#100. Jeopardy!
February 25, 1998
GameTek
Take-Two Interactive
$49.99 on Amazon
Why is this game called Jeopardy? The contestants are under time pressure but they’re not in any danger. They should be dangling over lava, or strapped to a rocket or something. I want to see these nerds in danger, damnit! What was I talking about? Oh right. As the announcer claims, this is Jeopardy. You know what this is. The design of the menus are deranged but once you get in a game, you’re just answering trivia questions in the form of a question. Also, there’s some really pixelated video clips of Alex Trebek that look like he’s trapped in the game like Yugi’s Grandpa. Get this for Dad for Christmas and play a round with him. It will make him really happy. — S. Finkelstein
#99. International Superstar Soccer ‘98
September 15, 1998
Konami
Konami
World Cup years for soccer franchises are a big opportunity to knock it out of the park, and while International Superstar Soccer ‘98 didn’t quite score the touchdown FIFA World to Road Cup ’98 did, it still manages to hit the jumper and get a good spot in the race car race, with it’s winning continuation of what made the original installment an early N64 highlight.
As FIFA simplified and perfected its controls every year, ISS’s manual provides pages and pages of button combinations for various moves, making its advanced maneuvers feel daunting instead of intuitive. That knock, and the fact that once again the lack of the proper license means you’ll have to settle for competing for the coveted (and made up) International Cup, holds this fun game back from the higher tiers of N64 soccer game glory. — M. Roebuck
#98. WinBack: Covert Operations
September 30, 1999
Koei
Omega Force
$42.49 on Amazon
One of the more oddball choices for the lineup of games in NSO’s Nintendo 64 catalog, WinBack: Covert Operations is a surprisingly competent experience. Some people jokingly refer to it as the Nintendo 64’s answer to Metal Gear Solid, but they aren’t entirely wrong. It’s a stealth game that involves third-person over the shoulder shooting mechanics, while hiding behind walls and corners. A whole lot of hiding behind walls and corners, which sounds repetitive but it’s actually pretty fun. So much so, that many games to follow it borrowed the mechanic, including later entries in the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Once I got my hands on it, I was surprised to see how influential this was to modern gaming at large. You play as Jean-Luc Cougar, a member of… S.C.A.T. Yes, that’s what it’s actually called. Your mission is to stop a giant satellite laser beam from being fired off by terrorists. The game’s soundtrack can be droning and repetitive at times, but it changes as your health bar decreases, which is one of the more anxiety-inducing elements I’ve experienced in gaming. — K. Podas
#97. Excitebike 64
April 30, 2000
Left Field Productions
Nintendo
$44.99 on Amazon
Ok, if you go over someone’s house and they ask if you want to play this game, do NOT trust them. This game is HARD and they are going to kick your ass.. It’s like someone at Nintendo saw how much people liked Mario Kart 64 and said “We need to put the children in their place.” This update of the classic NES title amps up the 90’s ‘tude and presents some X-Games-style motocross action. But this is not an ‘Easy to learn, hard to master’ game. You have to learn how to brake and slide if you want to get around any of these turns. If you bump into any other riders on the track, you’re going flying. I really like that there are some other track designs than just dirt arenas, including a full cross-country desert mode, and the track editor is impressive for the time. This is essentially Nintendo’s Gran Turismo but instead of immaculately detailed cars, you’re playing as “Jumpin’” Jim Rivers. — S. Finkelstein
#96. Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth
December 15, 1998
Hudson Soft
Electro Brain
$149.99 on Amazon
Another entry in the rich and illustrious lineage of shmups, Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth checks all the necessary boxes. Non-existent story? Check. Onscreen sensory assault? Check. Pew pew? Check and fucking double check. Real meat & potatoes shit. The only bells and whistles on this thing are the ones you successfully collide with as they fall between enemy waves. It’s okay to not always want to dodge and weave your way through a bullet hell. Once in a while, it’s nice to hold down one button and wave an analog stick around for hours. Crack a cold one, do practically nothing, and still feel like you’re absolutely crushing. This game is learning to whistle, it’s five different crayons. It’s all the shit in that Charlie Brown song. In fact, they should add an addendum to include the simple joys of just blasting the utter piss out of a polygonal robot with minimal effort.
PS: Don’t quote me on this, but it’s gotta be a top contender for shortest and most vaguely insulting ‘Reception‘ section on a Wikipedia article of all time. — W. MacDonald
#95. Road Rash 64
September 27, 1999
Pacific Coast Power and Light
THQ
This is such a ‘90s game it honestly took me a minute to interpret the menu options. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to play ‘Big Game’ or ‘Thrash’ mode. I think I ended up doing ‘Big Game?’ Anyway, this game is pretty fun! The crashes are great, the soundtrack is surprisingly solid, with licensed tunes that wouldn’t be out of place in a Tony Hawk game. Two years before Grand Theft Auto 3, Road Rash 64 let you knock a cop off of his motorcycle with a pool cue and I think that’s just fantastic. I’m not always great at devising strategies in games, but I came up with a cool “hang back and let everyone beat each other up,” strat that is fucking killer, FWIW. On the negative side, this game looks bland. On the positive side, this was the game that taught me the important life lesson that every time you buy a new motorcycle you have to change what gang you’re in. — M. Roebuck
#94. Hexen
June 24. 1997
Software Creations
GT Interactive
$49.99 on Amazon
A classic boomer shooter, Hexen flips the Doom formula on its head by replacing guns with magic. Ok, that’s basically the only difference. It uses a modified version of the Doom engine after all. FINE, this is just Magic Doom. What’s wrong with that? Nothing at all. The combat in Hexen feels satisfying as (ahem) hell, and the design style is surprisingly creepy for a pixelated N64 first-person shooter. Had Hexen come out in the 80s, uptight parents would have brought this game before Congress as evidence of Satan’s influence over their children. The sound is nothing to write home about, so mute your TV, blast some Darkthrone or Behemoth, and tell your dad you don’t feel like going to youth group anymore so you can stay home and play Hexen instead. — J. Danek
#93. Extreme-G 2
November 7, 1998
Probe Entertainment
Acclaim
$28.89 on Amazon
Extreme-G 2 treats us to an opening cinematic with a moderately frightening character model soaring through a moonlit harbor track of flashy neon and dramatic shadows. This character’s face, in the awkwardly long fifteen seconds we are forced to behold it, is completely still, and has a facial expression that can only be described as the Kubrick stare for horny adrenaline junkie bikers. It’s perfect.
The Extreme-G series is back, and this time with a lot more personality of its own. The game improves upon many of its predecessors’ shortcomings, making a triumphant return and developing its own identity. To its great benefit, Extreme-G 2 includes a cast of wacky drivers typical for the sci-fi racers of its time. Each of these characters is sporting some delightfully tacky, oversaturated riding suit complete with thigh windows, red visor goggles, skin-tight green fabric, and some bulky pauldrons that would make even a Dragon Ball Z character blush. While not as extensive or impressive as something like F-Zero, the characters add a much-needed charm and sense of place to the world of Extreme-G. The game has a coherent vision, even if that vision was created by someone who watched The Fifth Element once while high on shrooms. I dare say that more game artists should give that a try.
In addition to the character graphics, the lighting here is noticeably stronger than its predecessor, and the color palettes are much more adventurous, fully leaning into that retro space-y look. The main menu embodies this with its giant, spinning yellow ring surrounded by cool blue and purple tones. On the tracks themselves, the fog effect is certainly still present, but does not feel detrimental to the detailing of the environments.
The controls feel much tighter and more responsive, and I even found myself cackling like a madman when I successfully shot down enemies in Arcade mode. The gameplay is fast-paced and satisfying, complete with a very crunchy stock explosion sound effect upon every kill.
Finally, Extreme-G 2 has a phenomenal game over screen, in which your character angrily kicks their bike, staggers, and then falls backward into the fires of hell. Does your typical arcade racer have that? Didn’t think so. — L. Fisher
#92. Glover
November 16, 1998
Interactive Studios
Hasbro
$27.99 on Amazon
In the peak era of mascot platformers, it’s hard to stand out among the big players like Mario or Banjo and/or Kazooie. Glover’s unique take comes in the form of its main character. Being a personified glove gave the devs here some creative flexibility when it came to Glover’s animation and moveset. You run around like a man, but your ground pound is slamming your fist down. Crawling in prone works by Glover laying on his “palm” and inching himself forward. Then you have the ball control.
Your main goal is to bring a bouncing Pixar ball from the beginning of the stage to the end while collecting whatever you can along the way. You can push it from behind, toss it up onto high ledges, and dribble it about as well as I can dribble a basketball in real life. And there lies the problem. You never really feel in control of the ball. Stages are small yet they are a slog to get through as the ball constantly escapes your grasp. In a way, the whole game is an escort mission where your NPC companion refuses to do simple tasks on its own like go up a slightly inclined slope. Still, there is a solid idea here. I would love to see a reboot or fan’s spiritual successor take a swing at this core concept and make the game play faster and make you really feel like a handing holding some balls. — J. Tilleli
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