Nintendo 64's top five games

Sure, the controller was oddly designed to say the least, and sure, the graphics were often blurry, but at the same time, this was a magical console with an insane amount of great games...

5. Wave Race 64

Every time I think of this great racing game for this great console, two things immediately come to mind. Firstly, I remember all that white plastic dust that gathered in the base around the analogue stick on the N64 after a couple of weeks of playing Wave Race 64 and secondly, I remember a letter in my old Missile magazine about this iconic game. Someone wrote in asking if there was a sequel to Wave Race 64 on the way, to which we at the editorial office replied "Aren't the 63 predecessors enough?". Haha. Incredibly childish. Beyond that, it's arguable that the water physics and driving feel of this game still hasn't been topped, so far ahead of its time it was.

4. Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 8 is remarkable, no doubt about it. It's a great racing game, but no title in this hyper-popular series even comes close to the magic that the 64 version offered, not if you ask me anyway. Four-player split-screen, the Fort level in "Battle" and full-on four-player action sees friends chasing each other remains as one of the best multiplayer experiences of all-time.

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3. Goldeneye 007

It was originally intended that Rareware would put together an adventure-orientated action game from a third-person perspective, with a focus on stealth and a lot of cool 007 gadgets. However, as we all know, that didn't happen. Instead, they looked once and twice at iD Software's PC icons, created the first working FPS game for console, and rewrote the entire rulebook for the licensed game genre.

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2. Super Mario 64

Where would we be, where would the gaming world be, if it wasn't for the ground that Super Mario's Nintendo 64 debut broke? It's hard to say, of course, but there's no doubt today that this game redefined what video games in general and the platform genre in particular could be. So much charm, so much character, imagination, colour, ingenious game mechanics, and ideas.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Choosing between Super Mario or Link's adventure here, in first place, is a bit like choosing a favourite between your two kids. Impossible... almost. But if the knife is to the throat and one of the games really has to win, then it must be the the Hyrulian's magical N64 adventure that takes home the cake. From the first steps off the Kokiri ladder to the boss fight in the water temple, to riding Epona across the bright green polygon meadows, these were and remain some of the finest gaming moments ever.