TheNintendo 64is one of the most iconic video game consoles of the ’90s and completely redefined the medium and its potential. The console is home to some of Nintendo’s best games of all time, includingThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,Super Mario 64, and the very first installment of the record-breakingSuper Smash Bros. series.
However, there are many games that Nintendo either published or developed for the console that haven’t had the same longevity as others. Whether they were little-remembered takes on established series or completely new franchises that never took off, these Nintendo 64 games sadly aren’t among the most popular nor the most memorable out of the console’s vast library.
Updated Jul 10, 2025 by Blaise Santi: As the Nintendo Switch enters its seventh year of support, there are more options on the console’s library than ever before. If games made specifically for the Nintendo Switch aren’t what players are interested in, Nintendo Switch Online members can also take advantage of playing retro classics on the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis, and Nintendo 64. In fact, there are plenty of memorable titles available for fans to check out on the subscription service, from the console’s most recognizable video games to some more obscure Nintendo gems, like these oft-forgotten fragments of Nintendo’s late-90s output.
Excitebikeis one of the most iconic video gameson the Nintendo Entertainment System, but it never received a sequel until the Nintendo 64 in 2000. The bike-riding extravaganza is in 3D this time, though the game also came with the original NES title as an extra mode, as well as a remake of all its courses in the game’s new 3D engine.
While it’s a fine sequel to the original NES title, it sadly was overshadowed by more unique sports titles on the console, such asWave Race 64. Given that it was also released four years after the original launch of the Nintendo 64 and only one year before the debut of the Nintendo GameCube, the game didn’t have much of a shelf life to support its legacy.
8Dr. Mario 64
A Sick Port Of A Mario Puzzle Game
TheDr. Mariofranchise is the premier puzzle series based around theMarioIP. In the original game, released on NES and Game Boy, a medically licensed Mario assists players as they completeTetris-like puzzles with multicolored pills in order to get rid of nasty viruses. In 2001,Dr. Mario 64took the franchise to the Nintendo 64’s final year of support.
Sadly, what this version ofDr. Mariolacked any real innovation for the franchise. The game is still a 2D falling block puzzle game, taking no advantage of the 3D capabilities of the Nintendo 64. What it does consist of is a four-person multiplayer mode, though with the GameCube releasing the same year asDr. Mario 64, groups of gamers likely gravitated towards that instead.
There wereplenty of memorablePokemontitlesfor the Nintendo 64, fromPokemon Snap, toPokemon Stadium. One little-remembered entry in the franchise’s N64 library wasPokemon Puzzle League, one of the fewPokemonvideo games that feature Ash Ketchum and other characters from thePokemonanime series.
The puzzles in this game are still reminiscent ofDr. Mario 64orPanel de Pon, though withPokemon-themed backgrounds. It does, however, take advantage of the 3D movement by featuring a separate gameplay mode with a cylindrical field. But when it comes to N64 gamesPokemonfans gravitate towards, there’s really nothing too special about this one.
6Ridge Racer 64
An Arcade Classic Re-Imagined In 3D
The very firstRidge Racergame didn’t originate on a Nintendo console, originally released in arcades in 1993 and seeing a console port on PlayStation the following year. Its first installment on a Nintendo console wasRidge Racer 64, which debuted in North America in 2000. Sadly,the high-octane car racing gamedidn’t catch on with audiences.
Many factors contributed to the failure ofRidge Racer 64’s legacy. Aside from being brand-new to Nintendo’s console, the game was also released a year before the debut of the GameCube, meaning many Nintendo 64 players likely moved on quickly from the outdated console. It also never saw a release in Japan, a vital market for the gaming industry.
5The New Tetris
Tetris Goes On A World Tour
There were several iterations ofTetrison the Nintendo 64 throughout its lifespan, including the top-downTetrisphereand the more traditionalTetris 64. However, in 1999 there was another one published by Nintendo:The New Tetris,which was a huge step forward for the Nintendo 64 technically, although it is often forgotten about today.
Although the gameplay is reminiscent of typicalTetrisgames, the game is set in real-time renders of famous locations, from Saint Basil’s Cathedral to an Egyptian tomb. Out of all the interpretations of the historic video game franchise,The New Tetrissimply remains too unremarkable and forgettable for it to have a lasting legacy in the series.
Mischief Makerswasa rare video game for the Nintendo 64, as it was a 2D-sidescroller that one would more commonly find on SNES or Sega Genesis. Released in 1997, it was actually the first standard 2D-sidescroller to find a home on the console, centered on a robotic maid attempting to rescue her creator from grave danger.
Although reviewers at the time commended the level design and graphics, the game and its characters have been left in 1997, despite clamoring for a re-release on Nintendo’s Virtual Console or Nintendo Switch Online services. Perhaps ifMischief Makershad caught on more as a franchise, it would have had numerous sequels to this day, but it sadly hasn’t happened.
3Sin and Punishment
A Japan Exclusive Pushed The Console’s Limits
From the same developers asMischief Makers,Sin and Punishmentwas a rail shooter designed for the Nintendo 64 which sadly never saw a release outside of Japan. However, it has some of the best graphics of the console’s entire library and was released to critical acclaim. Unfortunately, its popularity hasn’t grown much outside of Japan thanks to its botched Western release.
Nintendo has shown support to the franchise in recent years, making protagonist Saki Amamiyaan Assist Trophy inSuper Smash Bros.and even a Mii costume. In 2009, the series received a Nintendo Wii sequel, which was carried over to the Wii U E-shop. However, it hasn’t seen the same rise in popularity that Nintendo franchises likeXenobladeorKid Icarushave.
2Blast Corps
Although very few video game fans rememberBlast Corps, it was an important moment in the history of the Nintendo 64. Particularly,Blast Corpswas one of the first games developed for the console by Rare: the former second-party developer whopreviously createdDonkey Kong Countryfor the SNES, and later N64 classics likeBanjo-KazooieandGoldenEye 007.
In the game, players control vehicle robots who destroy buildings to clear space for a nuclear missile, though its gameplay wasn’t nearly as appealing to N64 fans as Rare’s later work on the console. Sadly,Blast Corpswas victim to the company’s limited resources and being an early release on the console in 1997, only a year after its launch.
1Bomberman Hero
The Iconic Hero Flips A Major Switch
Bombermanis one of the mosticonic retro video game franchisesof all time, notable for its top-down perspective and competitive gameplay. The Nintendo 64 saw two releases from the series: the more typicalBomberman 64, and the bold reinventionBomberman Hero,the latter of which was released in 1998 and attempted to turn the franchise into a 3D platformer.
Sadly, the reception wasn’t kind to the reinterpretation of the franchise, with many criticizing its graphics, lack of multiplayer, and abandonment of the typicalBombermanformula. The failure ofBomberman Heroto reinvent the series perhaps explains why the franchise has remained stagnant in recent years, given that it’s hard to do something bold with old formulas.
