragging rights), but the game made it so even the last-place player still had a shot at the end. All fun and creative, these titles are still going strong today.
Pokémon Puzzle League
A pretty solid puzzle game combined with the super popular Pokémon brought this game to the next level. Relatively challenging, and several game modes made the game easy to come back to over and over.
Pokémon Snap
Pokémon Snap offered a different kind of game altogether. Riding on a track, players could discover and manipulate different types of Pokémon. Figuring out where they were hiding and the puzzle of getting them to use their attacks or even evolve into a new form, plus getting the perfectly centered shot, was a challenge for even the most experienced gamers.
Ogre Battle 64
For as much as the SNES thrived on RPGs, the N64 did not, but Ogre Battle 64 made up for the lack of RPG. Building on its SNES predecessor, Ogre Battle 64 kept the same game style and mechanics, plus an enormous storyline and the ability to see different endings. Tons of different equipment, troops, and even dragons to level up; the game had tons of replay value.
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Similar to the SNES title, this had the same goofy, wacky, zany, whatever word gamers wanted to use for it. When a flatulence turns out to be a weapon, never mind a powerful weapon…it says something. Using a similar backdrop of Japanese culture and style of gameplay, Mystical Ninja on the N64 is quite the classic game.
Wave Race 64
Wave Race 64 took the need for speed into the water. With fun tracks, different game modes, and even weather conditions that could change the waves in the water, Wave Race 64 had plenty of ways to play. The water makes this game more fun than a typical car racing game.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Already having success with the original in the series, Pro Skater 2 brought the world of skateboarding to a whole new level. This game has fantastic skateparks (plus the ability to design them) and allowed players to nail dream moves on a skateboard. Add in the appeal of the world's most popular skateboarder at the time for an instant classic.
1080 Snowboarding
Like the Tony Hawk games, 1080 Snowboarding brought another up-and-coming sport into the video game world spotlight. The game includes tons of fun tracks, cool characters, and of course, lots of sick snowboarding moves to try and master. Winning the races was no joke either; definitely a challenging and awesome game to play.
Diddy Kong Racing
Talk about a racing game that had it all. Racing as a classic character in Diddy Kong, this game challenges gamers the same way the Donkey Kong Country series did. Simply unlocking all the tracks and winning the racing was only the beginning of the game. Each vehicle (standard kart, hovercraft, and airplane) came with new fun tracks and secrets to find and collect around the island. “Completing” the game meant not only beating the racers but eventually finding all the secrets and winning the actual final race in outer space.
F-Zero X
Not the most graphically sound game, F-Zero still brings it where it counts most…speed. Another sequel from a SNES original, F-Zero X takes what players loved on the SNES and brings it to the N64. Blazing fast speeds, incredible tracks, and surprisingly difficult opponents to beat made F-Zero X an excellent racing game on the N64.
Blast Corps
If there was ever a game that needed a sequel and didn't get it, it was Blast Corps. Players had to destroy towns and cities to avoid a catastrophic explosion by a runaway nuke. Players used all sorts of construction equipment, giant machines, and missiles to destroy anything and everything in sight. The game also had a racing component.
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Talk about a different kind of game! Not in gameplay or graphics, but just the sheer fact that it seemed geared for adults. With tons of crude jokes, movie references over most adolescents' heads, and other just plain old raunchy stuff going on, this title just sticks out from the rest.
NFL Blitz 2000
Realistic? No. Fun as heck? Very. NFL Blitz offered a nonstop action, hyper-exaggerated version of football and so much fun to play. Crazy, ridiculous plays, high scoring, and did we mention exaggerated?
Pilotwings 64
Using the same concept as the SNES version, PilotWings 64 brought more of the same to the N64 and then some. Again, piloting around the skies in planes, hang-gliders, gyrocopters, and rocket belts, gamers take to the skies to accomplish all sorts of objectives.
Perfect Dark
First Person Shooters (FPS) really took off on the N64, and Perfect Dark stands out as one of the best, really only rivaled by GoldenEye 007 (more on that later). Very similar in structure to GoldenEye, where players could beat each stage on an easy difficulty to later move on to more challenging objectives and bad guys.. This game had so much to offer in gameplay, with cool weapons, enemies, power-ups, and, of course, difficulty.
DOOM 64
Doom already had a large following on the PC, so bringing it to N64 seemed natural. Maintaining all the action and carnage of the PC game, DOOM 64 did not disappoint. Crazy bad guys and weapons, plus just the overall DOOM insaneness, made it just as fun on the N64 as it was on the PC.
Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie
These two games had no shortage of silly fun. With a bear, a backpack, and a bird as the main characters, the games had great graphics, easy gameplay, and fun levels. The storyline and overall feel of the games just made them super enjoyable. Both these games deserve to be mentioned in any best-of N64 list.
Mario Kart 64
A couple of classic Mario games coming up here and sp let's start with the biggest, Mario Kart 64. Keeping pace with the SNES Mario Kart, the N64 version took everything players loved and made it better. With huge tracks (Rainbow Road took almost a half-hour to beat on its own), with all-new weapons, pitfalls, and obstacles to avoid, Mario Kart 64 had everything gamers wanted. Battling friends and attempting to find the best shortcuts for all the tracks to get the fastest time kept them coming back for more.
Mario Golf and Mario Tennis
Two cases of Mario bringing his charm to sports games. Different characters have their strengths and weaknesses, but gamers also could create their own characters. Both had several game modes that could be fun to play on solo or with friends. Both titles had tons of fun to play.
Turok Dinosaur Hunter Series
Another addition to the rise of FPS games, the Turok series includes dinosaurs, so what's not to love? Like others in the genre, Turok had vast levels, objectives, fun weapons, and cool enemies to beat. Like RPGs on SNES, Turok bore similarities to other FPS's, but the genre just worked for the N64..
Super Smash Bros
Super Smash Bros. finally let players see their favorite Nintendo characters go at it in this mega-crossover game. Nonstop action, crazy physics, and overall gameplay drive each brawl to be as exhilarating as the last. With several game modes and up to four players, this became a must-have title for the N64.
Star Wars Rogue Squadron
Rogue Squadron doesn't follow any particular Star Wars movie plot. Rather, it visits some of the best locations from all the movies and includes some of the coolest Star Wars ships and cruisers. Players could even use a cheat code to fly in the Millennium Falcon!
Paper Mario
Paper Mario put Mario into an RPG game, and again, it worked. The characters themselves looked 2D but lived in a 3D world. Paper Mario featured unique lay and many chapters as part of the storyline. Each had its own allies, puzzles, and obstacles to overcome, done in a way only Mario could.
QUEST 64
Maybe suffering from an RPG hangover of SNES or maybe pressured to keep the momentum rolling, the first RPG on N64 seems like a generic unfinished product. The game itself holds many of the classic RPG features but drops a few too.
WWF Wrestlemania 2000
Capitalizing on the immense popularity of the WWF (now WWE) at the time, Wrestlemania 2000 became an immediate blockbuster hit on the N64. Including all the favorites like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Undertaker, and more, Wrestlemania 2000 gave fans more of the wrestling action they craved. The game had easy controls, let gamers do all the finishing moves, and even had a “Road to Wrestlemania” game mode.
Super Mario 64
Nobody can talk about the best games on N64 and not mention the very first game most played. Super Mario 64 offered a first look at Mario in 3D. With secret stars to find, difficult levels, and all sorts of fun bad guys, Super Mario 64 became a dream game. Of course, rumors swirled around getting Yoshi and Luigi as playable characters, but alas, that never came to fruition.
Road Rash 64
Road Rash 64 featured motorcycles racing on the streets, not on tracks. Trying to grab an opponent's weapon while simultaneously trying not to get pummelled by them or lose track of the course required multitasking, to say the least.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
By far not the most challenging game to beat on this list, but like many others, it also ushered another classic character being ushered into the 3D world. Kirby 64 enjoys all the moves we like in a Kirby game, namely the ability to inhale opponents, chew them up and spit ‘em out.
Castlevania 64
Continuing the legacy of great games, Castlevania brought everything fans loved about the 2D versions into the 3D world.
Harvest Moon 64
Similar to its SNES predecessor, Harvest Moon 64 brought the classic SNES game into the 3D world. The game had a few additional features, but the game's core featured similar play. Working on the farm, day in and day out, raising animals, and harvesting crops provedeven more fun in 3D.
Resident Evil 2
Bringing its horror-like feel to the N64, the game played just as well as it did on the PlayStation. Solving puzzles, shooting zombies, and an engaging storyline made all of the Resident Evil games fun..
Donkey Kong 64
With gameplay like Mario 64, but the difficulty, puzzles, and quest to get every last item to get true “completeness” of the game, Donkey Kong 64 delivered big time.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Overshadowed by a game yet to come on this list, Majora's Mask remains controversial in the Zelda series. Taking place almost immediately after the events of the not-yet-named Zelda game, Majora's Mask finds a link in yet another quest, this time against time.
With only three days until the impending doom on the world, young Link must figure out how to solve all the game's puzzles within three days. Learning the schedules and timelines of all the NPCs in the game helps players gather enough masks, weapons, and other goods that will help them save the world.
Star Fox 64
Not as mind-blowing as Star Fox on the SNES, Star Fox 64 was everything a 3D game could be. Once again, taking flight with Fox McCloud and his lovable crew, this game takes players through space against all sorts of bad guys, and along different game paths Beating the game on all paths offered fun enough, but the game kept track of an overall enemy kill count. Add in a four-player battle mode, and forone of the best games on the N64 system.
GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye 007 has a more special place in most gamers' hearts. GoldenEye took players through the storyline of the movie. Cool gadgets only 007 would have, weapons, plus some challenging levels made for tons of gameplay. A split-screen battle mode to game with friends remains popular to this day. Several different modes and options to choose from made each battle different.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda series consistently claims the title of “best game on X consolefar” for good reason.
Ocarina of Time proves the rule. Gamers got to play as both young and old Link, work their way through some infamous dungeons, got fun weapons, so many quests, and puzzles to figure out. Ocarina of Time offers more of what makes Zelda games great. A vast world to explore and a great storyline really just adds to its greatness.