The release of the Nintendo 64 was arguably the greatest thing to happen in the ’90s. You could disagree and say it was the rise of the legendary slap bracelet or the release of the internet, but let’s be real. Nothing is more satisfying than completing the Water Temple after 9 hours of wandering in circles. Coming in at #1 on RAVE’s Best N64 Games ranking, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time offers a truly unique adventure for gamers. We just recommend hitting up YouTube once you get to the Water Temple. For gamers who seek something besides a heroic adventure, RAVE added categories to cover genres such as shooters, racing, sports, and party games.
“The N64 offers so many awesome titles. You can battle to the death as a gun-wielding squirrel, or you can go race a bunch of friends on go-karts while throwing banana peels,” said Hillary Miller, Managing Editor for RAVE Reviews. “Playing on the N64 is always a win.”
In determining which games to feature, RAVE compared reviews from multiple online sources and then added in factors such as gameplay hours, multiplayer options, and game originality.
The full list of featured titles includes:
1080° Snowboarding – Nintendo, 1998
Banjo Kazooie – Rare, 1998
Banjo-Tooie – Rare, 2000
Blast Corps – Rare, 1997
Conker’s Bad Fur Day – Rare, 2001
Diddy Kong Racing – Rare, 1997
Donkey Kong 64 – Rare, 1999
F-Zero X – Nintendo, 1998
Goldeneye – Rare, 1997
Mario Kart 64 – Nintendo, 1997
Mario Party – Hudson Soft, 1999
Mario Tennis – CSP, 2000
Paper Mario – Nintendo, 2001
Perfect Dark – Rare, 2000
Pokémon Snap – HAL Laboratory, 1999
Pokémon Stadium – Nintendo, 2000
Resident Evil 2 – Capcom, 1998
Star Fox 64 – Nintendo, 1997
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron – Factor 5/Lucas Arts, 1998
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire – Lucas Arts, 1997
Super Mario 64 – Nintendo, 1996
Super Smash Bros. – HAL Laboratory, 1999
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – Nintendo, 2000
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – Nintendo, 1998
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater – Neversoft, 1999
WWF No Mercy – Asmik Ace, 2000
Wave Race 64: Kawasaki Jet Ski – Nintendo, 1996
RAVE Reviews is an authoritative and entertaining guide for consumer goods, entertainment, and travel. It’s not a product review site or a lifestyle magazine. But if those two met on an online dating site, 9 months later, you’d have RAVE Reviews.