Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (2000)

The first full 3D adventure in the Kirby franchise was a total hit. The side-scrolling 3D platformer has players fighting through Dreamland as none other than Kirby in an act to retrieve the sacred crystal shards to defeat Dark Matter. This was the first game where Kirby actually teams up with King Dedede. Between the unconventional teamwork and the tons of challenging levels, this game was amazing.

Bomberman 64 (1997)

We’ll be totally honest with this one. Bomberman 64 was a pain in the you know what because of all the fun puzzles and (sometimes) time restraints. As annoying as these parts were, it was all the more rewarding as you work through each level and defeat dangerous space pirates every step of the way.

Yoshi’s Story (1997)

This was the first N64 game that focused on Yoshi, who was previously known as basically Mario’s horse. The graphics of this game weren’t the best of its time, but the gameplay more than made up for it. The side-scrolling platformer was a classic as you fought to protect the fruit-bearing super happy tree from the likes of the super jealous Baby Bowser.

Star Fox 64 (1997)

The source of the infamous “do a barrel roll” meme, Starfox 64 was ahead of its time in a dogfight-style aerial battle. The only game of it’s time that even compares was Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. There were countless levels as you played as Fox McCloud and his team of fighter pilots.

Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000)

The second Zelda installment for the N64, Majora’s Mask picks up after Ocarina of Time. You play as Link in an alternate reality from that of the Ocarina where you have to save the moon from complete destruction. The graphics were totally ahead of its time, which was surprising considering it only took Nintendo 2 years to make and develop it.

Rayman 2: The Great Escape (1999)

Rayman 2 was so much fun! The plot begins when you find yourself (Rayman) and a couple of allies in a prison aboard a giant ship. Shocker, you eventually escape from your cell and retreat deep into the forest to reconnect with Globox, Rayman’s trusted guide. From dashing through swamps to swinging on vines, this action-packed game was arguably the best of the series.

Donkey Kong 64 (1999)

If there is one lesson to take away from Donkey Kong 64, it’s not to mess with a monkey’s bananas. You play mostly as Donkey Kong on Donkey Kong island where you fight the likes of King K Rool to retrieve your stache of delicious bananas and free Diddy Kong from captivity. This game was full of fun puzzles and mini-games that really spiced things up and made for an excellent sequel to Donkey Kong Country.

Banjo-Kazooie (1998)

We’re not going to lie, Banjo-Kazooie is tough, even for adults. There are 9 worlds in total where you have to complete (sometimes annoying) puzzles to collect musical notes and advance to the next world. Like Super Mario and Donkey Kong 64, it was the closest thing to being ‘open-world’ at the time, meaning you could go back and try old missions, meaning not everything had to be completed in linear order. The uniqueness of the story and gameplay made this game a major hit.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Considered one of the highest-rated games of all time, Ocarina of Time is a staple in the Zelda franchise. You play as both young and adult link as you move throughout time to help Zelda defeat the sinister Gannondorf. This game allowed for a lot of flexibility for its time, like playing special songs to give you unique power upgrades to help you advance through the story.

Super Mario 64

The game that everybody (and we mean everybody) had was Super Mario 64. The entire game takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom (mostly within Peach’s castle) where Mario must collect stars to advance throughout the castle and defeat bowser. Getting to explore the castle and play levels ranging from haunted houses to lava fields, ice worlds, and carpets in the clouds – it really felt like this game had no limits. This game set the standard for not only Super Mario, but all other 3D adventure games to come.

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Kirby Super Star (1996)

The platform-style was one of the first to take place in Dreamland. You play as Kirby through 8 unique game modes, that include mini-games, racing and adventure modes. It offered quite a bit of content, including boss battles against the likes of King Dedede and Metaknight, the 2 main antagonists of the series.

Super Ghosts ‘n Ghouls (1991)

One of the darker-styled games of the Super Nintendo, you play as the Knight Arthur in a quest to rescue a princess from an army of zombies, ghosts and ghouls across large graveyards, castles caves, temples and other maps. We loved this game because it found a way to stay fresh relative to other games of its genre, as it remained just as fun at the end as the first level. The boss battles are tough, but very rewarding when you finish it all.

Donkey Kong Country (1994)

A lot of people remember Donkey Kong Country for how innovative its graphics were for the time. The platform game was almost telling for what the graphics would begin to look like for the Nintendo 64, just a few notches below. It truly started a new chapter in gaming design that would only continue to get better.

The platform game has you play as Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr as you fight through 40 levels of Donkey Kong Island to stop King K Rool from getting away with the precious banana hoard. You have to swing through trees and shoot through barrels to get through each checkpoint. It’s challenging, without being too difficult for the children playing.

Mega Man X (1993)

Mega Man X represented a new era in the Mega Man series. Players could play as Mega Man alongside Zero to fight the AI-powered evils of Dr. Thomas Light. Mega Man X featured enhanced graphics and gameplay that you just didn’t see from the older, more simplistic Mega Man games, which made it that much more fun and exciting.

Star Fox 2 (1993)

The sequel to Star Fox met and exceeded expectations. The 3D motions made it somewhat unlike any other game from it’s time, which later gave rise to other popular ‘aero dogfighting’ games like Star Wars Rogue Squadron and Ace Combat. The added story and intense gameplay made Star Fox 2 a real keeper.

Super Castlevania IV (1991)

Castlevania did an unbelievable job of kicking things up a notch after the notorious Castlevania Dracula game. Here you play as Simon Belmont with a twist – this was the first game that let you control the vampire-slaying whip in any direction, giving the player more control in mobility and combo building.

Batman Returns (1992)

Based on the blockbuster movie, Batman Returns takes players through the streets, parks and sewers of Gotham City. The game was pretty much undeniably better than the movie, with a dark theme that later became “The Dark Knight”. This game was seen as more thrilling because of how many enemies and boss fights there were versus the previous games.

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1994)

The force was with this game, as players hacked and slashed through multiple levels as many players including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca and more, which was new. To make things even better, they mixed up the playstyle by adding 7 vehicle levels, letting players pilot iconic ships such as the Y-Wing and even Millenium Falcon!

Super Metroid (1994)

The first battle between Samus Aran and Ridley on the SNES was seen on Super Metroid, as you fought through space as Nintendo’s favorite intergalactic bounty hunter. Between the super creative aesthetics and interesting gadgets, it’s no wonder Metroid went on to become one of Nintendo’s highest-rated series.

Super Mario World (1990)

We still get the occasional bad dream from the original Super Mario World. It’s difficulties and sometimes-unnecessary time limits probably weren’t ideal for younger audiences, but nevertheless made for the best adventure game from the SNES. When many think retro gaming from the 1990s, Super Mario World always comes to mind. Fun fact: this was the first Mario game that let you ride Yoshi and also introduced many of the common villains like Hammer Bro and Monty Mole.

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