The Nintendo 64 invented the codes of modern 3D and couch multiplayer: Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, GoldenEye 007, Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros. This Top 50 gathers the best of the N64 library, re-tested and re-ranked by RomWize, each title with its re-evaluated score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"A cornerstone of 3D adventure, plain and simple. Hyrule becomes a tangible world, Z-targeting reinvents combat, the dungeons are design masterclasses and Kondo's score lodges itself in the collective memory. Hard to spend two sentences on this peak without falling into obvious praise."
"A darker, more singular follow-up to Ocarina of Time. Three days looping endlessly to save Termina, forty-two masks with astonishing powers, dungeons tighter but brilliantly designed. A Zelda of rare melancholy, more demanding and more mysterious than its predecessor, rightly cult."
"Mario 64 invented 3D adventure gaming. Analog stick, orbital camera, painting-portal worlds full of stars and Mario's movement precision rest jaw-dropping. Thirty years on, the thing remains foundational, joyful, miraculous. Probably the most influential game in all of video-game history, without hyperbole."
"An Intelligent Systems papier-mâché RPG, full of charm and humour. The flat 2D world in storybook style charms instantly, the turn-based combat folds in precision timing prompts and every recruited partner has real personality. An accessible, delicious Mario RPG."
"A sequel to the cult Chunsoft roguelike, widely held to be the very best of the series. Procedural dungeons, permadeath, strategic inventory management and elegant writing build an experience of staggering depth and demand. A genre peak, sadly Japan-only."
"Rare's swansong on the N64, a 3D platformer for grown-ups with rare audacity. Conker the boozy squirrel chains parodies, profanity and unforgettable set-pieces, carried by cinematic staging and superb voice work. The off-kilter multiplayer is icing on the cake. An undisputed cult classic."
"A Ubisoft 3D platforming adventure that hits the mark from start to finish. The Dream Forest brims with varied, inventive levels, Rayman's animation is delicious and the writing radiates poetry. A game-design demonstration that pairs accessibility and depth. One of the N64's great platformers."
"Wave Race 64 invents the jet-ski game with revolutionary wave physics. The swell literally lives under the floats, the Kawasaki riders each have their temperament and the eight waters offer remarkable variety. Still irresistible, and one of the prettiest Nintendo games on the platform."
"A third Tony Hawk introducing the revert to thread half-pipes into endless combos. The formula nears perfection but starts losing a touch of coherence, and the N64 struggles against the next-gen versions. Still excellent, especially for those without access to the more modern cuts."
"Mario Tennis from Camelot, with exemplary handling and surprising depth. Sixteen characters, positional play and spin shots executed with delightful precision and a doubles mode worth its weight in gold. Tennis that can be festive and demanding at once, if you don't mind sweat behind Mario's moustache."
"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 refines and expands everything. Manuals to chain combos forever, cult parks and a broader pro lineup. It's one of the greatest sports games ever made, full stop. The N64 cut can't quite hold the visual pace, but the gameplay remains an absolute peak."
"A darker and far more ambitious follow-up to Banjo-Kazooie. The ten interconnected worlds, the split abilities and the depth of its puzzles place it among the N64's true high points. Denser and at times labyrinthine, but generous and intelligent in ways the platform rarely matched."
"WCW nWo Revenge polishes the AKI formula to its peak. Over forty wrestlers, a title-belt system and even more precise combat mechanics. One of the great wrestling simulations ever produced, deeper than the competition and lethally pleasant in the hand."
"A miraculous cartridge port of Resident Evil 2 in its Japanese guise. Squeezing that PlayStation monster onto N64 was a tall order, and the result is technically dazzling, with extra content and a flexible save system to boot. Some squished audio aside, the horror still grips hard."
"The absolute console FPS benchmark from Rare. Twenty Bond-licensed missions with multiple objectives, AI behaviour that was revolutionary for its day and a four-player multiplayer that became outright myth. A genuine genre revolution that redefined what a first-person shooter could be in the living room."
"The definitive snowboarding sim on the N64. The carving feel was unusually credible for 1998, every rider has real personality, and the alpine courses strike a near-perfect balance between adrenaline runs and trick lines. Nintendo EAD at the top of its game."
"The first Animal Crossing, long stuck in Japan. Social life in an animal village, real-time clock, letters to neighbours and seasonal festivals weave a routine of unique gentleness. The concept hits home from the very first evening and hasn't aged a day."
"A cornerstone of the 3D platformer, courtesy of Rare. The sparkling writing, the nine worlds bursting with secrets and the chemistry between bear and bird build an absurdly generous adventure. Three decades on, the duo's freshness and the level design hold up beautifully."
"DMA Design dreams up an action puzzler in which you hop from one robot animal body to another aboard a space station. The concept is brilliant, the varied zones brim with ideas and the British humour lands. A platformer apart that hints at what Rockstar's DNA would become. Worth rediscovering."
"A monumental tactical RPG from Quest. Commanding a liberation army, real-time battles, a moral reputation system that reshapes the story, character alignment and multiple endings build a political fresco of rare density. A strategy peak on the N64, deserving devoted rediscovery."
