Top 5 Best N64 Games (Showdown)
Johnny’s #5: “Conker’s Bad Fur Day” (2001)
Conker's Bad Fur Day Retro Review
“Conker’s Bad Fur Day” is genuinely one of the funniest games I’ve ever played. It’s such a genius subversion of what you’d expect a platformer starring a cute critter to be. But it’s also got plenty of jokes just about the nature of video games, like ‘context sensitive’ pads or Conker’s collectible of choice being a wad of cash; I know I’m not the only one who greedily collects everything they can. Okay, yes, it also has a singing pile of crap, a bee who’s horny for a sunflower, and a boiler with a lot of balls. And no, that’s not a turn of phrase. I’m not usually into lowbrow humor. But “Conker” strikes a fine balance of being completely over the top and incredibly clever. Is it as creative with its gameplay and mechanics as it is with humor and characters? No, which is why it doesn’t place any higher for me. It’s still one of Rare’s best games, though.
Ty’s #5: “GoldenEye 007” (1997)
GoldenEye 007 Vs Mario Kart 64
Though I can agree that there are a couple of things that haven’t aged well (the camera controls and aiming), “GoldenEye 007” was a game I feel modern FPS’s have refused to learn from, a belief I go into more detail about over in my video on my own channel (yes, I make content on my own, too!). What really made “GoldenEye” work well was its level design. It wasn’t enough to simply get from Point A to Point B. You had objectives like sabotaging machines, ambushing and not killing certain NPCs, you know, secret agent stuff, and you had to figure things out for yourself. This structure presented a level of challenge that wasn’t just killing all enemies and following a bunch of markers. And that's why “GoldenEye” still holds up in my book. Plus, the soundtrack and multiplayer still kick ass.
Johnny’s #4: “Super Smash Bros.” (1999)
The Complete History of Super Smash Bros.
I have a lot of love for the N64’s multiplayer titles, many of which have left me with fond memories. But I personally feel the original “Smash” has aged better than all of them. While characters move much more slowly here than in sequels, the chaotic foundation is still there. Bringing together some of Nintendo’s most cherished characters in hazardous arenas with awesome items was a fantastic idea, and one that is still paying off. I can distinctly remember playing it for the first time at daycare, picking Ness even though I had no idea who he was, and spamming PK fire because I had no idea how to play. From that moment, I was hooked, and all these years later, I’m still a Ness main. Part of my love definitely comes from nostalgia for tense childhood matches. But this game is still a blast to revisit.
Ty’s #4: “Mario Kart 64” (1997)
Ranking ALL the Mario Kart Games - MojoPlays
Everyone has their favorite entry in the franchise, and I know “Mario Kart 64” isn’t perfect when it comes to item balance. However, you can’t ever diss and dismiss your first. “Mario Kart 64” was my first foray into kart racers, and I loved every single track featured here. …Okay, maybe not Wario Stadium, but I loved everything else. The music, though reused in certain tracks, has a certain flow and rhythm that I feel newer “Mario Karts” just haven’t captured. Perhaps that's because I’ve completed “Mario Kart 64” several times. Plus, it’s got a smoother difficult curve whereas “Diddy Kong Racing”, which would launch months later in 1997, gets asinine with rubberbanding. “Mario Kart 64” gets ridiculous sometimes, too, but between the two, this is the better kart racer.
Johnny’s #3: “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998)
10 Games To Play If You LOVE The Legend of Zelda
If you’ve heard my voice on MojoPlays before, chances are pretty good that it was in a “Zelda” video. It’s my all time favorite gaming franchise, and “Ocarina of Time” is one of its strongest entries. Everyone praises it for a variety of reasons. As a kid, it was simply the call of adventure, drawing me into a fantastical world. Each new area made me want to explore further, every new character fascinated me, and every item or bit of magic had me in awe. And all the while, the now-iconic music carried me along. It was such a wonderful world to be in that I’d often forgo the story, simply visiting each location, stocking my inventory, and chatting with the NPCs I’d already talked to dozens of times before. Some aspects haven’t aged as well as others, and I prefer a bit more nuance in a story. But I can safely say it deserves the praise it gets.
Ty’s #3: “Super Mario 64” (1996)
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I promise my last two entries are not Mario games, but I had to wedge “Super Mario 64” somewhere in here. I am not putting it here for the simple reason “I played it growing up, therefore it's the best.” I’m not putting it here for the music or the level design. What “Super Mario 64” accomplished is astounding considering the state of the industry at the time. No one had succeeded in implementing fluid motion for the player in a 3D space until Nintendo kicked the door down and showed everyone how it’s done. Mario feels so good to control that as a kid, I would boot the game up just to jump and flip around the castle grounds or run around Bob-Omb Battlefield. Why is such a historic game not my top pick? The camera. It's not abysmal, but it could be better.
Johnny’s #2: “Banjo-Tooie” (2000)
Super Mario 64 VS Banjo-Kazooie
I’ve never understood why “Banjo-Kazooie” gets more love than its sequel. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great game. But in my mind, “Banjo-Tooie” did everything so much better that it shouldn’t even be a competition. It let players keep all the moves they’d learned in the first game while giving you a new batch, most of which were very unique in terms of platforming mechanics. The worlds had grown bigger and more inventive, featuring a connectedness not seen in most platformers at the time. Levels like WitchyWorld, Hailfire Peaks, and Cloud Cuckooland were a joy to explore, making me want to actually spend time in them rather than just look for the collectibles. The humor was still well intact and the music was just as jolly. Everything about it made me grin ear to ear as a kid, and that’s still true today.
Ty’s #2: “Conker’s Bad Fur Day” (2001)
Yes, Johnny already touched upon “Conker”, but his rank for it is an injustice. As much as I love the bear and bird, I believe “Conker’s Bad Fur Day” is Rare’s best game. If you’ve been following MojoPlays long enough, you know how much I gush over expressive and creative character animation. While that is a big reason why I love this game, the main one is for the narrative structure. For roughly a dozen hours or so, you’re thrust into this ridiculous world of talking barn appliances, bouncy buxom sunflowers, snobby catfish, and singing poo, and the way it weaves a story about recklessness and naivete creates this unique experience of oddities that I believe everyone needs to play at least once. If you wanna hear more about my thoughts on Conker, go check out our video we made for the squirrel’s twentieth anniversary.
Johnny’s #1: “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000)
Top 5 BEST Zelda Games (Showdown)
“Majora’s Mask” isn’t just my favorite N64 game, it’s my favorite game of all time. That wasn’t always the case. As a kid, its mature themes, complex dungeons, and the necessity of its 3-day time loop completely went over my head. But like many others, I came to understand its true beauty later. Characters that I once thought were odd became deep and layered. The 3-day period vexed many players, but I now see it as a structured way to make your choices and the actions of the NPCs matter, even if you could restart and try again. It’s often thought of as the darkest Zelda entry, exploring loss, uncertainty, and fear from a variety of angles. But it also showcases love and pride in the face of such devastation. I haven’t even touched on the gameplay; the Deku, Goron, and Zora forms all bring something new and exciting. Simply put, there’s no other game like it on the 64 or anywhere else.
Ty’s #1: “Star Fox 64” (1997)
Top 10 HARDEST Star Wars Video Games
I have not played any other N64 game as much as I have played “Star Fox 64”. It satisfied me as a kid with its hokey Saturday morning cartoon writing, vehicles, and enemy design. As an adult, it blows my mind how it doubles up as a “choose-your-own-adventure” based on your actions in certain levels. And once you know how to access all the paths, you can sort of craft the story in your own way, and it almost always makes sense regardless of where you go. The sound design is utterly fantastic in craft and delivery. Every sound emphasizes the power and intensity of the Arwing, and that communicator static is simply pleasant to hear. Each playthrough from Corneria to Venom only takes a decent pilot under an hour to finish, making it easily replayable, and every time I reach those end credits, I get goosebumps. It's one of those games that gives me pure, absolute bliss, and that’s why it’s my favorite N64 game ever. As you can see, we both have some of the most acclaimed games in the N64’s library, one of them twice. But whose list do you prefer? And what type of Showdown would you like to see us do next? Share your thoughts, and your personal Top 5, in the comments below!
