The Nintendo 64 was released in the United States on September 29, 1996, a year after Sony’s CD-based platform, PlayStation, outperformed all other systems on the market. This was also the year that console manufacturers began to discontinue low-performing home consoles, such as the Atari Jaguar, Sega CD and 32x, Panasonic 3DO, and Phillips CD-i.
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To say that Nintendo was the underdog in 1996 with a cartridge-based system to take on the behemoth PlayStation is an understatement. In its first 11 weeks, the Nintendo 64 sold 1.5 million units, and by 1998 it had shipped a whopping 7 million consoles only in the United States. Fans were clamoring for a Nintendo 64, and for good reason. So, here are the best Nintendo 64 games that contributed to the massive worldwide success of the console.
10/10 WWF Merciless
Released in 2000, THQ and Aki CorporationWWF No Mercy became the standard by which all subsequent fighting games would be judged. Hitting at the height of the WWF’s Attitude Era, WWF No Mercy was hailed by critics as one of the best fighting games of all time, thanks to its fluid controls, licensed characters, and overall good looks. fun gameplay.
The featured game 60 playable characters for you to choose to unleash hell on your friends or the AI. WWF No Mercy even came with a Incorporated character creator way for wrestling fans to live out their dream of running the Stinky face on Vince McMahon.
9/10 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
The Battle of Hoth level of combat in LucasArts 1998 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron is one of the most iconic Star Wars moments in all of video games. Rogue Squadron on the Nintendo 64 was effortlessly controlled with the N64’s innovative analog controller.
Feel the flight combat battles intense, and the music and sound bring a sense of immersion Difficult to replicate at the time. Bullets, lasers and towering mechanical giants they all fill the environment around you, which was a real game design achievement at the time. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron has been seen by many as the game that proved that Star Wars games could be fun and innovative while still being dedicated to the material sourceme
8/10 Pokemon Addon
Part of what made the Nintendo 64 so successful was some of the most innovative games ever released on the console. Pokemon Snap for the N64 was a absolute joy for Pokemon fans and a wonderful surprise for Nintendo owners when it was released in the US in 1999. You play as Todd Snap and you’re performing a special fact-finding mission for Professor Oak. the mission is watch pokemon in their natural environment and photograph them; What more could you want?
Today, all of this gameplay is more or less a common feature in modern video games in the form of Photo Mode. Back then, the idea of seeing a Charizard chilling in a volcano alongside a passed out Voltorb was mind-boggling.
7/10 Paper Mario
One of the must-plays on this list is Paper Mario. Once again, Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach, and it’s up to the two powerhouses of plumbing, Mario and Luigi, to rescue her. This Mario, however, is a bit different from how you remember him.
Released in the United States in 2001, Paper Mario is a big game for the industry because it was seen at the time as the perfect conduit for Western audiences who may have never experienced or played a real RPG before. The game has a funny story Y hilarious dialogue. Even as a turn-based adventure RPG, Paper Mario itself is a masterful piece of video game design.
6/10 Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64 burst onto the scene in 1999 in a GREAT and has since been known as one of the best Nintendo 64 games ever released. Developer RARE and Nintendo had a specific vision for Donkey Kong and his friends, and while there can be polarizing arguments on both sides of the debate, it can be argued that DK64 makes up for quality with its amount.
Donkey Kong 64 is an open world side-by-side adventure game with a multitude of articles and characters to collect. The featured game save spaces Y dozens of hours of gameplay. There are platforming levels, puzzles, races, shooting galleries and hours more on your way to one of the most iconic final boss battle locations in the history of video games.
5/10 mario kart 64
Nintendo has always been a company that focuses its efforts on multiplayer games as much as he does in his single player games. Mario Kart 64 is a kart racer with your favorite mario characters and game-inspired levels.
You and your friends can find random weapons Y enhancers. The game featured a significant drift mechanic that added an extra layer of skill that you could master. The AI in Mario Kart 64 is also well-designed, as you never feel overwhelmed, and due to the power-ups, you’re never really sure in the first place for very long.
4/10 Golden Eye 007
speaking of fun, GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 became the best multiplayer game on the system and brought the FPS genre into more viable form on home consoles. In GoldenEye, you take control of none other than James Bond himself and complete missions with various challenges.
Each mission unfolds as a james Bond Movie, complete with secret agent dialogue and drama. However, the multiplayer part of 007 is where many have spent countless hours Playing The man with the golden gun! with his friends in a split screen TV. Hey, without looking at the screen!
3/10 Super Smash Bros.
Holding the mantle not only of the fifth best-selling Nintendo 64 game of all time, but also be responsible for ushering in an entire gender, Super Smash Bros. proved that Nintendo’s creative directors were on a roll in the late ’90s.
Super Smash Bros. is a platform fighter where you play as a character from the Nintendo library, such as Mario, Pikachu, Link and Donkey Kong. Each character has their own set of moves tied explicitly to her in-game personality. For example, Pikachu can summon a powerful lightning attack over their opponents. Super Smash Bros. has since become a massive success for Nintendo with an absolutely intransigent fan base
2/10 Super Mario 64
Not much can be said about the impact Super Mario 64 had not only on the industry but also on Nintendo as a world leader in video games and console design. Taking a 2D character from a side-scrolling 8-bit platformer and transforming it into a fully rendered 3D platforming masterpiece is somehow undervaluation how super mario 64 changed the landscape of gaming when it was released alongside the Nintendo 64 in 1999.
Mario controls fluently and has many more movement options than his 2D counterpart. The environments and world are brilliantly stylized, and the levels are cleverly designed with just the right amount of challenge. Super Mario 64 reminded the industry why Nintendo was and still is the creator and innovator of fun.
1/10 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
If Super Mario 64 was a indication of how well 2D franchises can be transferred to 3D form on the N64, then The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time i perfected it. Ocarina of Time is the kind of video game that rarely gets to have a video game title as prestigious as a timeless masterpiece.
Video games as recent as elden ring and Super Mario Odyssey have their DNA soaked in what made Ocarina of Time a instant classic. The open world’s dedication to detail, fun gameplay, and clever puzzles are clear indicators that the development team took time and care to create this game. Ocarina of Time clearly shows that video games are not just a entertainment medium but a amalgamation of several masterfully crafted art forms.
