Only a few short weeks ago Nintendo announced during one of their fabled “Nintendo Directs” that they would at last be bringing N64 games to the Wii U’s virtual console. The N64 marks an important part of Nintendo’s history, and for many of its fans, an important part of their childhood. With Super Mario 64, Paper Mario, and Donkey Kong 64 already on the way, today we’ll give you our top ten wish list of games we’d like to see grace Nintendo’s virtual library.
10 – The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
At the bottom of our list, but far from the least important, is The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask. Majora’s Mask saw a recent revival on the 3DS, so now would be a great time to strike. You know, while the iron is hot and such. Majora’s Mask is the sequel to the widely revered classic; Ocarina of Time, and has seen almost as much love as its predecessor. Despite its second fiddle nature, it’s still one of our top picks for the N64.
9 – Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart 64, for many, is the crown jewel of party games. Rarely is there a time when the “gang” gets together and ye old Mario Kart isn’t dusted off. Many drinking games have spawned in its honor, most notably “Beerio Kart”. Alcohol aside, Mario Kart 64 helped to shape what this flagship franchise has become. If you’ve ever had a Nintendo console, you’ve played Mario Kart.
8 – Starfox 64
Starfox, among many N64 games, needs no introduction. Not only is it the sequel to one of the most visually defining games of the Super Nintendo era, it’s also left a pop culture footprint: “Do a barrel roll!” Starfox was among the very first games in the aerial combat genre, and its N64 entry is widely agreed upon being the best in the series. It’s even seen a rerelease on 3DS. With its cast of loveable and memorable animalistic heroes and villains, it’s no wonder this game was so popular.
7 – Pokemon Stadium 1/2
Really, we’d be happy with either of these titles…or both. They both get the same point across, albeit Pokemon Stadium 2 does rock a few more features. Not only does Pokemon Stadium do a great job of bring Pokemon battles to the big screen, it also has killer mini games! Be honest…you played the mini games more than anything else. Unfortunately due to the technical nature of the game, porting this one might be a bit harder than others. The core of Pokemon Stadium’s appeal was its connectivity with the Gameboy its Pokemon titles…all of which are very old technology; there isn’t exactly a Gameboy slot on the Wii U. Let’s all cross our fingers and see what happens…
6 – F-Zero X
F-Zero nails 1000 mph racing right on the head. Actually, even to this day it hasn’t had much competition in that field. Very few games have ever graced the futurist racing genre, and even among them, fewer still managed to give the same sense of speed that F-Zero did. Sadly, there have been no new entries to the series since 2004 when F-Zero Climax launched as a Japanese exclusive on the Gameboy Advance. While the series itself never managed to gain as much traction as it should have, its blue spandex, eagle helmeted protagonist still shows us his moves to this day. Good enough I guess.
5 – Harvest Moon 64
We’re not going to lie; this game confuses the crap out of us. No, it’s not the content that has us stumped…it’s why we like it so damn much. Whenever someone describes Harvest Moon to new gamers, they give them a sort of look like they’ve been sniffing too many sharpies. But we’re not alone in this; many people of all creeds enjoy their virtual farms as much as we do. While Harvest Moon 64 wasn’t the first game in its series, it added many key elements that to the formula that modern entries still lean on. We wouldn’t mind taking another crack at this surprisingly addictive classic.
4 – Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. A title that rings through the ages of gaming. This title blew the roof off of what was thought to be the limits in where games could go. Seriously, how many times had crossovers been done in games before this? A small handful at best. But Smash did not just pull elements from a few games, it pulled elements from a legion of Nintendo AAA flagships. Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Metroid… without this key title (and its subsequent sequels) generating interest in long forgotten IPs, it’s very possible we might not have seen the modern revivals of Kid Icarus, Punch Out, or even the Game’n’Watch series. Not only has Smash Bros. grown to be one of Nintendo’s premier franchises, it spawned a thriving competitive scene made from the most enthusiastic and passionate of gamers. Making this game available as a Virtual Console title would be a no brainer.
3 – Ogre Battle 64
For me, Ogre Battle 64 stands as one of, if not the best RPGs of the N64 era. It may even be one of the best ever. It has a simple visual style but a deep and rewarding combat system. Furthermore it was one of the first games to feature a multiple endings depending on how you play the game. The original developer of Ogre Battle has long since been debunked, but Square Enix managed to snatch up publishing rights before the ship sank completely. Luckily, Square Enix has already released the game for the Wii’s Virtual Console, so chances look good for this classic on the Wii U.
2 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
It’s hard to even mention the N64 without bringing up Ocarina of Time. This game, without talking it up too much, basically defined how we play modern 3D adventures. Not only have echoes of Ocarina of Time been seen in all console Zelda games to date; you can find inspirations taken from it all across the gaming board. It has seen releases on nearly every Nintendo platform since its original release including the Gamecube, Wii, and 3DS; so really, this isn’t a question of if, but when.
1 – Banjo-Kazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Golden Eye (anything Rare)
Topping our list is not one, not two, but several games that would be nothing short of a miracle. Rareware was one of Nintendo’s premier developers until 2002 when they were purchased by Microsoft to develop games on the Xbox. With the buyout, Nintendo lost publishing rights to many titles that were dearly loved on both the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64. If some sort of deal could be made to put these games on to the virtual console…perhaps involving somebodies firstborn child… the entire gaming world would be forever grateful.
Pulling only 10 games for a list like this from an era when 3D gaming was just blossoming is a difficult thing to do. There are many more games that deserve to be up here, but at the same time, there are many more that just may never see the light of day again. Which are your favorite games on the N64? Which would you like to see on the Virtual Console? Playing an old favorite in HD or in the palm of your hands is an amazing feeling, Hopefully we’ll all get to relive at least a tiny part of our childhoods.