Gamers hold the Nintendo 64 in high regard as the most nostalgic console for many reasons. This amazing and groundbreaking system was part of the console generation that introduced the world to cutting-edge (at the time) 3D graphics, which meant fully three-dimensional control, and that sort of freedom came with many ambitious developers who wanted to take the Nintendo 64 to its maximum potential. Many succeeded, but some weren’t so lucky.

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Despite the gigantic leap in graphical potential and gameplay opportunity, the Nintendo 64 (along with consoles like the PlayStation 1 and the Sega Dreamcast) was the first time that a home console was introducing the concept of three dimensional gaming outside of the arcade, so many developers tended to get too ahead of themselves. As a result, the primitive nature of the Nintendo 64, in retrospect, couldn’t handle ideas that were too grandiose and inevitably some games couldn’t quite reach their final vision.

10 Quest 64

Quest 64 Brian in Battle With Monsters

What better way to test out a brand new generation of gaming hardware than by attempting to make the next great RPG to dethrone industry legends like Final Fantasy? Quest 64, with its bold and blunt title, tried to do this but ultimately fell terribly short. The game felt empty and unfinished, as if the developers weren’t exactly sure how to navigate the new hardware of the Nintendo 64. Due to the limited capacity of space on N64 cartridges, RPGs were few and far between on the console, and Quest 64 was a shining example of how to miss the mark.

9 Earthworm Jim 3D

Earthworm Jim 3D
Earthworm Jim 3D

In this new console generation, many beloved video games icons were debuting in three dimensions for the very first time: Mario, Zelda, Bomberman, 151+ Pokemon, and many more. Earthworm Jim, although not nearly as well known as those legends, had his own cult following and all he needed was a big hit on a new console that could introduce him to the masses in 3D. Unfortunately, Earthworm Jim 3D was criticized for losing all of the charm of the previous games due to the jump to 3D, and the game’s camera made some sections completely unplayable. Earthworm Jim missed his opportunity to shine in 3D, but maybe he still has a 2D remaster in him somewhere down the line.

8 Hey You, Pikachu!

Pikachu standing in a field smiling

While they weren’t the most technically impressive games in terms of play, Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Stadium 2 were what dreams were made of 90’s kids. Gamers could finally see what their favorite Pokemon looked like in crystal clear 3D, so when Hey You, Pikachu! Was announced, fans were even more excited to go on an actual adventure with their favorite pocket monster.

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Unfortunately, the game was a bit too ambitious for the console it was on, and the voice recognition software was nowhere near ready for a game that solely relied on audio commands to guide Pikachu through levels. If Siri still can’t understand that you want to play your specific Spotify playlist in 2021, you definitely couldn’t even think of ordering Pikachu around in 1998.

7 Resident Evil 2

Leon and Claire standing back to back

On the more impressive side of things, putting Resident Evil 2 on the Nintendo 64 was no easy task. Already quite the ambitious title for the PlayStation 1, Resident Evil 2 was ordered to be ported to the N64, but there was one major problem: the storage space. The PS1 was fully capable of full motion video, so the N64 port had to drastically compress these scenes in order to fit them on the cartridge, but at the end of the day, the game is still quite impressive. There was even extra content and customization options not present in other versions of the game. Although the Nintendo 64 held this title back, (much like a zombie), it managed to find a way back to life.

6 Superman 64

Superman in combat with two men on rooftop
Via wizarddojo.com

With its original title being Superman: The New Superman Adventures, the game has become widely revered as Superman 64. The game failed in many ways: the game didn’t look great on the Nintendo 64, the objectives were monotonous and boring, and it felt like there was no research done on how to move a character around in a 3D setting. With the huge expanse of fantastic superhero games such as Spider-Man and the Batman Arkham series, Superman has shockingly not received a truly fantastic game. Maybe the developers could’ve made Superman 64 something special if they had more time to understand the N64’s hardware or waited until the next generation of consoles.

5 Daikatana

First person in Daikatana hitting enemy with sword

With Cyberpunk 2077 levels of hype behind it, and the forever infamous and controversial “John Romero’s about to make you his b****” ad campaign, Daikatana had a lot going for it. The hype train was derailed pretty quickly as soon as the game released however, as barely any copies were sold and the game was unremarkable, gameplay-wise.

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This first-person shooter with attitude became too ambitious for its own good, and it ended up not taking advantage of any of the Nintendo 64s features, despite also requiring the Expansion Pak to run. John Romero went on to have a great and busy career as a game designer, and Daikatana was all part of that bizarre journey.

4 Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

Sub-zero standing on platform in front of a stormy sky
via: youtube.com

Yet another example of a franchise trying to grow into the 3D era, Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero seemed to attempt a full transition but ultimately just tested the waters. This Mortal Kombat spin-off sees players taking control of Sub-Zero as he fights enemies and traverses side-scrolling levels, straying from its fighting game roots. The main problem however, was that the game still felt much like a traditional Mortal Kombat game in terms of control, which did not work in the context of a side-scrolling action game. The backgrounds were rendered in 3D but Sub-Zero himself was a 2D live-action model. On top of this, the N64 version of the game still had to be downgraded, with static images instead of full motion video for its cutscenes. The game’s title implied that there were plans for more “Mythologies”, but after seeing this game, it’s fairly certain that it would’ve been a Katastrophe.

3 WinBack

Omega Force - Winback

This third-person shooter title on the Nintendo 64 inadvertently inspired multiple generations of shooters. WinBack was one of the first games to include cover shooting mechanics, which heavily influenced future titles like Gears of War and Uncharted.

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The game suffered from a few technical issues due to the limitations of the Nintendo 64, but it was still an incredibly fun game that both deserved way more recognition than it got. If the WinBack series could’ve expanded from its days on the Nintendo 64, it could’ve become a series that truly defined a generation of shooting games. But for now, it’s just a silent influencer.

2 Castlevania/Castlevania: Legacy Of Darkness

Main character standing in hallway with arms out

Two Castlevania games made their way to the N64, but neither had enough time in the oven. Castlevania and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness were 3D action/adventure games that were meant to propel the legendary side-scroller series into the 3D realm, but the titles turned out to be the works of Dracula himself. Terrible controls, mindless combat, and game mechanics with irreversible mistakes that required a game reset, the Castlevania games did not translate well to the N64. Maybe with more time and research these games could’ve been more effective, but there was a clear misunderstanding of 3D game design. The Castlevania series is at its best when it stays in 2D, and these games ended up proving it.

1 Final Fantasy VII

Conversation between Cloud and Sephiroth

While not actually a Nintendo 64 game, Final Fantasy VII had every intention on becoming one. Set to be the biggest game release of the decade, Final Fantasy and Nintendo had a fantastic relationship since the beginning. Unfortunately, Square Enix had huge plans for the seventh iteration of the Final Fantasy series and the Nintendo 64 cartridges simply couldn’t hold all of the information that the game required (which already required two PlayStation 1 discs). The game found a home on the PlayStation 1 and became incredibly successful, and eventually found its way back to Nintendo decades later, when Final Fantasy VII released on the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo 64’s hardware unfortunately put Nintendo out of the running to produce one of the biggest games of all time for its system, and it was certain to be a setback that Nintendo certainly felt, because the Final Fantasy series remained quite barren on Nintendo consoles for many years after that.

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