The 10 Best N64 First Person Shooters

Script written by Johnny Reynolds

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re setting our sights on the 10 Best N64 First-Person Shooters. For this list, we’ll be looking at the very best FPS releases on Nintendo’s first 3D console. Do you have any fond memories of these shooters? Is there one we left off? Share your thoughts in the comments!

“Turok: Dinosaur Hunter” (1997)

“Jurassic Park” and a plethora of TV shows had made everyone acutely aware that dinosaurs were incredibly cool. So it was only a matter of time before a developer had us fight against them. That’s one of the central draws of “Turok,” which follows a Native American warrior trying to maintain the border between his world and the Lost Land. In 1997, fighting with a variety of weapons against dinosaurs, aliens, and whatever else the Lost Land threw at you was an incredibly thrilling concept. Though its controls are awkward by today’s standards, “Turok” was unique for shooters at the time, it looked the best an N64 game could, and was an earlier M-rated release for the platform.

“Quake 64” (1998)

“Quake” had already become a premiere FPS on PC by the time it was ported to the N64. While there’s no way the port was ever going to be as good as the original, it was still a great alternative for console players. In single player or co-op, you’d have to make your way through monster-filled medieval environments, unleashing ammo from whatever gun you could find. But competitive multiplayer is where the game really shined. With its online death matches, “Quake” was an important step for the genre. The N64 version naturally had to make some compromises; it was missing a couple single player levels and didn’t even have co-op. But the two-player death matches were still a blast.

“Duke Nukem 64” (1997)

There was a brief time in the late 90s where Duke Nukem was the coolest video game character around. And his short legacy began with the PC release of “Duke Nukem 3D.” His jump to the next dimension obviously meant better graphics and gameplay, but Duke himself also got a much stronger personality. Us Nintendo fans were ecstatic to experience all of the violence and adult jokes prevalent in the game when it was ported to the N64. However, some compromises again had to be made to appease Nintendo. Some lines of dialogue were changed and some items were renamed to be a bit less risque. But it was still wonderful having another great shooter with two-player co-op and four-player multiplayer.

“007: The World is Not Enough” (2000)

While it’s not as good as the James Bond FPS we know you’re all waiting to see, “The World is Not Enough” still deserves some recognition. Tying into the last decent Pierce Brosnan entry, the single player basically followed the same plot of the movie. While that was plenty of fun to play through, the multiplayer outshined all again. Sure, it didn’t really add anything new. But its visuals and frame rate were stronger thanks to the console’s Expansion Pak. Additionally, it was better received than the PlayStation version, which was developed by a different team. Considering that version didn’t have multiplayer at all, it’s easy to see why.

“Forsaken 64” (1998)

A lot of the best FPSs on the Nintendo 64 were ports of PC titles, but “Forsaken” was an interesting case of launching on both platforms (and the PlayStation) around the same time. It followed a survivor on a futuristic, post-apocalyptic Earth, with the N64 version having you fight against looters in search of Earth’s lost treasure. Gameplay was thrilling even by FPS standards, though the visuals took an obvious dip in comparison to other versions. The story had branching paths, giving it some replayability, though this version’s slightly different plot allowed for more variety in mission types. It also had four-player multiplayer as opposed to the PlayStation’s two, continuing its dominance when it came to multiplayer mayhem.

“Doom 64” (1997)

Who doesn’t love some good ol’ fashioned slaying? While we’d gotten “Doom” ports on Nintendo consoles before, this Midway-developed entry was the first installment designed for one. Plot and gameplay wasn’t anything revolutionary, not that it needed to be. When it comes to “Doom,’ we’re of the belief that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It ran on a customized version of the original game engine, ensuring that it would look and sound much better while retaining everything we loved. Naturally, its graphics, sound and level design were frequent points of praise. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any multiplayer like many others on our list. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was the best incarnation of “Doom” at release.

“Quake II” (1999)

With most FPS games that also launched on PC, the N64 versions understandably had to make certain sacrifices. But with “Quake II,” id Software gave Nintendo fans their own unique experience. It featured the same plot about a marine on an alien planet trying to stop their invasion of Earth before it begins. However, the level design was quite different, as were the maps in multiplayer mode. Again, the Expansion Pak helped the visuals pop with better lighting and detail, so it wasn’t quite as big of a visual downgrade. It even had a different soundtrack. All of this on top of the improvements id made over the first “Quake,” like smoother gameplay and new weapons.

“Turok 2: Seeds of Evil” (1998)

With the success of the first “Turok” came a sequel, which just may be the peak of the series. With the mantle passed, we followed a new Turok trying to stop an evil alien entity from escaping its prison and destroying the universe. Developer Iguana Entertainment improved on every facet from the original. Its levels were more intricate, the enemy AI was smarter and more challenging, and, of course, the visuals were sharper, partially thanks again to the console’s Expansion Pak. There were new, awesome gameplay mechanics, like Talismans that could grant you certain abilities, and new weapons, like the Cerebral Bore, one of the most brutal weapons in gaming. Plus, it added multiplayer, which was absent from the first game.

“Perfect Dark” (2000)

While the Expansion Pak improved the visuals for many games, there are a handful so technically complex, at least for the time, that it was required. “Perfect Dark” is one of those games. Developed by Rare using the same engine, it was a spiritual successor to the studio’s “GoldenEye” that some would decree better. The campaign followed Agent Joanna Dark trying to take down an evil corporation with alien backers. Released in 2000, it didn’t necessarily break ground, but it did improve on other shooters that came before it. Plus, you couldn’t play it anywhere else. Fittingly, it has also aged better than most other FPSs on the platform.

“GoldenEye 007” (1997)

What can we say that hasn’t already been said? “GoldenEye” is not only one of the best first-person shooters on the N64, it’s one of the most important FPSs ever. Released months after the first “Turok,” it pioneered the genre on consoles through its celebrated multiplayer modes. The James Bond license probably helped it earn some of its popularity. But it’s more fondly remembered for the untold hours players invested in death matches. Sure, playing through the movie’s campaign was fun. But if not for the impact its multiplayer made, it may have been long forgotten by now. It’s no wonder players have been begging for a proper remaster on modern platforms. The nostalgia is strong with this one.