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GameSpot: Ranking the Best N64 Games

IbizaPocholo

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


The Nintendo 64 is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and it’s getting a lot of love from Nintendo, with their Nintendo Switch Online expanding to include classic N64 games like Super Mario 64, Starfox 64 and the Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. So with all the N64 love in the air, we’re looking back for that quick hit of nostalgia to decide the best games on the N64.

In this video, we go over the best games that the Nintendo 64 had to offer over its entire lifetime. From the weirdness of Grunty’s Lair in Banjo-Kazooie to the space adventure of Starfox 64, the 64 era was filled with classic worlds to discover and explore. Not only that, but with games like Super Mario 64, the N64 helped to define what 3D gaming could become. Even more, games like Mario Kart 64 set the template for long-running series that have dominated entire genres.

For this ranking, we look at everything from the multiplayer madness of Goldeneye 007 to the dark themes of Majora’s Mask to the horrors of Resident Evil 2… and it’s graphics. Even further, we highlight some underappreciated gems like Conker’s Bad Fur Day… though we hope you’ll forgive us if we forget to talk about Superman 64.

If you want to see how you can replay some of these nostalgic games, check out the news about N64 games, as well as some Sega Genesis classics, will be coming to Nintendo Switch Online later this year here!
Click to expand...

Mario 64, GoldenEye, RE2, CONKER and Perfect Dark for me!
 
alabtrosMyster

alabtrosMyster

Banned
Bragr said:
It's GameSpot, you should be happy they spelled Mario correct.

Modern-day GameSpot talking about games is like a crab talking about windmills.
Click to expand...
Hey, I was trying to find some Foundation review the other day(I know not games...) and one of the youtubers was so clueless he kept calling it Foundations while giving his "expert" opinion.
 
Ozzy Onya A2Z

Ozzy Onya A2Z

Member
So many great games on such a fun platform.

To have games like DK64, Mario Party, 1080 snowboarding, Wave Rave 64, Starfox, Paper Mario, F Zero, Bomberman and Turok all missing and fighting for a spot in the list is just incredible. I had a ton of roommates and friends all fighting to be one of the 4 players going at it night after night. What a couch gaming time to have experienced.

It's tough to select your favs but I'd go something like this -
  1. Mario 64
  2. Ocarina of Time
  3. Goldeneye
  4. Perfect Dark
  5. Mario Kart
  6. Bomberman
  7. Mario Party
  8. DK
  9. Wave Rave
  10. Bomberman
 
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Cutty Flam

Cutty Flam

Banned
1. Super Mario 64
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
1. Paper Mario
2. Mario Kart 64
3. Mario Party 2
3A. Super Smash Bros.
4. Yoshi's Story
5. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
6. Mario Party 3
7. Banjo-Kazooie
8. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
9. Conker's Bad Fur Day
10. Road Rash 64

Too difficult to rank them, every time. There's like 20 N64 games in the GOAT tier
 
nkarafo

nkarafo

Member
F-Zero X will always be my favorite N64 game, above classics like Mario 64, Zelda and Goldeneye.

Top 3 GOAT even, for me.
 
Naked Lunch

Naked Lunch

Member
After all these years I find myself returning more often to these lesser known N64 games over the obvious heavy hitters:
Sin and Punishment
Bangai-O
Ogre Battle 64
Beetle Adventure Racing
Mischief Makers
WCW Revenge

SnP might be my favorite game of all time.
 
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Marty-McFly

Marty-McFly

Banned
Scrolled through the video and saw no Wave Race but did see Diddy Kong Racing and MK64

Gamespot is a parody of itself at this point. How far they have fallen.
 
Marty-McFly

Marty-McFly

Banned
Naked Lunch said:
After all these years I find myself returning more often to these lesser known N64 games over the obvious heavy hitters:
Sin and Punishment
Bangai-O
Ogre Battle 64
Beetle Adventure Racing
Mischief Makers
WCW Revenge

SnP might be my favorite game of all time.
Click to expand...
Star Successor was even better.
 
StateofMajora

StateofMajora

Banned
Marty-McFly said:
Star Successor was even better.
Click to expand...
Star successor is a lowkey masterpiece.

-----

Anyway, snowboard kids 2 needs some love ITT. Best "kart" racer on the platform. World driver championship is better than GT graphics wise and RR64 is a classic. Goldeneye was so damn fun it never got old. Waverace 64 still makes me gawk at the water and the physics are timeless. Banjo kazooie and tooie are my most loved games outside of Nintendo. Conker was revolutionary and hilarious.

I could go on, but i've got at least 60 physical 64 carts.

As for the best games overall... I can never decide between majora's mask or paper mario. But I don't think I should because in terms of tone they are polar opposites.
 
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IbizaPocholo

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


As IGN celebrates its 25th anniversary, we're updating our previous Top N64 Games list, originally written more than 21 years ago, to celebrate the N64 games that have left the biggest mark not just on our lives, but on the industry as a whole. Here are the top 10 N64 games of all time.
Click to expand...
 
Sidney Prescott

Sidney Prescott

Member
Mario 64, Goldeneye and Ocarina of Time got to be my Top 3. So many good games for that console and I have so many fond memories of it considering it was my first growing up.
 
Spukc

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
Ozzy Onya A2Z said:
So many great games on such a fun platform.

To have games like DK64, Mario Party, 1080 snowboarding, Wave Rave 64, Starfox, Paper Mario, F Zero, Bomberman and Turok all missing and fighting for a spot in the list is just incredible. I had a ton of roommates and friends all fighting to be one of the 4 players going at it night after night. What a couch gaming time to have experienced.

It's tough to select your favs but I'd go something like this -
  1. banjo kazooie
  2. Ocarina of Time
  3. Goldeneye
  4. Perfect Dark
  5. diddy kong racing
  6. Misschief makers
  7. Mario Party
  8. DK
  9. Wave Rave
  10. Bomberman
Click to expand...
ftfy
 
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S

SpongebobSquaredance

Unconfirmed Member
no Paper Mario?
Spock Encerio GIF
 
kunonabi

kunonabi

Member
If I were to do my Top 25 it would probably look like:

007: The World is Not Enough
Bomberman 64
Castlevania
Doom 64
Fighter Destiny 2
Getter Love!!: Chō Renai Party Game Tanjō
Goemon's Great Adventure
Goldeneye 007
Harvest Moon 64
Hybrid Heaven
Mario Kart 64
Mischief Makers
Mystical Ninja starring Goemon
Ogre Battle 64
Sin & Punishment
Star Fox 64
Star Wars Episode 1: Battle for Naboo
Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Super Mario 64
Tetrisphere
Wave Race 64
Wonder Project J2
WWF No Mercy

A lot of those are some of my favorite games of all time too.
 
Dream-Knife

Dream-Knife

Banned
My top 10 probably:
Perfect Dark
Ocarina of Time
Goldeneye
Majora's Mask
F-Zero X
Mario 64
Smash 64
TWINE 64
Battletanx Global Assault
Rainbow Six
 
Handel

Handel

Member
N64 laid a lot of the foundations for Nintendo games and games in general going forward, and it has it's share of great games such as OoT, SM64 and the Rare titles, but it only has one masterpiece title : Majora's Mask. MM is the GOAT though, so that elevates the system as a whole.
 
Augusto Pinochet

Augusto Pinochet

Banned
Top games not by Nintendo Rare. Lucasarts. Iguana. Boss games for a change of pace

Mns Goemon
Ogre battle 64
Roadsters
Body harvest
Hybrid heaven
Doom 64
Extreme G
Airboarder 64
F1 wgp
Castlevania
Rocket
Silicon valley
SFRush
Fighters destiny
ISS 2000
Aidyn Chronicles (i will defend this game in a fist fight if necessary. Great game)

And so much more....
The N64 had amazing 3rd party games most of them exclusive.
Anyone who tells you N64 was just Nintendo and Rare and that the console has very few good games outside of those is LIAR and an ignorant.
The N64 library has the most good games to number of games released ratio ever and is not even close.
 
HYDE

HYDE

Banned
1. Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario
3. Zelda: Majora’s Mask

All 3 are the best and need to be remade (again)!!!
 
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