Remembering Nintendo’s N64 at 30 – and six of the best N64 games still worth playing today
When I’m 64? Not quite, but Nintendo’s classic console is almost halfway there
Change The System! Get N or Get Out! Play it Loud! Man, That Controller Looks A Bit Weird! The N64 had all kinds of memorable marketing slogans. Fortunately, it was also a memorable console, hurling the big N and its games fully into the maw of 3D worlds.
Who’s that? I can’t see anything through all this fog!
Ha ha. But yes, despite the grunt of the 64-bit CPU that gave the N64 its name, games often faded distant polygons, blending them into the murk to reduce draw distance and lag. And while it might seem odd that a company associated with bright, colourful realms released a console that appeared to engulf game worlds in pollution, that was the price we paid for the leap from 2D to 3D. It wasn’t all bad – fog added atmosphere to some of the games. And besides, loads of PlayStation titles had fog too.
Yes, but at least there actually were loads of PlayStation titles…
Nintendo argued ‘quality over quantity’ when it unveiled precisely three N64 launch titles in Japan. But over time, it became clear that third-party developers were wary – largely because Nintendo had stuck with cartridges. In part, that was down to instant loading and carts being hard to pirate. But also, by controlling manufacturing, Nintendo earned on every sale. Critics noted CD-ROMs were cheaper and held far more data. And yes, the PlayStation ended up with far more games. But many N64 ones were classics.
If they were so good, why isn’t there an N64 Mini today?
Mostly because of the N64’s complexity. It put off developers at the time, and it makes the console a pig to emulate today. The chips in cheapo plug-and-play consoles can’t cope; adding one that could would push the price beyond what many people will pay for a retro machine. There’s also the fact that Nintendo never lost its obsession with money and control – and so, rather than sell you another hunk of plastic, it’d much rather charge you 35 quid a year to revisit your N64 favourites on Switch Online instead.
Six of the best N64 games
Look, the title above says six of the best N64 games, not the six best N64 games. If your favourite isn’t included, please don’t embed that weird controller in my head, like a nerdy shuriken.
F-Zero X (1998): Forget doddering along in Mario Kart 64 – this blazing fast space racer was like a relentless, breakneck roller-coaster, featuring on-screen 30 rivals jostling for glory.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998): By 1998, plenty of games claimed they had a full-fat explorable world. But Ocarina of Time had a richness and polish that echoed through the ages. It’s still great today – almost timeless.
Super Mario 64 (1996): Mario made the leap to 3D. It could have been a disaster. Instead, during an era where 2D was seemingly banned, this Nintendo effort got everything right, from peerless level design to cracking boss stages.
Star Fox 64 (1997): Or Lylat Wars in Europe. This cinematic space blaster ramped up the spectacle over the SNES original, with gorgeous visuals, not-awful voice acting and intense arcade larks.
Goldeneye (1997): Arguably the first Bond game where 007 (per cent) wasn’t the score it deserved, this first-person shooter bolted on stealth sections and a superb multiplayer split-screen mode.
Super Smash Bros. (1999): From early karate games to Street Fighter II, most brawlers felt serious. Super Smash Bros. instead unleashed chaos, in a free-for all where a roster of gaming greats punched each other’s faces off.
Craig Grannell
Contributor 
