Top 25 Nintendo 64 (N64) Games

[digitalpress]

Discuss.

Beetle Adventure Racing
Blast Corps
Body Harvest
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Excitebike
James Bond 007: Goldeneye
Mario 64
Mario Golf
Mario Kart 64
Mario Tennis
Ogre Battle 64
Paper Mario
Perfect Dark
Pokemon Puzzle League
Rocket: Robot on Wheels
Rush 2049
Smash Bros.
Space Station Silicon Valley
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Starcraft64
Starfox64
Wave Race
WWF No Mercy
Zelda: Mask of Majora
Zelda: Ocarina of Time

[theaveng]

Delete Paper Mario... I've been playing it all day, and I think it sucks. This review pretty much sums up my thoughts:



"Take Out Square and Everything Goes To Hell"
(Super Mario RPG, subtract any and all fun, equals Paper Mario)

"Graphics: 7.5/10
"Part of me wants to give this category a 10 for the ultra-creative paper effect. The other part of me wants to give it a 5 for its dullness and inferiority when compared to the incredible 3D models of Super Mario RPG. I'll compromise at a 7.5.

"Music: 5.5
"Yep, you guessed it...childish. If you're looking for happy, sweet music that would fit great in your infant's mobile, look no further. Again, it only gets points for having a little bit of original Mario music in it. (And when I say a little bit, I MEAN a little bit! In fact, I could only find one track of original music!) [I also miss the peppy battle music from Mario RPG -Troy]

"Gameplay: 0/10
"Ok, here's where everything DIES.
"First, the game is WAY too easy. The puzzles are nearly non-existent. (You flip a switch, reveal a staircase, climb and find another switch, flip it and find another staircase, and so on). Next, the battle system...what happened? You can pick only ONE partner to assist Mario. These stupid little helpers CANNOT take damage and CANNOT level up, so it's all on Mario here. When Mario dies, the game ends, with nothing happening to your helper. Geez, just because Mario is dead doesn't mean that they can't attack! Plus, not one really fights better than the other, eliminating the strategy of varied party members you could have in Mario RPG. (e.g. having Geno for his strong attacks and Princess Toadstool for her magic healing powers).

"Speaking of magic, there is none in this game! No healing, no offensive spells, NOTHING! Just attack, attack, attack though the whole damn game! Magic is good because it adds variety rather than just attacking physically, and because curing can be a massive part of strategy!

"In conclusion, I realized that Paper Mario is a lot like Yoshi's Story and Kirby 64; they all are poor successors to awesome SNES games. This is why many people play their SNES more than their N64. The bottom line is that Paper Mario will never hold a candle to one of Squaresoft's SNES predecessor!"



(donning my flame-retardant suit)

[Raedon]

My most hours played game is not on there.

Tetrisphere

[Arcade Antics]

@theaveng: request denied.


:P

[Sega Hitman]

I'd say drop Blast Corps and add Mario Tennis. Maybe it was just me, but I actually thought Blast Corps was pretty bad.

-Hitman-

[theaveng]

How 'bout San Franciso Rush Extreme Racing?
Delete Diddy Kong to make room.

Maybe add Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness?
Delete Mario Kart 64.

Add Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer
Delete F-Zero X.

Add Donkey Kong 64?
Delete Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (boring)

Add Pokemon Stadium 2
Delete Paper Mario (kiddie RPG)

Add Jet Force Gemini?
Delete Mario Golf

Add Spider-Man?
Delete Wave Race

Add Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness?
Delete WWF No Mercy

Add these too?

Command & Conquer
Resident Evil 2
Starfox 64
Indy Racing League
Rayman 2
Shadow Man
Starcraft 64
Turok 2
Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Mario Party 3
Cruisin' World

[geelw]

dump shadows of the empire- add body harvest (excellent, underrated game)
paper mario stays, i say...

i'd actually petition for a 50 game list for the n64, as it seems that too many message boards i've peeked at complain about the system not having good games, or continue to harp on the same old stuff being "the best". that said and done here are some that deserve more recognition:

hybrid heaven
shadowgate 64
space station silicon valley
rayman 2
rocket: robot on wheels
goemon's great adventure
penny racers
harvest moon 64
resident evil 2
ogre battle 64
indiana jones & the infernal machine

[ubersaurus]

F-Zero X is good. Leave that...Mario Kart, also good. I say delete blast corp for pokemon stadium 2. Paper Mario should stay, I agree. I'd also say to get rid of Wave Race for StarFox 64, but thats me.

[Sega Hitman]

Maybe a 50 game list would be best. Another one that nobody has mentioned that I really liked was the first Mystical Ninja game. I haven't played it in years, so it may not have aged well, but I remeber enjoying the hell out of that.

Is Body Harvest really that good that it deserves to be in the Top 20? I've never played it, but the Meijer's near me still has them for $10. Is it worth it?

-Hitman-

[kevincure]

Toss Diddy Kong and WWF

Add SS:Silicon Valley and Rocket

[geelw]

body harvest was developed by dma designs, the folks who eventually did a couple of games in a slightly popular series called grand theft auto. the gameplay in bh is a mix of gta (jump into any vehicle and go almost anywhere), metroid (kill bugs of varying sizes, move onto giant boss), and a few rpg elements (lots of npc's to talk to, folks to rescue, etc). the game isn't the best LOOKING n64 game, but the excellent gameplay makes up for it.

in other words, for 10 bucks, it's a BARGAIN. enjoy it (it's also one of the longest games on the system).

also pick up space station silicon valley- dma did the honors on this as well, and it's another underrated classic (well, next gen gave it 5 of 5 stars, but how many people were reading that mag back then, lol)...[/quote]

[geelw]

i fergot- mystical ninja 64 rocks! make that list 51!...

[theaveng]

Please update the list.

[digitalpress]

I'll update this tonight, but ... theaveng... I have to say I disagree with almost every one of your "substitutions". You're killing off some of the forum's most demanded games (see prior thread) to make room for some "out of the blue" titles. Tell us why you're dropping one for another. Your debate on Paper Mario is good, and I think that's going to be the first to get knocked off of the current list.

[Arrrhalomynn]

I suggest you delete excitebike. It's the worst motor'racing' game I've ever played. The control is terrible, the Music/sound is very annoying and the graphics are so/so.
And please leave Paper Mario on it. It's the only N64 title I kinda enjoyed.

[theaveng]

Delete Diddy Kong to make room.
Delete Mario Kart 64.
Delete F-Zero X.
Delete Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (boring)
Delete Paper Mario (kiddie RPG)
Delete Mario Golf
Delete Wave Race
Delete WWF No Mercy

DIDDY KONG
-you must place first on each of the world's four tracks, then race that world's boss.
-Once you've beaten the boss, you must go back through the world's four tracks and you get to race the boss again
-THEN you race all four tracks yet AGAIN
-Sound horribly tedious? YES.
-after beating Space World, you unlock Adventure 2, and race all the tracks in reverse! (GROAN)
-boring, boring, boring

MARIO KART 64
-Quoting a review: "History has shown us plenty of titles that featured the very best sound and graphics money could buy which still somehow ended up being not much fun to play. Mario Kart 64... single-play mode is just too easy. This is due in part to the game's extra wide tracks, and in part to the poor AI routines - which deliver opponents who seem more like they're on their way to the local convenience store than in an all-out race for the finish line. The result is that players can (and do) drive around for minutes without even spotting an opponent - much less getting a chance to score a hit. None of these problems ever really destroys the game entirely, but they do make it more difficult to get excited about picking up the controller for more than a handful of races....
Mario Kart 64 is very likely to disappoint you after about a week. I wouldn't feel right about not giving you that warning. That said, I'm off to Mario Kart on my SNES to reminisce about the good old days, and dream of what this cartridge could have been. --Trent C. Ward, gamespot.com"

F-ZERO X:
-Vehicles are uninspiring and tracks are spartan
-Music is cheesy synthesized-metal
-Overall the game is bland... it leaves no desire to come back

SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE
-The first level is fantastic... and then it takes a crash dive into the Death Star.
-Control is poor. Ditto the camera
-We already have the superior Rogue Squadron...we don't need this title there.

MARIO GOLF/ WWF No Mercy
- I just don't like sports games... and I HATE wrestling. It's fake. And the people are revolting. If I'm going to watch something fake, I'll watch a high-production movie with loveable characters.

WAVE RACE
- Racing in a boat doesn't appeal to me

[theaveng]

After you delete the above games, add some of these... they are far superior versions but without the flaws. Sure, some of them are obscure, but Spider-Man, Kirby, Resident Evil, and Command & Conquer certainly are well-known.

San Franciso Rush Extreme Racing
Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness
Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer
Donkey Kong 64
Pokemon Stadium 2
Jet Force Gemin?
Spider-Man
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Command & Conquer
Resident Evil 2
Starfox 64
Indy Racing League
Rayman 2
Shadow Man
Starcraft 64
Turok 2
Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Mario Party 3
Cruisin' World

[digitalpress]

Well Troy, I think it's going to be here where you realize "you can't always get what you want". I appreciate your input though. Will review this list tonight after DP Survivor Tribal Council and a really cool CommaVid announcement. Stay tuned.

[ubersaurus]

No Mercy was among the kings of N64 multiplayer games...no way it can be removed.

[geelw]

i dunno. using someone else's bad (or good) review of a game to justify one's like (or dislike) for a particular title is sorta...off, don't you think? especially if a game like paper mario or even mario kart received mostly reviews in their favor. i'd rather hear why a person posting didn't like a game rather than what amounts to: "my best friend's second cousin's dogwalker said this game was bad- so i don't like it either!". validate by YOUR experience, not by the guy down the street, i say... :wink:

now if it were tripe like battlezone: rise of the back fogs (lol), getting the nod for a slot on the list, i'd have to yell at someone or something.

that said and done, indy racing league : no way :!: f1 world championship is not only the better game (visually and control-wise), it's probably the best pure racing game on the system whether you like F1 games or not. the tv-style presentation in the replays & the multiple driving viewpoints make the game a decent simulation, and when you toss in those weather effects...brilliant...=^P