Many have fallen under the looming shadow of heavy hitters like Smash Bros, Goldeneye, and Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Some may have lacked advertising or an appeal to draw in Nintendo fans, while others simply might not have been widely available. Whatever the reasons, there’s no shortage of fun and charming hidden gems of all kinds on the console. Let’s dive right in and revisit the unique library of the N64, as we examine the 10 best hidden gems on Nintendo’s late-90s machine.
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10 Tetrisphere
During the N64 age, just about everything was 3D—even the classic 2D puzzler, Tetris. But, while a 3D playing field seems like an odd fit for this classic—especially a spherical one—Tetrisphere is actually enjoyable.
This H20 Entertainment-developed puzzle game adds an interesting new dimension to the flat, restricted gameplay of Tetris. In fact, the gameplay really only resembles Tetris in appearance. Rather, this game has you match blocks and string together combos as you chip away at multiple layers on a rotating globe-like surface. Its got a slower, methodical pace, but it makes for a satisfying experience once you reach the enticing glowing core of the sphere.
9 San Francisco Rush 2049
Assuming you’re not one of the few Dreamcast owners out there, San Francisco Rush 2049 makes for a great pickup for fans of action-packed racers on N64. This stands as an underrated racer that tended to be overshadowed by the likes of F-Zero, Mario Kart 64, and Wave Racer.
Rush lives up to its name with its adrenaline-fueled, high-speed gameplay that’s a thrill to play and proves visually impressive for an N64 title. Not only is the racing aspect solid, but the game also leans on fun arcade-style multiplayer features. This includes a stunt mode and battle showdown that equips you with opponent-blasting weapons.
8 Blast Corps
Some times it’s just fun to let loose and cause some destruction in your games. Rare’s Blast Corps runs full-throttle with this appealing concept, making it the core objective for the game. Unlike many titles on the N64, Blast Corps has managed to age pretty well with its simple top-down perspective and action-laced gameplay.
This destructive romp balances mindless carnage with puzzle elements, as you’ll have to mind what you destroy and where you navigate. Much of the enjoyment comes from the diversity of crazy and fun vehicles you can pilot; from bulldozers to jetpacks.
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7 Gauntlet Legends
While there are a number of fun multiplayer experiences on the N64, great co-op games are a little tougher to find, especially more nuanced ones. Enter Gauntlet Legends for N64; the first console port of the Atari arcade classic by the same name.
You and a friend can pick from 4 classes, each with their own dynamic and abilities, as you fight hordes of colorful baddies in your path. The goal is to venture across four distinct realms and collect Runestones as you make your way to the Underworld. The combat is fun and accessible, the environments are rich, and the soundtrack draws you in with its melodic tunes.
6 Goemon’s Great Adventure
Although the Mystical Ninja series had been a pretty big property in Japan, Western audiences knew little about this quirky Konami-made action adventure—which is still the case today. A previous Mystical Ninja game had released on the N64 with some 3D gameplay that was a bit dicey and clunky at times. Yet, this sequel sticks with a more simple and charming 2D action-platforming formula. The result is one of the more underrated multiplayer games on the console, and a refreshing return to semi-2D in an age where 3D bombast was everywhere.
In typical weird Mystical Ninja fashion, you also get one of the goofiest game over screens in gaming here.
5 Pilot Wings 64
Pilot Wings 64 had the misfortune of being released around the same time as other vehicular-focused titles such as Star Fox 64, Wave Race 64, and Mario Kart 64. Yet, this game still soars high as one of the most enjoyable flying games on the console. While it doesn’t emphasize action, it relies on a sort of relaxing vibe which is balanced with thrilling gameplay.
On the one hand, the core experience is simple: navigate an island and fly through rings, caverns, and other obstacles. At the same time, the game throws some tricky objectives at you as you have to nail your landings in a number of different conditions with a variety of satisfying vehicles. It’s an exhilarating flying sim, especially later down the road when you’re given the epic “Birdman” ability.
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4 Sin And Punishment
Treasure seems to have a knack for cranking out underrated games. Unlike their other gem, Mischief Makers, there’s a good reason Sin and Punishment is one of N64’s most hidden gems: for a long time, it wasn’t available in the West. This is a shame, considering it’s one of the most fun and exciting shooters you can play on the console. It wasn’t until many years later when the game was quietly released on Wii’s Virtual Console that many gamers discovered what they were missing.
This rail shooter feels like an even more exciting and insane version of Bayonetta. It’s a short game, but just about every second of it’s packed with adrenaline-pumping action. The experience is augmented with colorful environments, cool baddies, and satisfying shooting mechanics.
3 Mischief Makers
While there are tons of great action-based options for N64, it’s sorely lacking in the 2D sidescrolling department. In this sense, Mischief Makers feels like an enhanced SNES game—but we mean this in the best way possible. It’s a relic of a more charming, bygone age that was abandoned too soon. Its exciting gameplay and colorful, appealing pixel art have allowed it to age like a fine wine.
The game pummels you with non-stop excitement with its unique level design, constant action, and tricky platforming elements. There’s also an impressive amount of variety that keeps Mischief Makers feeling fresh.
2 Ogre Battle 64: Person Of Lordly Caliber
Given the N64’s kid-friendly focus and lack of role-playing games, it’s odd that one of the deepest and most addictive games on the N64 is a real-time strategy RPG. Indeed, this feels like one of those rich RPGs you’d find on the Playstation rather than Nintendo’s machine.
The game contains some gripping tactical gameplay and customization which is balanced with fun, accessible combat mechanics. There’s even a pretty compelling narrative and memorable dialogue, to boot. Ogre Battle 64 is a refreshing change of pace for a lineup that heavily features shooters, platformers, and party games.
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1 Jet Force Gemini
Though Rare is most known for games like Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye, and Battletoads, one of their best titles is a little-known action-platformer that’s fallen criminally under the radar.
The game in question is Jet Force Gemini, a colorful blend of shooting and platforming thrills along with a rich campaign that never gets stale. There’s a diversity of characters, weapons, objectives, and unique level design keeping you on your toes. It also offers one of the more enjoyable multiplayer features on the N64. This is a unique sci-fi fantasy adventure that still holds up today, and it’s one that N64 gamers should experience.
NEXT: 10 N64 Games Everyone Has Played (But Completely Forgot About)
title: “The 10 N64 Hidden Gems Everyone Missed” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-20” author: “Kandace Scott”
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They were home to some great third party exclusives as well. In the NES and SNES era. For the Nintendo 64, it was as if the industry had abandoned Nintendo. But that’s not quite the case either. The Nintendo 64 did have great third party games— it’s just that there were so few of them that no one looking for the best value would choose the N64 over the PS1.
10 Bomberman 64 (2001)
This is an interesting game to recommend as it isn’t actually the same Bomberman 64 that most people who grew up with the Nintendo 64 will recognize. It’s a different game also titled Bomberman 64 that released exclusively in Japan— ridiculously close to the GameCube’s launch date. It’s also just a great party game.
Of the Nintendo 64 Bomberman games, this one has the best multiplayer by far. It even has mini-games and rather polished mechanics. As Bomberman’s core gameplay is fairly simple, there’s really no reason not to import this game. It’s more than playable without any Japanese knowledge.
9 Deadly Arts
Deadly Arts was utterly lambasted by critics, but it’s not a bad game by any means. Too simple? Perhaps on a surface level, but Deadly Arts offers something very few fighting games do: real customization. Players can create their own fighters and customize their move set entirely to their liking. It’s one of the most sophisticated character creation systems from its generation.
It’s also not the most polished game on the system, but it’s perfectly playable and it carried far by its concepts alone. With a friend, Deadly Arts becomes one of the best multiplayer experiences on the Nintendo 64, right up there with GoldenEye and Super Smash Bros.
8 Excitebike 64
Although it doesn’t have quite the same appeal as Mario Kart 64 or Diddy Kong Racing, Excitebike 64 is still one of the better racing games on the Nintendo 64, if only for its amazing inclusion of a track creator. Players can full on make their own courses and share them with friends— a novelty for the era.
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It also helps that Excitebike 64 is just a well designed racing game, one that actually would have been fine without the track creator. The mechanics at play are far more in-depth than those in Mario Kart 64, being akin almost to a fighting game.
7 Goemon’s Great Adventure
As far as 2D platformers go (or “sidescrollers” since the game technically uses 3D models,) Goemon’s Great Adventure is the best the Nintendo 64 has to offer. Only Kirby 64 really compares and the difference in quality between the two games is staggering. Goemon’s Great Adventure is a tightly designed platformer with truly inspired moments.
It’s also one of the rare Goemon games to release in the west. The Super Nintendo had sequels upon sequels, but only the first game was ever localized. The United States would see Goemon’s N64 predecessor get a release, but Europe skipped every game between the first on the SNES and this one.
6 Hybrid Heaven
Hybrid Heaven is not just one of the weirdest games in the Nintendo 64’s roster, it’s one of the most creative fighting games of all time. A nice compliment to Deadly Arts, Hybrid Heaven is half action RPG and half fighting game, much like the PlayStation’s Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring, but with a bit more emphasis on the RPG mechanics.
Which is good since Deadly Arts covers the actual nuances of fighting way better than Hybrid Heaven ever could. Together, the two games offer Nintendo 64 fans wildly creative fighting game experiences. Hybrid Heaven isn’t particularly polished, but it’s the kind of game that’s hard to put down.
5 Indiana Jones And The Infernal Machine
Yes, a Nintendo 64 port of an Indiana Jones game is one of the better hidden gems on the console. While its control will take some getting used to, the game has a fantastic story that’s well written, well-directed, and ends up weaving into some incredible level design. It’s a marvel that the game is as good as it is.
Of course, those controls really are problematic, but an open mind will allow anyone to appreciate Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine. In many respects, it’s the real fourth movie fans should have gotten— not Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
4 Mega Man 64
Mega Man Legends is considered one of the PlayStation’s more underrated games. It didn’t sell particularly well, but it’s considered a cult classic. Even rarer than fans who still yearn for Legends these days are the fans who were introduced to the sub-series through the game’s out of nowhere Nintendo 64 port.
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Although its controls are more awkward than the PS1’s, the game itself does fix a lot of the original’s technical issues. It’s a more polished port and, with a Brawler 64, it’s more than playable. Unfortunately, it doesn’t even seem like Capcom humored the ideas of Mega Man 64 2 to wrap up the duology.
3 Ridge Racer 64
Ridge Racer is an IP intimately associated with the Sony PlayStation and for good reason— almost every single game in the franchise has released on a PlayStation console. Bizarrely, though, Ridge Racer isn’t a true exclusive and actually saw a Nintendo 64 release at the height of Nintendo and Sony’s rivalry.
And it’s actually a pretty great installment in the series. It isn’t quite the same as the classic PSOne entries, but Ridge Racer 64 is a fantastic alternative to Mario Kart 64 while also keeping in line with the rest of the Ridge Racer series. It was even later remade for the Nintendo DS.
2 Sin & Punishment
What happens when Neon Genesis Evangeleon’s aesthetic violently clashes with Star Fox 64’s rail shooting? One of the best games on the Nintendo 64. Sin & Punishment is an insanely weird game, but it’s also incredibly fun and tells a genuinely interesting story. It even featured English voice acting, making it the console’s signature import.
It became enough of a cult classic where Nintendo ended up releasing it on the Wii and Wii U’s eShops. It even had a sequel game on the Wii that, while not as good, was still a nice revival of the franchise. The original will always be the best rail shooter on the Nintendo 64, though.
1 WinBack
At first glance, WinBack just looks like the poor man’s Metal Gear Solid. And in many respects, it is. It’s a game that’s very much attempting to be a Metal Gear Solid equivalent for anyone who might not own a PlayStation. While it’s derivative in that sense, it’s also the grandfather of modern cover aiming as the medium knows it.
WinBack is an obscure game, but it’s a wildly influential one all the same. Metal Gear Solid 2 even uses its cover system as a core part of its gameplay. WinBack’s also just a fun game with a decent story that has multiple endings. It actually is a decent alternative to MGS.
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