Hey everyone! Today's blog is more of a fantasy blog than anything. This blog is what I predict I would see should Nintendo ever choose to make a Nintendo 64 Classic. Before getting started I just want to say that I do not think we will be seeing this product any time in the near future. With the Super Nintendo Classic just being announced a friend and I started going back and forth a bit as to what we would like to see on a Nintendo 64 Classic as we both really enjoy the system. When I started to think about what twenty one games I'd like to see I had a bit of a conundrum. I could easily saturate this list with games made for the Nintendo 64 by Rareware, but of course, many of those characters now sit in the hands of Microsoft, so chances are slim to none that they would be seen on a Nintendo 64 Classic. So sadly Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, Diddy Kong Racing, Jet Force Gemini, Killer Instinct Gold, Blast Corps, and Conker's Bad Fur Day will not be on this list. However, both Donkey Kong 64 and Goldeneye 007 could be used. When Microsoft purchased Rare, Rare made the decesion to leave everything in the Donkey Kong universe to Nintendo including Diddy Kong and the rest of the Kong crew which is why they still appear in Nintendo games. Goldeneye was already remade for the Wii and James Bond is not a Rare IP so that's why it's up to be on the system. After the first list I'll do one of what I personally would like to see. So without further delay or explanation involving Rareware, let's begin.
1.) Super Mario 64: This is a no brainer option. Not much needs to be said. This game pretty much flipped the gaming world upside down forever.
2.) The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time: Another no brainer. This game remains one of the greatest of all time and took what Mario 64 started as a 3D adventure and blew it up in a way nobody expected.
3.) Starfox 64: Yet another no brainer. Starfox 64 is one of the best games on the console and one of the best flying/shooting games of all time. This is arguably the last great game in the series, but we will see what happens when Starfox 2 comes out in September... Still weird saying that... Still though this game has every right to be on a potential N64 Classic.
4.) Goldeneye: 007: Should be a no brainer here and since the game was remade on the Nintendo Wii. I'm not sure if it'd be 100% appropriate given Nintendo aiming at families, but there is no denying the impact that this game had on the gaming world. If you had an N64, you probably had this game. If you were a gamer in the mid nineties, you at least knew of or played the game. Only other question is whether or not Rare owns anything in the game that would prevent Nintendo from using it.
5.) Pokemon Snap: To me this game is very likely to be on a N64 Classic. This game is still so unique and I am floored that a remake or sequel never made it to the Wii U. The game pad would have been the perfect camera, but oh well. The least Nintendo could do is throw a bone to Pokemon fans with this.
6.) Mario Kart 64: One of the more obvious choices. No explanation really needed for this game.
7.) Mario Party 2: Lets face it. Mario Party destroyed relationships, palms, and controllers alike. It'd make sense that Nintendo would want to put a Mario Party game on a special edition of the console the series started on. Mario Party 2 is a much safer option as I'm sure the company doesn't want a repeat of the issues caused by the first game.
8.) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: This one could go either way. Personally it is my favorite Zelda game, but until recently it hasn't had nearly as much praise as Ocarina of Time. Now people are jumping on board with it more and more, so it could certainly land on a classic console.
9.) Super Smash Brothers: Funny thing is... Depending on the price of this console... Super Smash Brothers could probably sell it itself... Think about it.... The game itself isn't cheap and neither is a Nintendo 64...
10.) Yoshi's Story: Personally I think this game is underrated. It's not as good as say Yoshi's Island, but it's a fun game and really appealing towards families with it's cute innocent nature.
11.) Mario Tennis or Golf: For whatever reason Nintendo seems to like to try to fit in a sports game on these classic consoles. Tecmo Bowl was on the NES Classic and Kirby's Dream Course, which is a golf/billiards hybrid in my eyes is going to be on the Super Nintendo Classic. Either of these games could fill that role easily as both of these games would have limited licensing issues compared to say NFL Blitz.
12.) Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards: Lets be real here. Nintendo wants their big name characters on these classic consoles where possible. Kirby's jump to 3D wasn't the most graceful, but it was still a fun game and again, really appeals to families with that casual Kirby difficulty and cutesy themes.
13.) Donkey Kong 64: Honestly if Nintendo could use Banjo Kazooie, this game would not be on the list. However, Donkey Kong's jump to 3D was not all bad and the game is pretty much the only noteworthy collect-a-thon that Nintendo could use that Microsoft did not eat...
14.) Paper Mario: Insert comment about the Nintendo 64 having a limited RPG collection and Paper Mario being one of the best here.
15.) Castlevania: Speaking of games having a rough time making the jump to 3D... Castlevania may not be as great as the installations on the SNES or NES, but it remained a constant for Nintendo through the Nintendo 64. I could certainly see this getting on the console before Resident Evil 2.
16.) Ogre Battle 64: Another great RPG on a console that doesn't have many. It's one of what I like to call the big 3 RPGs on the system. I could see Nintendo throwing it on here as an awesome fantasy game.
17.) 1080 Snowboarding: I feel like this is another one of those games that everyone had. Another 4 player experience that was a huge hit. I wouldn't be surprised to see it return here.
18.) Harvest Moon 64: It may not have sold overly well when it first came out, but now Harvest Moon 64 is considered arguably the best in the series. Perhaps more importantly, it is one of the big 3 RPGs on the system, so to see this along with Ogre Battle and Paper Mario would be great and I could see Nintendo actually doing it considering how much Harvest Moon has grown in popularity.
19.) Wave Race 64: For a very brief time it felt like Wave Race was the king of racing on the Nintendo 64. Then Mario and Diddy Kong showed up and pretty much sank the jet ski racer. Without Diddy Kong Racing in play I don't see a reason why this unique four player racer would not be on the console.
20.) F-Zero X: Yes, another racing game. Lets face it. The Nintendo 64 had a lot of very good racing games that were all quite unique. F-Zero's rising popularity shouldn't be denied and I do not think it would be in this case. With no Metroid games and a small list of really popular games to choose from, it wouldn't shock me at all to see Nintendo just drop this in here.
21.) Sin and Punishment: We got Starfox 2 on the Super Nintendo Classic. The game is already in English on the Wii U virtual console. Seems like it would be prime to finally appear stateside on a Nintendo 64.
Now bear in mind this is along the lines of what I think Nintendo would do. I feel like there are some debatable ones. For example, I feel like Tony Hawk Pro Skater could potentially be on here over possibly F-Zero or one of the Mario sport games. I could honestly see Nintendo trying to maximize the multiplayer aspect of the system and take say Harvest Moon or Ogre Battle out for some other multiplayer game. Possibly even Mario Party 3. Still though I feel like there are plenty of other games that would fit nicely on this fantasy system. The issue with all of them though is how far Nintendo would want to go as far as getting third parties involved. The Nintendo 64 was not huge with third party games, but games such as the Mystical Ninja games, and a few of the Star Wars games would really fit nicely onto a system like this. Resident Evil 2 I sadly had to leave off the list due to it's mature rating. I don't predict Nintendo going for that. Heck, I have a hard enough time trying to convince myself that Castlevania or Goldeneye would make it on there as well. Something that I think would be really cool, but wouldn't happen is if they brought Pokemon Stadium on board and allowed the console to communicate with the 3DS virtual console games of Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow. Without the use of your own Pokemon, Pokemon Stadium I just don't think is anywhere near as fun. If I controlled the list, I think a real good list for me would be...
1.) Super Mario 64
2.) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
3,) The Lgend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
4.) Goldeneye 007
5.) Starfox 64
6.) Mario Kart 64
7.) Mario Party 2
8.) Super Smash Brothers
9.) Pokemon Snap
10.) Paper Mario
11.) Yoshi's Story
12.) Donkey Kong 64
13.) Bomberman 64: I feel like this game does not get as much credit as it deserves. It's a lot of fun and both the single player campaign and the multiplayer still stack up today. I'd put it on the classic for sure.
14.) Star Wars: Rogue Squadron: This game to this day fulfills my desires to fly many of the famous ships from the Star Wars universe. It would take some doing I'm sure to get it on the console, but the effort would certainly be well rewarded. One of my favorite games on the Nintendo 64 and I'm not ashamed to say that at all.
15.) Harvest Moon 64
16.) Starcraft 64: I know what some of you are thinking. Why in God's name an RTS? My reasoning is this. Starcraft continues to be one of the greatest PC games ever made. It's popularity has not really dropped despite Blizzard releasing Starcraft II and two expansions for it. This summer Blizzard is releasing Starcraft HD. The hype is there, but for the 64 version of the game. Not many knew about it, not many cared about it back then, but I feel like it'd be an interesting pick here. I'd be curious to see how RTS newbies and veterans would handle it after all these years.
17.) Wave Race 64
18.) Resident Evil 2: I know it will never happen, but honestly I'd rather see this game in the mix than Castlevania. It is a much better, and a far creepier game, but it's mature rating would probably keep it off the console.
19.) Mario Tennis: I say tennis over golf here. The four player action to me is a much greater draw than a game of golf. Nothing against Mario Golf at all, but Mario Tennis is really a joy to play and can get quite crazy with multiple people playing.
20.) Sin and Punishment: Finally released for Nintendo 64 in North America in my fantasy world...
21.) Vigilante 8: Curious choice right? While not exclusive to the N64, the game was very unique to the system in that it is the only real option (outside of it's sequel) for a car combat game at a time where Twisted Metal was insanely popular on the Playstation. Probably would never make it, but I can dream right?
So that is what I would do. Nothing too crazy. I admit Starcraft 64 is kind of a stretch, but hey that's what makes it a list of what I would do right? All in all, chances are that we will not be seeing a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition anytime soon. However, I will keep this blog in the back of my mind if the day does come to see how my guesses go. I might revisit this eventually and see how my feelings are towards my choices if and when I revisit. This was a fun list to make, but I will say one thing. If the fires of Hell freeze over, if the construction on the Death Star actually begins, and Nintendo and Rare somehow find their way back to eachother.... Then this entire list goes out the window and Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Killer Instinct Gold, and Blast Corps are all there!
As always, thank you for reading. My next blog will be another installment in the Kirby Series known as Kirby's Block Ball. This will be a short review, but one packed with not so traditional Kirby antics!
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