N64 Games

The Nintendo 64 is one of my favorite consoles.  It's not hard to see why I love it considering the amount of A+ games that Nintendo churned out.  Nintendo made their share of mistakes with the N64 (which would go on to assist with the Gamecubes woes) like the awkward controller shape, stubborness to switch to disc format (leading many developers to not support the console) and the 64DD add on (not released in NA.)  Regardless of it's flaws, I loved it and this was sadly the last Nintendo home console that I would embrace.  There's nothing wrong with the Gamecube or the Wii, I just don't have the same joy playing those as I did with previous Nintendo consoles.

With that out of the way, here's a list of some games that didn't make it:

Starfox 64 : Excellent game (and the last great Star Fox Title) but didn't really enjoy the multiplayer which contributed to it not making the cut.

Super Smash Bros : The first of the Smash titles and one of the best multiplayer games on the N64. 

Wave Race 64 : I seriously love this game.  The music was so soothing and the water physics were amazing!  I actually played it recently and it's still loads of fun.

Mario Kart : Along with Diddy Kong Racing, these two racers (along with Wave Race) would have easily made the cut had I made a top 10.

Other top titles that didn't make it were: Banjo Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini, Paper Mario, Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask, Mario Party 2, and Pokemon Puzzle League to name a few.

NUMBER 5

SUPER MARIO 64

Nintendo - 1996

Mario's first 3D romp is still widely considered one of the best platformers ever and justifiably so with it's perfect controls, beautifully rendered worlds, and the feel and look of it's predecessors.  Expectations were high considering that Mario has had 4 amazing console titles (not including Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) and Nintendo definitely delivered.  How many of us still remember that feeling when you first got Mario's flying cap and flew around the first level?  The little theme it played still rings in my head and brings back memories of perfecting Mario's wall jumps, fighting the giant Thwomp, discovering Yoshi on the roof, and of course downing Bowser.  Ported to the DS years ago, if you have yet to play this title, do yourself a favor and go track it down.  I loved it in '96 and I'll probably love it in 2096! *although I'd probably be too old and crabby by then. 

NUMBER 4

GOLDENEYE/PERFECT DARK

Rare - 1997/2000

I chose to make this a dual entry because talks of one of these titles inevitably brings up the other.  I enjoyed both of these games but for different reasons.  GoldenEye was my first extensive experience in a FPS playing multiplayer and me and my friends killed hours in deathmatch.  Whether we played 'Slappies Only' or used the one shot golden gun, we had a blast each and everytime the game was played.  Perfect Dark is considered the spiritual successor to GoldenEye and it really does show.  Mechanics were near identical and aside from a graphical boost, not really much seemed to set it apart.  Two features that I loved about Perfect Dark was it's co-op missions and it's Combat Simulator (up to 4 humans vs 8 computer controlled bots).  While it's deathmatch wasn't as fun (in my opinion) as GoldenEye's, it's these two other features that kept me coming back time after time.  Console gamers owe a lot to these two titles because they're two of the main reasons that console FPS' are thriving today.  Before these two FPS' were mainly computer based or ports. 

*on a side note, have any of you actually tried playing these two recently on the N64?  If not, please don't.  Try to imagine how we were able to control a shooter with only 1 stick.  Yeah it's kinda awkward.

NUMBER 3

WWF NO MERCY

THQ/AKI - 2000

I can't even begin to tell you how many hours were spent playing this game.  Wrestling was much more relevant at the time and No Mercy (in my opinion) is not only one of the best wrestling games ever, but also one of the best games in the N64 library.  If you've played any of AKI's wrestling titles (WCW/nWo World Tour or Revenge and WWF Wrestlemania 2000) then you know how fine tuned their controls were.  Still regarded today as the best (control wise) wrestling title AKI not only improved on its well received control system, but also added a substantial amount of content.  Not only was the cage match brought over from Wrestlemania 2000, but they included the first (as far as I can remember) ladder match option.  There was a "Smackdown Store" where gamers can use their earned in-game currency to unlock new items, moves, characters, etc which they can now use to create their own grapplers in their extensive create a wrestler mode.  The storyline was also pretty fleshed out with branching storylines adapting to how situations unfold (i.e. player winning, losing, being disqualified etc).  I've literally replayed this game about a year ago and aside from some slowdown and blocky textures, this game is still fun.  Playing it brought me back to having friends come by and staying up all night playing games and just having fun beating eachother up.  Even if you weren't a wrestling fan, you still would have enjoyed this fun and deep title.

NUMBER 2

CONKER'S BAD FUR DAY

Rare - 2001

Right behind the king of platforming (Nintendo - Mario) there was Rare.  On the SNES they made the excellent Donkey Kong Country series and to follow up Nintendo's Super Mario 64 they created Banjo Kazooie.  Banjo Kazooie was a fun platformer and was followed by Donkey Kong 64 then Banjo Tooie.  Rare then began showing beta footage of their new platformer titled Twelve Tails: Conker 64.  Did you watch that trailer?  Doesn't it just look like the cutest thing you've ever seen?  Even though Rare released adult titles like Perfect Dark and GoldenEye, the company was getting a reputation for releasing overly cute games starring cuddly animals.  Rare decided to completely scrap the premise for Twelve Tails and instead release one of the most mature titles in the entire N64 library.  Gone was Conker's squeaky voice and cute as a button girlfriend instead replaced with..well..this masterpiece.  Now admit it, that intro looks a heck of a lot better then another bubbly romp in a cuddly world right?  What other game has their "hero" helping a bee "pollinate" a busty flower or fighting one of the greatest bosses in the history of videogames who is literally a singing pile of poo?  Conker spoofed lots of movies before they became cliche like the Matrix, Alien, and A Clockwork Orange.  Conker was also always breaking the 4th wall often engaging the player directly.  The controls were tight and the gameplay had a little bit of every genre mixing third-person shooting, racing, and lots of platforming.  The story was interesting and hilarious, the graphics were gorgeous, and they even included a multiplayer mode which was surprisingly a lot of fun.  My brother and I spent hours upon hours playing through deathmatch, cavemen vs dinosaur mode, and our favorite: the Thieves mode *don't remember the actual names of the gametypes.  In 2005 the game was rereleased with enhanced graphics and gameplay on the Xbox titled Conker: Live and Reloaded.  There was a meaty multiplayer mode added and the graphics still look great (especially compared to some Wii titles).  One of my favorite games ever and deserving of a sequel on the Xbox 360 (or should I say Squeakel?)  Hehe..yeah..anyways..

 *Nice piece of background is that Conker along with Banjo came from Diddy Kong Racing.  Take a look at the top right corner and bottom left of the link there.

Lot of amazing games listed above huh?  Number 1 really shouldn't be a shocker (especially if you know me) but let's see that drumroll really quickly:

NUMBER 1

LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

Nintendo - 1998

I (along with millions of others) consider this to be one of the greatest games of all time.  Link's first foray into the third dimension was (in my opinion) even more graceful then Mario's.  I honestly love this game.  When I first got it, I would play this game, break to eat, play this game, restroom break, play this game, eat and so on and so forth.  I loved the characters, the environment, the weapons, and even the bosses.  I have no shame in admitting that this was the first game (actually only game) that honestly made me feel terrible about beating it.  It's not that the game's resolution is bad, it's just that I didn't want the story to end.  I became attached to Link, his world, and all it encompassed.  At 11 years old this was quite possibly the first piece of media that pulled at my heart strings and nearly brought me to tears (I was an emotional kid!).  Still today I can wax nostalgic with friends about the time spent playing this game, recalling the bosses, characters, and that horrendous Water Temple.  If you know what I'm talking about then there really isnt much that needs to be explained.  The controls were tight, the visuals were stunning, and the music was epic. 

For those out there that don't know the story of Ocarina of Time (all 3 of you) the story is as follows: The fairy Navi awakens Link from a nightmare where he sees an evil man kidnap Princess Zelda of Hyrule.  Navi guides Link to the Great Deku Tree who is dying and warns Link of an evil man from the desert.  Link collects a spiritual stone from the Tree and heads out to meet Princess Zelda who tells of a man who matches the description the Tree gave Link.  The man is named Ganondorf and he's after the Triforce.  Link must recover the 2 other spiritual stones so that he may gain access to the Sacred Realm before Ganondorf does.  I'm gonna leave it at that because the game is supposed to be rereleased on the upcoming 3DS and if you haven't played it before, you have no excuse now.  If you've played Ocarina of Time then you most likely loved it and can share with me the joy that this game brought.  I know I say this a lot but seriously this game is not only one of the best titles on this console, but also one of the best games of all time.

Sorry for the lenghty hiatus.  I went on vacation and then got really busy.  I'm gonna try to make lists more frequently and am gonna try to pump out a non-game related one within the next few weeks.  Any suggestions on topics?