10 Great N64 Games You NEVER Played
“Mischief Makers” (1997)
In the late 90’s, 3D platformers were the dominant genre on the market next to racing and fighting games. It was tough to penetrate the market with any other kind of game. But one studio known as Treasure has never followed trends. Ever. And that’s why many sort of ignored “Mischief Makers”. Made by a team of twelve people, “Mischief Makers” was a step backwards to the glory days of classic 2D platforming. Critics scrutinized it for being too short, too easy, and having no replay value. However, this was one of those cases of players recognizing talent. To this day, “Mischief Makers” is fondly remembered for its unique characters, colorful levels, and fun mechanic of grabbing, shaking, and throwing objects and enemies. As for Treasure, “Mischief Makers” is one of many titles that have given them the reputation as one of Japan’s most innovative studios in gaming history.
“Hybrid Heaven” (1999)
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While “Castlevania” was hit or miss for some N64 players, Konami did put out another excellent title that wasn’t just “Goemon”. “Heaven Hybrid” is what could be considered one of the earliest attempts at what we now expect from modern AAA games today. Exploration functioned about the same as any other adventure game, letting players run, jump, and climb across various parts of the world. When in combat, though, the action RPG elements took over as you fought against powerful enemies in a more concentrated area. And the funny part of this whole game is that it ran surprisingly well on the N64! Of course, critics back then were too focused on visuals and audio, so “Hybrid Heaven” didn’t get as much praise or attention as it probably should have received.
“Mace: The Dark Age” (1997)
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We did not get a ton of M-rated games for the N64. You can go look at our video on that topic and see what we mean. But of the small handful we saw, “Mace: The Dark Age” was pretty dope! We will be the first to admit that the controls might be just a tad clunky compared to other fighters. The thing that really carried it most was its theme. At the time, we weren’t really getting many dark fantasy fighting games like this; everyone was pitting ninjas, robots, and monsters against each other. It even had the same level of brutality and humor as “Mortal Kombat” did with its finishing moves!
“Space Station Silicon Valley” (1998)
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It’s hard to believe Rockstar Games ever made a kid-friendly game at any point in the studio’s life. And yet they made this little gem for the N64. “Space Station Silicon Valley” sees you controlling a small robot that can take control of various animals. You’ll explore the mysterious space station to retrieve your parts, figure out what happened on this station, and try to stop it from colliding with Earth. There was a real sense of adventure to be had with this game, and seeing what all of the different animals could do to help you progress made for such a neat mechanic. We’d love for Rockstar to bring us a port or sequel of this, but you know, “Grand Theft Auto” prints the big bucks these days.
“Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber” (2000)
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If you played “Tactics Ogre” or its sequel, “The March of the Black Queen”, well, you may not have been aware of the third game. “Ogre Battle 64” was only ever released for Nintendo 64, and it played wildly differently than its predecessors. It was still a tactical RPG, but the overall flow was a big improvement. The UI may have still been cumbersome in some ways, yet once you got a handle on the menu navigation and controls, “Ogre Battle 64” was leagues ahead of its time. Well, at least when it came to tactical RPGs on consoles. Even today, many folks call this one of the N64’s best games, right alongside the usual suspects of Mario, Banjo, and Link.
“Body Harvest” (1998)
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Alien invasion games were nothing special, not when “Area 51” was dominating that theme. But “Body Harvest” was something truly special in how it indulged in its own absurd concept. Aliens have been invading every quarter-century to abduct humans for their organic matter. One lone soldier travels back in time (yeah, didn’t see that coming) to various countries from across different eras in history to put a stop to them once and for all. The coolest aspect of this was how “Body Harvest” lets you loose - choose whichever era you want to start with, tackle the levels in whatever order you want. Well, that and the way you could take command of various vehicles and weapons. Really, when it comes to games ahead of their time, “Body Harvest” is among them in the best of ways.
“Duck Dodgers Starring Daffy Duck” (2000)
While PS1 players got Bugs Bunny and “Sheep Raider”, N64 players got a Looney Tunes game just as brilliant. “Duck Dodgers” took the entire premise of Daffy Duck’s alter ego and made an entire adventure out of it! Explore various planets and collect atoms before Marvin the Martian can destroy the Earth. Along the way, you’ll encounter various other Looney Tunes characters like Yosemite Sam and Rocky with Porky Pig as your trusty cadet. It was imaginative and faithful to the spirit of the Looney Tunes. We only wish it made it to more platforms than just the N64.
“Flying Dragon” (1998)
The N64 saw a handful of fighting games like “Super Smash Bros.”, “Killer Instinct”, and various WWE titles. However, developer Culture Brain never got the recognition it deserved for “Flying Dragon”. Much like the aforementioned titles, “Flying Dragon” had some impressively accurate controls and maintained a comfortable speed that kept fights intense. On top of that, it featured some neat RPG mechanics where fighters got better the more you used them and could be equipped with various items to boost stats. Yeah, it was like “Injustice 2” but more simplified than a 0.73% boost to attacks that use only five fingers and a 30-degree bend of the heel.
“Rocket: Robot On Wheels” (1999)
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Even today, we have a bit of a hard time processing the fact that there was a game Sucker Punch Productions made BEFORE they were known for “Sly Cooper”, “Infamous”, and now, “Ghost of Tsushima”. “Rocket: Robot On Wheels” was innovative in how it incorporated a physics engine into its gameplay, which was something no other console games were doing at the time due to technical limitations. Eagle-eyed players may even spot some early ideas that would later influence the level design of Sucker Punch’s later games. And despite the love from fans and critics, Ubisoft didn’t give it much attention in marketing, leaving “Rocket” forever stranded on old hardware.
“Sin and Punishment” (2000)
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We try to keep these lists limited to games that had a wider pool of players and not Japan-only titles. However, we had to make an exception for “Sin and Punishment”. After playing it for ourselves through Switch Online, we’re sold - “Sin and Punishment” is perhaps the greatest N64 game no one played back then. The way combat blends ranged and melee attacks is truly unique, and the boss battles are on the same scale and intensity as many modern action games. Remember earlier when we mentioned Treasure being one of the most innovative studios to ever come from Japan? Well, if “Mischief Makers” didn’t sell you, “Sin and Punishment” absolutely will! What N64 game do you feel many missed out on? Did it make our list? Let us know down in the comments below, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!