*Sigh* Okay, firstly, lets get one thing straight. The N64, as decent as it was, didn’t have a huge library of great games from 3rd party developers. Sure there were a couple, but it was mainly Nintendo and Rare that provided the hits, which is why this Top 15 is pretty much made up of games from the aforementioned. (Sorry to spoil that for you).
Secondly, you’re probably wondering why this is a Top 15 and not a Top 10. Well when we compiled and voted on our favourite N64 games, the Top 10 ended up looking a bit too predictable – and by a ‘bit’ I mean it’s completely predictable. If you don’t know what the No 1 game is already then you might want to check yourself before you wet yourself. So we decided, or rather I forced the staff, to extend it to a Top 15 just to give it a little bit of variety and bring some games into the spotlight that I feel deserve a little bit more recognition.
Now that that’s out the way, it’s onto OpRainfall’s overly predictable, not at all surprising, Top 15 N64 Games of ALL TIME! I wonder where Superman 64 will place?
I’m sorry, but you didn’t make it…
As usual, before we start the countdown, we should take a little time to mention those games that almost made it into the Top 15 – but just didn’t get enough votes:
– Jet Force Gemini
– Perfect Dark O_O
– Mischief Makers
– Pokemon Stadium 2
We salute you.
Anyway, on with the show:
No 15 – Mario Party 2
No, you’ve read that correctly. Mario Party 2 got more votes than Perfect Dark and Jet Force Gemini for it to claim the No 15 spot. Now I’m not saying it’s a bad game, because it’s not and it’s probably the best game in the entire Mario Party series; but let’s get a bit of perspective here people – it beat Perfect Dark! Y’know, one of the most highly acclaimed games on the N64! I despair with my staff sometimes, I really do. However, I shan’t remain bitter, they can have their cake and eat it. Welcome to the Top 15 Mario Party 2… *grumbles*
No 14 – F-Zero X
This is more like it! *VROOOM* *ZOOOOM *muffled voice – YOU’VE GOT BOOST POWER!* I smegging love the F-Zero series and whilst I believe the N64 incarnation should be in our Top 5, I’ll happily take it at No 14… mainly because it got more votes than Mario Party 2. Anyway, F-Zero X was such a crazy, high speed, adrenaline filled, awesome game, with some of the most insane courses ever conceived: Cylinder anyone? Accompanied by a thrashing, rock soundtrack and the much beloved ‘Death Race’ mode, F-Zero X deserves all the praise it can get. *Crosses fingers for a Wii U installment*
No 13 – Banjo-Kazooie
Well, this is a surprise, isn’t it? Considered to be one of the greatest 3D platformers (some say its even better than Super Mario 64) of all time – Banjo-Kazooie stalls at No 13 and doesn’t even make it into our Top 10. But let’s not dwell on its placing too much and let’s focus on why it’s on the list. Banjo-Kazooie was an epic quest of platforming and collecting, its bright, vibrant worlds captured our hearts and its delectable soundtrack tickled our ears with pleasure. Rare had an instant classic on their hands… which they managed to balls up with the 3rd game of the series, on the XBOX 360 – Nuts and Bolts. *shudders*
No 12 – Pokemon Snap
*Puts up flame shield* I may as well admit this now… I don’t like Pokemon. I could never get into the whole Pokemon phenomena, and I did try. I even bought a Gameboy with a copy of Pokemon Red but it didn’t grab me like it did the rest of the world. Then at the height of its hysteria, when Pokemon literally exploded over everyone’s faces, came Pokemon Snap. A game, where the aim is to take photos of the delightful looking creatures. Yep, that’s it. Just travel around an island (on rails I must add) and take photos of Pokemon doing Pokemon-y stuff in the wild. Now to be fair I never actually played Pokemon Snap, but I hear, from fellow staff members, that it has a lot of depth and replayability, and because I’m open-minded I shall take their word for it. So there you go Pokemon Snap, enjoy your position at No 12… whilst Perfect Dark is no-where to be seen. *cries*
No 11 – Ogre Battle 64
Just missing out on the Top 10 is the cult classic: Ogre Battle 64. You don’t get more of a niche title and this was a rare treat for the JRPG starved N64 owners. A game of tactics, strategy and politics – that a lot of gamers today would be put off by – it’s a shame that this was largely overlooked during its initial release. It didn’t even get a release in Europe until it appeared on the Wii’s Virtual Console. But we at OpRainfall share a great fondness with the Ogre Battle series and are proud to include it on our list.
Head to PAGE 2 as we enter the official Top 10.
