15 Most Popular N64 Games of All Time

Super Mario 64

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Super Mario 64 is, in many ways, one of the best N64 games back in the day. Not only was it a revolutionary game in the series, but it was also a huge step up in the entire industry back in the day. Instead of rehashing yet another 2D platforming idea, Nintendo decided to go above and beyond to deliver a completely different take on Mario’s adventures.

While it certainly wasn’t the first 3D game, nor the first 3D platformer, it became something of a standard or template for 3D design in gaming due to its intuitive controls. It wasn’t simply about getting from point A to point B, but rather allowing players to actually explore their own little virtual playground as they pleased. The feeling of control and freedom pushed players into truly playing the game in their own way, forcing them to make their own decisions and reap the rewards of their ingenuity.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

15 Most Popular N64 Games

The Zelda series has always thrived on exploration and discovery, but this N64 game took it up a notch by bringing in a fully explorable 3D world. Gone were the days of Link scuffing through flat pixeled landscapes, as players actually had an expansive environment that was pretty much the closest thing to an open world game back in the day. With its upgraded systems, Nintendo could finally introduce new ideas to the series and allow for more flexible combat. Not to mention Ocarina of Time had introduced player-controlled lock-on targeting, which has become nothing short of a breakthrough in the gaming industry.

Ocarina of Time was also a major turning point in the Zelda franchise, with the entry allowing for two playable Links. The story seamlessly tied in time-traveling, which allowed players to shift between two timelines to save the future of Hyrule. On top of that, Ocarina of Time is where the timeline splits, branching off into three different timelines in the series. While Breath of the Wild was great and all, we can’t help but look back and see how far the series has come.

Mario Kart 64

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Mario’s seen plenty of spinoffs throughout the years, but none have been as quite popular as Mario Kart 64. Characters have set aside their differences and come together for some good old-fashioned kart racing, but with a twist. While the racing alone is enjoyable enough, the game truly shines with the random items scattered throughout the race tracks. These items, such as mushrooms and shells, act as the perfect way to outrace your opponents or sabotage their victory. There’s nothing more satisfying than landing a red shell when you’re in second place, after all. Mario Kart 64 never took itself too seriously, which made it the perfect party game with its four-player mode.

Super Smash Bros.

15 Most Popular N64 Games

The crossover fighting game phenomenon all stemmed from this Nintendo 64 classic. With the release of more and more Mario crossovers, Nintendo finally decided to mix things up by making a star-studded fighting game (with a weird trailer to boot). The result is an insane mishmash of pure fanservice goodness bundled together with insane fighting game mechanics. How surreal was it as a kid playing as Mario who beat the living crap out of Pikachu while Donkey Kong and Kirby were duking it out on the other side of the field?

Instead of opting for the traditional health bar and whatnot, this N64 game introduced streamline controls that made it easy for both casual and hardcore players to pick up. This, of course, made Super Smash Bros. a popular party game that everyone of all ages could enjoy. The series has picked up plenty of popularity since then, adding plenty of new characters to the mix, including those who aren’t even directly affiliated with Nintendo.

Pokemon Snap

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Along with the growing Mario spinoffs, the Pokemon franchise had also been dipping into some uncharted territory. Instead of kart racing game, however, the developers decided to head towards a completely different direction: photography. This Nintendo 64 game was still pretty much about “catching them all,” except through the lens instead of a Pokeball. Players would go in and observe ‘mons in their natural habitat, bringing along their trusty camera to take as many beautiful shots as possible. At the end of each round, players would be judged on the quality of their photos.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Riding on the success of Ocarina of Time, Nintendo put out yet another Zelda game on the Nintendo 64. Unlike Ocarina of Time, however, Majora’s Mask was never actually considered as revolutionary as its predecessor. And that’s true, especially since it shared plenty of assets from the first N64 Zelda game, after all. Still, that doesn’t mean Majora’s Mask never came without its charms. This entry in the Zelda series took a darker, perhaps even the darkest, turn in the series. Players were no longer in Hyrule, and the terrifying-looking moon was destined to destroy the world in a matter of three days.

Even as a hero, you didn’t have what it takes to save the world in that short span of time. Luckily, you had your trusty ocarina to play some classic tunes that would send you back in time. Everything boiled down to a learning process, quickly taking in what information you can before hitting that reset button and starting from the beginning. At the start of the first day, you’re always asking yourself if you had enough work done and succeeded in what you needed to do at that time. It was a real doozy, sure, but a big part of the fun was always keeping track of your progress and crawling your way to victory.

F-Zero X

15 Most Popular N64 Games

The F-Zero series has always been one of Nintendo’s cult classics, garnering a large fan base thanks to its wild races. F-Zero X on the N64 was a great example of why players still love the series to this day. 30 competitors take part in an intergalactic Grand Prix with tracks that include all sorts of hills, hoops, corkscrews, tunnels, which definitely aren’t safe for any race track. Unlike most racing games, F-Zero X is literally about letting loose and driving with speeds that would put even Sonic to shame. You’ll also have to watch out for your health bar when banging on the side or the road or when some other racer bashes you. F-Zero has always thrived on its intense racing moments, and while we still haven’t gotten any new games in the franchise, the N64 game is still a timeless classic.

Pokemon Stadium

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Unlike Snap, Pokemon Stadium didn’t stray too far from the core mainline series. While there wasn’t actually a main story in the game, players would assemble a traditional Pokemon team and partake in different battles at the Stadium. You weren’t competing for badges this time around, however, since you’d be after trophies by clearing each cup. Battles had their own set of rules, which pretty much compensated for the lack of competitive stats we have in the series today. Players could even take on the Kanto gym leaders and the Elite Four, with the latter even coming with some special prize Pokemon that you could transfer to Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow through the Transfer Pak. Pokemon Stadium was far from being the perfect game, but it was a solid step towards its future of competitive battling.

Mario Party 2

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Mario Party 2 brought the board games to life with its quirky co-op and a whopping 65 mini-games. Players picked one out of six characters they would use to traverse monopoly-styled game boards with different spots carving out your path. Each spot would trigger a different mini-game that could range from a free-for-all competition to even a 1v3 scenario. The sequel tweaked a lot of things from the first game while adding a couple of new features as well.

New spaces, such as Battle, Item, and Bank, were added to the path. On top of that, the developers included six new game boards with 43 new mini-games. It’s also worth mentioning that this Nintendo 64 game also removed some games from the first entry, especially those that caused blisters due to rotating the control stick. Mario Party 2 was a solid addition to the N64 library, adding another way for players to come and play together.

Star Fox 64

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Star Fox 64 still stands as one of the best Nintendo 64 games to this day, and for good reason. The game was praised for its stunning visuals, amazing voice acting, and multiple gameplay paths, along with support for the Rumble Pak. Players took control of Fox’s ship which shifted between navigating away from space debris and fighting incoming enemies with their laser cannons. During the expeditions, players could also pick up power-ups such as bombs, laser upgrades, and shields. Fox’s wingmen would also dive in during combat and provide support by offering advice or taking an active role in combat.

Interestingly enough, the game offers a branching level system in which you could take on more difficult missions if you managed to complete certain objectives during each round. This offered players a greater challenge without drifting too far from the main storyline since it all tied back to the confrontation with Andross. Also, for the record, Star Fox 64 also jumped on the battle royale craze before it was even popular. You could share the fun with up to three other friends through multiplayer with modes such as battle royale or point match in which you would have to shoot enemies a number of times.

Goldeneye 007

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Who knew that a game based on the James Bond series would end up revolutionizing the FPS genre as a whole? Back in the day, Goldeneye 007 was a technical masterpiece, offering smooth gameplay and transitioning away from the classic Doom-esque FPS style. The game stands as a free roam shooter that includes a host of single-player missions, stealth elements, and even a deathmatch mode.

Missions usually revolve around saving hostages, destroying items, or meeting with NPCs before escaping the stage. Stealth would fall into place whenever players would want to avoid guards or avoid alarms which would spawn an endless horde of enemies. The game did manage to over deliver, eventually becoming one of the best-selling Nintendo 64 games in history. The industry decided to build on what Goldeneye 007 had to offer, leading up to what FPS games we have to date.

Banjo-Kazooie

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Despite all the greatness that Super Mario 64 had to offer, the Nintendo 64 still had plenty of other amazing platformers under its belt. One particular game, Banjo-Kazooie, tells the story of a bear named Banjo and a bird, Kazooie, who embark on a quest to stop the evil witch, Gruntilda. The Nintendo 64 game featured a collection of nine non-linear levels wherein players must use Banjo and Kazooie’s different abilities to collect jigsaw puzzles.

The world was filled with all sorts of secrets hiding in every nook and cranny, and players were rewarded for taking the time to explore. Each area was brimming with life through its NPCs, and the world never felt empty. And let’s not forget the witty and hilarious quips that came along with the exploration. While it hadn’t achieved the same acclaim as Super Mario 64, there’s no denying the mark it left on the gaming industry.

Perfect Dark

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Following Goldeneye 007’s success, Rare had tried their hand at creating yet another FPS game. The end result was Perfect Dark, which was considered as the spiritual successor to their James Bond project. The game didn’t have the same impact as Goldeneye, sure, but it still managed to deliver a solid performance with some impressive multiplayer options as well. Most of the game was already built on what Goldeneye had to offer, but also expanded this through better visual cues and animations.

As for the multiplayer mode, players could grab another player and take on the game’s missions together. While you could work together with a friend, the “Counter-Operative” mode places the second player as an enemy NPC who must stop the main player from carrying out their mission. The deathmatch mode, on the other hand, included computer-controlled players called stimulants who could be modified to follow strict orders, such as only pursuing the highest-scoring player. This added new depth in terms of player customization and helped pave the path for future multiplayer modes in the industry.

Diddy Kong Racing

15 Most Popular N64 Games

While Diddy Kong didn’t make the cut in Mario Kart 64, he got his very own spinoff racing game on the N64. On top of that, Diddy Kong Racing actually had a single-player story mode that wasn’t all about circling the tracks to win. Granted, you had to rip through the roads on different islands, but there were also boss fights mixed in for variety. Players can choose to play as one out of eight characters and zoom through a variety of race tracks on their car, hovercraft, or aeroplane. Tracks were clever, implementing several mechanics, such as raising a drawbridge to prevent other players from crossing over to the other side of the track. It’s worth mentioning that a Gamecube sequel was in the works but ultimately scrapped for Donkey Kong Racing, which was also canceled.

Paper Mario

15 Most Popular N64 Games

Super Mario RPG proved that even Mario could work even in a role-playing game, so Nintendo pushed the idea with Paper Mario on the N64. This charming adventure follows Mario on yet another adventure to rescue Peach and the seven Star Spirits. Paper Mario drifts away from classic platforming for traditional turn-based combat in which Mario has access to several special moves he can use against the enemy.

Along your journey, you’ll come across several other playable characters who can assist you in battle. Players can increase Mario’s stats after leveling up through combat, and items called badges can be equipped for a variety of boons, including learning special moves or restoring health during combat. Paper Mario on the Nintendo 64 became a huge success, spawning more turn-based spinoffs in the years to come.