Video: 21 Nintendo 64 Games Everyone Should Play

Christmas is all ways a good time for the n64 to come out and play so this video has come at the right time
Perfect dark
Goldeneye
Diddy kong racing
Zelda
Mario 64
Lylat wars
Duck dodgers
Mickey speed way
Banjo kazooie
Resident evil 2
Two many good games 😁

No Wave Race and 1080 Snowboard?
You can't be serious!

I used to have that haircut when I was at school. In 1994.

The 64 era hasn’t aged well. Still my favorite! ☺️

No Pilotwings64? Get out!

You could fly through a freakin' mountain!

(Just don't ask me which one to replace - shh it would probably be Conker's)

Please someone make a list so we can read it as a whole.

WWF No Mercy. That’s the list. Oh and maybe throw in Ocarina of Time as well.

Can't agree with Superman 64 or Rugrats treasure hunt. The rest are good though

The two N64 games that EVERYONE should play are Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time. But my personal favorites are:
Majora's Mask
Body Harvest
Jet Force Gemini
Blast Corps
Goldeneye
Starfox 64
Winback
F-Zero X
Tony Hawk 2
Smash Bros
Diddy Kong Racing

@sketchturner I agree with that list. I’d love a remake/remaster or ported release of Blast Corps.

I liked Wetrix too, tricky to get into at 1st but once it clicked a great puzzler

@tourjeff Yeah, miss them too

I appreciated the shout out to Rocket Robot on Wheels. While not in my top 10, it is a phenomenal game and honestly one I prefer to Mario 64 in some ways.

Still upset that Kirby 64 isn't here...

Certainly fine games here otherwise, though.

I hate Mario Party. I Really hate Mario Party. But even I can understand 1 game in the list, but two? No Way! I wouldn't put any

I think Mario Kart shouldn't be in the list. The real "Mario Kart Experience" is DKR.

I wouldn't put Smash. Yeah, it have a historical meaning because what became the franchise in the second entry, but the game itself don't deserve

I wouldn't put Tony Hawk. I can understand, but Wave Race and 1080 should come first to represent Extreme Sports

WWE, seriously?

I would put DK64, Jet Force Gemini, 1080, Wave Race, International Super Star Soccer and Castlevania

Wave race 64, the uncontested best jet ski racing game ever made, and IMO the most visually impressive N64 game after SM64 and Banjo ranks at a mere 23rd spot. This list is invalid!

No Goemon game

@sketchturner Great list! I would replace Golden Eye with Pilotwings though.

Glad you used native and not HD or emulated footage for this video. Gives a more realistic portrayal of what this lovely system was capable of and great for nostalgia. Good job.

Wave Race 64...
Such a perfect game. I desperately want this game (original and remake) and Wave Race Blue Storm on my Switch.

Watching that video reminds me that 2D was better on the SNES, 3D was better on the Gamecube. I know this article is supposed to be a celebration of the N64, but for me it wasn't a stand-out console. The only fondness I retain for it is the instant cart loading instead of the tedious disc loading of the PS1.

Why is everyone forgetting Paper Mario 64, Ogre Battle 64 and Sin and Punishment?

@Kabloop I would add Wave Race 64 to that list. The graphics are fuzzy, but the controls and wave physics are still just right and have aged pretty well.

I will concede the broader point though, that many games from the early 3D era have not aged well!

Oh the memories... I loved Banjo-Kazooie but why oh why did I never get Banjo-Tooie?

@USWITCH64 lmao I didn’t watch the vid I assume you’re playin?

The video should have mentioned Mario 64, it’s kind of an obscure gem on the system, doesn’t get enough attention.

@Juga Against what many people say Nintendo 64 had a lot of excellent games. The list could go on ...

@breathe_easy RPG aren't that niche genre ... don't forget that one of the great strengths of PS1 was Final Fantasy VII

@GannonBanned No, they crowned Rugrats no1 whereas I thought both zelda games and 007 were better.

@JustMe that’s because there are only 5 genuinely good ones 😂

No Castlevania 64? What are you, nuts?!

Seriously though, I'm about to go turn mine on when I'm done with my work shift. This time of year is prime time for N64 for me. Oh, that and gameboy color (Link's Awakening.)

@Zuljaras <-- this one gets it.

I just beat legacy of darkness over the summer again. Then I saved the children with Henry and unlocked Reinhardt's second costume. Lots of stuff in those games; I absolutely adore them.

@Radima I made the same mistake as a kid! I ended up beating a friend's copy of the game, but I only picked up my own copy of Tooie recently (via Xbox 360 download).

Ogre battle 64
Paper mario
Super mario 64
The legend of zelda ocarina of time & majoras mask

Those are the only 64 games that I still play time to time. The rest have aged like milk

If Wave Race isn’t on this list... 🤦🏻‍♂️

@rdm22 Hey thanks for the tip. Maybe I should turn on my Xbox 360 and see if I can get it on there

It saddens me nobody recognizes Majora's Mask as the true masterpiece it is, arguably better than Ocarina of Time in my opinion.

@DjinnFighter that's the biggest sin.

@Kabloop “pretending it’s still great”

Or, hear me out... People who love the Nintendo 64 aren’t “pretending” at all, but they legitimately think it’s still a great console. Different strokes and all that.

Personally, it’s not one of my favorite consoles - I kind of feel that generation as a whole has aged poorly, as developers were still finding their feet with the transition to 3D. A lot of the games on N64 and PS1 are just kind of ugly and clunky nowadays, IMO. The generation before and the generation after feel considerably more “timeless” to me.

With that said... I still think there are about a dozen bonafide N64 classics that hold up well today.

I'm happy that I already have most of the must-haves, but not owning Paper Mario hurts. I guess I'll have to wait for a Nintendo 64 Online, given that the N64 Mini won't come out anyway (I never expected it, Nintendo seemed serious about it and I believed them), it just wouldn't make sense with so many good titles belonging to Rare-Microsoft.

Anyway, the system certainly hasn't aged well, in fact PlayStation and Saturn, their 3D games I mean, didn't age well. That low polygon era hasn't aged well, if you ask me. But I don't care if the games are fun, and they are. For me consoles are never dead if you still play them and have gems to discover, which is my case.

Some great games on the N64 that still hold up. I didn't play Mario 64 or Ocarina of time until 2012, and Majora's Mask til 2014 but still loved them as much as any new release at the time. Conker is also something I still love replaying now, as not only was the humour unlike anything else in that type of game, but it didn't get bogged down in too many collectables like other Rare 3D platformers.

1080 would be one of the top games on my list.

I...I know I will be slammed for saying this, but the N64 is one of those systems that has aged poorly. Even the top-tier games like OOT and Majora's Mask are better played on other systems like the 3DS remakes. The same goes for Star Fox 64 on the 3DS, Both Banjo games on the Xbox One, and Perfect Dark for the same system.

Let's be blunt here, which one would you rather play? The N64 versions of those two games or the 3DS versions of those games? I'm not even comparing graphics here, the 3DS remakes make so many quality of life improvements, it's not worth going back.

Plus, that controller is the worst controller I have ever used in my entire history as a gamer! Why did Nintendo think something like that was a good idea? Was Goro part of the development team that created that thing?

If you love the N64, I'm not here to change your opinion. I just feel that the N64 was not a very good console in hindsight, and its library has aged poorly compared to the Saturn and the PS1.

For me the only must plays are mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask, Mario Kart 64 and Paper Mario

Tetrisphere
Bettle Adventure Racing

@Zuljaras
Indeed!
I have only played the first one, but it is really a good Game.
I don't know why it has such a bad Reputation, it is really good, not great, but a good Game!

@Caryslan Majora's Mask is NOT better played on 3DS. Majora's Mask 3D made so many unnecessary changes just to dumb down the game and lower the difficulty for a more casual audience. Majora's Mask is best played on the Wii U Virtual Console

@Durians Fair enough, and it still backs up my point that N64 games are better played on other systems where you don't have to deal with that terrible controller.