Best N64 game, besides Ocarina of Time/Mario 64

[Zarkho]

N64 had so many absolutely wonderful, quality games that it's hard to choose one aside from SM64 or OoT/MM. But, since it has so many ones unparalelled on its genres, I'll try one per genre:

- Plataforming: Letting Super Mario 64 aside, Banjo Kazooie has to be the one. Its sequel, Banjo Tooir and DK64 were also good, but not that level of good.
- Racing: It's either Mario Kart 64, wich was a huge step forward from Super Mario Kart, but has been surpassed by other Mario Karts, or F-Zero X, the peak of its franchise with the incredible speed, awesome circuit design and unparalelled power metal OST. Wave Race also stands out with its ashtounding wave/physics desing and graphics. I really couldn't decide on which one is better. Also, there are other very good racing games on N64, such as 1080 Snowboarding, Cruisin' Series, Beetle Racing Adventure or Ridge Racer 64, but none of them are as good/important as the first three I mentioned.
- First Person Shooter: Goldeneye stands out as the pioneer, and Turok 1 and 2, being the 2nd the better, were also revolutionary. But Perfect Dark is the better one gameplay and multiplayer wise.
- Third Person Shooter: Jet Force Gemini by Rare is absolutely awesome story, gameplay and OST wise. Its controls could be refined, but the universe, planets, concept, varied gameplay, different protagonist with different skills to open new paths, setting, etc. were incredible. A masterpiece of science fiction.
- Shoot 'em up: It has to be Lylat Wars/Starfox 64. The best in the series and, for me, only matched on its genre by Rogue Squadron in the Gamecube. Awesome gameplay and level design, several routes full of surprises, varied and super-fun gameplay...- Fighting: Super Smash Bros. Period. Pioneer, extremely fun and deep gameplay, genre-changing... The first game in which I invested more than 200 hours.
- Adventure/RPG: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is way superior to Ocarina in almost every aspect, and way deeper in terms of story, lore, quests, gameplay, challenge... For me, it's probably the best of the system, although not as impactfull in the industry as SM64 or Ocarina, of course. Paper Mario was also an extremely good RPG.
- Others: Don't know where to classify it, but Conker Bad Fur Day was another masterpiece by Rare.

So... Any of the ones I mentioned as "TOP" in their respective genres could be considered the best of the system aside from SM64/Ocarina. It all depends on tastes, since all of them were genre/franchise defining on its time.

Last edited by Zarkho - on 26 February 2025