Kyle's Top 5 Nintendo 64 Games

Earlier this week, we did a special Nintendo 64-themed episode of The Game Informer Show podcast where a few editors talked all about the Nintendo 64. I was away from the office on vacation when the episode was recorded, so I was not able to participate, but I still want to talk about Nintendo 64 games.

On the episode, which you can listen to or watch here, Ben Hanson, Tim Turi, Ben Reeves, and Brian Shea talked about Nintendo's first 3D-focused console and listed each of their top five favorite Nintendo 64 games. The Nintendo 64 was instrumental in my long-term appreciation of video games, so even though I wasn't able to appear on the podcast, I do want to share my own list.

5. Star Fox 64

I played a lot of Star Fox for Super Nintendo, but the jump to 3D and the inclusion of the rumble pack lead to a much more immersive experience. I also really came to appreciate Star Fox team as a group of characters thanks to the inclusion of spoken dialogue. Peppy Hare really felt like the experienced teacher, Falco was full of himself, and Slippy was annoying because he always needed saving. He was the child of the group.

I also appreciated the game's surprising brevity. I rented it and beat it in one sitting and bragged to all my friends the next day at school. I remember riding up to Blockbuster and playing it on the store's display and beating it there, as well, genuinely impressing one of the staffers who, surprisingly, didn't mind having some kid in his store mooching off the free video games.

4. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

My brother and I bought the Nintendo 64 together with assorted Christmas and birthday checks, but my parents made the calculated decision to not let us buy any games alongside it in order to prevent us from playing too much. We had to rent games we wanted to play. A few months after buying the console, however, it was my brother's birthday and my parents bought him a copy of Shadows of the Empire.

I loved the game, constantly replaying my favorite levels over and over thanks to the level select option. It also marks the only occasion where I went the extra mile with the fiction and did some extracurricular reading by purchasing the novel on which the game was based. The game has aged poorly in terms of controls, but the soundtrack still gets me pumped up and the level variety and planet hopping is still impressive.

3. Goldeneye 007

Most identify with Goldeneye's multiplayer, but for my brother and I it was all about single-player. Completing the objectives on all the assorted difficulties, trying to get the best times in order to unlock the cheat codes,  and living out my secret agent fantasies was empowering. My mother watched me play the game once and said in an understandably disappointed tone, "This is just shooting people," and I adamantly argued that it was much more than that thanks to the inclusion of the assorted objectives. She was unconvinced. I don't know that I have replayed a game so much as I played Goldeneye.

2. Super Mario 64

One of the reasons the Nintendo 64 is so important to my appreciation of video games is owning one was the first time I was on the cutting edge of video game technology. I was a Nintendo Power subscriber, which meant I was on the list to receive Nintendo's marketing VHS's, and I watched the one showcasing Super Mario 64 over and over. When I finally got to touch the system at a local Walmart, I forced my patient father to stand and watch me run around in front of the castle until the call for closing time came over the loudspeaker. When I finally got the console in my home, neighbors would come visit just to see the Nintendo 64 in action, and the best game to do that with was Super Mario 64.

I attained all 120 stars multiple times, and it holds up well. Playing the game recently on Wii U Virtual Console still showcases an absolutely solid platformer with amazing levels with one of its only shortcomings being the game's unruly camera. It's amazing Nintendo was able to come out of the gate with such a spectacular, full game, especially in retrospect. Brian Shea wrote an essentials piece about the game, which you can read here.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

No surprise here, as I am sure this is a favorite for just about everyone who has love for the Nintendo 64. Ocarina of Time was my first Zelda game, and as a result it remains my favorite game of all time, and one I list without hesitation when asked that exact question.

The world-building, characters, mechanics, tools and weapons, seven-year jump, enemies – everything about this game was mind-blowing, and for someone who had never used a boomerang or hookshot in a previous Zelda game it was all the more awe-inspiring. I don't think I would even be writing about video games professionally if Ocarina of Time had not shown me just how engrossing a video game could be. Completing the game and defeating Ganondorf was much more than beating a game – it was a cathartic experience that I could hardly believe I had been able to achieve.

What about you? What are your top five Nintendo 64 games?