ToriJ's Top 11 N64 Games

It has come to my attention that the Nintendo 64 doesn't get enough love around here, so I have taken it upon myself to rectify this grave injustice by creating a Top 11 list of the greatest N64 games of all time :colbert: Which is usually subjective, but will be treated objectivity for some reason. Why Top 11? Because I like to go one step beyond. *writes royalty check to Doug Walker* So, without further ado, let's get started: *starts up torture machine* Wait, no. Wrong game. Wrong platform.

The List
(SPOILER)
1.) BattleTanx Global Assault
2.) WWF No Mercy
3.) Super Smash Bros
4.) Pokemon Snap
5.) WCW vs. nWo World Tour
6.) Diddy Kong Racing
7.) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
8.) Mario Kart 64
9.) Super Mario 64
10.) Banjo-Kazooie
11.) Yoshi's Story

11.)
http://i.imgur.com/YEsKG2g.jpg

I admit, when my mother first brought this home I scoffed, but the moment I popped it into my N64 (warning: do not pop your games into the console) and started playing I was instantly hooked. You play as several different Yoshi babies color coded. You have your traditional green Yoshi, yellow Yoshi, light blue Yoshi, dark blue Yoshi, red Yoshi, pink Yoshi, I think there may have been an orange Yoshi thrown somewhere in there, and the stages played like a storybook. It's not the hardest game you'll ever play, but it was still fairly challenging and a lot of fun. This was the game that sold me on the Yoshi character for years to come.

"Yoshi!" *jumps*

I have fond memories of this game, if nothing else because it's the only game my mum ever bought me that I didn't specifically ask for first. She just came home from a trip out and said "I saw this and thought you would like it."

Much like you I scoffed at first, but it turned out I loved it. Really nice art style and the music was cute too.

My mom gave me a bunch of things I didn't ask for. Games, movies, a new computer, she's awesome!

10.)
http://i.imgur.com/h5E6eiv.jpg

Banjo-Kazooie! The original! May the fools behind "Nuts & Bolts" burn in the eternal flames of damnation for that hideous abomination against mankind! But we're not here to talk about that. The game stars loveable honey-bear Banjo and his bird pal Kazooie who goes on a mission to save his sister from Gruntilda who captured her to switch their level of beauty out of sheer jealousy. This game had voice acting, but it's all gibberish basically and you need subtitles to know what's being said. The game was just a ton of fun and I had a blast every time I played. I can still remember the game over screen that would come up whether you died or quit the game of Banjo's sister turning all big and ugly and wanting to have a word with you. Hilarious.

*Starts taking bets on whether ToriJ will finish his list before BoB finishes his*

Both of these games are great. I'm certain we'll see number 1 in this list before BoB's.

That's not even a fair contest, one of us has a life and the other one doesn't.

9.)
http://i60.:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:...ou:/fviwxj.jpg

I think it goes without saying that a "Top Nintendo" anything list is going to have a Mario game on it. I'm likely to get a fork in the eye for putting it so low on the list, though. Hard to say. Eoffers are strange and mysterious creatures. Super Mario 64 was our first look at the Mario world in 3D and paved the way for many different platforms to come. That first mission with the bombers and the second mission with the wall guys that fell on you were always great fun. I still remember the Boo house which I can only assume was the inspiration for Luigi's Mansion. It's a shame you can't play as Luigi, but that's what we have Super Mario 64 DS for.

Mario 64 is possibly the best platformer ever.

If this list doesn't have Pokemon Snap, you should be ashamed of yourself.

8.)
http://i.imgur.com/SG0yuM3.png

Oh look, another Mario game. What are the odds? *clear throat*
Mario Kart 64 was one of many related Mario games where the guy invited his archrivals to social events. Three cups to choose from and plenty of different tracks and a versus mode where you can just blow each other up for trouts and giggles. Who remembers Rainbow Road? Tis pretty. Explosives that look like power ups? Yes, yes. Mario Kart was also pretty relaxing as well. I always used to pop it in when I was mad about something and needed to let off steam. That ended when the game became the source of my anger and frustration. Ironic. Naturally, I always played as Luigi because Luigi is number one.

Mario Kart 64 will always be my favorite version of the game. It's probably my favorite N64 game which is impressive considering I have no love for the system and generally dislike racing/multiplayer games.

I was watching a speedrun of Mario Kart 64, a guy was running the game on 150cc, snaking round every corner, taking all shortcuts, manipulating the RNG to get more mushrooms in first place. Despite all this, Wario still finished <1 second behind him. The AI in this game is insane.

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Originally Posted by Vivi22

Mario 64 is possibly the best platformer ever.

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That would be Super Metroid or Yoshi's Island. Mario 64 is probably the best 3D platformer ever, though, yeah.

Dat snap. It better be listed.

I loved Kazooie and now i think i'ma emulate it.... :shifty:

Everyone hold back Assassin and The Man right now.

7.)
http://i.imgur.com/mraBlnA.png

The Legend of-- *gets stabbed for putting it so low on the list* Zelda... *gets stabbed for putting it on the list at all* Is a... *gets stabbed by the people who just enjoy stabbing people* Game I played. *dies and becomes a ghost* Cool!

Back in the day Ocarina of Time was one of the reasons, if not the reason you bought a Nintendo 64. It was the game that catapulted Zelda into the 3D era, as Super Mario 64 did for Mario, and was my introduction into the Zelda franchise, as well as the first N64 game I ever played. I adored the story, the characters (the females are more interesting than the males), and running around the open world not giving two trouts. Fifteen years later when I picked it up for a review it was just as fun now as it was back then. Except for Jabu's belly. Smurf that. And the Forest Temple. The Forest Temple can burn in hell. I don't even remember the Water Temple. Something about iron boots and Shadow Link. Also, my cousin used to be terrified of the Shadow Temple so I had to sit with him as he played through it. For that reason alone this game is going on the list.

*gets caught in a bottle* Link, what are you doing?
*added to inventory* Link, STAHP!

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Originally Posted by ToriJ

*gets caught in a bottle* Link, what are you doing?
*added to inventory* Link, STAHP!

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Attachment 59059

I have mixed feelings about OoT, while I appreciate the expansion of the mythology and the excellent music, I felt the game was a step back in gameplay. Most of the clever dungeon designs were lifted from LttP and the early versions of the Z-Targeting system was clunky and wouldn't be properly fixed until the 3DS remake. I like the game but its hardly my favorite Zelda and like many games from that late 90s era when the new generation of gamers were cutting their teeth on it, I feel it gets way more praise than it properly deserves.

ONLY SEVENTH PLACE

People be like "What the hell is the top five going to look like?" Then real people be like "Who are these people? There are no people. Get help."

6.)
http://i.imgur.com/7NP5wST.jpg

DIDDY KONG RACING! I'm guessing this was inspired by Mario Kart. Diddy Kong Racing was the first racing game I played, and I have a dear friend to thank for introducing me to it. The one player mode played more like an adventure with boss challenges than the generic race to the finish line for the world cup, and the race tracks with their secret short cuts were amazing. You also had more options to race in than just a cart as evident by the cover. Like Mario Kart, it also had a versus mode where you could blow each other up that I spent a lot of time on too. I always played as Diddy Kong. I like his style.

TOP FIVE COMING UP NEXT!

5.)
http://i.imgur.com/9FQE2jE.png

I don't think it's any secret by now that I'm a huge wrestling fan. And the N64 was the place to be back in the day if you wanted the best of them. World Tour, Revenge, WrestleMania 2000, No Mercy, they were the best wrestling games had to offer and are still highly regarded as the best toady. World Tour had a hard fought battle against Revenge for this spot, but won out in the end for a few reasons. It may not have had the biggest roster of the two, but it had a lot of high profile stars like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Kevin Nash, Scot Hall, and so on and so forth. Four arenas that felt like their own unique federations. More modes to choose from. Wrestlers who were worth unlocking like DDP and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. And the music. The background music is one of the best, if not the best I have ever heard in a wrestling game. For an example go here. That was my favorite song on the track and it wouldn't be uncommon for me to restart a match until that played. That guitar rift still gives me goosebumps. I wouldn't let the match end until I heard it.

I have played 2 of these games so far

4.)
http://i.imgur.com/qlXJyJt.png

Jinx and Freya can put down their torches. Pokemon Snap was the first major game that brought Pokemon from 8 bit to 64 bit and made us trout ourselves. This also had a hard fought battle with Pokemon Stadium, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized Pokemon Stadium is just Pokemon without any of the RPG elements. Pokemon Snap had its own gameplay we haven't seen before and was very clever in the things you'd have to do to get the best pictures possible. Who can forget Charizard popping out of the volcano in stage three and breathing fire into the air? Or the final stage all dedicated to Mew? Blockbuster even allowed us to make stickers of the pictures we took in Pokemon Snap so I got to wear the Mew picture I took in the game. Good times. Remember Blockbuster? I didn't think so. You kids and your Netflix.

OH MY GOD THERE'S ONLY THREE GAMES LEFT!

Pokemon Snap is that awesome game that shouldn't be awesome when you hear it described but it says, "smurf description, I'm Pokemon Snap bitches!"

Why isn't Pokemon Snap #1?



Why isn't Pokemon Snap all of the top 11?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer

Why isn't Pokemon Snap #1?

Why isn't Pokemon Snap all of the top 11?

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Because you touch yourself at night.

3.)
http://i57.:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:...ou:/xbfe42.jpg

Super Smash Bros is to Nintendo, what The Expendables are to action movie fans of the 1980s. That's Mario and Link in the same game. That's Mario and Link fighting each other in the same game! OMG that's Star Fox and Samus! OMG Pikachu! Kirby! Ness! Donkey Kong! OMG! I MUST BUY THIS GAME!
The multiplayer was awesome fun with stages based on each character's video game, and the first player challenge mode was also enjoyable. Remember fighting Mario's glove at the end there? What? It was Mario's glove. Just look at it. This game was also my introduction to Samus, Star Fox, Ness, Kirby, and Captain Falcon. I told you I lived a sheltered life. Most of my friends didn't talk about video games much. Anyway, this game earns its spot in the top five easily.

TWO LEFT! :excited:

Why isn't Smash Bros. #1?

Why isn't... never mind.

I'm curious to see what ends up as the top 2. I really haven't played that many N64 games in my life. I really want to see Star Fox on this list, but I wouldn't be surprised if Goldeneye and Perfect Dark make it up there. I feel like those are some of the most popular of the N64.

Pokemon snap is da bomb

Never cared for the Smash series. The first was interesting as a curiosity but nothing more for me.

This is where I mention that I hope Pilotwings and Blast Corps are the next two so I can be thoroughly disappointed in some way.

If #1 and #2 aren't Perfect Dark and Conker's Bad Fur Day, you have failed me.

2.)
http://i57.:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:...u:/2qxok89.jpg

After Asmik Ace and AKI stopped making WCW games they started making WWF games. No Mercy was the game that finally fixed the problems with the AI. In the older games the computer could fight to a no contest with no time limit because the game could only go up to 60 minutes. It wasn't uncommon to perform your finisher two or three different times only to get a two count. Here the computer is just more rounded and damage is calculated normally so you usually get the three count the first time you reach your special unless the difficulty's been spiked. The Character Creation from WrestleMania 2000 carries over, and we get a Create a PPV mode and a Special Guest Referee mode. As well as a steel cage match. The game also has a story mode that takes different paths depending on whether or not you win or lose giving it some replay value, and then you can challenge for the title in exhibition.

Where's that smoke coming from? Why are you guys holding pitch forks?

No Mercy was a pretty good game actually. The Story Mode was set during the McMahon-Helmsley Era and as a lifelong fan of Triple H and Stephanie, this pleased me greatly.

It's been so long though that I mainly remember only two things:
1. Steph will screw you over in some way.
2. The APA will demand protection money.

Obviously number one is going to be Quest 64.

Mark it down, friends, #1 shall be Mace: The Dark Age.

If he wanted to really surprise everyone number one would be Mischief Makers. Not only is it actually really good, I might be the only person on the forum who knows what it is.

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Originally Posted by Vivi22

If he wanted to really surprise everyone number one would be Mischief Makers. Not only is it actually really good, I might be the only person on the forum who knows what it is.

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In that case, he'd also be surprised to make that selection.

That did occur to me after I worded it that way.

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Originally Posted by Forsaken Lover

No Mercy was a pretty good game actually. The Story Mode was set during the McMahon-Helmsley Era and as a lifelong fan of Triple H and Stephanie, this pleased me greatly.

It's been so long though that I mainly remember only two things:
1. Steph will screw you over in some way.
2. The APA will demand protection money.

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My favorite was the European Championship, where if you lose the first match you get the option to partner up with Shane.

You could live through Triple H's time as Champion if you hold the WWF belt when you're playing through that division.

You could play as a guy in the Women Division too. Not that I've ever done that :shifty:

In the interest of dragging this out further, here are some honorable mentions!


Honorable Mentions (Everything is sexier in bold)
Hey You, Pikachu
Pokemon Puzzle League
Pokemon Stadium 2
Mario Golf
Mario Party
Mario Tennis
Rampage
WCWnWo Revenge
WWF WrestleMania 2000

Huh. Played more sports games growing up than I thought.

Ah man, no Jet Force Gemini?

Star Fox?

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Originally Posted by Jinx

Star Fox?

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http://i.imgur.com/isdbd1j.gif

The genera0l unappreciation for Perfect Dark on this forum is indeed mildly disturbing.

Perfect Dark is amazing. Better than GoldenEye. I just figured if I was going to mention games that should be on the list I'd mention games that didn't stand a chance of being on anyone's list and which no one remembers.

Well BoB has probably only a few hours to finish his Top 100 while ToriJ finishes his. Place you're final bets people!

You know the best part about my number one spot? You all would have easily guessed it if you remembered my Top 20 Games list.

1.)

BATTLETANX! The same friend who introduced me to Diddy Kong Racing introduced me to this game. Man, I love my friends. Global Assault improved upon a lot of the elements from the first game and you could enjoy the campaign mode with a friend, while being able to play up to four players in all the other modes. Go to war in Tank Wars, fight to the death in Deathmatch, save your Queen in Battlelords. Several different gangs to choose from, an exciting story, tanks that could fire off missiles, lasers, launch nukes, switch into turbo, teleport, kickass music, and the maps ranged from America, England, France, and Germany. You could blow up the White House! Don't worry, the game takes place when Bush Jr. would have been President, it's all right. When I want to dust off the N64 this is the game that's going into the console first. That's one of the few consistent things that has followed me from when I was a kid.

Now to answer some questions. The first question. The question that must never be answered. Hidden in plain sight. The question I've been running from ALL MY LIFE! Wait, no. That's "Will you will review the FFXIII trilogy?" Instead we're playing a little game I like to call "Have you played this?"

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Pilotwings 64

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Never heard of it.

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Blast Corps

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Never heard of it.

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Conker's Bad Fur Day

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Never played it.

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Mace: The Dark Age

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Never played it. Thought the guy on the cover looked like Lord Zed.

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Mischief Makers

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I HAVE heard of it, by the way. A fact that surprises everyone including myself. Never picked it up. Biggest regret of my life.

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Jet Force Gemini

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Never heard of it.

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Star Fox 64

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Never played it.

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Quest 64

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I think I borrowed this game from my cousin when I was a kid, but never got far into it. I remember very little about it.

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GoldenEye 64

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Did. Not. Like it.

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Perfect Dark

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Never played it, which is probably a good thing. When I was a kid I had no appreciation for FPS games. So I probably wouldn't have liked it anyway. Only games I made exception for back then were Doom, Aliens versus Predator 2, and Metroid Prime. I didn't warm up to the genre until F.E.A.R. 1 & 2 so I'd probably enjoy it a lot more now than I would have as a kid.

If anyone is wondering how I numbered these, I rated them from how much fun I had with each game and how much I went back to them. That alone lends itself to some error, since I'm working off of memory from nearly two decades ago, but I definitely know Global Assault and No Mercy are the games I go back to the most. I'd play Smash for days when it first came out, same with Snap, Diddy Kong Racing, Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Mario Kart, and Yoshi's Story. I eventually warmed up to World Tour more as I got older. My thing with Zelda is, after I beat it I'll always play until I become an adult, and then nothing is the same as when I was a kid, and I just lose interest in continuing because everything sucks now. OMG, OoT is a metaphor for life.

And that has been "ToriJ's Top 11 N64 games." Sorry, BoB. I was rooting for you to post your #1 right before mine.

Wow, Pilotwings 64 was one of the first games for the N64. Surprised you never heard of it. Conker's Bad Fur Day is notorious for being one of the more risque titles on any Nintendo system. Miyamoto must've been asleep when they OKed that one.

Mace was a pretty decent fighting game by Midway. Yes, Lord Deimos does resemble Zedd.

Your list is very different than mine would be. I would have 7, 8, 9 on there, but I'd go w/ Revenge over World Tour. I had a feeling you might go w/ a game that was not super popular for your #1, but I never even heard of that one. There are some surprising omissions, but I guess there are a lot of games you might not have had the chance to play. Still, some good games on there.

WWF No Mercy - Hell yeah! My favorite wrestling game ever. Some of the others you picked are cool, too, but Battletanx? wtf is that?

I played Battle Tanks! I think! God this was forever ago. Was thee a team called Les Miserables? I always played with them. And i think the "plot" was about this one dude's son having powers and the evil villainness using him maybe?

That was a game, I'm sure of it, even if it isn't the game you were talking about.

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

WWF No Mercy - Hell yeah! My favorite wrestling game ever. Some of the others you picked are cool, too, but Battletanx? wtf is that?

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*high fives for No Mercy*

I just said what BattleTanx was =p Actually, I have a review of the first game on my blog if you want to know more.

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Originally Posted by Forsaken Lover

I played Battle Tanks! I think! God this was forever ago. Was thee a team called Les Miserables? I always played with them. And i think the "plot" was about this one dude's son having powers and the evil villainness using him maybe?

That was a game, I'm sure of it, even if it isn't the game you were talking about.

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That's the one. It was developed by 3DO before they filed for bankruptcy.

The first game has a more post-apocalyptic feel to it with women being on the verge of extinction thanks to a deadly virus and the men going crazy and firing nukes at each other, while the second game is just straight up comic book madness.