20. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (N64)

You'd be forgiven for thinking of Tony Hawk as a predominantly PlayStation franchise, especially in the early days, but Birdman evidently turned up on practically every console of the day and got a bunch of N64 ports which stand up very well alongside their disc-based counterparts. Edge of Reality's version may have come a year after the PlayStation game, but it holds its own in most every department (besides audio, thanks to the restrictions of the cartridge format). We're very partial to the Game Boy Advance version, too, but Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 served skate-loving Nintendo gamers the full-fat experience on home console back in the day.

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19. Mario Kart 64 (N64)

While the racers themselves might not have been truly 3D (rather they were detailed Donkey Kong Country-style sprites created from 3D character renders), Mario Kart 64's huge, undulating circuits still showed off the benefits of 64-bit hardware. It added inclines, items, obstacles, and a four-player multiplayer mode to the winning formula Nintendo cooked up on Super NES. This is also the game which gave us Toad's Turnpike.

Each iteration of the Mario Kart series adds a little something new, but following on from the flat circuits of Super Mario Kart, there's arguably been nothing quite like this first jump to 3D-except-for-the-racers. Like any Mario Kart game, add three friends and you'll have an epic time in no time.

18. Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (N64)

A blend of genres with an emphasis on platforming, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon makes you pine for the days when Konami still made video games. A surreal Japanese platforming adventure that combines a cast of colourful characters with oddball and endearing humour, it's a minor classic that's still worth playing today — a real gem in the console's catalogue

17. Mario Party 3 (N64)

The third and final fiesta thrown by Mario on the Nintendo 64, the Mario Party formula was well-established by this point.

Hudson Soft saw no reason to change it in any way or kick it up a gear beyond a new influx of minigames, but that doesn't stop Mario Party 3 from being a quintessential entry in the series: a riot with multiple friends, and a soul-crushing grind for a lonely single player... but why would anyone play Mario Party on their own? Well, for the brand-new story mode of course!

We all know the real reason this places as high as it does. No, it's not the fact you can hold three items, but rather that Daisy and Waluigi make their polished party debut. As the final Mario game to be released on the N64 (except in Australia), it was a darn good send-off.

16. Resident Evil 2 (N64)

Resident Evil 2 is, in a sense, where the modern series as we know it began. The first game was terrifying, but the production values of the original version — with its cheesy FMV sequences and questionable dialogue — put it in the realm of the straight-to-video horror genre. That would get retconned with REmake, but Resident Evil 2 upped the ante considerably in every way and established the look and feel that the series embraced from then on.

The Nintendo 64 version of the PlayStation classic is a technically incredible port in its own right, with the GameCube version being sharper, but arguably less interesting. There's also the critically acclaimed REmake 2 available on Switch via the cloud if you're looking to sample a brilliantly reimagined version of this iconic game.

15. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (N64)

Factor 5's first foray into the cockpit of a Rebel fighter, Rogue Squadron gave N64 owners some real fodder to use in playground arguments about which consoles had the best games. With the Expansion Pak plugged in, this was a real looker for the time, and the console's spindly analogue stick suited its arcade-y flight mechanics perfectly. With plenty of audio dialogue and all the customary Star Wars sound effects, this was a cracking game which still holds up well today.

Its GameCube sequel prettified the visuals (and still looks gorgeous all these years later), but the base mechanics in the N64 original still feel fantastic, so if you're looking for a galactic dose of quality flyboy action, Rogue (Squadron) One is standing by.

14. Mario Party 2 (N64)

There ain't no party like a Mario Party, although he sure has thrown an awful lot of them.

Of the three Hudson-developed minigame bonanzas that came out on N64, Mario Party 2 is arguably the fan favourite. This is where Battle, Item, and Duel minigames got their start, and you could spend all the time in the world practising them before you start, so you can ensure you're prepped for party play.

Obviously, you'll still need three friends to get the most out of this, but the first sequel built on the foundation of the original and steered the series on a steady course which now extends well into double figures. Even decades on, it stands as one of the best party games ever, and it's available on Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.

Just watch those Joy-Con analogue sticks — they're fragile at the best of times!

13. Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)

Another iconic entry in the N64 catalogue from Rare, Conker's Bad Fur Day stood out proudly from the pack of cutesy platformers as a fouled-mouthed, blood-filled, scatological comedy. We're still a little blindsided that a Nintendo second-party dev put out a game full of swears, to be honest — even the Xbox remake bleeped most of them out. Conker was a technological triumph for the ageing 64-bit system when it launched in 2001, and while the movie parodies are very much of their time and the humour won't hit the spot with everyone, the drunken squirrel still knows how to have a good time.

12. Banjo-Tooie (N64)

Following the James Cameron school of thought for sequels, Banjo-Tooie takes a 'more is more' approach, with larger worlds, a host of minigames, an expanded moveset (including new first-person sections), Mumbo Jumbo as a playable character, bosses, and a multiplayer mode, plus the ability to separate the dynamic duo at certain times.

Although it arguably flirts with the sort of excesses that made Donkey Kong 64 feel grindy at times, it's a big, chewy sequel, and one that holds up very well all these years later — perhaps thanks to a couple of decades' worth of training in the huge and interconnected open worlds of other games.

Banjo-Tooie is filled to the brim with the series' trademark brand of cheeky fairytale wonder and fans will find a whole lot to love.

11. Diddy Kong Racing (N64)

Diddy Kong Racing did for Mario Kart 64 pretty much what Banjo-Kazooie would soon do for Super Mario 64; namely, take the template put down by Nintendo and expand on it with colour and creativity to produce far more than a mere homage. DKR expanded the single-player into an adventure and the addition of planes and hovercraft required much larger, more complex circuits to race around. The game also provided the console debuts of Banjo and Conker. What more do you want, jam on it?