TheNintendo 64launched in the United States on September 29th, 1996, one full year after Sony’s CD-based platform,PlayStation, was outperforming every other system on the market. This was also the year console manufacturers started discontinuing under-performing home consoles such as the Atari Jaguar, Sega CD and 32x, the Panasonic 3DO, and Phillips CD-i.
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To say Nintendo was the underdog going into 1996 with a cartridge-based system to take on the PlayStation behemoth is an understatement. In its first 11 weeks, the Nintendo 64 sold1.5 million units, and by 1998 had shipped a whopping 7 million consolesin the United States alone. Fans were clamoring to own a Nintendo 64, and for a good reason. So, here are the best Nintendo 64 games that contributed to the console’s massive global success.
Updated by Chad Thesen onDecember 31st,2023:This article has been updated to bring it up to a higher level of quality. This will enhance the reader’s experience and make the article more engaging thanks to the inclusion of metacritic scores, bullet point facts, and special tags under each entry that readers can make use of.
10Pokémon Snap
Metascore: 79
Part of what made the Nintendo 64 so successful was some of the more innovative games to have been released on the console.Pokémon Snapfor the N64 was anabsolute joyforPokémonfans and awonderful surprisefor Nintendo owners when it launched in the US in 1999. You play as Todd Snap and are conducting aspecial research missionfor Professor Oak. The mission is toobserve Pokémonin their natural environments and take pictures of them. What more could you ask for?
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Today, this entire game is more or less a common feature in modern video games in the form of a Photo Mode. Back then, the idea of watching a Charizard chilling in a volcano next to a passed-out Voltorb was sort of mind-blowing.
Pokemon Snap
9Super Smash Bros.
Holding the mantle of not only thefifth best-selling Nintendo 64game of all time but also being responsible for ushering in an entiregenre,Super Smash Bros.proved Nintendo creative directors were on a roll in the late 90s.
Super Smash Bros.is aplatform fighterwhere you play as characters from the Nintendo library, such asMario, Pikachu, Link, and Donkey Kong. Each character has its own set of moves explicitly tied to their in-game personality. For example, Pikachu can summon a powerfullightning bolt attackonto his opponents. Super Smash Bros. has since become amassive successfor Nintendo with adie-hardfan base.
Super Smash Bros.
8Mario Kart 64
Metascore: 83
Nintendo has always been a company that focuses its efforts onmultiplayer gamesjust as much as it does on itssingle-player games.Mario Kart 64is a kart racer featuring yourfavorite Mario charactersand levels that were inspired by the games.
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While racing through each course, you and your friends can findrandom weaponsandpower-ups. The game featured a meaningful drift mechanic that added an extra layer of skill you could master and also just made taking every sharp turn incredibly fun. The AI in Mario Kart 64 is also well-designed, as you never feel overpowered, and because of the power-ups, you are never really safe in the first place for too long.
Mario Kart 64
7Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Metascore: 85
The Battle of Hothcombat level inLucasArts'1998 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron is one of the most iconicStar Warsmoments in all Star Wars video games. Rogue Squadron on the Nintendo 64 was controlled effortlessly with the N64’s innovative analog controller. This game would later be ported to the PC under the name “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D.”
Flight combat battles feelintense,and the music and sound bring a sense ofimmersionhard to replicate at the time. Bullets, lasers, andtowering mechanical giantsall fill the surrounding ambiance, which was a real game design achievement at the time. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron has been viewed by many as the game that proved Star Wars games could be fun and innovative while remainingdedicated to the source material.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
6Super Mario 64
As many have said before,Super Mario 64had not only an incredible impact on the gaming industry but also on Nintendo as a world leader in video games and console design. Taking a 2D character from a side-scrolling 8-bit platformer and transforming it into a fully rendered 3D platforming masterpiece is somehowundersellinghow Super Mario 64changed the gaming landscapewhen it was released alongside the Nintendo 64 in 1999.
Mariocontrols fluidlyand has many more movement options than his2D counterpart. The environments and the world are all brilliantly stylized, and levels are smartly designed with just the right amount of challenge. Super Mario 64 reminded the industry why Nintendo was and continues to be thecreator and innovator of fun.
Super Mario 64
5WWF No Mercy
Metascore: 89
Released in 2000,THQ and Aki Corporation’sWWF No Mercybecame the standard by which all subsequent wrestling games would be judged. Striking at the height of WWF’s Attitude Era, WWF No Mercy was critically acclaimed as one of the best wrestling games ever, thanks to its fluid controls, licensed characters, and overallfun gameplay.
The game featured over60 playable charactersfor you to choose from to unleash hell on your friends or the AI. WWF No Mercy even came with abuilt-incharacter creatormode so fans of wrestling could live out their dream of executing theStink Face on Vince McMahon.
WWF No Mercy
4Donkey Kong 64
Metascore: 90
Donkey Kong 64hit the scene in 1999 in aBIGway and has since been known as one of the best Nintendo 64 games ever released.Developer RAREand Nintendo had a specific vision forDonkey Kongand his pals, and while there may be polarizing arguments on both sides of the debate, it can be argued that DK64 makes up for quality with itsquantity.
Donkey Kong 64 is an open-world adjacent adventure game with amultitude of itemsand charactersto collect. The game featuredsave slotsanddozens of hours of gameplay.There are platforming levels, puzzles, racing, shooting galleries, and more on your way to one of the moreiconic final boss battle locationsin video game history.
Donkey Kong 64
3Paper Mario
Metascore: 93
One of the biggestmust-playson this list isPaper Mario. Once again, Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach, and it’s up to the two plumbing powerhouses,Mario and Luigi,to rescue her. This Mario, however, is a little different from how you may remember him.
Released in the US in 2001, Paper Mario is animportant gamefor the industry because it was seen at the time as the perfect conduit for Western audiences who may havenever experiencedor played an actual RPG before. The game features afun storyandhilarious dialogue. Even when just appreciated as a turn-based adventure RPG, Paper Mario on its own is amasterful piece of video game design.
Paper Mario
2GoldenEye 007
Metascore: 96
Speaking of fun,GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 became the best multiplayer game on the system and brought the FPS genre into a more viable form on home consoles. In GoldenEye, you take control of none other than James Bond himself andcomplete missions with various challenges.
Each mission plays out like aJames Bond movie,complete with secret agent dialogue and drama. However, the multiplayer portion of 007 is where many have spentcountless hoursplayingThe Man With The Golden Gun!with their friends on asplit-screentelevision.
GoldenEye 007
1The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Metascore: 99
If Super Mario 64 was anindication of how well2D franchises can transfer over into 3D form on the N64, then The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Timeperfected it —coming in with a near-flawlessMetascore of 99. Ocarina of Time is the type of video game that rarely gets to hold a video game title as prestigious as aTimeless Masterpiece.
Video games as recent asElden RingandSuper Mario Odysseyhave theirDNA drenchedin what made Ocarina of Time aninstant classic. The dedication to the open-world detail, fun gameplay mechanics, and intelligent puzzles are clear indicators that the development team took their time and care in creating this game. Ocarina of Time shows clearly that video games are not just anentertainment mediumbut anamalgamationof various masterfully crafted art forms.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
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