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The Best N64 Games That Still Matter Today

racketboy.com — I thought it would be a good idea to develop a list of games that are still relevant in today’s market because of their unique gameplay that has not been improved upon on other systems. Our basic rule of thumb for this list is to determine which games are still worth playing today, even if you have a Gamecube and/or a Wii.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 9, 2008

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  • x5pfif, on 06/09/2008, -10/+100N64 was one of the most under rated systems.
  • inactive, on 06/09/2008, -8/+66Single-Player
    1) Zelda OoT
    2) Banjo Kazooie

    Multiplayer
    1) Golden eye
    2) Mariokart 64
    3) Diddykong racing
    4) Supersmash bros
    5) Mario Party (completey screwed your controller tho)
  • TomK88, on 06/09/2008, -3/+57Mario Kart 64 is still the best racing game I have ever played. Unbelievably fun with 3 friends.
  • BillMoocho, on 06/09/2008, -4/+52Do a Barrel Roll
  • calhorton, on 06/09/2008, -5/+46Goldeneye, pretty much revolutionized first person shooter. honorable mentioned is bull
  • wsuBobby, on 06/09/2008, -2/+42Me and my roommates at the time, spent our entire freshman year of college dedicated to Mario Kart 64. Because of this I now:
    1. Have no knowledge of Psychology 101, which was an 8 a.m. class
    2. Can power slide around the smallest corner
    3. Shoot banana peels off of ramps with a green shell
    4. Purposely not get into 1st place so you can be considered a candidate for a lightning
    5. Stay out of the middle of the track for renegade red shells
    6. Break a Nintendo 64 controller with ease and familiarity

    All very useful things in life which I use everyday.
  • lordtyros, on 06/09/2008, -1/+38The saddest thing is that Perfect Dark still has the best bots on a console. I don't know why, but with the advent of online play, bots just fell into disregard.
  • frooo, on 06/09/2008, -3/+36Conkers Bad Fur Day - heh, I found my n64 the other day while cleaning up my shed.

    Just had to play that game again, and it was still fantastic
  • rockyr67, on 06/09/2008, -2/+35Not as much as the Dreamcast and Saturn, but it's up there :)
  • Froderick, on 06/09/2008, -5/+37I still think Banjo Kazooie should have gotten more than an Honourable Mention.
  • inactive, on 06/09/2008, -3/+35Turok?
  • trademarkhero, on 06/09/2008, -3/+35I think Pokemon Snap at least deserves a honorable mention. There really was no game like it at the time and when you were a kid, it was fun. I should pop it in right now. >_>
  • bertsbrother, on 06/09/2008, -3/+34No Donkey Kong 64.
  • uiguy3, on 06/09/2008, -2/+30Mr. Bond would not approve of this list.
  • h3lx, on 06/09/2008, -1/+28For the record, Super Metroid will always matter.
  • o0joshua0o, on 06/09/2008, -1/+27It was a failed sports analogy. I think they mean that the first time Nintendo went to bat, they got a hole in one.
  • inactive, on 06/09/2008, -2/+28No, I think its about rated where it should be. Everyone loves it.
  • AncientWeird, on 06/09/2008, -1/+25Mario Party burned holes in my palms. Fun!
  • bigsteve, on 06/09/2008, -2/+26My closest friends and I have sworn a solemn oath to never again discuss Bomberman 64's multiplayer feature. Almost every time we played it, it nearly came to physical aggression. I feel that it far surpasses Goldeneye as the major addictive multiplayer game for the platform. It was just so easy to pick up...
  • inactive, on 06/09/2008, -21/+45No Goldeneye?
  • LogicBomB, on 06/09/2008, -6/+28I always get dugg down for my views of Goldeneye. Goldeneye was by far the most fun on a console I had at the time, when it was released. Have you tried going back to play it for nostalgia? It's a horrible game by today's standards. Controls are some of the worst I've ever used, graphics are dismal at best, firefights are clunky, frame rate issues, etc..

    It's one of those games you should look back at fondly, for sure, but it is not by any means still a go-to game like Ocarina or Mario.
  • racketboy, on 06/09/2008, -17/+36In the Honorable Mentions you can see my explanation. It was one of the best at the time, but this was a re-examination of the library in comparison to newer games. FPS have come a long way since then, and as mentioned in a comment below, The Timesplitters series is a great way to experience the same time of console FPS in a more modern way.
  • BillMoocho, on 06/09/2008, -0/+18My friends and I played Perfect Dark almost exclusively once it came out. The guns were a lot more interesting, the AI was much better, and there were lots of extra options (including customizing characters). Personally, I never understood why Goldeneye seemed more popular when Perfect Dark was a superior game. I guess it had to do with the James Bond theme.
  • inactive, on 06/09/2008, -4/+20Blast Corps FTW.
    One of the most underrated games of that generation.
    One of Rare's best.


  • KingGorilla, on 06/09/2008, -1/+15If we can hit that bull's-eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards...Checkmate.
  • VarelseSoul, on 06/09/2008, -5/+18I wholeheartedly disagree with his comments about Majora's Mask. It's one of my favorite Zelda games, right under OoT and TP. It's story is very deep.
  • SeasonedBeef, on 06/09/2008, -1/+14**performs barrel roll in office chair**
  • Charlotte_Web, on 06/09/2008, -0/+12Rogue Squadron?

    It was one of the first Star Wars x-wing simulators that was accessible to the non-flight simulator crowd.
  • inactive, on 06/09/2008, -1/+12And the cocaine like substance that is left
  • phorty40, on 06/09/2008, -1/+11thats because awesomness weighs a lot.
  • atavena, on 06/09/2008, -1/+11Goldeneye should definitely be considered among the greats. That and Donkey Kong Country.
  • joehobbes, on 06/09/2008, -8/+18Very nice round-up. All of the timeless essentials plus a few lesser-known gems.

    I'll have to give Wetrix a try -- sounds interesting and this video footage looks good as well:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDdxAl47Hi4

    I wonder how many people will complain about Goldeneye or Perfect Dark not being on the top 10.
    BTW, if you want a more modern console-friendly FPS from the team that did Goldeneye, check out Time Splitters 2 or TS Future Perfect. Excellent games!
  • l800LEMMINGS, on 06/09/2008, -3/+12super mario 64 was pretty bad ass and the game cartridge was noticably heavier
  • raJeeb, on 06/09/2008, -6/+15i actually prefer Super smash bros n64 to melee and brawl. all around better gameplay, just more fun.
  • armo, on 06/09/2008, -1/+10The only thing that's not to love was the analogue stick wearing out.
  • CancerBomb, on 06/09/2008, -2/+10Having played a fair bit of GoldenEye this year, I feel I should make a few corrections on your behalf. GoldenEye controls are better than dual analog. Only mouse and keyboard and Wii controls are better for FPS games. All N64 games have dismal graphics by today's standards and a good majority had framerate issues, that's expected and irrelevant to a game's lasting impact. The game is still amazing by today's standards. Only Perfect Dark is comparable in terms of sheer quality gameplay (especially multiplayer - sorry TimeSplitters fans, those games pale in comparison), but GoldenEye is still the go-to game for 3-4 player multiplayer deathmatches due to PD's slideshow-like framerate with more than two players.
  • VicTheKnife, on 06/09/2008, -1/+9Classics. At least once a week my friends and I plug in the 64 and play some original Smash Bros.
  • Zihuatanejo, on 06/09/2008, -0/+88 a.m. class? Come on, you wouldn't have made that even if all you had was Pong.
  • inactive, on 06/09/2008, -5/+13Sin and Punishment over Goldneye? Are you ***** retarded?
  • samfishercell, on 06/09/2008, -1/+9The "three day" excuse is such a gamer cop-out as far as I'm concerned. It allowed characters in the game to live actual lives -- traveling to locations, meeting and talking with people at different times, etc. That was the real purpose, I never had any problems with completing the dungeons on time. It was about a living, breathing world far more in-depth than a handful of NPCs who say roughly 3 different lines over the course of a game. For me the weakest part of Majora was the number of dungeons, which hinders it from being ranked higher than the other Zelda's, but it also had a lot to make up for the lack of extra dungeons.

    Gamers often also complain that they "hated the masks" which is ridiculous since that's where a good portion of the side quests came from, and a good number of the masks allowed for new abilities. In Zelda games I far more enjoy side-quests that have a bit of story and don't end with some kind of unique item (ex. Biggoron Sword). As great as Twilight and Ocarina were , most of the side-quests amounted to heart piece after heart piece, or the predictable bomb bag and quiver upgrades (and maybe if you were REALLY lucky...some rupees).

    Majora is a blast (plus getting to play as a Deku, Zora, and Goron is something I wish would make an appearance again soon). I totally agree with linksdeity, it's an experience no gamer should miss. To write it off so easily should mean a forfeiture of your gamer card.
  • inactive, on 06/09/2008, -1/+9Both Banjos still rock but I think they deserve less credit than Mario because they brought nothing revolutionary to the 3d platformer. They are kind of like a rolling stones album from the 90s - totally well crafted and professional but not groundbreaking.
  • MetalLizard, on 06/09/2008, -2/+9If anyone is interested in playing Goldeneye 64 against others on the internet check out: http://www.goldeneyeonline.com
  • nicko68, on 06/09/2008, -1/+7I agree, however that was a SNES game. :)
  • acidbathfan, on 06/09/2008, -1/+7Golden Eye was my favorite for the 64, I bet me and my friends went through a dozen controls playing it so much.
  • inactive, on 06/09/2008, -2/+8CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCOMBO BREAKER
  • Kali075, on 06/09/2008, -0/+6and the rest of those dominoes will come crashing down like a house of cards...
    Checkmate.
  • GiantDunk, on 06/09/2008, -0/+6Probably because they already had 2 Rare Reps up and the many complaint about the game play being too much like Banjo Kazooie. I find it amazing that a game can be made with 5 main playable characters all of which had great distinction and flavor. The 5 Kong's alone made this game deserve at least an honorable mention.
  • BillMoocho, on 06/09/2008, -1/+7I think my friend got his expansion pack from Donkey Kong. I guess it's also the fact that Goldeneye came out first, so most parents wouldn't really want to buy what they thought was a similar game.
  • paidhima, on 06/09/2008, -0/+6I think Goldeneye holds up against any other console shooter today for multiplayer. There was real brilliance in its stripped-down level design. I particularly liked how the game rewarded you for being more cautious and strategic than aggressive.
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