The Nintendo 64 is pretty old at this point: introducing the world to fully 3D gameplay alongside Sony’s PlayStation and Sega’s Saturn, it may have been revolutionary at the time, but it hasn’t aged all that well. There are still hoards of Nintendo fans eager to defend the console which brought us classics like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but the console’s rudimentary attempts at polygonal 3D and abundance of extremely low-res textures aren’t exactly easy on the eyes in 2018.

That is largely a subjective statement, however, and graphical fidelity shouldn’t be the absolute benchmark for a video game’s quality. When artificially upscaled to 1080p or played through an emulator some games can definitely look more than a little garish. Yet, plug an N64 into an old TV, and many of those modern-day issues disappear amongst a flurry of late 90s channel 3 static.

At the end of the day, most N64 titles have lost their luster visually, though there are a few hardware-pushing gems out there which still manage to impress given adequate context. Few are going to argue that Majora’s Mask could compete visually with Breath of the Wild, but it could be said that the former has a distinct visual aesthetic which the other may lack.

Of course, for every fantastic first-party title released on the console came a flurry of lame off-brand games which look like absolute slop now. With that in mind, here are fifteen old N64 games that still look amazing (and 15 fans forgot looked bad).

30 Still Looks Amazing: Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire

Star Wars Shadows of the Empire Hoth
via: starwars.com

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is definitely showing its age these days, but that isn’t to say that the game looks all that bad. This was one of the first games based on the legendary sci-fi property to attempt to emulate what fans were treated to in theaters, and it was pretty convincing. Beginning with an authentic-looking opening crawl and thrusting players into a lovingly-rendered battle on Hoth against imperial AT-ATs, it was a think of sheer brilliance at the time. Major sections of the game may look pretty awful today, but that first level is still a looker.

29 Looked Bad: South Park

South Park N64 Game
via: spgame.wikia.com

We’ve been spoiled in recent years by Ubisoft’s excellent true-to-television South Park titles. The Stick of Truth and The Fractured but Whole were really solid translations of the lowbrow phenomenon, and curious onlookers probably wouldn’t be able to tell these titles apart from the actual show. The same cannot be said about South Park on the Nintendo 64: chunky, gruff, and featuring a draw distance of about five feet, this is an all-around miserable adaptation. It could have stuck to the show’s familiar 2D style were it not for the trends of the era.

28 Still Looks Amazing: Mario Kart 64

via reddit.com

Though the series originally debuted on the SNES, the Mario Kart games wouldn’t really come into their own until the release of Mario Kart 64 on the Nintendo 64. With a varied set of 3D tracks to explore, it was, for its time, perhaps the most compelling cart racer available. It certainly doesn’t compare to modern series iterations, but what it lacks in graphical presentation it makes up for in classic Nintendo charm. What’s more, tons of fan-favorite tracks first appeared in this title, which makes it a must-play for any fan of these games.

27 Looked Bad: Aero Gauge

Aero Gauge
via: youtube.com

It certainly isn’t an issue these days, but developers used to have to be very careful about resource allocation back in the days of the N64: should the console be forced to render too many things at once, it would turn the experience into a slideshow. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the developers of the futuristic racing title Aero Gauge. Often regarded as one of the worst games available on Nintendo’s late 90s console, Aero Gauge was nearly impossible to play thanks to an awkward control scheme and an absolutely pitiful draw distance—it’s hard to race when you can’t see what’s in front of you.

26 Still Looks Amazing: Conker’s Bad Fur Day

Conker's Bad Fur Day
via: pinterest.com

Arguably the crown jewel of the already fantastic Rare N64 library, the hilariously adult aesthetic present in Conker’s Bad Fur Day cemented its status as one of the very few M-rated games on the platform. Conker still holds up because the game emphasizes a cartoony feel and rich, verbose color palette which plays to the console’s advantages. Games that made an attempt at realism look downright awful on the N64, but Conker’s Bad Fur Day—a game which is unapologetically unrealistic—still looks great. Just make sure nobody else is in the room during your play session.

25 Looked Bad: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

Turok Dinosaur Hunter
via: motherboard.vice.com

Speaking of game’s that failed at realism, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was an attempt to capitalize on the success of Quake without relying on super powerful PC hardware. The result was mixed: some N64 gamers still love the Turok games, though few could argue that they hold much visual appeal these days. The title’s blurry visuals and difficult-to-discern enemy models made it something of a chore to play, though the game’s faults were put on display most by the low draw distance platforming segments. The game has since been cleaned up and re-released on Steam, so players looking to embrace their inner dinosaur hunter may want to start there.

24 Still Looks Amazing: Paper Mario

Paper Mario N64
via: nepascene.com

Paper Mario is a spiritual successor to the oft-praised SNES classic Paper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and features a set of turn-based mechanics and narrative emphasis which had, at that point, rarely been seen in the Mushroom Kingdom. Much like Conker’s Bad Fur Day, the game’s unique visual style is simple yet elegant. Successfully re-creating the visuals in a child’s storybook, Paper Mario will stand as a visual marvel for years to come. The series, of course, live on to this day and will likely make its way to the Nintendo Switch at some point in the future.

23 Looked Bad: Quest 64

via reddit.com

An awful amalgamation of the worst elements of many classic action adventure RPGs, Quest 64 feels like a deliberate combination of all of the tedium of the later Final Fantasy entries with the boredom of traversing Ocarina of Time’s Hyrule Field for the hundredth time. Shallow in terms of both gameplay and plot, Quest 64 certainly wasn’t helped out by it’s overly-simple visuals. This title is about as bare bones as it gets with a majority of the experience spent in open, bare fields. Novice RPG players may siphon some pleasure out of the experience, but Quest 64 is better off forgotten by history.

22 Still Looks Amazing: Banjo Kazooie

Banjo Kazooie N64
via: nepascene.com

Another Rare-developed title, Banjo Kazooie is almost universally considered to be one of the best games available on Nintendo’s fifth-generation console. This game exudes the sort of stylistic integrity which mascot-platformers of the early 90s often tried in vain to capture. Banjo Kazooie is beautiful because the characters and worlds are all vibrant and alive. They may be rough polygonal models, but that almost doesn’t matter because they feel so well-crafted. Unlike many other titles on the platform, Banjo Kazooie succeeds because it was developed with the console’s restrictions in mind.

21 Looked Bad: Duke Nukem: Zero Hour

Duke Nukem Zero Hour
via: gamesdb.launchbox-app.com

Made famous by 3D Realms’ famous Build Engine FPS title Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem was, at the time, as celebrated as he was crass. Though he isn’t looked upon in the same light these days, he certainly has a place in the annals of gaming history. What does not deserve to be remembered, however, is the N64 Duke Nukem spin-off titled Duke Nukem: Zero Hour. A third person shooter, Zero Hours looks very much like a homebrew project strung together by a group of bored college students. Though the game’s textures and character models are fairly detailed for the N64, the framerate chugs so hard most of the time that it’s borderline unplayable.

20 Still Looks Amazing: Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 N64
via: reddit.com

Capcom’s famous survival horror title Resident Evil 2 may seem like an odd title to praise given it’s blocky, roughly-hewn aesthetic. While some of the character models and environments may look a little dated today, the game was commendable for its ambition: few games dared to do what RE 2 did on the N64, and it stands in a league of its own in terms of Nintendo 64 titles. While many similar games fell totally flat, Resident Evil 2 dared to embrace a gritty, realistic visual style which actually worked in its favor. Of course, the long-awaited remaster should be coming out some time next year, which may make this title by-and-large irrelevant.

19 Looked Bad: Body Harvest

N64 Body Harvest
via: giantbomb.com

DMA Design’s Body Harvest has amassed something of a cult following in recent years, and perhaps deservedly so. The game’s development cycle was as ambitious as it was long winded, and the final product ended up being one of the most unique games available on Nintendo’s hardware. That said, though DMA design—now known as Rockstar North—should be commended for releasing one of the first truly large open worlds in games, the game was obtuse in terms of control and was a bit of a mess visually. Most in-game models are polygonal beyond belief, with the protagonist himself seemingly belonging in the original SNES Star Fox title. Gaming historians may find it significant, but it’s a bit of a chore to play through in 2018.

18 Still Looks Amazing: Pokémon Stadium 2

via: nintendo.co.uk

Released very near to the end of the console’s lifecycle, Pokémon Stadium 2 was the successor to the original title which allowed players to upload and battle the creatures they’ve captured during their adventures in the various gameboy titles. Some players were disappointed that this series wasn’t a more traditional RPG like what was seen on Nintendo’s mobile consoles, but it has since become a well-regarded collector’s item. Never before had pokémon fans seen generation 2 monsters in full 3D, and it’s still something of a spectacle today.

17 Looked Bad: GoldenEye 007

Goldeneye 007 Nintendo 64
via: https://cnet4.cbsistatic.com

Rare’s GoldenEye 007 is commonly heralded as the premier local multiplayer console experience of all time. While it was incredibly fun to blast our friends into oblivion with a bunch of cool spy gadgets back in the day, the game is beyond clunky and outdated at this point. Hardcore fans may still be able to appreciate this release, but, these days, it’s looking pretty rough. Environments both interior and exterior looks sparse and ugly, and most player models look like paper mache nightmares. Underwhelming graphics shouldn’t get in the way of great gameplay, but this old dinosaur has been left in the dust in pretty much every way.

16 Still Looks Amazing: Buck Bumble

Nintendo 64 Buck Bumble
via: screenhacker.com

Buck Bumble is a forgotten third person shooter which featured a pretty intense plot set against the backdrop of a microcosmic world. The titular buck bumble is an attitudinous bee tasked with saving his garden from a swarm of corrupted insects, and the plot is much heavier than one might glean from the box art. Though the game is very much a product of its time, it still doesn’t look too shabby. Environments are varied, and it’s still fun to explore the game’s garden world from the perspective of a bee. It sort of apes the “six degrees of motion” gimmick featured in popular shooters of the era like Descent and Forsaken, though visually it’s more robust than either.

15 Looked Bad: Paperboy

Paperboy N64
via: brettweisswords.com

Paperboy was a beloved albeit slightly quirky title for Nintendo’s trendsetting NES console. Though that game is still enjoyed by millions, its successor, which was also named paperboy but colloquially dubbed Paperboy 64, is not. Though it seems to try for a cartoony, visually simplistic style, it utterly fails. Characters look like wireframe monsters and every in-game entity is ill-defined at best. The original Paperboy was tough, but it’s Nintendo 64 counterpart, thanks to its downright bad visual presentation, is completely unplayable. Kids who get their hands on this mess back in the day must have begged their parents to take it back to the store.

14 Still Look Amazing: The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask
via: justpushstart.com

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is perhaps the strangest game available in the prestigious Zelda lineage: a game developed in under a year, it re-uses elements from Ocarina of Time to great effect and managed to be something entirely unique. Majora’s Mask still looks legitimately good: environments are well designed and interesting, and the faintly sinister stylings of many of the game’s features make it one of the most evocative experiences available on the N64. The best part, of course, is the fantastically creepy moon which constantly looms in the distance, an ever present threat against the player. Though the two N64 Zelda titles were re-released on the 3DS a few years ago, they still deserve to be experienced on original hardware.

13 Looked Bad: Hexen

Nintendo 64 Hexen
via: retrogamesplanet.it

Hexen: Beyond Heretic was a PC Doom clone released in 1995. It took the tried-and-true pseudo 3D FPS mechanics of Id Software’s famous demon slaying simulator and put a unique twist on things. Taking place in a dark fantasy realm, players are tasked with bringing down three warlords and conquering an ancient evil figure, though, much like Doom, the plot is more of a background element. The issue with the Nintendo 64 port of Hexen is that, with a mostly gray and brown color pallet, the game looked totally flat, and it was often difficult to make anything out in the game’s ever present murky darkness. It’s far from the worst looking game out there, but there’s no reason why anyone would prefer this to the PC version.

12 Still Look Amazing: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards
via: es.kirby.wikipedia.com

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was (and still is) one of the very few fully 3D Kirby games out there. Everyone knows and loves Nintendo’s famous pink ball of… fluff? Marshmallow? However, aside from his various appearances in the Super Smash Brothers fighting series and the oft-forgotten GameCube exclusive Kirby Air Ride, he’s mostly stuck to 2D sidescrollers. While Kirby 64 is still very much a side scroller, it’s 3D aesthetic is completely adorable and remains a joy to behold. The colors in this game really pop, and, unlike much of the blurry, garbled imagery present in other N64 games, Kirby 64 is a total feast for the eyes.

11 Looked Bad: Earthworm Jim 3D

Earthworm Jim 3D
via: utomik.com

The first bunch of Earthworm Jim games were inventive, whimsical platformers which were visually unique and pretty tongue-in-cheek. These older titles are still beloved by those who grew up with them, and the only real misfire present in the series would be the Nintendo 64’s Earthworm Jim 3D. After a messy development cycle, the creator behind the Earthworm Jim games would eventually be dismissed from the team, and he would later go on to say that he hate what the game would become without his influence. Janky and off putting much in the vain of something like Bubsy 3D on the PS1, nobody should ever have to sit through this stinker in 2018.