Nintendo 64 games have been enjoying a second life on Nintendo Switch Online with the Expansion Pack. The pricing for the upgrade will cost you extra, but it includes plenty of N64 classics like Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The collection has been growing, with the likes of Banjo Kazooie, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Mario Golf, Paper Mario, and more coming to the library in later rounds. But there are still some notable omissions, so here are 10 more Nintendo 64 classics we’d like to see added to the service.
Banjo Tooie
If Banjo Kazooie is on Nintendo Switch Online, then why not the sequel? Banjo Tooie built upon everything from the original game by letting you use every single move from Kazooie at the start of the sequel and expanding the world. Where the first game was set inside Gruntilda’s Lair, the second opens up the full Isle O’Hags, which contains fun levels like the ancient Mayahem Temple, the cavernous Glitter Gulch Mine, and even a series of islands in the sky known as Cloud Cuckooland.
Conker’s Bad Fur Day
Nintendo Switch Online includes a family plan, and adults are just as much part of the family as their kids. After the Banjo games, developer Rare created Conker’s Bad Fur Day, an M-rated platformer full of pop culture references. Conker’s Bad Fur Day includes parodies of Terminator, The Godfather, The Matrix, and many more. One of the most iconic scenes skewers Saving Private Ryan, as Conker storms a beach with a bunch of squirrels who quickly meet their end. It’s funny, it’s bloody, and it features an iconic boss fight against a giant pile of poo.
Diddy Kong Racing
The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack features online multiplayer for games like Star Fox and Mario Kart, and Diddy Kong Racing would fall right into the same category. In fact, many fans consider it superior to other kart racers of the era, thanks to being able to race in a car, raft, or airplane. There’s also an overworld that connects its five worlds, each of which sport four tracks for you to race around.
GoldenEye 007
Speaking of online play, GoldenEye 007 is simply begging for it. This classic introduced a generation to competitive shooters — and made that same generation collectively loathe Bond villain Oddjob for being too short to actually shoot on-screen. With a Nintendo Switch Online inclusion, GoldenEye could teach a whole new group of kids about “slappers only” fights. Plus, with gamepads like the Switch Pro Controller, we won’t have to plug in two controllers in single-player mode to get that dual-stick option.
Mario Party
Mario Party Superstars is the latest game in the franchise, but that’s an amalgamation of the N64 Mario Party trilogy. It has plenty of mini-games and boards from the first game, but not every single one. After playing through the new game, party-goers may want to revisit the original and try the rest of the fun stuff that didn’t make the cut. Plus, joysticks on the Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Cons shouldn’t cause the same blisters that original players got from Tug ‘O War.
Perfect Dark
If GoldenEye makes the cut, then its spiritual successor should get the same love. The Perfect Dark reboot has seen some development trouble, so Nintendo should probably get ahead of that while it can. Joanna Dark battles all manner of aliens across the game’s levels using all sorts of weapons, including the iconic Laptop Gun, an assault rifle that looks like a regular old computer at first. Once again, this would be another opportunity for great online multiplayer through Nintendo Switch Online.
Pilotwings 64
How can you have N64 games on the Switch without including an original launch title? Pilotwings 64 was a showcase for what Nintendo’s first 3D console could do, allowing you to fly around a variety of environments, including a miniature version of the United States, complete with a Mount Rushmore featuring Mario. It’s a classic.
Pokémon Stadium
Pokémon Snap is available on Nintendo Switch Online, but it’s not the only classic Pokémon game from the era. Pokémon Stadium allowed trainers to compete against Gym Leaders and each other by building special teams from the Kanto region Pokédex. Online play is the perfect way to let players battle each other remotely, and the original’s Game Boy compatibility could be updated to work with Pokémon Home.
Star Wars Episode 1 Racer
Star Wars Episode 1 Racer actually received a new coat of paint when it re-released on Switch and other platforms, but why not let us try the original too? Taking cues from the kart racers of the time, this podracing game features Anakin Skywalker and other (far less popular) pilots zooming along tracks from the Star Wars universe. F-Zero X is available, and while that game is certainly comparable to Episode 1 Racer, it’s just not quite the same — all due to respect to Captain Falcon.
Wave Race 64
Just like Pilotwings, Wave Race is one of the games that first showcased the Nintendo 64’s leap to 3D graphics — it was referred to as “F-Zero on water” for a reason. Plus, it was the very first racing game on N64, period, so it deserves some respect. Races, stunts, and time trials were all staples of single-player, and of course, you could compete against other players too. Again, that sounds like a great online racing experience. It’s available on the Wii U Virtual Console, but with that service shutting down in 2023, Wave Race needs a new home.
Related: Top 5 best N64 games of all time, ranked on Destructoid
Published: Aug 8, 2022 12:32 pm