When Nintendo launched its third home console, the Nintendo 64, in 1996, it changed the way we looked at console gaming forever. With its use of true 3D animation, the console reimagined Nintendo’s classic properties in visually stunning and increasingly immersive ways. The rest of the industry followed suit, with the mid to late ’90s heavily influenced by the N64. This legacy isn’t forged on hardware alone, of course, with the console boasting plenty of popular games, before it was succeeded by the GameCube.
We’re looking back at the N64 games that it seemed like everyone was playing during the console’s heyday. For the purposes of this list, we’re focusing on games that were released in the ’90s, with all due respect to late-stage N64 titles like “Perfect Dark,” despite their omission. The N64 remains a nostalgic favorite for any gaming millennial, with many friendships reinforced playing its beloved titles at home.
Here are five classic Nintendo 64 games everyone played in the ’90s as popular highlights for the console.
Super Mario 64
As the most popular launch title for the Nintendo 64 when the console debuted in 1996, “Super Mario 64” enjoyed a longer-lasting high-profile status than its counterparts. The game was meant to showcase what exactly the N64 was capable of, and it definitely delivered, bringing Mario into full 3D gameplay. More than just being able to run and jump on a three-dimensional plane, the developers gave Mario a variety of attacks and acrobatic moves players could pull off. This was matched by distinct levels for Mario to explore, from the sweeping Bob-omb Battlefield to spooky Big Boo’s Haunt.
The popularity of “Super Mario 64” isn’t just a matter of personal opinion but one that extends to measurable commercial performance. The game became the best-selling N64 game of all time, selling over 11 million copies during the console’s lifetime. With its immersive presentation, the game felt like a rebirth for Nintendo’s most prolific franchise and one that much of the industry followed suit on, producing their own 3D platformers. Among the best “Super Mario” games ever made, “Super Mario 64” is more than just a tech demo for the N64 but still informs 3D platformers today.
Mario Kart 64
With its early 3D graphics, the Nintendo 64 saw a whole wave of racing games grace its library throughout its lifetime. No other N64 racing game set the standard quite like “Mario Kart 64,” released at the end of 1996. While significantly upgrading the technical presentation from its Super Nintendo predecessor, the game retains its third-person perspective while bringing in Wario and Donkey Kong into the mix. The game brought 16 race tracks to the experience, each with their own quirks and distinct layouts to enjoy.
“Mario Kart 64” is still ranked highly among other “Mario Kart” games, with the 1996 title really setting the template for the series moving forward. One of the game’s biggest draws is that it was among the first N64 titles to support four-person multiplayer, which became a hallmark for the console. The game also features a greater variety in the types of tracks that players traverse in comparison to recycled backgrounds from “Super Mario Kart.” One of the best retro racing games of all time, “Mario Kart 64” set the standard for the series.
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
Beyond 3D platformers and racing games, the other genre that saw a major presence on the Nintendo 64 was first-person shooters. While the console had seen FPS titles before “GoldenEye 007,” including “Doom 64” and “Turok: Dinosaur Hunter,” the genre was never the same after James Bond’s N64 debut. The game featured an extensive, story-driven single-player campaign mode with multiple objectives per level, many straight out of the 1995 Bond movie. But the real standout was the game’s four-person local multiplayer mode, which ran relatively smoothly compared to similar console titles of its time.
While “GoldenEye 007” may not have aged as well as its 2000 spiritual successor “Perfect Dark,” it’s still an incredible achievement. The game is also certainly the best N64 first-person shooter released in the ’90s, defying the movie tie-in curse that already plagued the industry. While its single-player experience is great, millennials poured countless hours into the game’s multiplayer combat, relying on everything from proximity mines to karate chops to emerge triumphant. “GoldenEye 007” legitimized first-person shooters on home consoles, and it still stands with the best James Bond video games.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Just as “Super Mario 64” revolutionized what gamers could expect from the “Super Mario” series, “Ocarina of Time” completely revamped “The Legend of Zelda.” Ditching the series’ usual top-down perspective, the 1998 title let players explore the fantasy realm of Hyrule from a third-person perspective. To make the experience flow more smoothly, the game features an intuitive combat system while also allowing players to switch to a first-person perspective when stationary. Matching this expansive environment, “Ocarina of Time” is powered by an epic narrative spread across two distinctly rendered time periods.
For those who were there when the game was released in 1998, “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” felt like a full-on event. The game went deeper into the franchise’s mythos than ever before, with its upgraded presentation elevated by a more cinematic experience. Subsequent titles in the series for home consoles followed suit, with “Ocarina of Time” still setting the bar for 3D “Legend of Zelda” games. The ultimate Nintendo 64 game that still holds up today, “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” was an enduring masterpiece upon arrival.
Super Smash Bros.
Before the ’90s ended, Nintendo had one last major title for the N64 to keep fans excited with the original “Super Smash Bros.” Released in 1999, the title is a crossover arena fighting game with icons from various Nintendo properties like “Super Mario” and “The Legend of Zelda.” While the gameplay handles a bit more sluggishly than its smoother and faster paced sequels, the base charm is still there. The game also took full advantage of the N64’s four-person multiplayer capabilities, making matches even more chaotic as friends got in on the digital fracas.
As popular as the series subsequently became, the original “Super Smash Bros.” nearly didn’t happen due to concerns about in-game violence. Fortunately, wiser heads that saw the appeal in watching Donkey Kong absolutely flatten Pikachu with a haymaker prevailed and Nintendo’s popular fighting game series was launched. If “Street Fighter II” or “Mortal Kombat” didn’t get them, many ’90s kids’ gateway into the genre was through “Super Smash Bros.” Ever since then, a Nintendo home console doesn’t feel complete unless it has its own variation of the all-star fighting game series.
