The Nintendo 64 for many people my age would consider it Gaming’s Golden Age. It was the dawn of true 3D gaming with some incredible blockbuster titles like Shadows of The Empire, Mario 64, and of course, the legendary Goldeneye. Thanks to Nintendo Switch Online, we can relive some of these titles with some slight resolution and quality-of-life improvements, and while not all of our favorite titles may be available, there is a great lineup of varied and wonderful games to try. So with that in mind, I ask you to plug in your AV cords, hire some extra controllers from Blockbuster, and STOP LOOKING AT MY SCREEN! as we take a look at my top ten Nintendo 64 games on Nintendo Switch Online.
Before we roll out the CRT TV, would you mind liking and subscribing? Its the best way smaller outlets like mine get found, and I can’t thank you enough for doing so.
Also, I would love to hear your memories of the Nintendo 64 and I’ll explain why towards the end of the video. I hope you have as much fun revisiting some of these games as I did.
Honorable Mentions:
Before we begin I wanted to mention 3 of my favourite titles that didn’t quite make the list.
Operation Winback
Operation Winback was a sleeper release that could only be described as Time Crisis mixed with Syphon Filter. It had an over-the-top narrative about infiltrating a nuclear facility to “Win Back” the facility from terrorists. The game featured boss fights, one of the first unique pop and cover systems a la Time Crisis, and overall was a fantastic action game that was very hard to find down under.
Mario Golf
Mario Golf 64 doesn’t quite hit the same heights as the Gameboy Advance version, but it certainly gives it a good try. Featuring a range of courses, characters, and special moves, Mario Golf 64 competed with the likes of Tiger Woods Gold in its heyday and certainly kept up with the pack. Even today, I feel like it plays better than its more recent counterparts and hope we see the series take a step back in mechanics to its glory days.
Jet Force Gemini
Jet Force Gemini was another step away from Rare’s cute and cuddly games with a more violent take third person shooters. The game featured an interesting control scheme along with a tonne of action in this 3rd person adventure. I was honestly surprised to see it drop on Nintendo Switch Online, as well as being equally glad that I could revisit this amazing game!
The List:
Majoras Mask
You’ve happened upon a terrible fate, haven’t you? Majora’s Mask was an almost jarring departure from Ocarina of Time in a psychedelic adventure across Termina, a land with just three days before the end of the world. The game featured some heavy themes and an “Edge of Tomorrow” vibe allowing you to warp back to day one upon retrieving your Ocarina. Players would also find themselves able to transform into certain creatures by utilizing the masks from the creepy mask salesman originally from Ocarina of Time. While the premise didn’t quite hit the heights of what came before it, Majora’s Mask certainly left an impression on gamers in this haunting and epic journey.
Pokemon Stadium 2
Much like many a gamer during the Nintendo 64’s Lifespan, I wanted to be the very best, like no one ever was and Pokemon was sweeping the world. Pokemon Stadium 2 allowed players to bring in their Pokemon from the Gameboy games to duke it out with friends in Pokemon Stadium 2. If you didn’t have a link cable you could rebuild your team to duke it out in a variety of battles and additional mini-games. While it may not look like much by today’s standards, Pokemon Stadium 2 brought players’ Pokemon and imagination to life in this incredible experience.
F Zero X
Long before the Fast and the Furious, there was F-Zero X, a high-speed zero gravity racer that gave birth to the iconic Captain Falcon (and his Falcon Punch!) While Playstion had Wipeout, we had F-Zero and there was something truly amazing about flying around courses at breakneck speeds shunting and smashing your way to victory. For those just interested in the latter, there was an elimination map where you could go around in a loop smashing away to your heart’s content all to an electric heavy metal soundtrack. Bliss.
1080 Snowboarding
It’s almost criminal that we haven’t seen this franchise since the Gamecube, but before we were snowboarding to Boy Sets Fire and Finger 11, we were snowboarding down the jagged peaks on the Nintendo 64. The game featured some amazing stunts and courses, taking a more grounded approach to Snowboarding than the very popular SSX series. 1080 Snowboarding controlled and looked great, providing some tense head-to-head races and amazing moments when jumping over logs or weaving through snow-covered streets.
Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart 64 was an incredible sequel to the popular Mario Kart that appeared on the Super Nintendo and helped seal the deal as Nintendo 64 being a multiplayer console. It features 4 player races, balloon battles, and most importantly, hours of entertainment. The range of courses and characters meant the game had so much replayability, as well as multiple difficulty modes so even the solo player could be challenged. Mario Kart 64 was THE party game on the console.
Starfox 64
Known as Lylat Wars over here in Australia, Star Fox 64 was an epic on-rails shooter that occasionally opened up to free-form set pieces and boss battles. The game featured multiple paths, hidden bosses, and multiple endings, that could also see you pilot different vehicles such as a submarine or the land master tank. Sure, Slippy Toad may have been a bit of a handful, but the game spawned amazing pop culture references like Peppy Hares “Do a Barrel Roll” as well as crafting an amazing space opera for Nintendo 64 gamers to enjoy.
Banjo Kazooie
One of the best platformers of all time that spawned an equally great sequel as well as a…mixed debut on Xbox console with Box and Bolts, Banjo Kazooie featured a dynamic bird and bear combo in a collect-a-thon that had amazing level design, classic score, and unique characters. Banjo Kazooie had so many secrets to uncover and unique items to collect that each level offered a tonne of replayability. If you haven’t had a chance to play Banjo Kazooie, then there’s no better time to put on your blue backpack and explore Gruntildas castle!
Goldeneye
Quintessential first-person shooting, while many claimed Halo revolutionized FPS on Console, Bond stealthily walked so Master Chief could run. With a score masterfully crafted by Graeme Norgate and Grant Kirkhope that is worth a 10/10 alone, Goldeneye featured incredible level design and epic shooting action that still hold up to this day. A last-minute addition of multiplayer elevated Goldeneye to its legendary status providing countless hours of 4-player split screen that you simply could not put down. Goldeneye is still considered one of the greatest games of all time and by some miracle, both Nintendo and Microsoft managed to come to an agreement so Xbox and Switch players could enjoy the game. While I don’t want to sound like a fanboy, Nintendo gamers seemed to get the better version allowing 4-player online multiplayer via the N64 NSO app and its original controls while the Xbox version featured some modern touches that lost a bit of the magic in my opinion.
Ocarina of Time
Usually placed at number one in most lists, and rightly so as Ocarina of Time is revered as one of the greatest video games of all time. Ocarina of Time wove a beautiful narrative that spanned time and space to restore the Triforce and bring peace to the kingdom of Hyrule. This was Links first foray into 3D and I know many gamers were left in awe when first seeing Hyrule field with its day and night cycle for the first time. The ability to switch between young Link and adult Link allowed you to create time paradoxes like the song of storms to unlock and explore areas that were previously out of reach. By the time my journey had come to an end on Ocarina of Time, I remember just staring at the screen reflecting back on my epic journey, only wanting to go back and do it all again. Perfection.
Mario 64
Mario 64 ushered in analog controls in 3D platforming and became the basis for nearly all 3D platformers moving forward. It was the definitive Nintendo 64 experience, showcasing the power of the system with bright and detailed worlds full of power stars to collect. It allowed the player to tackle new worlds by unlocking doors with the required power stars and to me, it’s still one of the best video games I have ever played. There were incredible bouts with Bowser, adrenaline-pumping courses and obstacles to overcome, and an epic score that will immerse you in the beautifully crafted world. Even returning to it to capture footage for this video gave me this welcoming and nostalgic feeling that many games have difficulty capturing. Mario 64 is almost perfect in every way, and while Galaxy and Oddysee have managed to capture similar lightning in a bottle, we have this wonderful title to thank for it.
That’s my list! I just want to say that writing this story has been such a delight for me. My memory of many of these games was taken away by my stroke, and talking to my wife and friends about these games brings me a really warm and wonderful feeling. While some of these feelings can’t be tied to specific memories, I’m so grateful that I get to revisit these games and talk about these memories with the people I care about. I would love to hear some of your memories as well, so please drop them in the comments below.
Thank you.
