Summary

  • Due to a late start, the N64 library is small with only 388 games in existence.
  • Classic games like Super Mario 64 and Zelda: Ocarina of Time stand out.
  • Some gems like Beetle Adventure Racing and Castlevania 64 remain obscure with non-existent re-releases.

The Nintendo 64 had a late start into the 3D generation after numerous delays. The console finally launched in 1996, two years after PlayStation debuted its first console. Why bring that up? Well, because of this late start and because Sony made some better deals with other parties, the N64 library is fairly small.

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Across all regions apparently, 388 games were made, but can one name more than thirty, or forty at max? The best games are well known, like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Then, of course, there was Rare that greatly supported them as well. Whether these are high profile games or random third-party entries, their lack of a presence in the modern age is troubling.

Updated 2nd November, 2024 by Hilton Webster: With some choice re-releases, as well as additional games emulated through the Nintendo Switch Online Service, quite a few older N64 games have had a chance to shine again. As such, we've given this list a once-over to showcase some of the great games still relegated to history.

10 Beetle Adventure Racing

Beetle adventure Racing N64 game

Released in 1999 to celebrate the launch of Volkswagen's latest car, the New Beetle, the racing game Beetle Adventure Racing somehow managed to be more than just a shameless cash-grab promotional game. For the time, Beetle Adventure Racing looked incredible, and had genuinely competent, even enjoyable, gameplay.

It did receive some criticism towards the limited number of tracks, and every car was a New Beetle so you weren't exactly spoiled for choice. All of that said, it was a great racing game with good multiplayer and some great graphics. Licensing is likely a major play halting its re-release.

Humourously, all the New Beetle cars were removed for the Australian release and the game was branded as HSV Adventure Racing instead.

9 Buck Bumble

Buck Bumble

Action-Adventure Released November 18, 1998 Publisher(s) Ubisoft Platform(s) Nintendo 64 Developer Argonaut Games Powered by Expand Collapse

Buck Bumble is such a specific type of game, and the concept is downright hilarious. You play as Buck Bumble, a cybernetically-enhanced bumblebee that volunteered to combat the evil Herd Army, chemically-altered Mantises from a spill from a London factory. Average day over there.

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Inspiration taken from its time spent working on Star Fox, Argonaut Software made Buck Bumble as a kind of flight game, with you guiding Buck Bumble around each level as he bombs enemies from above and attacks with all other manner of weapons. It's nothing ground-breaking, but even simple games deserve to be remembered.

8 Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage

Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage

RPG Released March 20, 2001 Publisher(s) THQ Platform(s) Nintendo 64 Developer H2O Entertainment, H2O Interactive Powered by Expand Collapse

The N64 had a surprising dearth of RPGs made for it, with Square Enix's plethora of games on the SNES traded for the CD format of PlayStation. This left the N64 without much of the RPG experience of its predecessor, making Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage one of the few RPGs to actually grace the system.

The worst part is that Aidyn Chronicles isn't an exceptional game, though it was undeniably unique. It featured an open-world that felt gargantuan for the time, on the N64 especially, and featured harsh party death mechanics akin to the Fire Emblem series. Maybe one day it will get its chance to shine.

7 Castlevania 64

Castlevania 64

Castlevania 64

Action-Adventure Platformer Released January 26, 1999 Developer(s) Konami Publisher(s) Konami Platform(s) Nintendo 64 Powered by Expand Collapse

Castlevania is one of those series that is so foundational in gaming that it's next to impossible to imagine the industry without its impact. Except this refers exclusively to the side-scrolling entries, the ones that helped create the Metroidvania genre. Not so much for its 3D entries like Castlevania 64.

Often forgotten due to not quite being bad but neither exceptional either, Castlevania 64 (and it's prequel-remake combo, Legacy of Darkness) were the series' first foray into 3D, and it was a commendable effort. Sadly, it always lived in the shadow of the vastly more successful Symphony of the Night, and has remained locked to the N64 in obscurity every since.

6 Body Harvest

A game too violent for Nintendo to be willing to publish, DMA Design's Body Harvest still made its way to the N64 through new publishers. What was so particularly violent that Nintendo opposed? Well, aside from the name Body Harvest, the game tasked you with traveling through time to stop alien invaders from slaughtering the human population of earth. So a bit dark compared to typical Nintendo games.

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The game was extremely non-linear, simply popping you into a massive area in each time period and giving you some objectives. You had to use vehicles to navigate these areas, and carefully choose your missions to minimise human loss of life before the aliens succeeded entirely. It's a unique little idea with some fun execution, though one that has not had the chance to shine elsewhere.

5 Super Smash Bros.

Super Smash Bros

Fighting Platformer Released April 26, 1999 Developer(s) HAL Laboratory Publisher(s) Nintendo Platform(s) Nintendo 64, Wii Powered by Expand Collapse

The first game that started it all, the mega crossover series that would become Nintendo's lifeblood and the envy of massivie gaming companies the world over, Super Smash Bros. And the greatest tragedy of all is that it isn't even available anywhere else.

While it did have a brief stint on the Wii through emulation, it is now restricted to the N64 once again. This was the game that introduced Fire Emblem to the West, that made party fighting games a common sight. Still, it is having a massive impact, and yet no one can play the game that was its origin.

4 Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is a delightful name, if not a bit of a mouthful without much grace to the pronunciation. Then again, the first Ganbare Goemon game to debut in the West was called The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, so it's really just par for the course.

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Names aside, this is actually a lot like the 3D Zelda games. So if Ocarina of Time was a favorite and one also likes ninja and samurai, well, this would be a nice port.

3 Shiren the Wanderer 2

Mystery Dungeon is a series of roguelikes. Shiren the Wanderer is an original property, but the series has also gone onto to create RPGs with other series as well such as Pokémon and Dragon Quest.

This version is the fourth in the Shiren the Wanderer sub-series. It’s one of the more brutal roguelikes around, but if one were up for a challenge, it would be cool to get a Western release.

2 Quest 64

Quest 64

RPG Narrative Adventure Fantasy Released June 1, 1998 Developer(s) Imagineer Publisher(s) Imagineer, THQ, Konami Platform(s) Nintendo 64 Powered by Expand Collapse

Accompanying Aidyn Chronicles as one of the few RPGs on the N64, and even fewer released in the West, was Quest 64. Viewed as a superior game to Aidyn Chronicles by many, it was also the first RPG released on the N64.

That is all to say Quest 64 was not the best RPG of this era, but N64 fans had to take what they could get. It isn't terrible by any means. It’s just very basic, but it still deserves a place on a digital shelf.

1 Mischief Makers

Mischief Makers

Platformer Released June 27, 1997 Publisher(s) Nintendo, Enix, Square Enix Platform(s) Nintendo 64 Developer Treasure, Treasure Co., Ltd. Powered by Expand Collapse

Mischief Makers is a game made by Treasure. Many may remember them more for output on Sega consoles what with Gunstar Heroes and Guardian Heroes. This was actually their first Nintendo game. It’s part platformer, part puzzle action game. It is definitely not their best title, but like Quest 64, it is important to the console’s legacy.

It was actually the first 2D side-scroller on the N64, and the 2.5D perspective really helped to give it a unique presentation.It got something of a critical evaluation in later years too, which you can't really judge for yourself since the game isn't actually legally available anywhere.

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