Topic: best n64 game and why

[exthalion]

So I'm new here, and my all time favorite system is the n64.  I'm currently in college in Pennsylvania, and just recently started collecting for my n64, and since I've started playing I've been extremely addicted to super smash bros, and of my 70 games, I always return to this one, as do all of my fraternity brothers, so I would have to say that this is my all time favorite game.

No other game creates more frustration when lost, and none creates more of a reason for obnoxious celebration than a decisive win at SSB.

So please, introduce yourself, and your favorite n64 game so I can get to know some people here!

[jrlibrarian]

Never got into the N64, unfortunately. I've only played the Rare titles that have come out on Xbox Live Arcade/DS. I'm looking forward to playing Starfox 64 3D as soon as I can though.

[exthalion]

Yeah true story I'm really lookin forward to the ds 3d should be awesome

[BeautifulShy]

Paging Mop it up. Paging Mop it up.

For me personally I didn't really get that many N64 games for various reasons. Main one is that my collection was stolen a few times and it was a pain to get them back. I went through 4 N64's because of theft.

As far as my favorite game on the N64 it would vary based on multiplayer games and single player games. For Multiplayer I liked Pokemon Stadium. Around where I was at at the time everybody was into Pokemon. I think I showed it off first in my little area. We loved playing the minigames and fighting each other on the big screen. Was also fun for everybody in the room watching me beat Prime cup master cup.  As far as single player I have to say The Legend of Zelda:OOT would be my pick.

[nickmitch]

Superman 64

[exthalion]

Haha yeah actually mop it up is the reason I joined this page saw that collection, I was drooling haha.
Superman 64 is one of the worst games I've ever seen in my life lmao.
Pokemon stadium is awesome though, and 2 is even better.

[NWR_insanolord]

Three of my all time top five favorite games are N64 games: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, and Star Fox 64. Mario and Star Fox were the first two games I got when I bought my N64, and OoT was my first real experience with Zelda. I've also got a lot of fond memories of Perfect Dark's multiplayer, and I got really into it again for a while when it came out on XBLA last year.

[bustin98]

Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Turok (1, 2, & 3), Doom64, Quake II - I loved the N64 for the FPS games. The Banjo games were also great, Super Mario 64 and Zelda OoT are as classic as they get.

I've been playing video games since 198something on the Atari 2600. Then on the NES with ROB the robot. I didn't get the SNES until Donkey Kong Country launched as an included title. I missed out on a number of great titles on that system. I actually left video gaming to get more involved with comic books. When the N64 came out I started getting out of comics and back into gaming. The closing of local comic shops didn't help either.

[jrlibrarian]

The thing with me is that because of my age, I never had the chance to get into comics or games when they originally came out. I've been playing catch-up for the past few years, especially this year. Thank you library comic compilations.

[gojira]

I love the N64.  The best game isn't that interesting of a question since it's mostly going to be Mario 64 or Ocarina (Mario for me).  But there are a lot of games I really loved and played to death.  Since I just got done playing Ogre Battle 64 for RetroActive I decided to pop in a few other n64 games for fun. 

I played through Extreme-G through completion for the millionth time.  I freaken love that game and the sequel never hit that nerve.  However, XG3 is amazing.  And I would even argue that it is better than F-Zero GX.  But I know I'm probably the only person with that opinion.

I could probably talk up all the games I own for N64.  Even though I bought a playstation because of the lack of certain genres on the system, I still enjoyed it until the end.

[Nemo]

It's hard for me to say my favorite game without going back and replaying some of them. It's been a while.

Goldeneye, Rogue Squadron, Jet Force Gemini, and Majora's Mask are all contenders. Honorable mention: Excitebike 64

[ejamer]

#3:
When I first played Star Fox 64, I didn't "get it".  The game seemed ok... but nothing special.  It was quickly ignored in favor of other games.  Years later I played again and was amazed at the varied mission structure, the branching paths, the secrets in each level, and the overall polish.  How was I able to just write that game off so easily?  Now it stands as one of my favorite N64 games of all time.


#2:
Everyone talks about Mario 64 being a peerless classic.  Totally disagree.  I owned Banjo Kazooie and played that game before trying Mario 64, and still feel they took everything good about Mario 64 and improved on it.  The graphics and sound design were better.  Each stage was huge, filled with secrets and challenges, and had hundreds of items to collect.  Even the controls were tighter, even with all of the special moves available in Banjo Kazooie.  I understand that Mario 64 came first and set the bar high... but Banjo surpassed that game on every level.


#1:
Mario Party.  Not as technically impressive as other popular games.  Not a series that is really considered a "classic" by most.  But it started the trend of mini-games, spawned many sequels (and unofficial rip-offs), and was the center of attention for endless afternoons with me and my friends.  This game crossed age and gender boundaries better than any other game since Tetris to bring everyone together for some laughs and friendly competition.  That is why it's my pick for the best game on the N64, despite broken analog sticks and blistered palms.




Games that I'm sad to leave off this list? 
Bond 007 - Brilliant multiplayer and the best FPS mission structure consoles had ever seen at that point.
BattleTanx - Another brilliant multiplayer FPS that is often overlooked.
The New Tetris - Graphics, sound, and controls were so smooth.  Different play modes, plenty of unlockable targets, and top-notch multiplayer.  Arguably the best console Tetris game to date.
Star Wars Episode I Pod Racer - Incredibly fast racing, fun dual-analog control option, cool upgrade system.
Zelda: Majora's Mask - The living world and time-based gameplay is still stunning; even moreso as a departure from the usual Zelda formula.

[Ian Sane]

Majora's Mask is the N64 game I have the fondest memories of.  It's not just that the game is brilliant.  The anticipation of its release was a big part of the experience for me.  When Ocarina of Time came out my family didn't have an N64 yet.  Majora's Mask was actually the first Zelda game to come out during a time where I owned the system it was coming out on.  So I was reading all the previews online and pouring over every screenshot.  I remember when the reviews came out and I just looked at review I could.  But I could not get it right away because I didn't have much money and I was a college student.

In January 2001 I got my current job.  Suddenly having money was normal.  For some reason, one day I decided that I was going to get Majora's Mask the Friday of that week so I could have the weekend to play it.  It was kind of a random decision but it created this anticipation during the work week.  I was just pumped to get this game.  So Friday came and I bought it and an expansion pack.  I distinctly remember getting the Ocarina in the first three day cycle.  This was pretty lucky because this is the most likely point where someone will have the moon crash into the world.  I have never seen that cutscene.

I remember at one point my Mom nagged me to help my Dad pick up some lumber at the store.  I was right in the middle of the first dungeon, couldn't save, so I left the game paused for several hours.  That's not a pleasant memory but it's one that sticks in my mind.  Majora's Mask is one of THOSE games that becomes a brief focus in my life where whenever I have the chance I play it until I beat it.  I spend time at work thinking about getting back to it.  I force myself to go to bed and pause to eat meals.  These are the best games.  I have fond memories of any title that worked like that.

The thing I like best about Majora's Mask is that it does not focus that much on dungeons.  It only has four "official" ones.  I like playing Zelda to experience the virtual world it presents.  So a game that focuses a lot on sidequests and interacting with NPCs is right up my alley.  The three day cycle also lets you prioritize as the player.  "Okay in this cycle I'm going to figure out what's going on with this character".  The game is very non-linear as a result and you have a lot of flexibility about what you specifically want to tackle at different times.

It isn't perfect though.  I sucked at the Goron race for example and was really annoyed that I had to do it TWICE to get the best sword (you need to win it on day one and the first time I did on day three).  It needs a quick-save as well for times when real life butts in.  But it's one of those special games for me and is probably the most special of the numerous great N64 titles.

[lolmonade]

Everyone already mentioned the games I had the fondest memories with, so I'll mention some other ones that I enjoyed quite a bit or offered a unique experience.

Blast Corps was a unique experience at the time, and I found it challenging.

WCW/NWO Revenge was a lot of fun when I played it, although I'm not sure how well it holds up now. 

There's a version of Tetris called Tetrisphere, which is A challenging twist to the traditional Tetris game (Another spin-off of Tetris called Wetrix was also available)

Rush 2049

1080 snowboarding was awesome at the time, but I've had a hard time enjoying it the last few times I've tried.

Bomberman 64 can be a lot of fun if you have 3 friends to play with.

[Mop it up]

Blast Corps. is amazing. It's one of very few games that I would actually call unique, because there really isn't anything else out there quite like it. But I still hate those stupid platinum medals, I have no idea how some of them are even possible.

WCW vs nWo Revenge was good for its time, but I'd say it doesn't hold up... because there are sequels to it on the N64. WWF Wrestlemania 2000 and No Mercy both took everything about the game and improved it, so there's not much reason to play the older games unless you like the wrestlers in them better than WWF. I've tried a few wrestling games on GCN and PS2 like WWF Wrestlemania X8 and one of the Smackdown games, and they just didn't seem as good, probably because they tried to be more "realistic" as strange as that may sound, but the N64 ones feel a bit more like a fighting game.

I... I can't believe you mentioned Tetrisphere. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in the world who has this great game. This is easily the best 3D puzzle game around, and quite possibly simply the best. The music is probably the best part. It's just a shame there hasn't been a follow up, or any other 3D puzzle games really; there's a lot of potential here, but they stick way to close to basic Tetris to ever reach it. Though I thought Wetrix was a pretty poorly thought-out concept.

Rush 2049. Nuff said.

I've never liked 1080 Snowboarding, it's just too bland.

I remember renting Bomberman 64 a lot, that was one of the best multiplayer Nintendo 64 game. I got my friends kicked out of the house once because we were being too loud when playing the game, it's a riot. Unfortunately, this is another example of a series that sticks too close to its 2D roots; there's a lot more they could do with a game like Bomberman 64 but they'd rather keep cranking out the same old 2D grid-based versions.

[Sarail]

Jet Force Gemini. Hands down. Nothing more even needs to be said.

It's that simple.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Has anyone mentioned Rocket: Robot on Wheels?
I never got far in that game (because it was stolen shortly after I started playing it), but I had a lot of fun with it while I did.
Maybe not contender for best game, but it was fun.

How about Beetle Adventure Racing?
I hate bugs with a passion, but I loved this game. Single player was fun, multi-player was fun and 4 player battle was fun. I loved everything about this game. This game was a sleeper hit for the N64 and I never met anyone that has played this game that didn't love it.

[broodwars]

For me, it's a toss-up between Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber and LoZ: Majora's Mask.  The latter is my favorite Zelda game, and the former is one of my favorite RPGs of all time.  The runners-up to those two would probably be Perfect Dark and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

And BlackMMild, if you liked Beetle Adventure Racing, you might want to check out Split/Second on 360/PS3.  It's a different game, but it feels somewhat similar in tone (especially in terms of the emphasis on the environment and finding shortcuts).

[Razorkid]

Awesome thread!


I don't have a single favorite, but here are a few that are near and dear to me (excluding obvious OOT and Mario 64 references):


Ogre Battle 64- Super psyched that it was picked as the retro revival game! I've never played a game quite like that which also monopolized my time as much as that game did in my youth.


Extreme G- It was the first game I ever rented for my N64 and I bought it a couple years later when I got my first job.  It was sooo good! And I absolutely loved the music.  I agree that the sequels didn't really have the same spirit as the first one.


Super Smash Bros.- This game came outta nowhere when it was released.  I don't know how I found out about it, but I bought it from my local Babbages at launch not quite knowing what to expect and was blown away by the simple yet extremely fun multiplayer.  My brother and I would have matches for hours.  Sometimes it was FREE FOR ALL (you know the voice  ) or we would team up, slap the Mario Bros together on the hardest difficulty and tear it up (those cheap bastards!)


Perfect Dark-This was the first multiplayer fps that I got into and at the time had sooooo many cool features. I mean, I remember my brother and I spending hours tweaking sims and playing team deathmatch and capture the briefcase (dark sims+pacifist sims+tranquilizers were an unholy combo).  Ironically, I've not been as interested in multiplayer FPS's since then.


F ZeroX- 3...2...1...RAAAAACE! So much fun with that game and the frame rate?!?! Another all time favorite racer on that platform.

The N64 didn't have the library that the psone did, but it had so many quality gems on it.

[BlackNMild2k1]

And BlackMMild, if you liked Beetle Adventure Racing, you might want to check out Split/Second on 360/PS3.  It's a different game, but it feels somewhat similar in tone (especially in terms of the emphasis on the environment and finding shortcuts).

If I had a PS360 I just might. Is it out for the PC?
And isn't that a game made by a Disney studio?

Perfect Dark-This was the first multiplayer fps that I got into and at the time had sooooo many cool features. I mean, I remember my brother and I spending hours tweaking sims and playing team deathmatch and capture the briefcase (dark sims+pacifist sims+tranquilizers were an unholy combo).  Ironically, I've not been as interested in multiplayer FPS's since then.

Mee too

[TJ Spyke]

If I had a PS360 I just might. Is it out for the PC?
And isn't that a game made by a Disney studio?

Yes, and yes (it was developed by Black Rock Studio, which is owned by Disney).

[broodwars]

If I had a PS360 I just might. Is it out for the PC?
And isn't that a game made by a Disney studio?

Yes, and yes (it was developed by Black Rock Studio, which is owned by Disney).

What he said.  Sadly, it'll probably be the last of that franchise we ever see, considering Disney was stupid enough to launch it against Mod Nation Racers and Blur in the same time frame so it didn't sell very well.  Plus, Disney's now consolidated and refocused Disney Interactive towards Downloadable titles.  A shame, too, since Split/Second is probably the most enjoyable racing game I've played in years.   

[Gameboy Freak]

I would actually have to choose 5 games that I think are the best N64 games.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Not only is it my favorite game and the first Zelda game I really played. But it changed how I viewed games and got me into a whole new genre of games that I had not really had shown interest in before.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - This game to me is like the Empire Strikes Back of the Zelda series. I fell in love with this game the day I had gotten it.

3. Banjo-Kazooie - For me this is the Nintendo 64's equivulent to the DKC series on SNES. This game still holds up to me even after playing it for almost 12 years.

4. Star Fox 64 - I find this game to be extremely addictive. Even though this game is kinda short especially if your really good at it, I enjoy getting to newer areas I had not been to or seen before.

5. Mortal Kombat 4 - This was my first N64 game. I loved how this was in 3D but it still played like the old 2D entries. This is also in my opinion the best port of MK4 to the consoles. Although I wish it had the cool remastered endings, intro, and the awesome commercial that the Playstation version had.

[BranDonk Kong]

MK4 for N64 was definitely the best version (though if you have a 3DFX card in your PC, it looked really nice under Glide). It was about as arcade-perfect as you can possibly get, having a much higher polygon count than the PS and PC versions. MK Gold was better, but that's a little unfair.

Anyway...Mario Kart 64 is the best N64 game there is, period.

Second is the combination of every THQ wrestling game for N64, from WCW vs nWo World Tour, to WCW vs nWo Revenge, to WWF WrestleMania 2000, to WWF No Mercy. You can skip the first (World Tour), because it was basically the tech demo for all of the rest (though it's still an awesome game), but the rest of them are must-haves.

Looking over this thread there's like a million awesome N64 games popping up in my head...Jesus, that console doesn't get the respect that it deserves.

[Silenced]

I don't have an absolute favorite. I like the original Smash Bros., Paper Mario, and Super Mario 64 (need that downloaded on my Wii). They're just fun games that make you pick up the controller day after day.