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Editorials 
Top 10 Sports/Racing Games
- By Rob
Schlicht
The N64 will never be remembered as a console for sports sims. EA’s efforts on the system were slipshod ports, many of which never even made it to the system. It also was deluded by a huge number of very bad racing games. Even still, a few gems slipped through the cracks. Here we discuss the 10 best sports and racing games on the system.
1.) Super Smash Brothers
Rob says:Super Smash Brothers may be one of the biggest underdogs ever. When first mentioned, NCL barely decided to go along with the idea. Nintendo characters fighting each other? The horror! However, it soon became a "smash" hit in Japan, where it was supposedly going to stay. No US version? Gamers clamored for the fresh game, and NOA decided to bring it over a few months later. The result? One of the simplest, most addictive, funnest experiences on the system. Sure, it may have a shallow single player mode, but the multiplayer is by far the best on the system. Nothing, not Goldeneye, not Perfect Dark, not Mario Tennis, nothing can beat this game. It's one of the few titles I can honestly say I play nearly every day. The GameCube version is official, and should be even better. Now, anyone think they can take on me and Cory in it? We'll see ya at E-3!
Super Smash Brothers Review
2.) Waverace 64
Travis says:Waverace 64 is unique in the fact that no other racer on any platform has the same style of gameplay as it does. Released a short time after the launch of the N64, Waverace boasted amazing visuals and near flawless water physics and effects. To this day no other game has even come close to replicating the feel of water as well as Waverace has. Everything in the game has stood the test of time from the graphics and sound, to the control and gameplay. It has been almost 5 years and playing this game is just as fun as the day it was released. There is nothing like pulling off a double 360 back flip followed by a perfect landing and hearing the crowd applaud. Oh and did I mention yet that the water was amazing? Words cannot do it justice; you simply have to play the game to understand the sheer beauty of it. I doubt any Nintendo fan or casual gamer would argue that Waverace 64 is truly one of the best games released on the N64, and even one of the best for any system ever.
3.) F-Zero X
Brent says:F-Zero X is fast and furious. The graphics are nothing to call home about, but the sense of speed and the number of cars featured on the screen at the same time is amazing. F-Zero's entry into the world of 3D allows for all new kinds of tracks, with the addition of tunnels and other funky kinds of tracks. With plenty of awesome tracks (Rainbow road!), F-Zero X is no stranger to excellent track design. Every track is very complete, very different, and very fun. There's also a random track generator, which gives the game endless possibilities. Modes like time trial and the death race will keep single players entertained, while the Vs battle will allow for four players to go at it toe to toe! And the best part: not a bit of slow down. F-Zero X comes to you highly recommended-- it, along with games like Zelda and Mario 64, prove that Nintendo really knows how to make a sequel live up to its original name.
4.) Mario Kart 64
Travis says:As the sequel to the original Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo, this game had a lot to live up to and did it ever. As the first N64 game to have a 4 way multiplayer mode it ushered in a new era of console gaming. As a single player game Mario Kart is an average racer, but the multiplayer experience is what makes this game shine. Thanks to the 4- player capability of the N64 no longer was it just you versus one friend, but now it was you against three. Despite its first-generation graphics and sound the game delivers gameplay in spades. In fact very few games have the replay and fun factor of Mario Kart, and those that do can be counted on one hand. With its lasting appeal, trademark Nintendo characters, and plain old-fashioned fun, Mario Kart 64 rightfully deserves its place in the ranks of the N64’s greatest.
Mario Kart 64 Review
5.) Mario Sports
Rob says:The N64 will never be remembered as a great platform for sports games. However, it did have some of the most innovative games in that regard, and the tag team of Mario Golf and Mario Tennis certainly are two of the best. The graphics are by far not the best on the system, but they are very good, and neither game has a single instance of framerate trouble. The sound is superb, with multiple voice samples from the various Mario characters, and for the Camelot golfers (ugh). Paired with the very life-like sounds of the two sports, and you have a very entertaining soundtrack. Both games have good single-player modes, used mainly to unlock other players and features, but the real meat is in the multiplayer. Mario Tennis in particular, has nearly infinite replay value.
The key to these games, one that Camelot has perfected, is a perfect mix of arcade and sim. It’s easy to pick up these games, and do very well, and have fun. The more you play, though, the more you learn the intricacies of each game, making you even better, and allowing you to pull off moves you never thought you could. If you buy the GBC versions of the game, you can link up with the Transfer Pak, and build up your character’s stats, building replay value even higher. There are people who say the N64 is a failed console. I just smile and continue playing Camelot’s gems.
Mario Golf Review
Mario Tennis 64 Review
6.) 1080 Snowboarding
Rob says:It seems like every system needs the requisite Snowboarding game to be successful. The Xbox will have Amped, the PS2 had SSX, the PSX had Cool Boarders, and the GameCube will have SSX: Ultimate and 1080 Snowbarding 2. 1080 Snowboarding 2? Where was the first one? On the N64, of course. Whereas Cool Boarders and SSX are definitely arcade games, 1080 is a hardcore sim. If you’re looking for immediate satisfaction, this is not the game for you, but it offers a fantastic experience once you get past the initial difficulty shock. The learning curve may be steeper than the mountains you ride down, but the ending satisfaction is much more fulfilling. Wheras in SSX you can be pulling off triple flips on the first day, in 1080, it will take much longer to become effective at pulling off huge tricks. But when you do, you actually feel as if you’ve earned it, rather than just boarding over the top of a fan that throws you 200 feet in the air, allowing you to spin as slowly as you want. A must have for any true snowboarding fan.
7.) Excitebike 64
Rob says:As part of it’s new strategy to start building new franchises, Nintendo has been handing out some of it’s old licenses to second parties, removing the pressure from itself to update them. We’re seeing that more fully now, most notably with Retro Studios working on Metroid for GameCube, but this all started with Left Field making the update to Excitebike, an old NES game. Originally, Excitebike 64 was planned simply as a BMX game. Nintendo later offered the Excitebike name when they saw the quality of work. Don’t worry, though… the game still has that old NES feel, with an emulated version of the classic, as well as the original’s levels represented within the N64 engine. It has an excellent multiplayer mode, filled with races, an endless desert course that is never the same twice, and of course, dirtbike soccer, a staple of America. The graphics rival the best on the system, and the gameplay rivals any BMX racer, on any console. Unfortunately, with a release date of a few weeks before Perfect Dark, it got buried in sales, but you can find it cheap just about anywhere now. Pick one up, see what you missed.
Excitebike 64 Review
8.) Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Rob says:Do I really need to tell you about this game? If you don’t know by now, a good skateboarding game finally came out, after years of horrible efforts on every other console. The PSX was treated to a little game called Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and it sold phenomenally, and was loved by critics. Soon, the ports started flowing. Gameboy, Dreamcast, PC, and N64 versions all followed. Although the PSX was the first, and the DC version was better looking, the N64 version is often praised as having superior control. And that is the reason this game is so amazing. Sure, the graphics are very good. Sure, the soundtrack is excellent (the N64 version’s soundtrack is very much pared down from the other incarnations, but it’s still better than most games out there). But the best part of this game is the insanely good control scheme. For the first time in history, a skateboarding game has come out that actually does the sport justice. Since then, plenty of games have come out that would’ve been considered good skateboarding games, but thanks to Tony Hawk, they seem terrible in comparison.
9.) NBA Courtside 2
Travis says:Courtside 2 is one of those games that disregards the unspoken rule that a sequel isn’t as good as the original. Every aspect of an already great game was improved for Courtside 2. The graphics showcase excellent face textures and detailed animations that the first game lacked, and the gameplay in general is far more refined. The sheer amount of moves that are available to the player (especially when playing as Kobe Bryant) are what really make this game stand head and shoulders above the rest. Add in completely relentless AI coupled with some witty in game commentary, and the finished product is easily one of the N64’s finest.
10.) WWF No Mercy
Brent says:This is THQ's / AKI's final wrestling effort for the Nintendo 64 and it's the best one yet. Almost all the types of matches featured on WWF television have made their way into WWF No Mercy. The only thing missing is a table match and a hell in the cell match and maybe a few others. Fan favorites, such as the popular ladder match and the iron man match have made it into the game however. No Mercy is full of all of your favorite superstars, ranging from legends like Andre the Giant and Shawn Michaels, to all of today's fan favorites like the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The wrestling creator allows No Mercy fans to create all of their favorite wrestlers of the past and even wrestlers from competing federations. You can make almost anyone, including Big Show, Raven, Yokuzuna, Hulk Hogan, and many more.
Fortunately for fans of previous THQ fans, all the good stuff has been left in the game. The superior grapple system is still in the game, along with four-player multiplayer. Some may be bothered by slowdown in the three and four player modes, but if you can look past it, No Mercy is easily one of the best multiplayer games on the system. And even if you can't look past it, No Mercy still makes for a great two-player game with almost no slowdown.
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