Top 15 N64 Games (that I've played)

This was a tough list to make, not because I couldn't pick my 15 games, but because I couldn't order them since they are all such great games.

Once again, this is games that I've played; believe it or not, I never played Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini, Mario Golf, Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, or Conker. I really need to pick some more N64 games up, as it's one of my favorite consoles.

So without further ado, here are my top 15 N64 games!



15. Yoshi's Story



Yoshi's story was possibly the only sidescroller I played on the N64, and one of my favorite sidescrollers ever. Yoshi's Story is the "sequel" to Yoshi's Island, and in my opinion, much better cause you don't have a screaming baby destroying your eardrums the whole game. Yoshi's story has an unique style and soundtrack that defines it as one of the most gorgeous games on the N64.

14. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter



In Turok the Dinosaur Hunter, you're a time traveling native American warrior (if that isn't bada** enough) , who fights dinosaurs, aliens, robots etc. Using about a dozen weapons from all different time periods, Turok is probably the best non-rare FPS on the N64. It also has an awesome soundtrack, great atmosphere, and a cheat mode.

                                 One of the many guns to choose from in "Turok"



13. Pokemon Snap



Pokemon really blew up when the N64 was in its prime, and Pokemon snap was unique product that didn't really sell too well. It's a shame because Pokemon snap is a really fun and relaxing game.  In this on-rails safari adventure, you play as a photographer in the mysterious world of Pokemon. Various species of Pokemon are in view, or hidden, and all you have to do is either throw food, use a smoke bomb, or play a Pokeflute. These actions cause the Pokemon to change their behavior, which may affect the behavior of other Pokemon, and while this is happening you can get your perfect photo. My question is, is where is Pokemon Snap 2? Come on Nintendo, this would be perfect for the Wii, where is it?

                                                  A Meowth chasing a Pidgy


12. Mario Party Series



Ahh, Mario Party, I'm sure everyone has played this game, being that there is a few thousand sequels (sarcasm) in existence now. It's OK though, if there is "one party game to rule them all" it's the Mario Party series. It's just like a board game, the main goal is to collect stars, and after everyone's turn you play some sort of mini game. Monopoly on steroids. I usually dominated this while playing with my friends, although, I would intentionally lose the mini game where you have to "draw" a specified object. It's much more satisfying to see all my friends surprised, because while they were working hard drawing a star or mushroom, I drew a penis.


11. 1080 Snowboarding



1080 Snowboarding was the best snowboarding game of its time, and it paved the way for more popular series like SSX. Aside from the normal racing mode, 1080 had a Half pipe trick mode. With an awesome electronic soundtrack, unlockable boards & unlockable characters such as Pandabear, this game is a must if you have an N64.

10. Donkey Kong 64



Donkey Kong 64 is one of the best platformers I've ever played, with 5 completely unique characters that have all sorts of powers. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong (isn't he an orangutan?) and Chunky Kong destroy the Kremlins with a plethora of weapons, instruments, and special powers. The only crime this game committed is that it teased a sequel on the "Dolphin" which was the codename for the Gamecube. Too bad we got "Donkey Konga" instead of a sequel which would have been awesome.

Possibly the most awesome worst thing ever, I give you the "DK Rap"
(PS. Lanky Kong is da bomb)


                                  The "DK" Rap

9. Mario Kart 64



Possibly the best Mario Kart in the series, Mario Kart 64 is one of the best kart racers in gaming. With a great single player mode , extremely well designed tracks, and an awesome multiplayer, Mario Kart is one of the most fun games to play with friends. Battle Mode with 4 players is a lot of chaotic fun, and racing never gets old. Toad is still cheap though.

                            Peach, Bowser, and Yoshi racing on "Toads Turnpike"

8. Goldeneye 007



Goldeneye 007 is arguably the best FPS of all time, with non-arguably the best local multiplayer ever. The single player mode is amazing; the soundtrack is one of the best  soundtracks on the N64 and 00 Agent mode is extremely challenging. There's a ton of cheats you can earn (yes I beat the facility on 00 Agent in under 2:05 :P) and overall a ton of replay value. Multiplayer has a monstrous amount of levels and characters to choose from, and the diversity of the weapons keep you playing over and over again.

                               All the cheats you can unlock in "Goldeneye"

7. Diddy Kong Racing



The best Kart racer and possibly the best (and hardest) racing game I've ever played. Diddy Kong Racing has a ton of stuff to do (what rare game didn't?). Epic boss races, a great soundtrack, 3 types of vehicles (Kart, Hoverboat, Plane) and fun multiplayer. On top of that there was the ridiculously hard silver coin challenges, where you have to collect 8 hard to get coins, + come in first place, and guess what? After you complete the whole game you have to do it again, in reverse.

There's also a pretty good remake of this on the DS, with online multiplayer, and you can even record your own voice so when you get hit, or use a boost or something, it uses the custom sound. The only thing that kind of sucks about the DS remake is there's no silver coin challenge, and Banjo was taken out as a character, although they did add a ton of stuff.

                                                      The character roster

6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time



What is there to say about Ocarina of Time that hasn't already been said? Most people consider it the greatest game of all time. You play as Link, who travels through time, to become a kid or adult at will, with the power of his Ocarina. LoZ:OoT is possibly the most visually stunning game on the N64, and again, like so many other games on this list, has an amazing soundtrack. The boss fights are engaging and the temples are perfect examples of how puzzles should be handled in video games (except from the water temple, which, everyone hates).

                                                      Link & Epona

5. Blast Corps




In Blast Corps., a truck carrying a nuke is on a nonstop path through different areas around the world, and it's your job to destroy everything in its path to ensure it doesn't hit anything and detonate. You have many vehicles at your disposal a bulldozer, dumptruck, a motorcycle equipped with missiles, a buggy, cars, giant robots, and even the dukes of hazard car and the A-team van.

                                   A few of the many vehicles in "Blast Corps."

If that's not cool enough, once you get gold metals on all the missions you get to destroy structures on the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and race on Neptune and Mercury, and there's even a Pac Man level. Then after that you go for the platinum metals, which are nothing short of impossible. Out of the 50 or so levels I only earned maybe 10 platinum metals. To earn them, you have to demolish extremely efficiently to clear the level in the ridiculously fast time limit they give you. But y'know, it is Rare, so what do you expect.


           Demolishing flying marbles on Mars never looked better

4. Bomberman 64 / Bomberman 64: The Second Attack



Not many people know how amazing of a game Bomberman 64 is. It's one of my favorite games of all time. When you think of Bomberman you really wouldn't think any of the games would have an engaging story, but one of my favorite things about Bomberman 64 is the story. I won't spoil too much but there's a pretty big twist when you fully complete the game that's surprising. As for the gameplay, its nothing like a traditional Bomberman. It's a platformer, with powerup's familiar to the Bomberman series. There's 5 Worlds (and one bonus) each with 4 levels. Levels 1 & 3 are platforming levels, level 2 is a duel between you and one of the villains, and then level 4 is a Big boss fight, such as a Dragon, Leviathan, a metal giant, and an Ice Spider.

                                                  Boss fight vs. Leviathan


Each level has 5 "gold cards", 4 of which can be obtained in the level and 1 that you get if you beat the level fast enough. Getting the gold card in the boss fights is pretty rough, take Leviathan above for example. You get a gold card for taking out each flipper, throwing one in his mouth, destroying his antenna, and then beating it fast enough, and you have to get them all at once.

                                      A multiplayer match, don't fall into the water!

Bomberman 64 has a ridiculously fun multiplayer as well, with about a dozen levels, it will keep you busy for quite awhile, even now, if you can get some friends together, you will probably be hooked on it for hours.



If you've never played Bomberman 64, you must, anyway you can. Everything about it is amazing, the techno soundtrack, the duels, boss fight, multiplayer, and great story. This game deserves more press as it gets little recognition. If there's one thing you should take from this top 15 it should be to give Bomberman 64 a try.

3. Super Mario 64



Super Mario 64 is my favorite Mario game, with vast levels that were visually stunning as well as fun to play. This time Mario has to find 90 stars (but you can get all 120) to unlock the last level, fight Bowser, and save the princess. At the time of Super Mario 64's release, there weren't many 3D platformers, and none of them controlled and played as well as Super Mario 64. Soaring through the air with the "wing cap" for the first time was an experience I'll never forget. If you haven't played this Super Mario 64, you're definitely missing a classic, as it set the standard for platformers today.

Nintendo made a great DS remake, which also lets you play as Luigi, Wario, and Yoshi, along side Mario. Additionally, they added another 30 stars, bringing the total to 150.

 

                            Mario contemplating how things are able to float in mid air

2. Starfox 64



Starfox 64 is an on rails 3rd person space shooter, that made a mark on the gaming world in many many ways. 1st, is that it came bundled with the "Rumble Pack". This was the first time many of us have ever experienced a "rumble" controller, and even though it's not a big deal now, there was nothing more satisfying then hitting the 8 switches, while riding in the landmaster on Macbeth, and sending that sorry excuse for a train conductor right into that giant factory. The explosion that follows shakes your controller like no other, and that experience made it much more realistic then it would have been without the rumble pack.

The 2nd thing that Starfox brought to the table was the voice acting. Hearing Peppy, Falco, and Slippy talk to you constantly was awesome, and made the player feel real comradery toward the Starfox team. Even hearing the threats of Star Wolf and his gang made you want to destroy them just a little more, and I loved every moment of it.






The gameplay is great too; short enough to finish it in one sitting, but so many levels and alternate routes that it will have you coming back for more, to explore and to try to set a new high score. This game is a truly a masterpiece.

 

The galaxy map, showing all the different paths you can take.

1. Super Smash Bros.



Super Smash Bros. started, in my opinion one of Nintendo's greatest franchises, which is, a collaboration of all of their franchises. Super Smash Bros. is a fighting game with 12 of Nintendo's biggest stars, along with their worlds, soundtracks, and items. Although, it's not just a regular fighting game, it basically invented its own style of the fighting genre. It's a more casual type of fighter, although it takes much skill to master it. It's amazingly fast paced, and just a huge amount of fun overall. If you have never played this, you must, and if you've never played any of the games in the Super Smash Bros. series, you're just insane.

                                    The full character roster in Super Smash Bros.




If you remember, here's the commercial for Super Smash when it first came out, it's hilarious, so check it out.




So there it is, my Top 15 N64 games, this took me about 6 hours, so I hope you all enjoy the read.

One other thing though, there are a few games I wanted to give an honorable mention too, these games are:

Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Pilot Wings 64
Wave Race 64

Next top 15 will be DS games. Later peeps.