Virtual Console: N64 Most Wanted
I remember when it was all Hyrule field around here.
Honourable Mentions
It never quite rivalled the PlayStation's astonishingly wide array of software - still the basis for Sony's success to this day - but it would be foolish to say that the N64 only had ten really excellent games. When we compiled our list of memorable and more importantly, significant games on the platform, even once we dropped many of the titles which have been superseded by better sequels we still had a formidable line up. In alphabetical order, here's the rest of the list that fell outside the top ten...
Banjo-Kazooie / Banjo-Tooie
- Developer: Rare;
- Publisher: Nintendo
Where Nintendo went, Rare often followed - and Banjo-Kazooie is one of the better games to result from that predilection. Taking the Mario 64 formula as its basis, it is packed with great characters, well-designed levels and graphics which were among the most impressive on the N64 - and with a third game due out on Xbox 360, now would be a fine time for fans to get a chance to return to the series.
Body Harvest
- Developer: DMA Design;
- Publisher: Midway
Grand Theft Auto 3 didn't just happen as a single stroke of genius - and ironically, it was N64 owners who got the first real taste of how DMA's free roaming, vehicle stealing gameplay was going to work. Body Harvest's setup couldn't be more different - you fight an alien invasion across a variety of time periods - but with tons of vehicles to hijack as you travel around vast, open-plan levels, it's easy to see how Liberty City came to life a few years later. Not just a slice of history, either; Body Harvest is also good fun even now.
Donkey Kong 64
- Developer: Rare;
- Publisher: Nintendo
Although mostly reduced to fronting rhythm action games these days, there was a time when Donkey Kong was one of Nintendo's biggest characters - and Donkey Kong 64 was a fine example of why. Despite being criticised for a focus on collecting stuff which bordered on obsessive-compulsive, DK64 was an extremely well made action platformer which broke the mould of other such games on the consoles thanks to weapon upgrades, a multiplayer mode and, of course, the now-infamous DK Rap.
Excitebike 64
- Developer: Left Field;
- Publisher: Nintendo
This came out so near the end of the N64's lifespan in Europe that it's amazing anyone played it at all - which is a shame, because Excitebike was a near-perfect blend of solid bike physics and control with thrilling, unrealistic arcade mechanics. The graphics looked ace at the time, although the abysmal framerate hurts a lot these days - but this is still one of the most enjoyable stunt bike games ever created for any console. Let's hope Nintendo can – at the very least – eliminate the dreadful borders PAL gamers had to endure on this title.
F-Zero X
- Developer: Nintendo;
- Publisher: Nintendo
The first leap of the F-Zero series into true 3D remains one of the most intense racing games ever created, thanks to the brave decision to sacrifice polygons for a rock solid 60 fps and dozens of vehicles on-screen at once. The result is a simple-looking, hard as nails and utterly satisfying racer where speed really is king - and uncompromising multiplayer modes that could be as much about survival as racing.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
- Developer: HAL Laboratory;
- Publisher: Nintendo
Kirby, peculiar pink blob that he is, has become one of Nintendo's B-list characters, and will probably turn up on Celebrity Big Brother at some point in the near future to resuscitate his career (first to make a Private Eye style "Separated At Birth" with Jade Goody wins a slap). Back on the N64, though, he starred in probably his best pre-DS game - a very well executed platform style adventure where you could merge the abilities of two enemies into a new one for yourself, which led to plenty of interesting gameplay opportunities - once you got around the idea of playing as a pink blancmange.
Lylat Wars
- Developer: Nintendo;
- Publisher: Nintendo
That's "Star Fox 64" to our American pals, peculiarly renamed for its European debut but still far and away the finest game in the enduring Star Fox franchise. With solid graphics and a smooth frame-rate complementing branching gameplay and the introduction of an "all range mode" for boss battles, Lylat Wars remains one of the best on-rails shooters ever made - and like many N64 games on this list, it boasts an excellent four-player mode which is still entertaining to blast through for a few rounds.
Mischief Makers
- Developer: Treasure;
- Publisher: Nintendo
It doesn't have the cult profile of Treasure's other title on this list, Sin And Punishment, but Mischief Makers is still a superb game - at first glance, a cutesy platform puzzler, which quickly reveals itself to be laden both with innovation and with hidden depth. Eschewing the attack moves of traditional platformers, it has you instead picking up objects and enemies and chucking them around the place - exactly the kind of finely honed mayhem which has made Treasure into such a highly regarded developer in the first place.
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon 1 / 2
- Developer: Konami;
- Publisher: Konami
A largely unknown character outside Japan, Goemon made a minor splash in the west with these two excellent N64 titles - which combined elements of Mario 64's platforming, Zelda's action adventure mechanics, and Goemon's own brand of utterly surrealist humour. Imagine the best possible Samurai Pizza Cats game and you're pretty much there in terms of tone; the four-hero adventure system kept the gameplay fresh, too.
Nuclear Strike
- Developer: EA;
- Publisher: EA
One of the franchises which has been languishing at the bottom of EA's warchest for altogether too long is Strike - and Nuclear Strike, the N64 update of a PlayStation title from a few years previously, was arguably the finest game in the series. Essentially an update of 1942-style shoot 'em up gameplay into 3D, it was filled with great missions and very satisfying explosions.
Pilotwings 64
- Developer: Paradigm;
- Publisher: Nintendo
Here's another franchise that could do with a modern update - but a chance to play the original again would fill a gap. Essentially an advertisement for the capabilities of analogue control at the time, Pilotwings still stands as one of the best and most addictive flying games ever - a game so confident that its flight model was simply fun that one of its biggest modes is just about flying around the island for ages discovering new things, with no missions or objectives. Sounds crazy, but we were hooked for days.
Rakuga Kids
- Developer: Konami;
- Publisher: Konami
To be perfectly honest, this is a game we'd never have recommended at full price - but if it pops up cheaply on Virtual Console, which is admittedly unlikely, then it's definitely worth a look purely for the insane visual style of the game. Childlike graffiti drawings duke it out in a strange beat 'em up style game which took Parappa's look and feel to an even more extreme end of the artistic spectrum - sadly the gameplay is slow and terribly flawed, but it's certainly fascinating to look at.
Turok
- Developer: Iguana;
- Publisher: Acclaim
Four of these games were made for the N64 between 1997 and 2000, and frankly we wouldn't have included them on the list, except that by the time we could actually see them it was too late to do anything about it. Okay, a little harsh perhaps - but Turok really hasn't aged terribly well thanks to the legendary fog that pervaded every level of the game, pulling the draw distance up so close to your nose that it was like swimming in milk. It's a shame, because some sections were unquestionably exciting and atmospheric - but this is a nostalgia trip, not a genuine game recommendation.
Yoshi's Story
- Developer: Nintendo;
- Publisher: Nintendo
Last and not least (merely alphabetically challenged), Yoshi's Story was a wonderful and sadly overlooked addition to Nintendo's pantheon of 2D platform games. There's not a great deal to say about the gameplay - it was very well designed and slickly implemented, with the main objective being to gobble down as much fruit as possible - but the graphics, which created a world out of a patchwork of fabric and other materials, were beautiful and unique, and the whole game was a solid and enjoyable sequel to the much-loved SNES Yoshi's Island.