It is finally time for another edition of my top 10 games from a past system. This is another step in my journey to eventually release a top 50 games of all time list.
The N64 was an interesting time for gamers. Much like developers were trying to figure out the power of a new system and leaning harder into 3D games, gamers were also adjusting to it. Genres that we once loved might be totally different now. Sometimes, this is for the better, and sometimes, it is for the worse, depending on your perspective. For example, I absolutely loved platforming games on the SNES. I think 2D platforming is great. 3D platforming, especially in this era, has never been quite as good for me. I like the focus to be on the jumping. Platformers in this era had way more of a focus on exploring, collecting, and just dicking around in general. It didn’t speak to me as much, especially with how obnoxious the camera controls were for these games.
But obviously, the new power also led to new possibilities for pretty much everything. It was an exciting time in which I made endless memories with friends and on my own.
Be warned before you read. This is probably one of the most unhinged rankings you will find for a top N64 games list. As mentioned before, the new directions that certain genres went to, especially platformers, just didn’t fully click with me at this point in time.
With that, here is my list. Don’t get mad at me!
Past Lists:
My Top 10 SNES Games
My Top 10 GB/GBC Games
My Top 10 PS1 Games
10. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
I know that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 is often considered the gold standard of the series, but it’s just tough to ever top that first time experiencing a brand new gameplay loop. THPS felt like nothing else when it came out. The gameplay was so fun and fluid. The music was awesome, and the gameplay had nice variety with great level design and fun challenges to tackle. This was one of those games that everyone with a video game system played when I was a teen, and there was a good reason for that. This game came out at the perfect time, too, back when the X-Games were probably at the peak of their powers. Right place, right time, and a fantastic game. You can’t ask for much more.
9. Mario Golf
A part of me is always a little annoyed about Mario Golf. Mostly because of what it could have been. If this game had a story mode akin to the Game Boy Color Mario Golf game with some RPG elements, it would have been absolutely amazing.
But the reason the lack of real story mode makes me sad is because Mario Golf is so much fun to play. It’s the perfect arcade-y golf game. It’s super easy to pick up and play, but it takes real skill and patience to get really good at. It was always a great time with friends. If I never witnessed a great Mario Golf story mode, I might be less mad at this game for not featuring one. Regardless, despite that disappointment, this is still a tremendous game.
8. Paper Mario
My introduction to RPGs as a kid was Super Mario RPG. So, seeing the next evolution of Mario RPGs was very exciting to me. While I don’t think Paper Mario reaches the highs of Super Mario RPG, it does a great job of carving its own path. There are not many RPGs on the N64, which also helps it stand out in the crowd.
Paper Mario boasts a creative visual style, a battle system that does a nice job of blending in action commands with turn based, and it has a lot of personality. It was an excellent start for what has been a pretty consistently strong franchise.
7. NFL Blitz
I love sports, but sports games have never quite done it for me. I think what bothers me about games like Madden is that they are trying so hard to be realistic, but they just can’t quite get there. So many of these games end up with silly and unrealistic results, and it just doesn’t work for me.
What I loved about NFL Blitz is that it had no desire to be realistic. It just wanted to be fun. Obviously, NFL Blitz isn’t as deep as a Madden, but damn it feels great to play. It’s super easy to pick up and play immediately. Doing ridiculous hits on your opponents is always hilarious, and close games can actually be really intense, too. Arcade sports games just work better than realistic ones for me, and outside of maybe NBA Jam, I’m not sure if any sports game ever did it better.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
While I don’t hear this as much now, Ocarina of Time was probably widely considered the best game of all time for a very long time period. Its reign may have lasted something like 15 years or more.
That has finally faded a bit, but Ocarina of Time was still an incredible accomplishment when it came out. It nearly flawlessly moved the Zelda formula to a new generation and felt epic in a way that not many games did at the time. I’ve never loved the combat, which is the main thing that holds it back for me, but it still has that perfect mix of combat, exploration, and puzzle solving that makes the Zelda games beloved. While it isn’t my favorite game on the N64 or even my favorite Zelda game on the N64, it was still a special experience for me.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Back when I was a kid, Ocarina of Time was the game everyone loved and adored. But even back then, I could never get Majora’s Mask out of my head. The game was just so different and bold. Even as a kid, I couldn’t help but respect how brave it had to be to chart such a different direction for a follow-up to a game that people loved so much.
I love how alive the world feels in Majora’s Mask, with all of the exposures you get to side characters and their daily schedules. And when the game does go with more classic Zelda elements with its dungeons, I thought it knocked it out of the park. There is also this eerie feeling when playing most of the game that unnerved me more than a horror game sometimes. It’s just so weird and different. I respect the hell out of this game. I’m not sure if I’d ever want to replay a Zelda game from this clunky era, but if I did, I would start with Majora’s Mask.
4. GoldenEye 007
Full disclosure, I’m actually a bit of a Goldeneye hater these days. Not for what the game was in that era, but for what it is now. Once in a while, people love to bring an N64 to a gathering and want to play Goldeneye like the “old days.” My general response is, “That sounds awful.” Playing FPS on the N64 is a truly terrible experience.
But we didn’t realize that in the moment as teenagers. Countless hours were spent going toe to toe with others playing Goldeneye when I was younger. Many great memories were made.
I will say that the campaign was genuinely cool and would probably hold up in a lot of ways today outside of using the N64 controller. Goldeneye was pretty dang cinematic for an N64 game, and it had some cool mission design that really made you feel like a sexy spy. The game also has lots of memorable characters and neat moments. While I never really want to play this game again, I can’t forget how much I loved it in the moment.
3. Super Smash Bros.
I grew up with Street Fighter 2 on my SNES like most kids my age. But there is one inherent thing I’ve just never been able to enjoy about fighting games, and that is the amount of work you have to put in to get even decent at them. I hate the idea of having to practice and memorize combos and such. I much prefer the flow of an FPS in multiplayer, where you just play and naturally get better. I don’t want to do drills and shit like I’m playing basketball.
Super Smash Bros. was amazing because it brought that accessibility to fighting games (or at least brought it to the mainstream). Being able to pick up and play it immediately and at least feel decent at it was great. It was also awesome being able to improve naturally just by playing it.
I also love the slight randomness that the game offers. You can win by someone falling off a ledge, and the health bar isn’t a concrete thing, so occasionally, you can win a fight despite taking way more damage. It does just enough where an inferior player can still have their moments. And that fits well with the accesibility the game offers. I kind of lost interest in the series as it has gone on, but I will definitely never forget all the times I had fun with friends playing this one.
2. Ogre Battle 64
Before I played Ogre Battle 64, I had tried my hand at a few other strategy RPGs, but they had never fully clicked for me. Fire Emblem and Shining Force were cool, but turn-based strategy games also had a few things that I hated. I never liked how much you almost have to rely on stupid enemy AI, and waiting through long “enemy phases” in these types of games has always annoyed me. I still liked the games, but it was hard for them to become all timers for me.
Ogre Battle 64 fixed all that, with one of the coolest strategy RPG formats out there, and I really wish more games would copy it (thank you, Unicorn Overlord). Ogre Battle 64 throws away turn based movement and opts for real-time movement instead. This almost instantly eliminates all of my annoyances that this genre can have. You don’t have to wait through annoying enemy phases or try and trick enemies into moving off of strategically beneficial positions. The game is just about movement, RPG elements, and crafting powerful lineups. Tinkering with your formations is so much fun and very rewarding.
And to top it off, the game features a fantastic dark and political story that I really enjoyed. I truly would love more strategy RPGs like this, as I still think about this game all of the time. Here is to hoping Unicorn Overlord finally inspires more developers to take up this mantle.
1. Harvest Moon 64
Harvest Moon 64 was my first real exposure to a “cozy” game. I don’t think I ever really loved this game from a “relaxation” perspective, though. I loved Harvest Moon 64 because it was the first RPG game I ever played where my progress truly felt tangible. I wasn’t just watching my numbers go up. I could see all of the progress I was making in vivid detail.
Like almost all of these types of games, it starts at the beginning when you put the work in to clear out your farm of all the rocks and trees that are blocking you from planting seeds. Off the bat, it’s amazing to see that progress. From there, your farm expands in a multitude of ways that make life easier and make you more money. It’s an incredibly satisfying loop. On its own, this would probably be enough for me to enjoy this game, but the game has just enough to spice things up and keep things interesting outside of the farm, too. I love the festivals in this game, as they often give you goals to work towards in the build-up to them since there are several competitions in there.
If I went back and played all of the games on this list again, I doubt Harvest Moon 64 would be this high. There have been so many farming sims since then, and the formula is constantly being evolved. Stardew Valley is a tough game to top. But at the time, I hadn’t experienced anything like this, and I probably invested something like three months into it, which is pretty wild for me. It will be weird for many, and it’s honestly kind of weird even to me, but Harvest Moon 64 was my definitive N64 experience.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, stay tuned, as there will be more of these lists to come! The rest probably won’t be as weird as this one. Maybe.
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