Games

The N64 games we want to see on the Nintendo 64 Classic

With a new trademark filing hinting at a Nintendo 64 Classic edition, these are the 64-bit relics that we’d like to see on the latest throwback console.

By Joshua Khan

7 min readPublished on 05/31/2018 · 9:38 AM UTC

Fact: The Nintendo 64 is one of the greatest consoles in the history of gaming. It’s an unpopular opinion due to its awkward design and undersized library of games, but it was a mid-to-late ‘90s treasure that played a major role in introducing kids to digital technology. For almost a decade, it was synonymous with sleepovers, after-school hangs, and weekends that defined the values of friendship. It also became a catalyst for the classic titles we know today – from GameCube hits (Mario Kart: Double Dash) to underrated Wii sequels (Super Smash Bros. Brawl) to the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, Breath Of The Wild, and next month’s Mario Tennis Aces for the Switch.

But here’s the thing: would it work as a Classic-edition console? A recent trademark application for the system’s controllers and software has been spotted, and given the fact that Nintendo have no immediate plans to develop a Game Boy equivalent (a ‘90s kid can dream), it makes sense for the N64 Classic to be the next stocking stuffer from Reggie Fils-Aimé and his band of merry Pikachus. It remains to be seen how Nintendo will handle the licensing horrors that come with third-parties such as Rare’s Banjo-Kazooie and Diddy Kong Racing, but there’s still a mess of first-party throwbacks to choose from. So with that in mind, we put together our own wishlist for the N64 Classic. It lacks cult hits like Pokémon Snap and Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey, but it makes up for it with nine fan faves that scream pizza rolls and Capri Sun.

1080° Snowboarding

As much as it was Nintendo’s answer to Cool Boarders (and all of the Yaggi diehards out there), 1080° Snowboarding found critical success by being a notable snowboarding game. The 1998 release traded in hip voice acting and ultra-'90s aesthetics for an impressive physics model that was coupled with realistic snow, tight controls, and a funkified soundtrack that included jams like Work Your Body. It was challenging to most, but a revival would bring out the SSX Tricky in all of us and finally solve the age-old question: “Is Ricky Winterborn wearing JNCOs or ski pants?”.

GoldenEye 007

If the image of a low-polygon Oddjob doesn’t trigger the high schooler that’s living inside of you, then you need to get your hands on GoldenEye. The 1997 title proved FPS games could find a home on consoles and its all-action campaign and classic multiplayer mode became a fixture for dorms, birthday parties, and weekend trips over to grandma’s house. It was a defining landmark for shooters and the multiplayer experiences that followed, but it was also MythBusters for kids -- inciting fictional experiments that tapped into “big head mode” and what you could accomplish in a bathroom stall. It also spawned a user-created mod that lets you run around with dual PP7s while dressed as Super Mario, yelling “It’s-a-me, a-Bond!”. So in other words, it really is perfect.

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

It’s pretty simple: Ocarina Of Time remains one of the best console games ever. It’s responsible for every single Zelda sequel that followed – including Breath Of The Wild, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and the random Link’s Crossbow Training spin-off that fooled you into thinking the Wii Zapper was actually cool – and it’s why it remains a step above 2000’s Majora’s Mask. Both deserve a spot on the N64 Classic (not to mention their own Bluepoint-style remake), but Ocarina was an immersive timesuck you couldn’t escape. The 3D worlds, boss fights, puzzles and friendships kept you up for days on end – solely feeding a desire for exploration that saw Link go from being an unversed child to an adult with character. It’s easily Nintendo’s finest moment with the Zelda franchise and it will forever be enshrined in its own gold cartridge.

Mario Golf

Despite the fanfare behind Super Smash Bros., Mario Golf gets the nod here for paving the way for spin-offs such as Tennis, Strikers, Sluggers, and every Sonic-assisted abomination that has been lasered onto a disc. In it, players can choose from a wide cast of characters and courses ripped straight from the world of Nintendo, and in an Everybody’s Golf sort of way, it simplified the sport without dumbing it down. Variables such as character attributes, rain, relief, spin, and wind strength and direction (characterised by a Boo) played a factor in every single shot. Throw in mini golf and the ability to cheer/taunt, and it’s simple: we really need a new Mario Golf game.

Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64 had it all: Great tracks, great names (ie: Toad’s Turnpike), challenging shortcuts, daring items, and even a 3D rendering of Wario that turned him into a weird instant crush [insert heart eyes emoji here]. Most of all, it was the complete multiplayer experience on the N64 and one that pitched friends against frenemies and boyfriends against girlfriends, and all for the sake of being the best couch co-op racer in the room. It also introduced the coveted 'blue shell' for the very first time -- reigniting the Koopa community while coining the phrase “first-to-worst”.

Resident Evil 2

With Capcom currently working on a full Resident Evil 2 remake, including the original N64 port would be a 'no brainer'. It’s wishful thinking but, dad jokes aside, RE2 was in a class of its own when it was released on the Nintendo console in 1999 due to its approach to the survival-horror genre and the way it balanced the series’ combat and puzzle mechanics with branching paths and storylines. The Nintendo 64 version was also a significant upgrade as it featured smoother animations, refined controls, alternate outfits for both Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, and an in-game randomiser that randomises the locations of zombies, items, notes, and keys. Add in the game’s ability to build tension with a cinematic soundtrack that flickered between ambient and industrial sounds, and there’s still no denying that Resident Evil 2 is worth the scares.

Sin and Punishment

Treasure’s Sin and Punishment is an obscure choice, but it’s a late-cycle title that never made its way onto the Nintendo 64 outside of Japan. Its NieR: Automata-esque plotline pinned rebellious freedom fighters against a bio-engineered mutant species and it was shipped in the form of a rail shooter that’s similar to Star Fox 64. It takes some getting used to, given its on-foot mechanics make use of two gun modes (lock-on and manual) and an advanced sword called a 'nightstick' (think Monster Hunter). But the way in which it holds your hand only to leave you in a seemingly endless barrage of sci-fi action and metal is what made it a cult-classic import in the first place.

Super Mario 64

Much like Ocarina Of Time, the Nintendo 64 Classic shouldn’t be ushered into existence without Super Mario 64 being one of its lead titles. The 1996 console launch exclusive threw Mario into his first three-dimensional adventure – putting him on a journey to retrieve 120 Power Stars and rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser – and it was a complete reinvention thanks to its open-world concept, inventive level design and dynamic Lakitu-controlled camera system. It was also flat-out weird. If you weren’t fighting King Bob-ombs who resemble Tombstone’s Sam Elliott, you were footracing Koopas, babysitting baby penguins, partaking in magic carpet rides, and waging war against a cap-thieving condor named Klepto in Shifting Sand Land. It’s not quite Super Mario Sunshine or Super Mario Odyssey, but it’s a halfway point that pushed the series to embrace its eccentricities. Especially when you consider Mario 64’s storyline is centered around the idea of Bowser imprisoning Princess Peach in her own castle, all for the love of cake.

Wave Race 64

Similar to F-Zero X and Diddy Kong Racing, 1996’s Wave Race 64 was a genre-defining relic of the ‘90s that fully embraced the N64’s 3D capabilities. It offered intricate controls, a total of nine different courses (including Drake Lake and Twilight City), and a super-challenging stunt mode that forced players to study the bobs and barrel rolls that made it “phenomenally fun”. It was a massive jump forward from the 1992 Game Boy title of the same name, but throw in a cheesy ‘80s soundtrack and it’s clear: Wave Race was and still is an underrated arcade-inspired gem.