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Keldroc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,982
Thinking about every console, and I think the N64 has the most top-heavy catalog gaming has ever seen. I think the PS1 gives it a run for its money but other than that, I don't think theres any console that can have a top 10 as good as (give or take the selections & in no order):

1. LOZ: OOT
2. LOZ: MM
3. Banjo Kazooie
4. Goldeneye
5. Perfect Dark
6. Super Mario 64
7. Mario Kart 64
8. Star Fox 64
9. Paper Mario
10. Super Smash Bros.

Thoughts?

Doesn't even crack the top 10 of all console top 10s due to sheer performance issues. There are better remasters/re-releases or sequels to all of these games available except Goldeneye, which is unplayable on the original hardware today without massive nostalgia. Perfect Dark doesn't belong anywhere near the top 10 to begin with. This era is rough in general but the N64 is the most difficult system to go back to now.
 

Traxus

Spirit Tamer
Member
Jan 2, 2018
5,192
I'm afraid you're completely wrong, have you actually played them?
Both n64 games have dual analog options using 2 controllers in the settings.

Goldeneye
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Perfect Dark
7xru7lgmfvk11.jpg
Robotron 64 and Episode One Racer also had similar control schemes.

Hence...these unholy abominations lol
wUZ7RC55oGnTAsKEvGKPWQ.jpg
IMG_0390.jpeg
 

TheBlade

Banned
Aug 14, 2020
204
I have yet to see a list of 10 games here that comes close to the list OP posted in terms of review scores , influence, pure fun etc.
 

julian

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,760
People often mention "nostalgia" when talking about those who enjoy N64 games and I really can't help but laugh. The amount of nostalgia goggles some people have when it comes to 3D games outside the N64 is frankly absurd. There was nothing like Mario 64 on competing platforms and even the games with lower frame rates like Zelda were not matched in terms of scope or design by anything 3D on the PS1 or Saturn. The N64 was designed for 3D when nothing else was and comparable PCs were hundreds of dollars more expensive. Did people forget what rotating the camera on a 3D game for the PS1 was like?

….that doesn't mean the N64 has the best top ten ever though.
 

ToddBonzalez

The Pyramids? That's nothing compared to RDR2
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
15,530
You can play at least Goldeneye with dual analog on N64, but you need to play it with 2 controllers.

youtu.be

GoldenEye 007 | 1 Player 2 Controllers | Blam Cat

Did you know you can play the campaign mode of GoldenEye 007 with two controllers? I discovered this a few years ago, and it's a fun new way to play this N64...
Haha what? I don't remember this at all. Probably because 99% of my time with this game was spent in multiplayer. Thats nuts.
 

naff

Unshakeable Resolve
Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,453
most of those games have either dated poorly or have far superior sequels. goldeneye was hard to play even at release. level design was cool, but I think it was special only as a console fps.
 

mindatlarge

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,926
PA, USA
Stacked against other systems, the N64 has one of the weakest libraries, imo. The games just aged very badly and outside of 15-20 games I'm not a fan of the selection of titles.
 

RedSwirl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,052
We might need to differentiate between "best games at the time" and "best games to play today."
Goldeneye definitely had an influence on PC first-person shooters. By the same token, I think it's very likely Goldeneye itself was influenced by the mission objective based design of PC games like Bethesda's Terminator series.

PC Gamers have checked in.

They want you to know that they were not impressed with Goldeneye.

Not impressed by destructible cover and interactive environments.

Not impressed by scoped weapons and stealth mechanics.

Not impressed by open ended levels and objectives.

Not impressed by novel items like the remote mines and throwing knives, or the fresh realistic theme.

They were not impressed folks.

They were also not impressed with Mario, Zelda, Wave Race, F Zero, Starfox, Sin and Punishment, 1080, Smash, Mario Kart, Diddy Kart, Mario Tennis, Body Harvest, Silicon Valley, Blast Corps, No Mercy…

I can only imagine what they think of the Saturn library.

They were impressed though by Robotron games shot from a first person perspective like Doom, or games where you wield a crowbar for an hour and a half.
I hope you're being sarcastic about the PC shooters but we are getting into some deep, oldschool PC vs console fighting here, even though the thread just said "consoles."

Quake and other contemporary PC shooters did do some things that GoldenEye didn't, shortly before GoldenEye came out. Even something like GoldenEye's mission design can be seen in games like Star Wars Dark Forces (was there a PlayStation version of that?). I wouldn't be surprised if GoldenEye was influenced by some earlier PC games, but the developers also attributed a lot of it to Mario 64's multi-objective levels, and then that aspect made it into Thief. Even much of Doom's design was inspired by Nintendo games.

Basically, no matter which was better at the time, I don't think anyone can deny that GoldenEye was a landmark for first person shooters in general.
I'm also perplexed by all of the PS2 answers. Isn't this console also a popular target for games 'not aging well.' MGS2 and 3 are constantly in people's cross hairs for their mechanics. So are the GTA games. SSX is less realistic than 1080. SOTC is fun, but hardly seems like something that would go on a top ten.
Honestly I agree (SSX is an arcade game, it wasn't supposed to be realistic). The games people are putting in the PS2's top list don't control all that well today if you ask me. The PS2 era GTA games are just about unplayable for me (they were back then too). SOTC is in my top games of all time but ran like shit on the PS2. MGS2 and 3 are held back by convoluted controls rooted in the 2D design of the original 8-bit MSX games.

The PS2 really just wins in terms of sheer volume, and like the N64, the foundations its games laid for what came after. There needs to be a longer conversation about which PS2 games actually hold up today.
Xbox One

Disco Elysium, Xcom 2, Witcher 3, Ori and Will of the Wisp, Red Dead Redemption 2, Crusader Kings 3, Hades, Divinity OS2, Inside, Dishonored 2, It takes Two.
The more recent consoles do need to be brought into the discussion.

The 360's top 10 looks pretty strong when you think about it:
(just rambling games off the top of my head)
COD4
Gears 3
GTAV
Portal
Dark Souls (is that the best RPG on the 360?)
The first good port of Half-Life 2?
Mass Effect (or 2, whichever you prefer)
Dragon Age Origins (or Inquisition, whichever)
BioShock
Bayonetta?

The PS4 games haven't fully tested their staying power but...
(again, just throwing shit out there)
I'm sure people are gonna put Last of Us 2 on there
Same with God of War
And Red Dead II
Bloodborne
Witcher 3
Disco Elysium
Divinity OS2
Tetris Effect?
GTAV? (most of its lifespan was on this generation)
Undertale
 
Jul 1, 2020
6,531
Additionally, the 1.2 control style uses the d-pad as WASD and feels great to play on the N64 with one controller. Most people just try the default control scheme and give up after 30 seconds.
This is my preferred control scheme. You get to play with 1 controller and the other buttons aren't that hard to reach for use/weapon change.
 
Oct 27, 2017
12,756

Deleted member 17210

User-requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
11,569
I have yet to see a list of 10 games here that comes close to the list OP posted in terms of review scores , influence, pure fun etc.
I'm not sure why influence is brought up so much when the topic only mentions "best". Those can overlap but they don't have to.

Anyway, I do think the N64 is one of the better consoles when strictly talking about a top ten but a Genesis list is even more replayable to me with stuff like:

Sonic series
Shinobi series
Phantasy Star IV
Thunder Force series
Streets of Rage II
Rocket Knight Adventures
Contra Hard Corps
Flashback
Wonder Boy series
Snatcher
 

Trey

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,964
The PS3 Top 10 is really good too. Felt like the moment that the Sony Studios as a collective stepped up. (the PS4 list is a doozy too with Bloodborne and Persona V)

Last of Us
Uncharted 2
GTA V
Red Dead Remption
Bioshock
Mass Effect 2
GOW3
Skyrim
Minecraft
Journey

I would imagine for the purpose of this exercise the list would have to be exclusives. Because you just listed like 7 of the most well known/beloved multiplatform games, and then a few PS3 only games.
 

Dolce

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,236
As always, it depends on what you like. Trying to find some objective "best top 10" is a fruitless exercise.

I would imagine for the purpose of this exercise the list would have to be exclusives. Because you just listed like 7 of the most well known/beloved multiplatform games, and then a few PS3 only games.

Different eras of gaming. I don't think it being multiplatform matters much when talking about the PS3 and modern era. What matters is "you can play these games owning this one console."
 

darkazcura

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,884
I'm not sure why influence is brought up so much when the topic only mentions "best". Those can overlap but they don't have to.

Anyway, I do think the N64 is one of the better consoles when strictly talking about a top ten but a Genesis list is even more replayable to me with stuff like:

Sonic series
Shinobi series
Phantasy Star IV
Thunder Force series
Streets of Rage II
Rocket Knight Adventures
Contra Hard Corps
Flashback
Wonder Boy series
Snatcher

Influence and best can go hand in hand in my opinion. Very confused by posts in this thread in general, but I guess it has to do with how people feel about these games in a modern context, which I think is odd. I still like a lot of them in a modern context personally, though.
 

SJPN

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,023
lol no

That gen alone and the PS1 eviserated it. As for Nintendo consoles, the N64's library or top 10 is one of the weekest.

A bunch of games on OP's list weren't great back then and have aged horribly now. The N64 had the staggering brilliance of Mario 64, OoT and GoldenEye, a small handful of bangers like Marjoras Mask, F-Zero X , Paper Mario and Mario Tennis, then average to shit making up the rest of its paper thin library.
 

jett

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,653
I'm gonna be real with you

Outsides of the Zeldas and Mario 64, that list just ain't all that great.

And Wave Race 64 is considerably better than the rest of them.
 

RingoGaSuki

Member
Apr 22, 2019
2,435
Definitely not. In fact I'd say it's probably my least favourite of any Nintendo console not called Wii U (Virtual Boy doesn't count, it doesn't even have 10 games..).

This is all subjective though, I'm an RPG guy so the N64 just wasn't my thing anyway.
 

batfax

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,396
that top 10 being all games released by Nintendo kinda lays out why the 64 was pretty fucking rough

fuck, half of them are mario/zelda

having variety is good, broaden them horizons
 

Eppcetera

Member
Mar 3, 2018
1,907
I think the PS1 has a better top ten, personally, so I don't think the N64 wins its own generation in this regard (my PS1 top ten is basically just a bunch of RPGs and Symphony of the Night, so it doesn't have as much variety). To me, the N64 fares better if it's a list of its top five games, as I mainly enjoy the system's two Zelda games and Super Mario 64.

And I like the SNES's top ten a lot more than the N64's, too. The SNES has perhaps my favourite top ten of any console.
 

RedMercury

Blue Venus
Member
Dec 24, 2017
17,650
SNES hands down.

Mario World
Mario Kart
Mario All Stars
Legend Of Zelda LTTP
Donkey Kong Country
F-Zero
Mario Kart
Super Metroid
Final Fantasy 6
Street Fighter 2
 

wavebeam

Member
Nov 9, 2017
151
My name is Squall Lion Heart. Everyone wants me to be a leader, but I don't want to be a leader. And then a pretty girl tried to talk to me, but I didn't want to talk to her, because she probably wants me to be a leader too.

My name is Solid Fake. I'm an 8 bit game in a 32 bit era, with graphics so sharp, they might cut you if you brush up against the screen.

My name is Lara Rofl. I'm so slow, that I make Dash Rendar look like Super Mario!

My name is boy with a Lion Tail. Our writing is on a third grade level, but everyone still feels mature when they read it.

My name is Silence Hill. The only thing scary about me is my gameplay!



My name is Link to the Facts. My gameplay is so mundane, they invented the word snappy to euphemistically refer to it.

My name is Samus Errand. My game starts with a gigantic wall of text, recounting the boring events of entries past. I have terrible boss fights, clunky mechanics, dull graphics, and an endless series of easily beatable enemies. They say I have great map design though, so it's okay.

My name is Wario World. Miyamoto didn't have time to create actual level design, so he gave me a dinosaur instead.

My name is Contra 3: The Alien Snore. Are you sure you didn't mean to play Gunstar Heroes instead?

My name is Super Castle Save Ya. Who will save us from these boring games!



My name is Metroid Crime. I have lock on shooting in the Year 2002, a year after Halo. But it's okay because I'm not a first person shooter. I end with two hour's worth of gun battles

My name is Resident Evil Rebate. I have tank controls in the Year 2002. And they say that N64 games have aged poorly!

My name is Mister Falcon. I was designed by a past their prime Sega, but people think my track design is better than a game developed by EAD at their peak. Good thing I have good graphics!

My name is Paper Mario: The Thousand Wrestling Matches.

My name is Resident Evil Bore. I'm the Gamecube's best game, but even I'm being remade these days!
 

Nilson

Member
Nov 5, 2017
1,414
I'm surprised when people say n64 games are hard to play, like new Mario games have the same controls as Mario 64, and majoras mask feels so much better than skyward sword

That being said, snes probably wins this contest
 

Tavernade

Tavernade
Moderator
Sep 18, 2018
8,622
The thing about N64 is it has both Mario 64 and Ocarina, and there are very few consoles with multiple GOAT options outside it.

I do think its Top 10 might not be as good as some other consoles, as some of it's best games have better permutations elsewhere (TTYD > Paper Mario, Melee/Ultimate > Smash 64) but it's still pretty great. It's still probably the best local multiplayer console outside of maybe the Wii (and Switch if you count ports).
 

CanUKlehead

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,396
Thinking about every console, and I think the N64 has the most top-heavy catalog gaming has ever seen. I think the PS1 gives it a run for its money but other than that, I don't think theres any console that can have a top 10 as good as (give or take the selections & in no order):

1. LOZ: OOT
2. LOZ: MM
3. Banjo Kazooie
4. Goldeneye
5. Perfect Dark
6. Super Mario 64
7. Mario Kart 64
8. Star Fox 64
9. Paper Mario
10. Super Smash Bros.

Thoughts?
I can see the argument, but outside of nostalgia, I don't really care much for those games.

Jesus, I almost forget how Nintendo carried this system, almost by themselves. And thus the Nintendo Tax was born.
 
Feb 27, 2019
1,350
Only if you like your games chugging along at 15-20 fps. I have a lot of love for the N64 (and PS1) but that generation has not aged well at all.
 

Mr. Keith

Member
Oct 31, 2017
1,940
You could make a top 10 list in every genre from the games that appeared on PlayStation 2 and it would be competitive with the N64's top 10 games.

The N64 has it's place in history with some amazing games but even having 10 of the greatest games for that generation doesn't hold a candle to just how massive the PS2 was.
 

Lindsay

Member
Nov 4, 2017
3,131
I own an N64 an haven't even ever played 10 N64 games lol. An for the OPs list I've only played one of the games listed. Zelda: OOT, an I played that on the Gamecube and dropped it pretty early on cause it wasn't fun. Saturn/PS1 easily trounce it.
 

Mewzard

Member
Feb 4, 2018
3,443
I own an N64 an haven't even ever played 10 N64 games lol. An for the OPs list I've only played one of the games listed. Zelda: OOT, an I played that on the Gamecube and dropped it pretty early on cause it wasn't fun. Saturn/PS1 easily trounce it.

...How did you own an N64 and never play Super Mario 64? I thought pretty much everyone with an N64 got it, lol.
 

RedBullRB6

Member
Sep 4, 2020
54
People often mention "nostalgia" when talking about those who enjoy N64 games and I really can't help but laugh. The amount of nostalgia goggles some people have when it comes to 3D games outside the N64 is frankly absurd. There was nothing like Mario 64 on competing platforms and even the games with lower frame rates like Zelda were not matched in terms of scope or design by anything 3D on the PS1 or Saturn. The N64 was designed for 3D when nothing else was and comparable PCs were hundreds of dollars more expensive. Did people forget what rotating the camera on a 3D game for the PS1 was like?

….that doesn't mean the N64 has the best top ten ever though.

Considering how many people gobbled up a janky, floaty, clunky and poorly animated mess like Oblivion, I am not at all surprised by some of these answers. Yes, OoT has a poor framerate, but it still plays great and trounces even games that came a decade after it.
 

Lindsay

Member
Nov 4, 2017
3,131
...How did you own an N64 and never play Super Mario 64? I thought pretty much everyone with an N64 got it, lol.
Was Mario 64 a pack-in game at some point? If so I missed it. I got an N64 in 2000 with a Pikachu on it an only ever owned the games Pokémon Stadium, Stadium 2, and Snap. I rented Pokémon Puzzle League once an thats the extent of my N64'ing. Clearly at the time I was almost all about PKMN though I did play alot of Saturn/PS1 still. Then the same year I got my N64 the Dreamcast came out an there was no way I could give the N64 a second glance outside of further PKMN games @_@
 

ninnanuam

Member
Nov 24, 2017
1,956
I guess it depends on what kind of games you like.

I personally think Mario 64 and OOT were great games for the time and they are groundbreaking in a number of ways but they were/are over hyped. Those two games enter the cannon because they are Important.

But a lot of the games in your list don't hold up, were not as good as contemporary games and are also not historically important. But if you like those kinds of games they might make an impression on you personally.

I would have a hard time coming up with a total of 5 games from the N64 that would go onto a best 100 games of all time.
 

VoxPop

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,688
Thinking about every console, and I think the N64 has the most top-heavy catalog gaming has ever seen. I think the PS1 gives it a run for its money but other than that, I don't think theres any console that can have a top 10 as good as (give or take the selections & in no order):

1. LOZ: OOT
2. LOZ: MM
3. Banjo Kazooie
4. Goldeneye
5. Perfect Dark
6. Super Mario 64
7. Mario Kart 64
8. Star Fox 64
9. Paper Mario
10. Super Smash Bros.

Thoughts?

OOT and MM are the only ones that stood the test of time. Love Kart 64 but it's been outdone by a wide margin now. Mario 64 is and was trash to me personally. Most of these games were all great games when they were released but are pretty much unplayable now or have a much better sequel.
 

Smashed_Hulk

Member
Jun 16, 2018
401
Best top ten…. EVER!?

We're 5 gens deep in the 3D era and we're actually arguing that the n64, from the very first main 3D gen, has the best top 10 EVER?

That's absolutely absurd.

That entire generation has aged horribly due to how archaic the controls are in comparison to what we have today.

The games were great, sure for it's time, but not best top ten ever of a system. PS2 has a better top 10. So does 360, PS3, PS4, Switch.

I loved my 64, but the library is overrated.
 
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I just love that this has morphed into a relatively good discourse about the N64.

But, I really, REALLY wish people would just freaking give it the respect that its due.
It's absolutely not a terrible system and the library is excellent - it just lacks the random low B- to C-tier games that the PS1 and Saturn have.

I've played many of those B- C-tier games on those systems and while they help fill out the library, they don't really do much for me anymore.

Performance is rough across all 3D systems that generation. The PS1 has polygons sporadically jumping around into place with tons of dithering and limited play areas. I'll take rough frame rates over polygons snapping randomly into place in restricted corridors.
2D performance is mostly fine for all the systems.

Well that's just it, this is all just people's opinions. There's no way to objectively measure the quality of videogame libraries (as far as I'm aware). And it's not just me projecting backwards- I was there. N64 was the first console I ever bought with my own money. I played a ton of it both at home and at friends' houses, and we had some amazing times. But still, both at the time and looking backwards, it pales not only in comparison to most other Nintendo consoles libraries, but also to it's contemporary competitors. I'm not saying that there's nothing worth playing on it, but it's the console I find least worth my time going back to revisit.

Here's my rough top 10 FWIW.

  • Ocarina of Time
  • Mario 64
  • Super Smash Bros
  • Diddy Kong Racing
  • Mario Party 2
  • Pokemon Snap
  • Sin & Punishment
  • Snowboard Kids 2
  • Bomberman 64
  • Harvest Moon 64

All fine games, but there's a huge drop off in that list after the first 3.

Full Disclosure, there's some other games that I've never played that I think I would enjoy a lot
  • Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
  • Ogre Battle 64 (Though I didn't really enjoy what I played of the SNES or PSP games, so maybe not)
For me, the rest of the library is mainly a lot of good racing games and competent 3d platformers, genres I'm not particularly fond of. I think it's great that other people love the console, but this is my honest assessment. It just really doesn't hold a candle to the Saturn or PS1, or especially the SNES and GC when taking into account the depth, breadth, or even when just focusing on a top 10 list.

That's a fair post, if not cutting the library a bit short of what its worth. I am curious to know why you think the PS1 and Saturn are far above the N64 - when I think, apart from FF7, MGS, and SOTN, the N64 had the defining game experiences of the generation on it - and I believe is actually the concept that the OP was aiming for, even if it wasn't stated.
I am glad to see one of my personal favorites - HM64 - on your list, though!

Obviously, if you like fighting games, Shmups, or JRPGs, the N64 was not the console for you.

But, there are still many, many great games in the library worth checking out.
To mention a small few: there's still Mischief Makers and Bangai-O (which I prefer to the Dreamcast version) from Treasure, for one.
And another Ganbare Goemon (Great Adventure) game that plays more like the SNES games - and some consider to be better than the 3D platformer.
Custom Robo (and Custom Robo v2) is highly regarded (and I think has a translation patch) - definitely worth people's time.

Rogue Squadron is Rogue Squadron.
Hybrid Heaven may (or may not) have been developed as a side-story of Metal Gear Solid. Though not an excellent game, it's still a fascinating bit of history.

It also had a game now known as Animal Crossing on it - which definitely had no equal that generation - even if the far superior "enhanced" version released like 8 months later.

I think it had a better exclusive puzzle game lineup than the PS1 (depending on how much one enjoyed Intelligent Cube).

Is that the Japanese Bomberman 64 or, I'm assuming, the N64/PAL version?
The Bomberman games are supposedly pretty decent on the 64.

The point is, I don't think it's nearly as cut and dried as modern gamers make it out to be - including like 60-70% of this thread.
There appears to be a growing movement where huge library = best library. But, I don't think it's that simple of an equation.

I loved my 64, but the library is overrated.

WHO is overrating the N64 library in this thread?? Everyone hates the N64 library, according to this thread.
There are entire PAGES of this thread where everyone completely dismisses the N64 library.
 
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