#20. Mario Party 3
May 7, 2001
Hudson Soft
Nintendo
$129.99 on Amazon
Where Mario Party 2 was a mild improvement on its predecessor, Mario Party 3 is a triple jump in quality. Yahoo, motherfuckers! Everything was added on and improved to, and the one-on-one duel mode introduced a whole new type of playing, one that sees you forming a party formed from the deep bench of Mario enemy characters. While the sad option of playing against three computer players was always there, Mario Party 3 prioritizes the lonely hearts of the world with its full blown campaign mode, complete with a story and the ability to S-Rank courses. It’s honestly a lot of fun and doesn’t feel like you’re living your life in denial, like when you did a similar set up in Mario Party 1 or 2. Mario Party 3 is a game that understands that sometimes growing up means partying alone, and thus, is best played in your thirties, getting drunk by yourself and blasting The Menzingers.— M. Roebuck
#19. Doom 64
April 4, 1997
Id Software
Midway Games
$84.99 on Amazon
Doom 64 is the fourth game in the Doom series, though it was released before Doom 3 which was actually a reboot of the franchise, though not to be confused with the 2016 Doom which was only a pseudo-reboot. Continuity aside, Doom 64 is a very fun game that holds up surprisingly well.
Some of the best looking Nintendo 64 games don’t rely entirely on 3D polygonal models. Being so early into 3D gaming, sometimes a mix of 2D spritework alongside 3D environments can look best, and that’s exactly what Doom 64 brings to the table. The flat 2D sprites of demons charging toward you don’t pull you out of the experience whatsoever, and it’s instantly familiar to fans of the earlier games, while looking a bit more updated. Sometimes the graphics can look a little dark, which makes enemies hard to see, even with the brightness slider cranked up as high as she’ll go. You can’t turn your character on a dime like you can in a lot of modern FPS games, and in that same sense, vertical aiming is also non-existent– you can shoot your shotgun in front of you and kill an enemy standing 15 feet above you. There are a lot of secrets to find, and the sense of atmosphere and exploration in this game is immaculate. This isn’t a watered-down port for the Nintendo 64 – it’s a full-on sequel that’s funner than Hell. — K. Podas
#18. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
August 20, 2002
Edge of Reality
Activision
$149.99 on Amazon
Come on, you know this game. Many fans argue that it’s still the best entry in the entire series. Sure, you played it on PlayStation 2 or GameCube – Xbox, if you were rich – but Pro Skater is Pro Skater, right? How much worse could it be? Okay, so the graphics are muddy and the draw distance is so bad that a surprise wall will inevitably destroy your record-breaking combo. And yes, the game is running on the same engine as the first two N64 releases, but hey, they added revert, a feature now considered indispensable to the Pro Skater experience. In the end, shredding on a cruise ship as Wolverine was worth fighting with the least ergonomic controller of all time, even if you secretly did look forward to playing the grown-up version of the game at your friend’s house. Plus, you got to be part of history, as this was the last Nintendo 64 game ever released in North America. — K. Duggan
#17. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
April 27, 2000
Nintendo
Nintendo
$145.20 on Amazon
Majora’s Mask is the one Zelda that’s managed to personally elude me – or rather, I managed to elude it. By “elude,” I mean actively avoid. Even by fantasy standards, the story seemed indulgent. The ticking clock mechanic sounded simultaneously intimidating & annoying. It always just seemed like the black sheep, something that, had it been released some 10 odd years later, would ostensibly have been stretched out Ocarina of Time DLC. The Lonesome Road or Nuka World of the Zelda franchise.
However, after having finally spent some time with it, I hate to say it but that sentiment really seems to ring true.
Let’s get this straight off the bat, I’ve got no desire to attempt a dunk on this game. I couldn’t even if I wanted to, it’s still a good game! Shit, it’s a great game. It’s built on the back of one of the best to ever do it, but I can’t say it honestly feels like much more than that. Story wise, there’s a lot of interesting choices made. I’ve heard loose mention made in the past of the same vague Twin Peaks inspiration present in Link’s Awakening, and that’s certainly present here.
But the way those choices tie into the mechanics feel poorly implemented and gimmicky at best. A neat party trick. I’m sure there was a special feeling to being able to play through entire segments as a Deku or a Goron in the year 2000, but it’s hard to read this as particularly unique in an age where I can fire up San Andreas and turn CJ into Harry Potter if I want. I understand there’s thematic and narrative reasons for the mask mechanics, but in 2023 there’s just such little charm to it.
The notion of a ticking clock game, once again, is great on paper. In the logic of the story, it’s genius. As the moon itself gets closer and closer, not only do you feel impending doom, it’s physically close enough to huck a fuckin’ rock at and make contact. In practice, however, it’s little more than an annoying routine chore. If it’s not only an option to manually wind back the clock, but a necessity in order to actually thoroughly explore and finish the game? You’ve effectively swept the legs out from your own mechanic. No longer is it this massive manifestation of dread, it’s pumping the breaks every time you hit a red light. You just wanna do what you need to do but you have to keep stopping to accommodate for this one fucked up thing about an otherwise normal vehicle.
In conclusion, I may just be a victim of time & opportunity. I didn’t hop on this train as a kid, I didn’t get the sense of magic that seemingly the entirety of my peers did. There’s no romantic nostalgia to sweep away the finer issues, and that’s a fucking bummer! I wanted to love it. It’s chock full of weirdos, freaks, spoofs, and goofs. Right up my alley. It’s the Halloween special of the Zelda series, and for all its warts, I mean that in the most loving way possible. — W. MacDonald
#16. Wave Race 64
November 4, 1996
Nintendo EAD
Nintendo
$39.50 on Amazon
Damn it, it’s so hard to be funny about games that are just really solid. It’s hard to imagine how a 27 year-old jet ski game could be any more fun than this. Both the race mode and the stunt mode are a blast. How is the water so good here? It’s mesmerizing. As is the music. Everything here is just a vibe. An immaculate vibe. The mist effects on the water are convincing and don’t feel like a trick as in so many other games on here. I used to play this at my friend’s house, but I missed out on a lot of fun, because as a kid I was such a lunkhead that my approach to playing Wave Race 64 consisted solely of putting in the code that let you ride a dolphin and ram it into the walls as hard as I could. What the fuck, man? Anyway, this is a masterpiece. — M. Roebuck
#15: Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
Quest Corporation
Atlus USA
October 5, 2000
$174.99 on Amazon
Ogre Battle 64 is the best RPG on the Nintendo 64. It’s also one of the worst RPGs on the N64. That’s because it’s basically the only true RPG on the N64, unless you want to go Jazz Age on me about how Pokémon Stadium is technically an RPG or whatever.
But seriously, this game is amazing. Ogre Battle 64 was built to ripen with age, as older gamers come back and appreciate the dark subject matter and realistic approach to the horror of war. This game can be like Spec Ops: The Line for RPGs except you actually CAN choose to be a war criminal or not. The visuals are great as well, although character art can be a weird hybrid between Western and Japanese art styles. I don’t know why our main character has ill-fitting blue hair, but I do know that his character portrait stares directly at the screen and it freaks me out. The strategy gameplay is excellent and unique, and I dearly hope more games steal the battalion system where your units move and fight together in customized groups.
The game suffers from being a mature, nuanced RPG with tons of writing on a console more known for funny jump guys who collect magic dingdongs. It’s like serving an amazing sushi roll at an Italian restaurant: sure, the sushi could be delicious, but everybody came here for pasta fagioli. I insist that Ogre Battle 64 would be remembered along with the greats like Final Fantasy Tactics if it came out on an appropriate system with proper marketing. — R. Fleishman
#14. Mario Golf
July 30, 1999
Camelot Software Planning
Nintendo
$74.99 on Amazon
Mario sports titles peaked on the Nintendo 64 — light on the gimmicks but with really solid gameplay. This iteration has a deep learning curve and doesn’t hold your hand as much as the newer titles (I still can’t stand that Mario Golf Super Rush got rid of the three-click swing). But seriously, I could play Mario Golf for weeks on end with an IV hooked up to me and a nurse coming in regularly to check my vitals. Though I simply cannot wrap my head around this roster. The moxie of Camelot to make players have to unlock Mario in a Mario game is unprecedented. I don’t know whether this is a terrible idea or a commendable risk in game design. Either way, it’s an absolutely insane decision. This game starts you with Peach, Baby Mario, a Peach knockoff named Plum, and then just some bloke named Charlie.
“Hey, who’s your favorite Mario character?”
“Oh it’s gotta be my boy Charlie.”
— J. Tilleli
#13. Super Smash Bros
North America: April 26, 1999
HAL Laboratory
Nintendo
$78.95 on Amazon
Developed in less than two years, but still managing to completely reinvent the fighting genre with a game that is as beloved and evolving as ever more than two decades after its release… is Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube.
But before Melee, there was Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64!
Sure, Smash 64 is missing a lot of the mechanics, stages, characters, and staying power of its successors, but it’s undeniable that it was a huge step forward for Nintendo and massively charming. It’s super floaty, it’s filled with jank and infinite combos, and it was the origin of tons of insane rumors about a nude Samus and an unlockable Ash Ketchum. All good stuff! But at the end of the day, it let kids beat the shit out of each other with Nintendo characters, just like one of the greatest video game advertisements of all time promised. That’s pretty dope.
It’s a miracle that Masahiro Sakurai was able to convince an uneasy Nintendo to attach its beloved family-friendly characters to his revolutionary platform fighter (something they are still terrified of to this day!), but he pulled it off and Super Smash Bros. became the humble beginning of a franchise that would change video games forever. — Jeremy Kaplowitz
#12. Star Wars Rogue Squadron
December 7, 1998
Factor 5
LucasArts
$49.99 on Amazon
Ah, 1998. Back when Star Wars was something we all enjoyed instead of a franchise that just makes people angry all the time, Rogue Squadron came along to fulfill the fantasy of flying around in a number of classic ships and sticking it to the Empire. What stands out now is the level of detail developer Factor 5 was able to cram in here. Make no mistake, this is a game for the nerds out there who had those big books that were just cross-sections of all the vehicles in the franchise. You can get a full, voice-acted explanation of all the features of your X-Wing, A-Wing, B-Wing, and the rest on demand, and the ship models are way more detailed than you would expect for the N64. Each ship has multiple firing types, alternate weapons, and boosting capabilities that make the game deeper than, say, Star Fox 64. It’s a game that’s easy to pick up but hard to master. Better learn how to brake if you want to make some of these turns. And here’s a little secret just for the real ones out there: go change your controls to Hobbie’s Settings to get your blasters on the Z-Button for some real Womprat shootin’ action. — S. Finkelstein
#11. Star Fox 64
June 30, 1997
Nintendo EAD
Nintendo
$59.99 on Amazon
Once upon a time, Star Fox was one of Nintendo’s biggest heavy hitters, right up there with Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon. These days, it’s closer to your uncle with a beer belly and two divorces under his belt that talks about how he used to be the star quarterback of his high school football team. Star Fox 64 represents the glory days, before it all went to shit. It’s the game that Star Fox fans will fondly recall while not acknowledging the severe decline in quality since then, aside from the one exception in the form of a 3DS remake of this very game.
Star Fox 64 introduced one of the most important hardware-defining elements in gaming: controller rumble. The Rumble Pak, which was included with every copy of the game, helped build immersion to make you feel as if you were taking every enemy hit while flying in Fox’s Arwing. It was 1997, okay? We didn’t have 4DX yet. It was successful that every major game company has implemented the feature into all of their controllers since then.
The single player campaign’s branching pathways gave the game an incredible sense of replay value. And that’s not to mention the incredibly fun (for the time) multiplayer mode. I can’t think of a single game that has more quotable lines than Star Fox 64, either. “Do a barrel roll!” is the “It’s over 9000,” of video game quotes. It will live on longer than the legacy of any modern game in that regard. — K. Podas
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