17. Pilotwings 64 (N64)
Pilotwings 64 was a brilliant launch title for the system which showcased its features and provided players with a lovely flight sim adventure — something worthy of playing alongside the mighty Super Mario 64. It proved to be a diverting companion piece for early adopters which built on the Super NES original with gameplay equal parts tense and relaxing. Cracking game.
16. Mario Golf (N64)
Camelot brought Mario and his golfing pals onto the 3D fairways in this excellent entry in his catalogue of sports games. This game also linked up with the superlative Mario Golf for Game Boy Color. They're very different games, and the handheld version is probably even better thanks to its brilliant RPG elements, but together they make an unbeatable pair. When we're disappointed that later games like Mario Golf: Super Rush don't match the quality of older entries, it's Mario Golf that we're remembering with a faraway wistful look in our eyes.
15. Sin and Punishment (N64)
Gamers in the West wouldn't be able to get their hands on Treasure's hectic N64 on-rails shooter (not easily, that is — there was always the option to import) until it came to the Wii U Virtual Console.
On original release it quickly became a cult classic thanks to its developer's heritage and its Japan-only status, and while it's probably not worth importing a Japanese console to enjoy this game alone (we did, but we're a bit obsessive), and its sequel Sin and Punishment: Star Successor for Wii arguably improves on this foundation in every way, this is still a very fine shooter from a very fine developer.
Cracking box art, too.
14. Pokémon Stadium 2 (N64)
The original Pokémon Stadium was fine, but Pokémon Stadium 2 expanded the concept of a 3D companion cartridge to play alongside the mainline Game Boy games. It included Pokémon from both the Johto and Kanto regions and offered some juicy extras if you owned the Game Boy entries (we pity whoever had a Pokémon Stadium game without owning Blue, Red, Yellow, Gold, or Silver!). Only in the soundtrack department did it arguably not live up to its predecessor, but otherwise this felt like the 'proper' execution of the concept.
13. Wave Race 64 (N64)
Whatever you do, don't go back and play Wave Race 64. Its incredible water physics, tight controls, chunky visuals and titanic brilliance will immediately have you degenerate into a forum-lingering whinger and you won't be able to stop yourself complaining about the absence of this series (and F-Zero, and 1080° Snowboarding) from Nintendo consoles since the GameCube, and how Nintendo hates its fans and doesn't want their money, and how the success of the Switch means there's space for these 'lesser-known' franchises to make a return, and how we can't have nice things, and...
12. Mario Tennis (N64)
The first in the Mario Tennis series (second, if you count Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy) was one of a winning doubles team in the Mushroom Kingdom sports department from Camelot — the studio also released the brilliant Mario Golf for N64, as well as Game Boy Color versions of each game that linked up with their home console cousins via the Transfer Pak.
Mario's played a lot of tennis over the years, but this remains one of his finest on-court showings.
11. Mario Kart 64 (N64)
While the racers themselves might not have been truly 3D (rather they were detailed Donkey Kong Country-style sprites created from 3D character renders), Mario Kart 64's huge, undulating circuits still showed off the benefits of 64-bit hardware. It added inclines, items, obstacles, and a four-player multiplayer mode to the winning formula Nintendo cooked up on Super NES. This is also the game which gave us Toad's Turnpike.
Each iteration of the Mario Kart series adds a little something new, but following on from the flat circuits of Super Mario Kart, there's arguably been nothing quite like this first jump to 3D-except-for-the-racers. Like any Mario Kart game, add three friends and you'll have an epic time in no time.
10. Mario Party 3 (N64)
The third and final fiesta thrown by Mario on the Nintendo 64, the Mario Party formula had been well-established by this point. Hudson Soft saw no reason to change it in any way or kick it up a gear beyond a new influx of minigames, but that doesn't stop Mario Party 3 from being a quintessential entry in the series: a riot with multiple friends, and a soul-crushing grind for a lonely single player... but why would anyone play Mario Party on their own? Well, for the brand-new story mode of course!
We all know the real reason this places as high as it does in our list — no, it's not the fact you can hold three items, but that Daisy and Waluigi make their polished party debut. As the final Mario game to release on the N64 (except in Australia), it's a darn good send off.
9. Mario Party 2 (N64)
There ain't no party like a Mario Party, although he sure has thrown a lot of them over the past couple of decades.
Of the three Hudson-developed minigame bonanzas that came out on N64, Mario Party 2 is arguably the fan favourite. This is where Battle, Item, and Duel minigames got their start, and you could spend all the time in the world practising the minigames before you start, so you can ensure you're perfect for party play. Obviously, you'll need three friends to get the most out of this, but the first sequel built on the foundation of the original and steered the series on a steady course which now extends well into double figures. Even two decades later, it stands as one of the best party games ever, and it's available on Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.
Just watch those Joy-Con analogue sticks — they're fragile at the best of times!
Comments 195
I haven't played 9 of these games so subscribing for a couple of months to try them out is a good deal for me.
Have played "Ocarina of Time" on 3DS for the first time. Loved it! Hope the costs are not that high...
Oh I am playing through Banjo and Kazooie again. That's already booked lol. This 'collection' is off to a fine start indeed. Excuse me while I pray for pilotwings64.
So excited to play those top 3 for the first time
I’m most excited for Paper Mario and glad to see Banjo, that opens the door for some more possibilities.
I'm only subing for paper mario, and banjo, and maybe to play M mask again.
@Snatcher,
I keep saying that I will not subscribe to the new service, but who am I kidding, once available I be there with my N64 controller in hand.
honestly I would have preferred Gameboy/Gameboy color/ Gameboy advance.
besides the N64 games listed there are few titles left that they can even get. (the wrestling games for example aren't coming as they are licensing nightmares, same goes for sports and movie games like goldeneye) I can think of 5 or 6 other games worth playing on the system and that's about it.
The games I'm most looking forward to seeing are Pokemon Puzzle League, Pokemon Stadium (hello minigames), and Donkey Kong 64.
F-Zero X and Lylat Wars are the real winners here.
Arguably they never got better than on the N64 (also GX is also very great).
I've had an Xbox 360 played Banjo on that got an Xbox one and rare replay so played it again. Now it's coming to switch im excited to play it again even though I can play it in HD on my Xbox one. Is that weird
No 1080 or Wave Race? You can't be serious!
Can’t wait until this list includes Wave Race 64!
When we get mario party it will be complete
I don't think i want to play any of them as I didn't grow by N64 games and I have no interest with every N64 games from the list given. I still choose PS1 games over N64 games because of Dance Dance Revolution.
I didn't even touch my NES and SNES app from my Switch either.
You guys are gonna burn everyone out before any of these games are released, aren't you?
Predictable to see OoT at number one, lmao. It's good, but nowhere near as fantastic as people make it out to be.
It is, however, still alot better than BotW.
I'm surprised Mario 64 isn't top 3
I'm not gonna get this now as the selection of games is a bit small and I've already played most of them. It would be interesting if they added more hidden gems, like Ogre Battle and Goemon.
Might sub for a month just for Paper Mario. Hope they add a Gamecube option someday with TTYD since I didn't get a chance to play these masterpieces.
Are these games gonna play with better frame rate than on the n64? Don’t think I can take the lag of DK64 if that ever gets added…
There’s several games I have never played, including Majora’s Mask even though it’s on 3DS. Sin and Punishment and Win Back are the 2 I’m most interested in trying out. But F-Zero is definitely a great game to replay. It’s one of the few games I own on my N64.
I hope Nintendo can get games like Mystical Ninja, Snowboard Kids and of course both 1080 Snowboarding and Wave Race 64 soon.
Are the N64 007 James Bond games going to be added as well
I'm lookin forward to playing Banjo-Kazooie because I've never played it before.
haha, this site definitely won't let me forget it's also holding the axe meant to end my life. this is no bridge, it's a insidiously bitter rat trap.
I remember playing WinBack once at a friend's house. And yeah, Hybrid Heaven. I rented that from Video 99 one time. I could only make it so far in the game though because I didn't have a memory pack or whatever, so I couldn't actually save.
@johnvboy Join mario!
If we're getting Banjo-Kazooie from Rare, then there should be no reason why we couldn't finally get Diddy Kong Racing (the GOOD one, not the Nintendo DS version which was inferior).
Can’t argue with the top-4 as from my collection of 24 games I have it rated as;
1. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Perfect Dark
3. Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
4. Goldeneye
5. Banjo-Kazooie
6. Banjo-Tooie
7. Conker’s Bad Fur Day
8. Donkey Kong 64
9. Super Mario 64
10. Mario Kart 64
11. Mario Tennis
12. Super Smash Bros
13. F-Zero X
14. Jet Force Gemini
15. Mario Golf
16. Mario Party
17. WWF No Mercy
18. Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
19. Pokemon Stadium
20. WWF Wrestlemania 2000
21. ISS 2000
22. ISS 98
23. Excitebike 64
24. International Track & Field: Summer Games
The top-5 of my collection that are in the NSO are also rated in the same order here.
1) Ocarina of Time
2) Majora’s Mask
3) Banjo-Kazooie
4) Super Mario 64
7) Mario Kart 64
Not got Star Fox or Paper Mario.
@tourjeff I think the list only pertains to the games available on the service at, or near, launch.
That being said, I’m surprised Nintendo didn’t include Waverace at launch. I know that’s when I’ll be signing up.
1. Starfox 64/Majora's Mask (TIE)
2. Goldeneye
3. F- Zero X
4. Ocarina
5. Winback
The whole list is quite a solid lineup, though, IMO.
I not gonna subscribe to the expansion pass as I’m happy with the cheaper option. I also have all these games. I still have the machine plugged in.
This is a must option if you haven’t played these brilliant games.
The only games I'm intrested in are Paper Mario and possibly Sin & Punishment. N64 was my least favorite Nintendo console (not including virtual boy). I'm probably gonna skip for now and reconsider when there are more games that I like.
Man I hope in future they add more classics like
Super smash bros
Pokemon stadium
Pokemon 2
007
Diddy kong racing
Donkey kong 64
Conker bad fur day
But happy for banjo-kazooie and mario kart 64
I never owned a n64 growing up, I've only played the Zelda remakes on 3ds and Super Mario 64 on the 3d all stars collection, I can't wait to experience them!
Can't wait for Pilotwings, F1 World Grand Prix and Beetle Adventure Racing! All done by Paradigm Entertainment. 😄✌🏻
I can imagine we will see Cruis'n USA on the service? ☺️
Have the zeldas on 3ds, Mario 64 in 3D all stars, and paper Mario on the Wii U. The rest I could care less about. I really wish they did GameCube instead.
@YusseiWarrior3000
I doubt conked gets on due to rating.
Once you’ve taken out the licensed games, there aren’t that many to pick from. But what there is can be counted on your fingers and toes and is gold. Once you add Pilotwings, Waverace and Smash to the list, it gets harder to think what else they’ll have to offer.
Hopefully we get a chance to play stuff like Blast Corps and Conker.
Bring on Snowboard Kids
I've already played a few of these games to death but it'll be nice to revisit Paper Mario, Banjo Kazooie and F Zero. Only ones I've never played is Winback and Sin & Punishment. Hopefully they don't plan to charge to much for this "expansion pack" and hopefully the competition doesn't decide to launch expansion packs of their own...
Sin & Punishment was actually first released in the West on the Wii Virtual Console, not the Wii U. I remember because there was a bunch of fanfare at the time, and I had to spend a whole 15 bucks to buy it (compared to the usual $10). I enjoyed playing it, but I do recall that the controls were somewhat of a nightmare.
It’s a pity many people did not yet experience Conker Bad Fur Day. To me, that game was the pinnacle of the N64, when Rare knew just how far to push the system. Like when Nintendo knew the Wii U could bring BOTW.
Really hope Conker makes it to NSO.
As for the N64 Zeldas, I would encourage people to pick up the 3DS versions instead. The facelifts were nice!
Poor Dr Mario always gets last in lists. Maybe he needs to be in an rpg or a visual novel. Or a platformer were he heals goombas by jumping on them.
As I recall, Banjo-Kazooie is a fun game... until you die.
Watching one of the streamers I watch, get their first experience playing, and then they have to mute their mic. "That's the B-K experience!"
I can remember playing Yoshi's Island GBA on the 3DS. First time I tried actually 100%ing the game.
Extra 3 really got me. THAT ONE FLYING SHYGUY WITH THE RED COIN! HE was the reason I spent hours on that level.
Importing an N64 to play Sin & Punishment. I guess it's necessary if you're in PAL territory.
I suppose it is a blessing then for the US that Nintendo used the same lockout as SNES, and just taking apart the console and shaving the corners of the cart slot cover fixes that.
(would be easier to mod a JP console, but I know many would rather vandalize the cheapest and most abundant hardware)
@aSmilingMan Unfortunately I don't know if Conker would. I hear that game's content is a pretty hard M, and I don't think there's any of those games on NSO.
Why is Yoshi story so low. I played the ***** out of this amazing experience when I was young. Great music. Great levels. A ton of fun.
Ok fine. I'll pay extra for online now
@KingMike with great ports of games like Doom Eternal I had assumed we were past that. But maybe you’re right for NSO… A pity if that is the case.
@Mauzuri True it doesn't hold up as well today but you have to imagine when it first released. There had been nothing that even came close to it at the time. It was an epic adventure like none other on any system to date. My cousin was nearly 100% Playstation at the time yet all he wanted to do was play OoT with me when it came out.
PERFECT DARK
I don't care if its not one of the games on the upcoming NSO n64.. its still my pick
I never got to play Banjo, so I'm hoping it doesn't take too long to come out! I'm anticipating this costing $10 per month, could see it less (doubtful) and maybe more. But Nintendo online is still cheap, so I don't mind. I just hope they pump some good games out on the service.
Also, n64 Mario Party (especially 3) online would be so sick.
The interesting one here is Banjo Kazooie, I presume there's a Nintendo property heading Xbox side shortly in response
I can’t believe that PERFECT DARK and GOLDENEYE aren’t ranked higher! They should be on the top of that list.
I am shocked at how many people in these comments haven't played Ocarina of Time. That makes me feel very very old. 😅
Sad to see that both Wave Race and 1080 haven't been announced yet.
@path4smash I'm throwing money at them if they add TTYD.
I just look forward to another excuse to play SF64. We need a new entry too, dammit. Winback was one I didn’t even expect, kind of forgot about it, actually. Curious if Mission Impossible might be added at some point, only knew it’s a 007 style game, but not much else. Maybe we’ll see San Francisco Rush and Rush 2?
I always find it weird how ocarina has higher scores when Majora is much more refined.
Kirby 64 only feels fresh in comparison because there have been several of the modern titles which are more recent memory but K64 is no different then any of the dreamland games directed by the same guy. All linear collection titles that contain single power moves. They even all have combinations in a sense you just did it with an animal pal rather then alone in K64. I have nostalgia for the game but rather play Planet Robobot by a long shot. I love the powers having movesets and glad Kirby doesn’t move that miserably sluggish again.
I'm hoping for pokemon stadium eventually, tho they would have to figure out the gameboy connectivity (link to the 3DS games maybe?)
Meh, a lot of these games are on the switch, in a newer or better iteration. From mario, platformer/sports/rpg; to pokemon and zeldas.
I wonder if the people clamoring for these, are the same ones complaining about remakes/remasters.
Super excited to actually play through banjo now that I'm at the age where I can understand what the heck I'm doing. I rented it quite a few times as a kid and never got far. Sin and punishment, kirby 64, and win back will be firsts for me, which is cool. But more than anything I'm subbing to get some OoT going, as I'm a sucker for anything it releases on.
Winback is better than Yoshi's Story. Yeah. I said it!
I love the N64. Mario 64 remains my all-time favorite videogame since I first played it at a kiosk in Toys R Us. Even though I have the original system hooked up to my TV via an Eon Super 64, I can't help but be excited to finally play a 64 collection on Switch. With an N64 controller, no less. The NSO expansion can't come soon enough. I just hope I can get my hands on one of the controllers.
POKEMON PUZZLE LEAGUE or bust.
Thank you & goodnight.
I love WINBACK. I bought it at launch and thought the laser aiming (you're welcome RE4) and cover-based shooting action was fantastic. There was so something very RE1 about the B-movie dialogue and characters. It's essentially TIME CRISIS in 3D, but is that really such a bad thing?
@tourjeff
In time....
@aSmilingMan
I feel the same way. Playing CONKER over the summer of 2001 was a revelation. It really was the pinnacle of that system. It was RARE at its best.
N64 my fav system, oot and mario 64 my fav games
Number one for me is easily either F-Zero X or Sin and Punishment. I've always considered Banjo-Kazooie one of Rare's weaker N64 games don't @ me, but if it opens the door for Diddy Kong Racing, I am glad it's here nonetheless. The DS version of DKR just never felt right to me for some reason. I never looked too closely at difference, but it felt it handled differently.
Also here's to hoping Nintendo performs a licensing miracle and gets Goldeneye on here. I'm sure going through 4 (or more) companies and licensing the look of an actor no longer current won't be thaaaaaat hard right.
Dr Mario has a great four player mode.
@aSmilingMan
Conker is the best multiplayer experience in history.
@Red_Silurian
Animal Crossing maybe?
@PhhhCough
I suspect that you are capable of distinguishing between charging full price for a remake, and paying far less (in all likelihood) for several games.
Mario 64 is a far more coherent experience than Odyssey, Pokemon Stadiums mini games are legendary, and the 64 Zeldas are very different experiences to Breath of the Wild.
Winback should be higher. Genuinely one of the all time great 2-player deathmatch games.
Have you ever played MK64 Mano-a-mano? It’s one of the dullest experiences in gaming.
Well my plan is wait for the service to build up a little while I clear my back log. Will get a N64 controller if I can.
@tourjeff those 2 games will come 100%. They have both been released on every virtual console. Im guessing they dont want to drop all the good ones right away and mix a couple in with some fodder (much like how they have done nes and snes) the thing im interested to see is what games they release that never made it to the VC. Obvioustly Banjo is one of them so hopefully a few more Rare titles. Pilotwings64 is the one im hoping for personally.
Pilotwings 64, WaveRace64, 1080 Snowboarding when? I’ve been replaying a lot of N64 classics because of my N64Digital and mClassic. I doubt these NSO N64 games will look as good IMHO. However I do want that controller Big time
@Inc oh dear lord you're going to have some amazing months ahead of you!! If you can look through the graphics that is! (although there's a lot of these that use a pretty timeless artstyle! )
@Kidfunkadelic83 I would love to try jet force geminy, I still got the n64 magazine with the complete strategy guide! 😂
I'm hoping for Pokémon puzzle league myself! (And Jon is as well probably! )
Ocarina of time deserve a proper remake.
The 3ds remake of Majora's Mask is worse than the n64 one. It ruins the swimming mechanic which was the most fun part of the game, and bunch of other stuff. Just stick with the original.
@KiraMoonvalley
Why are you rating Mario Kart 8 Deluxe lower than the original 8?
Banjo and win back have me most excited as they hint towards the service having more than the usual n64 hits rolled out on VC.
Like might now see the likes of Jetforce gemni, perfect dark, Rogue Squadron, Turok etc
Other lesser available games that nintendo don't own out right that havnt left the n64.
Wave Race, Donkey Kong, Golden Eye, anything Star Wars would’ve been amazing. As I’ve played most of these games to death, and I can emulate em all anyway, I’ll wait and see what the asking price is.
@KiraMoonvalley There are plenty of reasons why people might not have played all these back in the day. In my case, N64 wasn't my primary console at the time. Can't play everything!
Pretty good start. The best Starfox, the best F-Zero, the best, Mario Golf. Paper Mario is pretty much joint best in that series, MM is a really unique Zelda experience. Of course a couple of them can be played better elsewhere and I doubt I’ll ever boot
up MK64 but there’s a lot of good stuff there.
Glaring omission... Where's "Goldeneye 007". Unsurpassable multi player mode.
I was a great age when the N64 came out so looking forward to it. Reminds me of my youth, and I have a lot of nostalgia for the 90's. Was a great time to be alive. Looking forward to the Zelda games and Banjo the most. I love Zelda, but Banjo takes the cake. Has a special place in my memory. Hoping I'm not disappointed to go back. Played through Mario 64 again last year and thought it was superb so expecting Banjo to hold up well.
@Roibeard64 "Banjo and win back have me most excited as they hint towards the service having more than the usual n64 hits rolled out on VC.
Like might now see the likes of Jetforce gemni, perfect dark, Rogue Squadron, Turok etc
Other lesser available games that nintendo don't own out right that havnt left the n64"
Exactly this. Im hoping that we get some different stuff from the generic VC games that the Wii and WiiU got. Naturally i expect them to be drip fed even slower than nes and snes games as they were also drip fed on the other VC's. It would be great to see N work to bring games that have in past caused licensing issues etc.
@Turbo_Tegs unfortunately it will never happen. Licensing hell at its best. Xbox wouldnt even get it and they own Rare.
@DjangosMangoes this is how i feel. I was at secondary school when the 64 launched and i went to work picking blackberries at 5am every morning during the summer holidays to pay for one. By the time i got one a few more games were out and i remember buying Turok, waverace, mario64, shadows of the empire and Pilotwings64. It was the first real thing i actually ever worked for and it was a massive sense of achievement. My favorite console ever and holds a very special place in my heart.
not happy about Zelda's ... I wanted the 3ds version on switch not the original😬
@reporterdavid it's extremely hard going back to the original after the 3ds version
@Franklin Mario 64 is already on the switch, with 3d allstars; mario golf? Already have mario golf rush; pokemon stadiums not on the list, but pokemon snap is and they also have a NEW pokemon snap. The redundacy in the games is absurd, but a fanboy will swoon. So, I stick with my previous comment of "meh".
F-Zero X with online multiplayer
Winback is underrated. There's something awesome at assaulting a group of enemies with the shotgun in this game
I think this list is fine. I would've ranked Mario Kart 64 above StarFox 64 as I just have played this game to death with friends but its fine.
And maybe BK would be even ahead of Zelda for me.
In recent years I often thought about the advantages of getting a XBox and finally being able to play BK again was actually one of the biggest incentives. for ... 23(?) years I'm humming tracks of its soundtrack and think of the warm feeling, that whole visual setting produced and the sheer wonder I felt when playing through this game for the first time. I had holidays and just couldn't stop playing this and got through in about a week or so. Oh memories. So of course this is my N1 game on NO, so I'll get the expansion whenever they drop this. Bt if its objectively my favorite N64 game, I couldn't tell. Zelda was big, but didn't really age so well.
I believe Majora's Mask works better than OoT for me as there are OoT-kind of experiences that came after and worked way better like TP.
@KBuckley27
While some might just burn me alive for saying this, but this still is just another milestone for me while waiting for F-Zero GX HD.
@Zanzox 100% agree.
This really is a Nintendo thing. They do a better version of a game to make use of better hardware with the 3DS versions ... and then still publish the older version that must be inferior by their own understanding. Or aren't they standing behind their newer versions?
N64 games aged horribly alltogether. The only game that might still be fun to play is F-Zero X as its at least superfluid. but everything else will be pretty compromised by framerate, polycount, texture quality...
So just keeping the better versions to publish them later eventually at some extracost is ... I mean they dan do it, but its not really the nicest possible thing lol
@PhhhCough
Mario 64 via All Stars is no longer available, and even if it were, would most likely be much more expensive than this service that provides many more games.
Mario Tennis 64 is far better than the Switch version, and Mario Golf on N64 is shorn of the gimmicky nonsense of the Switch version.
New Pokemon Snap is fundamentally better, I do accept.
Nice dog.
@valcoholic I shouldn't really explain better my opinions 👍🏻
This ranking is heresy! Here’s the correct order:
The lowest rank games were basically correct. These bottom three are not worth playing, imo, unless you love their series.
16. Dr. Mario 64
15. Yoshi’s Story
14. Kirby 64
The games in the next section are very much worth checking out, but not among the legendary, imo.
13. Winback (a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one)
12. Sin & Punishment (very fine, indeed)
11. Mario Golf (always a good time, and quite addictive)
10. F-Zero X (so fast and fun)
9. Mario Tennis (so much fun, plus Waluigi’s first appearance!)
8. Pokémon Snap (simple but brilliant)
7. Paper Mario (lovely and funny)
6. Star Fox 64 (so tight and replayable)
The top five are what I would call legend-tier, particularly the top two.
5. Mario Kart 64 (perhaps the ultimate multiplayer game)
4. Majora’s Mask (brilliant, dark, and unique)
3. Banjo-Kazooie (too many collectibles and not quite as tight as Mario, but this game is still excellent, fun, and funny to boot)
2. Ocarina of Time (A truly awesome game. It doesn’t hold up quite as well as some would like to think without the goggles of nostalgia, but still absolutely definitive)
1. Mario 64 (genius and world-changing)
@B_Lindz I first played OoT a few years after it came out (didn't get a N64 until then), but for some reason I never actually finished it until I got my Wii (and played it through the GameCube port).
@Kidfunkadelic83 And Sony owns the Bond IP itself (not to mention if some other company currently has an exclusive video game rights contract), so that would be a lot of people to give money to.
@KingMike i think their is a few fingers in that Bond shaped pie. Would be nice if N could come to some arrangement with MS to get some of the other Rare games tho. Plenty to chose from.
@YusseiWarrior3000
Not saying it is valued just a prediction.
Brilliant as that list is, there is only 5 or 6 games I really want to play again. Others I have either played to death or have been bettered by "subsequent versions".
I would have Ocarina as no.1, yes
Majora's Mask is most certainly not best played on the 3DS. Majora's Mask 3D has so many terrible changes.
@valcoholic Majora's Mask 3D is inferior to the original though. Sure, the graphics are better, but there are so many bad gameplay changes in it that are completely pointless or just dumb down the game
Super mario is better then banjo kazooie
@Durians ah; i believe I saw a video about that years ago. What a shame. However, I would just hope that they at least can fix the framerates.
Waverace better be coming otherwise I'll riot!
Waverace better be coming, otherwise I'll riot!
Where is GoldenEye? Wasn't it the most successful N64 game ever released?
I loved the Rare N64 titles. Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day. Those were my go-to games besides the obvious Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Smash Bros, Mario Kart and Starfox 64.
I’m holding out hope for the weirder games- Mischief Makers, Glover, Buck Bumble, Mystical Ninja etc
I'm still hoping they add pokemon stadium 1 and 2 in future and Diddy kong racing and mario party 2 and 3 then ill consider getting it.
OoT at the top is a given. An all time great. Majora being number 2 is also the correct call IMO. I would have SM64 as no.3 though and Star Fox 64 a little lower down but still comfortably in the top 10. Minor quibble.
@StuTwo both of those games are unrivalled as games to just pick up and play for an hour. I never got bored of playing through Lylatwars. F-Zero GX was great, but I missed the sheer savageness of the side attack in X!
Mario Kart and Smash Bros. 64 ruined a lot of friendships back in the day, lol.
@Kitsune-sayer I completely agree. F-Zero X and Lylat Wars will definitely become move on to my "well I've got a quick 10-15 minutes to kill" list once they're easily accessible via this service. They are perfect for this type of service - bloated collectathon's probably less so (though I'm sure plenty of people will play through them on it).
Agreed on F-Zero X too - as much as I love F-Zero GX I've always found F-Zero X to be a more satisfying game to just turn on and play. It feels so good to eliminate opponents in that game.
They have never re-released Pilotwings 64 and to see it still devoid of a re-release really breaks my heart. Being able to replay it may just be what I need to make me accept to fork out the outrageous price they're asking.
I also hope we get Ridge Racer 64 eventually as that was also a great game, developed by NST. I know Namco, today Bandai Namco, owns the rights to the brand but with the price they're asking, surely they can arrange something to put it in our hands again.
After playing OT on NSO, I’m honestly looking forward to revisiting MM 64-style for the first time for real since the Wii era.
The 3DS is a near-perfect remake that improved upon the game with two glorious fishing ponds and better saving mechanics and some other key fixes, but the original has some quirk and charm to it that like with OT3D, wasn’t fully captured with the graphical and mechanical upgrades.
Honestly, if it weren’t for the issue of saving, I think I’d play MM a lot more. But the multisavestate functionality of NSO64 really fixes the fundamental issue with MM - “I can’t quit, I’ll lose all my progress if I don’t get to a save point!”
Mind you, Wii U had single save states in their emulated VC Roms, but multi opens up other time saving possibilities and just is generally more flexible and faster than the boggling slow save stating on Wii U.
am i the only one that played Hybrid Heaven... that game was amazing! please release that!
really good list. I think there is a huge gap between the top 6/7 and the rest. i really cant justify playing this mario kart over the new one, but understand it's a classic.
About what I'd expect, guess I'll drop my ranking(based on personal enjoyment, not what I think is best).
Banjo Kazooie
Super Mario 64
Paper Mario
F-Zero X
Sin and Punishment
Star Fox 64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Pokemon Snap
Mario Kart 64
Winback: Covert Operations
Yoshi's Story
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Mario Tennis
Mario Golf
Dr. Mario 64
zelda is so good those games should have been ranked 0 and -1, what a slap in the face to us fans
I'm not sure I could give a full ranking of every game currently available but I'm pretty sure what my top 3 are:
If you had told me these would be my favourites back in October of last year, I wouldn't have believed you in the slightest and yet: here we are. Also:
I’ve spilled a TON of hours into Banjo Kazooie. Being that it’s the first time back on a Nintendo console, it’s easily my number one. Yes, the Zelda 64 games are incredible icons in Nintendo history, but truly I’d rather have the 3DS polished upgrades around since we’ve been able to play the 64 versions for the most part on all systems since the came out. Shout out to those with the Zelda Collector’s Disc on GameCube!
Bring back virtual console!
At some point between BotW2 release date and the release date of the next new 3D Zelda, there is a very high chance that Nintendo will release a full remake of Ocarina of Time. No evidence. No leaks. Just a gut feeling.
Would love to see any of these...
Donkey Kong 64
Rayman 64
Bomberman Hero
Megaman 64
Snowboard Kids 1 & 2
1080
Extreme G
Golden Eye
Jet Force Gemini
Number 4 (Super Mario 64) and number 3 (Banjo-Kazooie) are my favourites on the list, they always have been. 👍
I just wish that we could get ‘Banjo-Tooie’ for the Online service as well.
I mean this is a very basic N64 Top 18 list in general, its not like its hfull of surprises.
I personally do think that, desite me not buying this game at lanch as I thought it looked so clunky and empty and not N64 enough, today I believe F-Zero 64 is the one game that aged absolutely the best of all due to its superdynamic controls, 60 fps and 30 racers which is an experience you still don't see too often with modern games. 99% of the other N64 games have been built on by dozens of similar games ever since. FZero X just got GX which is arguably my favorite but as long as theres no chance to play it on any of the current consoles, X is still pretty unique.
Kudos for that Wave Race 64 description text, I giggled.
I'm actually pretty surprised Banjo got ahead of Mario
I bought WINBACK the day it launched. Friends scoffed at me, but I still argue the laser sight mechanic originated here was the pre-curser to RE4's brilliant targeting system. COME AT ME, BRO!
GoldenEye should be #1!
NSO- N64 needs to also add...
.. Expeditiously at that please (i.e. more frequent & voluminous drops).
… Wun can only hope.
@Ratmasterd21 Old post, but this is an ongoing thread, and frankly I am tired of hearing people claim that the N64 has no good games even into 2022. It absolutely does.
The current list looks like this, from bottom to top: Dr. Mario 64, WinBack, Yoshi's Story, Pokemon Puzzle League, Kirby 64, Pokemon Snap, Pilotwings 64, Mario Golf, Sin and Punishment, Wave Race 64, Mario Tennis, Mario Kart 64, F-Zero X, Paper Mario, Star Fox 64, Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Majora's Mask, and Ocarina of Time.
Here are just some of the games not on this list that are absolutely worth playing: 1080 Snowboarding, Banjo-Tooie, BattleTanx and Global Assault, Beetle Adventure Racing, Blast Corps, Bomberman 64 and Second Attack, Buck Bumble, Castlevania/Legacy of Darkness, Chameleon Twist and Chameleon Twist 2, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Cruis'n World and Exotica, Custom Robo and Custom Robo V2, Duck Dodgers, Diddy Kong Racing and Mickey's Speedway USA, Donkey Kong 64, Doom 64, Excitebike 64, Extreme-G 2, F-1 World Grand Prix, Forsaken 64, GT 64, Gauntlet Legends, Gex 64 and Gex 3, Glover, GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, Harvest Moon 64, Hybrid Heaven, Jet Force Gemini, Magical Tetris Challenge, Mischief Makers, Mortal Kombat 4, Mystical Ninja and Goemon's Great Adventure, New Tetris and Tetrisphere, Ogre Battle 64, Quest 64, Rally Challenge 2000, Rayman 2 and Tonic Trouble, Ridge Racer 64, Rocket, Rush and Rush 2 and Rush 2049, Shadow Man, Shadowgate 64, Star Soldier Vanishing Earth, Star Wars Shadows of the Empire and Rogue Squadron and Battle for Naboo and Racer, Super Smash Bros, Top Gear Rally and Rally 2 and Overdrive and Hyper-Bike, Toy Story 2, Turok and Turok 2 and Turok 3, Wetrix, and World Driver Championship.
This is all stuff that I've either played myself (yes Quest 64 and Castlevania actually are good games), or have heard good things about from multiple sources and plan to play eventually (I've never played Ogre Battle 64, but seemingly everyone else on the planet has). This is not a wishlist, as a lot of these games are likely not going to be rereleased ever. That being said, most of this list is not licensed. I'm just saying that there are a lot of great games on the 64, and I want to point out that this is not a complete list.
@kartus I'm not reading that wall of text dude.
The N64 has 2 JRPGs and only 1 is worth playing ( Ogre Battle 64) and 5 fighting games only 2 of which are worth playing (smash and MK trilogy) those are my 2 favorite types of games and SNES was jammed packed with them. I'm not lowing my standards to play duck dodgers or Shadow man when I can play FF9 on my ps1 and arcade perfect X-men vs street fighter on my Sega Saturn.
@Ratmasterd21 Of course not, you didn't want an actual response, you just wanted to whine about the N64. Imagine meaninglessly comparing a bunch of randomly chosen games to each other though. But I guess you think you're such a big shot with your imported Saturn arcade ports.
@Ratmasterd21 I could swear the N64 had more RPGs than two... Does Harvest Moon 64 count? I mean the best RPGs on the console I can think of are Paper Mario, Ogre Battle 64 and maybe Gauntlet Legends (if that counts).
@Wexter I honestly forgot about paper Mario. Add that to the list. THREE JRPGS. Harvest Moon is a life sim, and Gauntlet is a port of an arcade game. besides that we have the aforementioned Ogre battle 64, the TERRIBLE Quest 64, and um..........
Edit; forgot to mention harvest moon
@kartus Yeah I'd say I'm a big shot. Also way to skate around the facts. N64 is a great console if you like first party Nintendo games, or racers, or poorly aged 3d adventure games, but thats about it. No JRPGs ( save for Ogre battle and as the other guy said Paper Mario) very few fighting games ( seriously its the only Nintendo console without a street fighter game. Even the Wii U had street fighter on VC and the virtual boy as a SF2 port)
SO unless I'm going to sit down and play quest 64 rather than say Dragon Quest 7 (dragon warrior VII in the west) or Clayfighter 64 over Tekken 3, I'd rather game somewhere else.
Pity cant buy any of them...
I revisited F-Zero X and it's every bit as entertaining as it was when I first played it on the Wii virtual console in eighth grade. It's a top-fiver imo. Banjo Kazooie over Mario 64 is madness though.
@wuntyme8 Wonderful selection there. Would be wonderful additions for sure.
Fire yourselves and close the site, putting banjo ahead of mario 64, what were you thinking, its not even a question of opinion, Mario 64 is the reason banjo even exists, how dare you underwhelm the massive achievement super mario 64 was for every 3D platformer, what an absolute disgrace, this is just ridiculous and should be rectified or taken down…
F-Zero X is better than GX. Better courses, purer racing, more sustained speed. Anyone that says otherwise doesn't understand the F-Zero ethos. X only lacks with the basic graphics, which is easily fixed with an updated version on Switch.
All of them are fantastic.
@Jalex_64 what do you mean? I ain’t ranking, there’s opinions sure, and there’s also the fact that we’re talking about the first 3D gen of consoles, where pretty much none of the game genres were able to translate to this new technology, and Ocarina of time and Mario 64, are major timeless achievements in the industry, do you disagree? You think banjo sits better on this list above Mario 64, that came out two years earlier? You make it sound like, I’m upset my fav nostalgic game didn’t “win” the opinion contest, and that’s not the case at all, I was playing terrible 3D platformers on my Sega Saturn at the time…
Banjo Kazooie better than Mario 64? That's idiotic.
Some of those are way off from what I'd rank them, the list is about what I expected though. I'm hoping we get more 3rd party N64 stuff next year, that part of the lineup is pretty lacking. We only have Banjo, Winback, and Goldeneye in the near-ish future. I'd love see some Goemon, Bomberman, Snowboard Kids, etc.
NOPE. sorry, you put Pilot Wings and Wave Racer in front of Crystal Shards? Instantly lost all credibility for me rip
there’s no way f zero is better than mario kart 64
Wish we could go back to the glory of the wii vc. I don't have a NSO subscription and I don't plan on getting it for games I can emulate for free.
Wish Nintendo would just release a legacy console with a great eshop to download old games. I'd pick that up day one. Right now I use my unhacked wii from 2007 that has like 10 gems on it that I legit bought and downloaded. Nothing on Switch currently is enough for me to rebuy one apart from the next Zelda. I'll defo pick up a Switch for Zelda but at the moment I seriously am happy with the wii and delving into the back catalogue of wii and gamecube games.
@wilde No they didn't, the NintendoLife Community did
@Ratmasterd21 "Way to skate around the facts", says someone actually skating around the facts. I don't care what your favorite genres are, I'm just telling you that the N64 has a ton of great games, which is a simple fact. It's tiring seeing people like you say whatever nonsense you want and get away with it, over and over again.
@kartus I said it had a ton of great games though. just not a great games for people who don't play racers or first party Nintendo games.
@Fizza Winback propaganda, here we go
So Winback, a game that has aged like wine, has fair difficulty and meaningfully innovated on the shooter genre (instead of just "being a good shooter on a console"), is #21
But GoldenEye, which has terrible enemy placement, confusing levels/missions and has overall aged like milk: got 3rd.
Nostalgia is strong with this site, eh?
Removed - trolling
@Zanzox So then buy the 3DS one of it bothers you so much
@Ratmasterd21 eat those words while you play Goldeneye!
Goldeneye and Banjo Kazooie are nowhere near as amazing as Mario 64. Shame.
@andyg1412 yup I was wrong.
Majora's mask on the second place. Amazing. I did not expect that.
I think the top 5 is accurate, but the order will obviously vary between everyone.
Not sure about NL's Goldeneye multiplayer setup recommendations though...
ok, I'm a little less angry (for now) about Nintendo joining the Wallet Rapers (a.k.a. subscription bull crap). The games on this list that I care about I either have the 3DS version, on my Wii U, or have some other version of it. All of which I OWN and don't have to dump money down the drain in order to be able to keep playing it
Still holding out. Won’t pay for the expansion pass. GBA or GC should have been included; and years ago. Better lineup on my native hardware.
Dear Nintendo,
Please add the rewind button to Nintendo 64 games and all other games and consoles that have yet to be released on NSO. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Froddy
I'll keep playing these on my series x (retroarch) until nintendo decides to allow purchase of these games on switch. Subscription service on switch is rubbish.
Playing Wave Race 64 is just as memorable to me as Mario 64 and GoldenEye... and MK64 Battle Mode.
If Nintendo got some good 3rd party N64 titles on NSO, I would probably upgrade for a bit.
There's actually a lot of really good titles there.
Well that's messed up.
Mario 64 BEHIND Banjo? That's a crime.
Goldeneye just behind the Zelda games and better than all of the others? That's just an absolute joke. It is so overrated, go back to actually playing it people and then go play some turok or perfect dark and just compare. If it's worse than these how can it be better than mario 64 for example?
Seeing these screenshots that were used to promote these games back in the day makes me feel incredibly old.
There are so many good games on here.
My top 5 list from the games here on.
1. Majora's mask.
2. Ocarina of time.
3. Banjo and Kazooie.
4. Super Mario 64.
5. F-zero X.
Oh hybrid heaven, i so want that game back
The Pokémon stadiums were 8/10 on N64 but they become like 4/10 on switch online without the transfer pack.
Winback should be higher. I don’t know about it for ages and it’s maybe even better gameplay wise than mgs1. Anyway Ocarina is amazing and should be 1st- also it deserves a remake finally!!!!!
Remake ocarina of time!!!! It’s ages overdue!!!!!
Doubt we will ever get conker's bad fur day. Other games i would love Blastcorps, Turok 1 and 2. Oh and flipping Diddy Kong racing!.
Banjo beating out Mario? Cheeky! Also true.
@Znake The 3DS remake absolutely rules
Wow the people are wrong again.
bones wrote:
They're on the eshop from Nightdive Studios.
As a n64 fan from back in the day... its terribly disappointing that all these games have not aged well at all and as much as ive tried to play them... none of them draw me in like the use to. I wont be renewing when the subscription is up. Ocerina and majoras mask are in desperate need of a remake. Something that my kids can enjoy and see why i loved these games in the first place. In their current state... my kids want nothing to do with them and its a crying shame
@Bret honestly I would be fine even if they released an updated Ocarina of Time 3D on Switch
If this "ranking" took playability into account, Goldeneye would be much further in the list. It's properly unplayable with the Switch controls, and I can't bring myself to pay the N64 controller for Switch just for this.
Mario kart 64 in 11th? Shame on you NintendoLife readers!!!
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