20. Donkey Kong 64
Developer/Publisher: Rare/Nintendo
PAL Release: 6/12/99
Donkey Kong in full 3D for the first time was aiming to take the series to the same new heights that Mario had reached a few years earlier. Luckily for Kong fans, series developers Rare had already had the perfect practise in making the fantastic Banjo-Kazooie. Whereas some elements felt slightly similar to Banjo, DK64 freshened up the formula in ways that Banjo’s own sequel seemingly failed to. There were jetpacks and weapons and a cast of characters that each brought different ways to play and unlocked different and exclusive areas. At the time the game looked utterly incredible thanks to the invention of the N64’s expansion pack. DK64 also holds the nefarious distinction of having the one of gaming’s most unfair final acts, where players are forced to complete, TWICE, one of the most punishingly hard arcade games ever in the original Donkey Kong before they can meet the final boss.
Best moment: DK64 has so many collectibles that 100% completion must be a very satisfying feeling. If anyone knows what that feels like then please email me!
Playability today (out of 5): 4
19. Mario Tennis
Developer/Publisher: Camelot/Nintendo
PAL Release: 3/11/00
Mario Tennis is one of those classic examples of how Nintendo can somehow stick Mario into a different and new environment and still produce a game of arguably greater quality than the genre stalwarts. With simple and incredibly solid controls and the usual bright colours and cast of differently abled, yet universally strong, characters, Mario Tennis was an absolute riot and provided a truly great multiplayer experience. The game also included various bonus modes that kept things fresh and interesting for single players. The game is a prime example of how Nintendo can take on a new game genre, usually sports, and still create a decidedly ‘Nintendo’ experience thanks to their unrelenting focus on making games fun. Developer Camelot had obviously been schooled in the Nintendo ways as this game still provides a really fun, fast paced multiplayer experience today.
Best moment: In conjunction with the worst element of the game, there really is no better feeling than smashing a volley into the face of the ludicrously lazily named Waluigi - Wario’s, apparently long lost, brother. Beating him in a match is a victory against barrel-scraping unoriginality the world over.
Playability today (out of 5): 4
18. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Developer/Publisher: Factor 5/LucasArts
PAL Release: 10/1/99
There were a number of great ‘Wars titles on the N64, Episode 1 racer was another really enjoyable title, but Rogue Squadron was so perfect for what it aimed to create that it spawned several excellent sequels in the subsequent console generation. Whilst obviously not the complete Star Wars experience, Rogue Squadron did a fantastic job of putting the player in the cockpit of Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing in the midst of the high-octane space battles that are a staple of the classic movies. Thanks, once again, to the expansion pack the game was a tremendous technical achievement in 1999 and the crisp graphics combined excellently with the brilliantly tight and realistic-feeling controls to produce one of the best Star Wars experiences of the time. Nowadays the fogging really becomes apparent and the lack of multiplayer mean that perhaps the Gamecube versions are the way to go if you want to experience this type of ‘Wars gameplay at its peak, but Rogue Squadron nevertheless provided a brilliant experience at the time and a superb catalyst for a terrific Star Wars games series.
Best moment: The game’s attempts at fan-service did not go amiss, with brilliant attention to detail. The Tatooine level alone features the Sarlacc pit, Jabba’s Palace and even the droids’ escape pod from A New Hope.
Playability today (out of 5): 3
17. Shadow Man
Developer/Publisher: Acclaim/Acclaim
PAL Release: 31/7/99
The first of only a few non-exclusive N64 title in this list (however it did appear on the console months before the Playstation and Dreamcast versions were released), Shadow Man is an example of one of those instances where Nintendo apparently has to prove that it’s consoles are more than Mario and Zelda and that they aren’t afraid to house more mature titles on their system. A game based loosely on a comic book, Shadow Man had a brilliant plot with gangs, famous serial killers, voodoo magic, disgusting enemies, creepy younger brothers, teddy bears and drunken Irish snake skeletons. The game was utterly terrifying and wholly twisted with a great combat system that allowed players to assign a different combo of weapons to the left and right hands, combining bullets with fire or magic at will, all the while travelling between the living world as Mike LeRoi and the hellish ‘Deadside’ as the all-powerful Shadow Man. In it’s time, the game was on top of it’s genre and 3rd person action shooters have obviously since been improved upon more successfully than, say, 3D platformers but Shadow Man remains a compelling and brilliantly written horror masterpiece to this day.
Best moment: Shadow Man is full of entertaining and horrifying moments, but the serial killer battles are just fantastic. The dialogue between these psychos and the no-BS Shadow Man is riotously entertaining and this is no more evident than in a showdown in the London sewers with Jack the Ripper.
Playability today (out of 5): 4
16. Wave Race 64
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo/Nintendo
PAL Release: 17/8/97
For a title released so very early in the N64’s life cycle, and nearly 14 years ago, it’s a real credit to Nintendo that the game’s water effects still look rather pretty. The game is one of those titles that seemingly everyone who owned an N64 had played and, despite being a rather shallow (no pun intended) overall experience, was a title that nobody could say no to. As a pick up and play multiplayer experience, Wave Race was unrivalled early in the N64’s life. The unique arcade racing action of bobbing up and down on the gorgeous looking waves and zig-zagging between the buoys whilst avoiding obstacles and braving the differing weather conditions was an absolute blast and one that never got old and was always worthy of one more multiplayer match. Seeing as the game was an early release for the N64 it perfectly serves the purpose of nostalgia; that ‘good old days’ feeling that encapsulates the excitement that most gamers had for the potential of this new machine at the time of it’s release. It’s one of those titles synonymous with the start of that wonderful generation of video games where so much changed and so much set the bar for today’s landscape. The Gamecube title is obviously the better version, but the memories of the impact this game had will live on much longer.
Best moment: Arguably the best moment of Wave Race happens when you’ve not even started playing the game properly. It occurs when you’ve spent far too much time trying to do that barrel roll over that jump in free mode and you finally pull it off, only to realise that you’ll never be able to do it in the middle of a race. Still…a freakin’ barrel roll!
Playability today (out of 5): 3
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