20 Essential N64 Games You Must Play Before You Die

2. Super Mario 64

Nintendo

From one chart-topping, record-breaking game to another, Super Mario 64, like GoldenEye, completely revolutionised its native genre, effortlessly outclassing every single platformer that came before it in terms of quality and quantity.

Sure, if you go back and play it today, the camera system may feel borderline broken at worst and acceptable at best, but try and play any other game released in 1996 and you'll quickly realise just how ahead of the curve Mario's first 3D adventure was when stacked-up against its contemporaries.

Now be honest - did you ever manage to collect all 120 Stars?

Contributor
Contributor

Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.