In its heyday the Nintendo 64 was clearly the best choice when it came to first person shooters. That’s ironic considering Nintendo’s staunch family friendly framing. The more powerful hardware as well as the analog stick really lent themselves well to the genre. Also, Goldeneye 007 was a huge hit for the platform so fans of FPS games were attracted to the system. We had several original and exclusive first person shooters on the Nintendo 64 that it actually became difficult to weed out the good ones and the bad. That’s where I come in. I’ve played most of them and today we’re going to give you the lowdown on what’s still worth playing, and why. These are the top ten best Nintendo 64 FPS of all time!
#10. – Turok: Rage Wars
Acclaim saw the popularity of multiplayer FPS with Turok 2 and decided to make the next game entirely focused around it. Was it a good decision? Well I’ll start by saying that Rage Wars is in fact better than most installments in the series. That is if you’re playing multiplayer. Not all of us have friends, and even less have friends that would be willing to play a Nintendo 64 game in this day and age. Regardless the variety of game modes is staggering. Monkey Tag in particular was simply incredible. If you want to play this one single player however you’re out of luck. While it does have a solo mode it’s pretty weak overall. Basically you’re stuck in a series of deathmatch games. There’s no exploration, nothing. It’s just destroying your foes in arenas. Long story short you’re going to want to play this one with friends.
#9. – Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
This is the last Turok game on our list. I promise. It’s not because the games are super amazing rather FPS games weren’t released en masse back then. Turok 2 is focused around its single player campaign and it’s decent. There’s nothing special here but the single player mode is better than that of the original. The highlight however is in multiplayer. This was the first time in the series that introduced multiplayer. There are a surprising number of options here but it’s all basically deathmatch based. You have several maps, win conditions, and more. You can play with up to four players total and it’s a blast. Single player is much weaker, but the fact that it’s clear the developers put actual effort into it is why Turok 2 is rated higher here than Rage Wars. It’s still one of the best N64 FPS games though.
#8. – Quake 64
Get ready for an unpopular opinion. I think Quake 64 is better than the PC release. I have always felt like it controls better and is more fluid in the gameplay department. Additionally the split screen deathmatch modes are very welcome and serve at least as an entertaining diversion. In my opinion that’s largely why this was better than the PC release. Aside from the more accessible multiplayer mode the graphics are also more pleasant. The controls work super well with the Nintendo 64’s analog stick to the point that I might prefer them to the classic keyboard and mouse. There are however some things missing in this iteration. Several levels had to be cut because of the limited storage space of cartridges. There’s also no co-op mode, and deathmatch is limited to just two players. It’s still Quake though, and this is my ultimate guilty pleasure port.
#7. – 007: The World is Not Enough
Fans of Goldeneye were waiting a long time for a proper sequel. Unfortunately this ain’t it. Rare was no longer working with the James Bond license, and instead EA and Eurocom picked it up. Gameplay is pretty similar to the original 007 game on the Nintendo 64. It’s still a first person shooter, and the new developers included mission objectives as well. Unfortunately that’s where the similarities end. Gameplay isn’t nearly as fluid or interesting here, and level designs are several notches below Goldeneye. Enough with the comparisons though. 007: The World is Not Enough is a decent game in its own right when it’s not held up to the Goldeneye standard. Multiplayer is also a decently fun time offering up bots and various game modes. Although I say it’s decent at best, 007: The World is Not Enough is still one of the best N64 FPS games.
#6. – Quake II
Quake 64 had some problems. Not only was it a late port to console but it was missing content. Despite personally preferring that version I can see why it would be a hard sell. With Quake II the developers tried something different. They used the same game’s engine, gameplay, and weapons but made all new levels that could better take advantage of the hardware. Quake II on the Nintendo 64 can largely be considered a new title. No more late ports here! It plays fast, and the graphics were really good for the time. This was one of the few titles that made use of the Nintendo 64’s expansion pak. It’s a great first person shooter, and the developers should be commended for not trying to shove another barebones port down our throats. The extra effort is appreciated.
#5. – Hexen
Espionage and horror based first person shooters were pretty common in this era. Now it’s time for something completely different. Hexen on the Nintendo 64 is a dark fantasy based FPS. The game was unique for it’s approach back then, and this still stands out even now. You begin the adventure by choosing from one of three characters. There’s the fighter, cleric, and mage. Each has their own specific weapons (who doesn’t want to play mage though with their spells) as they fend off fantastical beasts in some really imaginative settings. Like most console FPS this is a port of a PC title, and I’m happy to report that almost nothing was lost in translation. You can even do split screen co-op here which is really cool. The game itself veers more toward sprites which means it still looks decent even today. Seriously, you need to play this one.
#4. – Doom 64
This was actually my first Doom game. I have a real soft spot for it. While we all know and love Doom on the PC this isn’t that. Instead the developers made an entirely new game here. Sure, many enemies and weapons return, but there are several new faces and armaments to use. In my opinion this is one of the best Doom games. The level designs are some of the most thoughtful and interesting in the series. What’s more is that the game looked much better than any of the other early Doom titles. Sure, it lacks a deathmatch mode or multiplayer of any kind, but when the game is this good you don’t really care. Doom 64 is an amazing game that up until recently was still exclusive to the Nintendo 64. If you’re a fan of the franchise you owe it to yourself to play this one.
#3. – Duke Nukem 64
I’ve always had a soft spot for Duke Nukem. The blend of light horror and raunchy elements speaks to me. This Nintendo 64 iteration has a lot going for it. First of all it had the main campaign almost entirely intact. There was some editing of course (to meet Nintendo’s rigorous standards) but for the most part all of the content is here. The same goes for weapons, but with several new additions. Finally we have deathmatch multiplayer which allows for four people to play at once, and a two player co-op mode. We even have new stages here which are some of my favorite in the entire series. Duke Nukem 3D was amazing on the PC, but I actually prefer this Nintendo 64 iteration. Additionally this is one of the few releases of Duke Nukem 3D that doesn’t make me motion sick.
#2. – Goldeneye 007
Let’s face it. Goldeneye was never not going to be in one of the top spots. This was a monumental first person shooter which showed that with the right developer FPS games absolutely did belong on console. Not only is this one of the best N64 games of all time but even to this day I’d rank it as one of the best overall first person shooter titles. It’s really that good. The game has one of the best multiplayer modes in any title to this day. Even with the framerate issues it’s still fast, frantic, and fun. Add to that the stellar single player mode with its thoughtful missions and fun gameplay scenarios and you have a winner. Goldeneye 007 is one of the defining first person shooters.
#1. – Perfect Dark
Goldeneye 007 dethroned only a few years later, but it was from the same developer. Perfect Dark was bigger, better, and has more features than you can shake a stick at. Seriously the incredible number of options for multiplayer mode still to this day has not been surpassed in any FPS PC or console alike. It’s astounding that this game came out on the old Nintendo 64, and fit on a cartridge no less. Perfect Dark is easily one of my most played video games of all time. My friends and I put thousands of hours into this one, and it never got old. On top of a super robust single player mode you also have co-op play, deathmatch, and in an interesting twist counter-op. This is where one of the players controls an enemy soldier and tries to stop the player from completing one of the main missions.
