Nintendo 64 Games - ranked by preference

Release Date: November 21, 1998 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Adventure

A lot of people consider this game to be the greatest game ever made. Back when it was created, it very well could have been. The series' evolution from 2D masterpieces to 3D was nearly flawless in comparison to other games of its time. I really hate using this word because it's so overused, but the only real way to describe this game is epic. Later games in the Zelda franchise have improved on some of the 3D designs that haven't aged so well, like the combat, but this is still a great game and well worth playing through today. It's always a contender for "greatest game ever made" for a reason, you know.

Release Date: January 28, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Asmik Ace Entertainment
Developer: Aki Corp.
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Virtual Pro Wrestling 64 was basically just a Japanese version of WCW/nWo World Tour, but with a few Japan-exclusive features and modes...Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 is completely its own game and may be my favorite 3D wrestling title that I've ever played. Based off of the All-Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, Virtual Pro Wrestling plays very similar to WWF Wrestlemania 2000 or WWF No Mercy...Except with a Japanese twist. In Japan, professional wrestling and MMA cross over a lot, so there are MMA fighters in this game, and they play totally different than the basic pro wrestlers. Grapples become takedowns, you can do strike combos to damage your opponent, etc. It makes playing as, or against, an MMA fighter a fun and different experience. Toss in a variety of modes, arenas to fight in, and wrestlers to unlock, and you've got one of the best wrestling games that I've ever played. If you like WWF No Mercy, give Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 a try - it's well worth the price to import it.

Release Date: March 4, 2001 (NA)
Publisher: Rare
Developer: Rare
Genre: Platformer

When it comes to 3D platformers, I haven't played too many that I like more than this M-rated game starring a drunken squirrel trying to find his way back home after a long night at the bar. The characters and story are enough for me to have a special place in my heart for this game, but when you toss in all of the solid platforming that Rare had perfected with its Banjo-Kazooie franchise, you've got an absolutely fantastic game that can hold its own against the best 3D platformers ever made.

Release Date: August 11, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Genre: RPG

Paper Mario is my kind of game. It's an RPG with a unique combat system, plenty of humor, and an interesting art style - toss 'em in a blender and you've got a happiness milkshake for li'l ol' me. That said, Paper Mario is like a spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG on the SNES, with an obviously different approach, but one that is just as enjoyable in my opinion. And it's still fun today - I like to go back and play through it every couple of years and it's always just as fun as the last time I had played it. If you like RPGs, but haven't played this game yet, you're missing out. Give it a shot. Unless you hate any form of humor in your games, I think you'll enjoy your time here.

Release Date: November 17, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Aki Corp.
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

A lot of folks still consider this to be the best wrestling game ever created, which is saying quite a bit since it came out back in 2000. I wouldn't say that it's the best, personally, but it's good enough to be close to the best. The story modes, match types, and in-ring action are all fun and very well done...The only real knock I have on it is a poor create-a-wrestler mode, which pales in comparison to other wrestling games that had come out years prior. But, everything else is top notch and a shining example of why people are still modding this with updated rosters and for different promotions like TNA and ECW. It's a wrestling game that has definitely stood the test of time...and stood it well.

Release Date: June 23, 1996 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer

In the early days of 3D games, most developers were struggling with a way to make just a decent 3D platformer, let alone a great one...Of course, then Miyamoto tried his hand at it and hit a home run in his first attempt. Today, this game is still often in the discussion of greatest game ever made - or at the very least, greatest 3D platformer. I've never thought it was quite the best, but I did always believe that it deserved a comfy position somewhere near the top of the list.

Release Date: February 29, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Edge of Reality
Genre: Sports - Extreme Sports - Skateboarding

I first played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater a year prior to its release on a demo disk. The game was extremely basic when compared to the final product, but it was still fun enough where a few friends and I lost hours playing the demo. Then, a year later Pizza Hut released a demo much more true to the original game...And I was sold. I went out of my way to purchase this game...And to this day, I can still pop it in and love every minute of my time with it. And I'm not a music guy by any stretch, but I enjoy every song on the soundtrack, which also adds a tad to the enjoyment. While the sequel might be a superior game overall, I'll always have a preference to the simplicity of the original.

Release Date: July 14, 1998 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Racing

I adore F-Zero on the SNES, so when I saw that a sequel was made for the N64 and the playable characters went from four to a whopping thirty-one, with the generic diver opponents replaced with drivers with names, I was quite pumped. I wasn't disappointed when I played it, either. The fun, but flat-as-paper tracks of the original were replaced with tracks that twist and turn, making an already enjoyable experience much more enjoyable. To this day, F-Zero X is still one of my favorite racing games that I've ever played.

Release Date: October 12, 1999 (EU)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Aki
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

WWF Wrestlemania 2000 was, at the time, the biggest WWF game ever made. It nearly included the entire roster at the time along with several modes and match types and a so-so create-a-wrestler option, allowing players to put themselves (or wrestlers from rival promotions) in the game. It was a great wrestling title that was the continued, upward evolution of the previous WCW Aki-developed games.

Release Date: September 1, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Puzzle

Pokemon Puzzle League is essentially Tetris Attack from the Super NES, but with Pokemon themes tossed in and a few extras. Considering that Tetris Attack is one of the best, most addicting puzzle games ever created, I look at that as a good thing. If you already have Tetris Attack, there isn't really a ton here to make this game worth a purchase unless you're a Pokemon nut. Of course, if you've never played Tetris Attack before, then Pokemon nut or not, I highly recommend giving this gem a try.

Release Date: November 21, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Treasure
Genre: Shooter- Third-Person - Rail

While Nintendo did eventually release this on the North American Virtual Console for Wii owners, I never understood why this title never made it to North American shores in N64 cartridge form seven years earlier. Most of the game is in English, so there wasn't much translating to do...It wouldn't have required much effort for the big N to publish it out here, and with the lack of quality titles on the N64, especially near the end of the system's life, I believe that N64 owners would've eaten this game up. But alas, we were ultimately robbed of this enjoyable rail shooter. If you haven't played it yet, and enjoy games like Panzer Dragoon or Rez, give it a shot. It's now on the Wii's Virtual Console worldwide, so you won't need to spend large sums of money to import it.

Release Date: August 23, 1997 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Rare
Genre: Action

GoldenEye 007 is one of the most beloved N64 games of all-time...And honestly, I'm not much of a first-person shooter fan, but even I enjoy this game. The single player experience is fun alone, but the multi-player is what made this game a classic. I don't exactly hold it on as high of a pedestal as most people, but I still find it to be a highly enjoyable shooter.

Release Date: December 14, 1996 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Racing - Kart

I like Mario Kart 64, but I feel that it's my least favorite game in the franchise. In my eyes, it lacked the charm of the original, and many of the courses that you race on just feel bland in comparison to other games in the series. That's not to say that this is a bad game - it's very good - it' just my least favorite in the series...and looking at the other Mario Kart games, that's nothing to be ashamed of.

Release Date: September 27, 1996 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Racing

Oh, that Miyamoto...Everything he touches seems to turn to gold. I like water-based racing games to begin with, but Wave Race 64 isn't just a racing game, as it almost doubles as an obstacle course at the same time, making you weave in and out of buoys in the water while trying to pass your opponents. Ignore the directions of the buoys and you'll find yourself disqualified. It sounds kind of lame, but once you start to play, you'll see that it's done very, very well. It's still one of the best jetski racers that you can find, nearly 20 years later.

Release Date: October 1998 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Aki
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

The second Aki-developed N64 wrestling game improved vastly on the first, eliminating the generic wrestlers (most of which were based off of Japanese wrestlers) from WCW vs. NWO: World Tour, and replacing them with more members of the actual WCW roster. As someone who was a fan of WCW, I actually re-visit this N64 wrestling title over the WWF ones most of the time due to the game's roster. I prefer the WWF games to this one in regards to overall experience, but sometimes you want to play a match with Jim Neidhart vs. Fit Finlay at the Starrcade arena, know what I mean?

Release Date: February 5, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Natsume
Developer: Victor Interactive Software
Genre: Adventure

Harvest Moon 64 was the first 3D Harvest Moon game and still holds up as one of the best. If you're looking for guns and fighting, you won't find any of that here. What you will find is a nice, relaxing experience of farming, fishing, and interacting with the townsfolk. If that sounds boring, then give this game a try - you'll be surprised at how fun it all can be. If it sounds fun, then you'll definitely enjoy your time harvesting crops and partaking in the other activities that this game allows.

Release Date: February 29, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Eurocom Entertainment Software
Genre: Racing

I'm a sucker for racing games that don't involve cars. Maybe it's because I've always enjoyed games that stray from the beaten path, or maybe it's because games like Hydro Thunder are just so dang good that it makes me want more. Hydro Thunder takes the fun racing-on-water mechanics of Wave Race 64 and adds some speed and a more arcade-y feel to deliver an awesome experience for both casual and hardcore fans of racing games. It's not an incredibly deep racing experience, but it doesn't need to be - it's just pure fun.

Release Date: December 18, 1998 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Hudson
Genre: Board

The original Mario Party was a genuinely fun and enjoyable experience that mixed a board game with various mini-games to make this an absolute blast to play with a few friends. Sure, Nintendo has since flooded their consoles with waaaaaay too many Mario Party games, but honestly, that flood would never have happened if this original wasn't as fun as it is. If you haven't played it, gather up some friends and give it a try. You'll be glad you did.

Release Date: July 31, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

WWF Attitude may not have aged all that well in terms of gameplay, but for its time, in North America, it was amazing. The Create-A-Wrestler from WWF Warzone returned and was much, much larger and more impressive. Several new match types were added, giving more variety to the gameplay. The roster was expanded to over 40 grapplers, and a career mode was tossed in as well, making this not only a fun game to play, but a game that had plenty of replayability. This is the best wrestling game that Acclaim has ever put out, in my opinion.

Release Date: June 11, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Camelot Software
Genre: Sports - Golf

Mario Golf on the N64 is really good...But oddly enough, it actually pales in comparison to the Game Boy Color game of the same name. Despite being inferior to its 8-bit, handheld sibling, the console version of Mario Golf is still solid and kind of like a throwback to NES classics like the NES Open, except with more characters from the Mario universe. If you happen to have the GBC version of Mario Golf as well, you can link the two games together to share and unlock characters, boosting the replay value of the game up a tad. If you want some goofy golfing goodness, Mario Golf is a decent game to play.

Release Date: November 30, 1997 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Aki
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

WCW vs. NWO: World Tour was kind of like a wake-up call to most North American, wrestling-fan gamers. Most wrestling games appearing in North America up to this point weren't exactly must-have titles. World Tour changed that just as the wrestling boom was starting to hit in the mid-to-late 90's. Aki's wrestling title pretty much laid the ground work for most 3D wrestling games that followed. Later Aki-developed games improved on just about every aspect of this gem, but even today, the original is still fun to play.

Release Date: June 16, 1998 (EU)
Publisher: Ocean
Developer: Zed Two Limited
Genre: Puzzle

Wetrix is a fun, unique puzzle game where you essentially have blocks that warp the environment along with blocks of water to fill in craters that you create with the objective of trying your best to contain all the water without letting it drip out. If enough water drains, the game is over. It's actually very addicting and has various power-ups like ice and fire that change the water physics and continuously keep things interesting. If you're looking for a unique puzzle game, Wetrix is a great choice.

Release Date: November 30, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Music

This Japan-only entry into the Dance Dance Revolution franchise has various remixes of Disney songs for you to prance around on a mat to and Disney characters dancing on the screen to watch. You can prance on the DDR dance mat, can't you? Anyway, it's a solid entry in the DDR series and a bit of a novelty if you're a fan of both Dance Dance Revolution and Disney.

Release Date: August 11, 1998 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

WWF Warzone, for its time, was a very, very good wrestling game...Well, as far as wrestling titles released in North America go. I like to compare its fighting engine to the original Mortal Kombat games; good for its time, but it hasn't aged well. Better, more simplified, and smoother-playing wrestling games have come along in North America since then, but WWF Warzone (and its deep Create-A-Wrestler, which hadn't been seen to that level on a North American-released wrestling game up until that point) was very good for its time...It's a shame that the gameplay doesn't hold up so well today.

Release Date: February 28, 1997 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Genre: Shooter - First-Person

For all the poor games that Acclaim shoveled out, every now and then they published a good one. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is a solid first-person shooter and a decent start to what turned out to be a very solid series exclusive to the N64. It's not the best shooter on the N64 by any means, but it's a decent one and well worth playing if you're a fan of the genre.

Release Date: February 28, 1998 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Extreme Sports - Snowboarding

1080 Snowboarding was a really good snowboarding game back when it was originally released, and all these years later, it's still an enjoyable experience. The only real downside is the lack of courses to race on...There's six and then you're pretty much done unless you have some friends that are interested in some multiplayer snowboard video game action. But, lack of replay value aside, 1080 Snowboarding still remains in the discussion for best snowboarding game of all-time.

Release Date: February 14, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo Software Technology
Genre: Racing

Ridge Racer 64 is a solid, average racing game that is a nice game to play for a little while, but doesn't really do much to be anything better than just "good." There's nothing wrong with that, mind you, but considering that about a year earlier, the phenomenal R4 was released on Playstation, it feels like N64 owners got the shaft with just a decent Ridge Racer game after seeing Playstation owners get an absolutely great one just a few months prior. Anyway, if you're a big racing fan, you'll likely enjoy your time here. If you're not, there are better racing options on the N64 than this.

Release Date: December 31, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Mass Media
Genre: Sports - Fishing

Bassmasters 2000 is a decent fishing game with a couple of modes and challenges to keep you playing longer than you probably plan to. It's not quite up to the quality of fishing games like Sega Bass Fishing, but it's still a solid video game version of the sport that's worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre and own an N64.

Release Date: March 26, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: Infogrames
Developer: Big Bang
Genre: Puzzle - Action

Lode Runner 3D is an okay action-based puzzle game and the first 3D entry in the series....sort of. It's basically just 3D models on a 2D plane, but who's keeping track of that?....Aside from me? Anyway, I like the original, classic Lode Runner a lot better, but this entry in the series is still decent enough to recommend to fans of puzzle games that have more action to them and fewer blocks being matched in groups of three.

Release Date: January 31, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Acclaim
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

ECW Hardcore Revolution came right off the heels of Acclaim's success with WWF Attitude. After losing the WWF license to THQ, Acclaim picked up the rights to ECW. Rather than attempt something new, Acclaim stuck with the same formula that they used in their WWF games, which was fine in previous years, but already showing signs of aging poorly by the year 2000, when Hardcore Revolution came out. With THQ's great, smooth-playing WWF games around, Acclaim's wrestling engine felt dated, clunky, and overly-complicated. Hardcore Revolution suffered from this. Hardcore Revolution isn't an abomination or anything, but even with the ECW coat of paint, it was a case of just more of the same if you'd already played WWF Warzone and WWF Attitude.

Release Date: June 23, 1998 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Eurocom Entertainment Software
Genre: Fighting

Mortal Kombat 4 wasn't a horrible fighting game, but it wasn't all that great, either. My main problem with the title is that it's a tad too easy. Goro is really the biggest issue here, and even he's not that difficult if you take the time to watch his patterns and apply a hit-and-run approach to the fight. That said, the game is a so-so fighter, but not really worth playing unless you're a Mortal Kombat nut.

Release Date: November 11, 1996 (JP)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Genre: Sports - Hockey

Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey seems to be Midway's attempt at creating an NBA Jam-like hockey game, resulting in a fast-paced, high-scoring game of hockey. Unfortunately, while that sounds great, it's lacking one major element of hockey - checking. I'd imagine that in an arcadey version of hockey, checking would be a focus of the game rather than something that is almost non-existent. I appreciate what was attempted, but I feel like the attempt fell short of something great...and in many ways, it even fell short of being good.

Release Date: October 31, 1996 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Genre: Fighting

Mortal Kombat Trilogy suffers from the "more of the same" feeling you'll get when you play it. It's not a terrible game by any means, but it also doesn't really have any improvements over Mortal Kombat II aside from more fighters to choose from. Notice I said Mortal Kombat II and not Mortal Kombat 3. In other words, several games in a row without a whole lot of anything to improve upon the formula of the game. That said, the game is still passable, and it's not terrible, but it's hard to shake the feeling that you've already played this game before.

Release Date: July 31, 1998 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Genre: Racing

Iggy's Reckin' Balls is an easy way to "reck" a good time. Actually, this game isn't THAT bad, but I still wanted to use that joke. Anyway, this game basically has you controlling a ball and you race against other balls on a course with some mild platforming involved. The game isn't horrible at first, but it gets really old really quickly. If you've got a friend or three to play against, it's not so bad, but if you're playing solo against the poor AI, don't expect do have a whole lot of fun here.

Release Date: February 29, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City
Genre: Racing

Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 isn't the worst racing game I've played (far from it, actually) but that still doesn't make it good. It wouldn't be so bad aside from the AI, which even on hard isn't much of a challenge. Along with that lack of a challenge, the courses tend to be rather bland and uninteresting, which basically results in boredom after playing for a little bit. The controls aren't bad, which leads me to believe that if this game had better AI and course design, it would have been a halfway decent racer instead of one that's below par.

Release Date: September 30, 1997 (NA)
Publisher: Interplay
Developer: Danger Productions
Genre: Fighting

I liked the first Clay Fighter. It was flawed, but I appreciated the unique art direction and sense of humor it had...Then Clay Fighter 2 came out, with more humor, but the gameplay wasn't really improved. Then came Clay Fighter 63 1/3...The humor has worn thin and the gameplay seems like it's gone backwards rather than forwards. A tubby, sumo-wrestler Santa Claus and a cameo from Earthworm Jim aren't nearly enough to save this fighting game from being more than a pile of dung.

Release Date: June 1, 1998 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Imagineer
Genre: RPG

I've heard really bad things said about Quest 64...I don't think that it's THAT bad, but it's certainly not good, either. Exploration of the world is slow and tedious, the battles are uninteresting, and the overall experience is just bland. On the plus side, the game is on the short side when it comes to RPGs at a little over ten hours total, so if you force your way through it, you won't have to suffer for too awful long. With RPGs being scarce on the N64, Quest 64 might be worth playing if you absolutely must play one...But if that's the case, maybe you should get yourself another console.

Release Date: November 30, 1997 (NA)
Publisher: Titus Software
Developer: Titus Software
Genre: Racing

Did you ever want to play a racing game with uncomfortably twitchy controls, an AI so dumb that it frequently hits a wall from not remembering to turn, and a timer set so that you could be winning the race when you see the "Game Over" screen? Well, then this Titus turd is for you! Playing Automobili Lamborghini is about as fun as trying to stick your face into a cheese grater in the middle of an earthquake. On the plus side, the environments are nice to look at...So you can torture your friends by having them play while you admire the view.

Release Date: February 1, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Inland Productions
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

If you just looked at screenshots of WCW Nitro when it came out, it looked phenomenal....If you looked at video of WCW Nitro with its jerky, awkward animations and it begins to not seem to be as great...If you played the game with its questionable controls and lame-o gameplay, you're often left wondering what you ever saw in this game to begin with. This is an absolutely horrible wrestling game, and one that you should avoid at all costs.

Release Date: December 12, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Kodiak Interactive
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Electronic Arts did their part to kill off WCW with this terrible turd. WCW Mayhem had a handful of flaws, but it wasn't an abomination by any means...Apparently EA went out to correct this by making sure that WCW Backstage Assault would reach that abomination level that Mayhem had missed out on. Stupidly eliminating the wrestling ring and much of the wrestling stuff that, you know, wrestling fans would be buying the game for, Backstage Assault ends up being nothing but backstage brawls that are about as fun as headbutting a wall full of spikes.

Release Date: May 31, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: Titus Software
Developer: Titus Software
Genre: Action

Oh, man. What a mess. I actually like the way the game looks and I appreciate the fact that you get to fly around and kind of experience what it's like to fly around the city like Superman...But that's about where my compliments end for this game. The gameplay is horrendous. How flying through loops with poor controls saves anyone is a mystery to me. If someone was in trouble, wouldn't it just be easier and faster to just fly above all the rings and go right to the destination instead of flying through Lex Luthor's floating obstacle course? If you fail to fly through it, what happens? He shoots you? You're bullet-proof, Superman. Stop being a doofus and just save the day already, you dolt.