Gauntlet Legends started in arcades in 1998, and it's the port N64 players recommend most, named about a third more often than Resident Evil 2 in second place. Both had to fit on a cartridge, and both came out of it with something the other versions didn't have.
The N64 got some of the biggest arcade and PC hits of the nineties, and getting them onto a cartridge was the hard part. A cartridge held far less than a CD, so the teams behind these ports had to squeeze, cut and rebuild, and it is amazing how often it worked. Resident Evil 2 came over with its video scenes intact, Killer Instinct brought the arcade fights home, and Duke Nukem and Quake II turned the console into a shooter machine.
The N64 got some of the biggest arcade and PC hits of the nineties, and getting them onto a cartridge was the hard part. A cartridge held far less than a CD, so the teams behind these ports had to squeeze, cut and rebuild, and it is amazing how often it worked. Resident Evil 2 came over with its video scenes intact, Killer Instinct brought the arcade fights home, and Duke Nukem and Quake II turned the console into a shooter machine.
The N64 got some of the biggest arcade and PC hits of the nineties, and getting them onto a cartridge was the hard part. A cartridge held far less than a CD, so the teams behind these ports had to squeeze, cut and rebuild, and it is amazing how often it worked. Resident Evil 2 came over with its video scenes intact, Killer Instinct brought the arcade fights home, and Duke Nukem and Quake II turned the console into a shooter machine.
The N64 got some of the biggest arcade and PC hits of the nineties, and getting them onto a cartridge was the hard part. A cartridge held far less than a CD, so the teams behind these ports had to squeeze, cut and rebuild, and it is amazing how often it worked. Resident Evil 2 came over with its video scenes intact, Killer Instinct brought the arcade fights home, and Duke Nukem and Quake II turned the console into a shooter machine.
The N64 got some of the biggest arcade and PC hits of the nineties, and getting them onto a cartridge was the hard part. A cartridge held far less than a CD, so the teams behind these ports had to squeeze, cut and rebuild, and it is amazing how often it worked. Resident Evil 2 came over with its video scenes intact, Killer Instinct brought the arcade fights home, and Duke Nukem and Quake II turned the console into a shooter machine.
Some of these even picked up extras the originals never had. Here are the 12 best N64 ports.
12. Robotron 64 (1998)
Robotron 64 is a port of Robotron X, the 1996 PlayStation update of the 1982 arcade shooter Robotron: 2084. Midway was supposed to release it in the summer of 1997, then the game sat on hold until a new publisher put it out on January 5, 1998. It keeps the original's dual-stick controls: with two controllers you move with one stick and shoot with the other, and with a single controller you move with the analog stick and fire with the C-buttons. You play a mutant scientist trying to save the last human family from killer robots.
Players who still recommend it bring up the thumping techno soundtrack first. It is a fast, mean little arcade game, and a good one to pick up for a few minutes.
11. StarCraft 64 (2000)
Blizzard released StarCraft on Windows on March 31, 1998, and thought about a PlayStation version before choosing the N64 instead. Mass Media converted it, and StarCraft 64 arrived on June 13, 2000, at a lower resolution and with an interface redesigned for the controller. It holds every mission from StarCraft and the Brood War expansion, plus two tutorials and a new secret mission called Resurrection IV. Reviewers criticized the graphics next to the PC version, but a full real-time strategy war on a console was a big deal.
Players remind each other that the Brood War half needs the Expansion Pak, so keep one plugged in. It is not the prettiest port here, but it is the one to pick if you love strategy games.
10. NBA Hangtime (1996)
NBA Hangtime reached arcades in April 1996, made by the original team behind NBA Jam, under a new name because Acclaim now owned the NBA Jam one. The N64 version followed on January 16, 1997. The PlayStation version was criticized for its long loading times and rampant slowdown, and reviews told readers to buy the N64 version instead. GamePro said "Jam-style hoops is nothing new, but Hangtime does it with enough flash and freshness to keep you happily dunkin' like a fool."
Players recommend it as a multiplayer game, the one they played for hours with friends and siblings. It is an easy game to pick up, and the dunks never get old.
9. Duke Nukem 64 (1997)
Duke Nukem 3D came out on DOS in January 1996, and Eurocom's N64 port followed on November 14, 1997, with a split screen 4-player mode. The in-game music was removed for lack of space, and many items were renamed to avoid drug and sex references. Most critics decided the censorship was not extensive enough to reduce Duke's distinctive personality, and they praised the new weapons. Some said that the use of sprites for most enemies made the game look outdated, and IGN called it the best N64 game with a two-player co-op mode.
Players remember the multiplayer most fondly, often whole nights of deathmatch. It is a different Duke than the PC one, and a lot of fun on its own terms.
8. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2001)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 came out on the PlayStation in 2000. Activision held the N64 version back so that the N64 port of the first Pro Skater had more time to sell, and Edge of Reality's port reached the United States in August 2001 with all of the PlayStation version's features plus an additional level. It was also the last N64 game released in Europe. Reviews were positive, though less so than for the PlayStation and Dreamcast versions. Shorter load times helped, but the draw distance was reduced and the soundtrack was truncated.
Players who know both versions still say the PlayStation one is better. It is still a good skating game on the N64. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 shares this entry.
7. Hydro Thunder (1999)
Midway's speedboat racer hit arcades on February 1, 1999, and the Dreamcast got it that September. The N64 and PlayStation versions followed together on March 6, 2000, and the N64 one let four people race instead of two, as long as an Expansion Pak was plugged in. The Dreamcast version received favorable reviews, while the N64 reviews were mixed, and one critic decided that slow gameplay was "the iceberg that sinks it".
Players admit it looks better on other machines, and they recommend it anyway. Four friends and a fast boat go a long way, and it is a fun arcade racer even if the N64 is not its best home.
6. Quake II (1999)
Quake II came out on Windows on December 9, 1997, and Raster Productions ported it to the N64 in 1999. The N64 version has its own single-player levels and multiplayer maps for up to four players. Its soundtrack is new too, composed by Aubrey Hodges. On GameRankings the N64 version held 81%, not far behind the PC version's 87%. The N64 version also comes bundled with the enhanced version as a bonus. When the enhanced Quake II came out in 2023, the N64 levels came back as an episode of their own.
Players keep saying how well it runs. Quake 64 shares this entry.
5. Killer Instinct Gold (1996)
Killer Instinct Gold is Rare's N64 version of the arcade game Killer Instinct 2. Rare began the sequel for the Super NES, then moved to the N64 once it was unveiled. It was meant to be one of the N64's two launch games, missed that window, and came out in North America on November 25, 1996. Rare used compression to fit the arcade game onto the smaller cartridge, which cost it the full-motion video sequences, and in return the 3D backgrounds and the soundtrack got an upgrade. Reviewers preferred it to the arcade release, and GameSpot named it the best entry in the series at the time.
Players say it has held up well.
4. Vigilante 8 (1998)
Vigilante 8 is a car combat game set in an alternate 1975, and it came out on the PlayStation in 1998 before reaching the N64 in 1999. The N64 version added a story mode for Y The Alien and a fantasy stage called Super Dreamland 64, plus three multiplayer modes to use the console's four controller ports. An Expansion Pak opens a 480x360 hi-res mode from the pause menu, and Electronic Gaming Monthly said the N64 multiplayer was more fun and ran relatively smoothly in it. One reviewer wrote that it "could have been a hack-job port of the PlayStation code" and had instead been "retooled and tweaked for its new platform".
Players who loved it want the series back, rebooted or remade. Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense shares this entry.
3. NFL Blitz (1997)
Midway's NFL Blitz started in arcades in 1997, led by Mark Turmell and Sal Divita of NBA Jam fame, and turned football on its head with fewer players and bigger hits. It was a deliberate attempt to bring NBA Jam's exaggerated arcade style to football, and NFL executives reacted badly to the violence when they first saw it. The N64 version came out in 1998 and was the eighth best-selling home console game in the United States in its first month. It was also nominated for Best Nintendo 64 Game at the 1998 CNET Gamecenter Awards, which ultimately went to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Players call it one of the most fun games to play with a friend.
2. Resident Evil 2 (1999)
Resident Evil 2 came out on the PlayStation in January 1998 on two CDs. Angel Studios ported it to the N64 with support from Factor 5, and the November 16, 1999 release fits the whole game on a single 64 MB cartridge, full-motion video cutscenes included. The Extreme Battle minigame didn't make the trip, and one reviewer was let down by the heavily compressed video. But the N64 version can run at 640×480 with an Expansion Pak, and IGN's reviewer called it the best version. Most later releases scored slightly lower than the PlayStation original, with the exception of the critically acclaimed N64 one.
Players still can't quite believe it fits on the cartridge. One called it "an impossible port that shouldn't exist".
1. Gauntlet Legends (1999)
Atari Games released Gauntlet Legends in arcades in 1998, and the N64 got the first home console port in September 1999 in North America. The PlayStation version did not arrive until 2000. It introduced an inventory for stocking items to use later, and four-player co-op works with an Expansion Pak. GamePro called it "an impressive port of a polished arcade game that manages to cram in some extra playability to boot", and the N64 version was nominated for Console Action Game of the Year at the Interactive Achievement Awards. It also got a nod from CNET Gamecenter, whose 1999 N64 award went to Rayman 2: The Great Escape.
Players recommend it above all as a multiplayer game.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of the best N64 ports. Most of them gave something up to fit on a cartridge, and the ones players still recommend are the ones that got something new in return.
If you are not sure where to start, play Gauntlet Legends with some friends. If you want survival horror, Resident Evil 2 is the one. If you like fighting games, go for Killer Instinct Gold. If you want a quick game of arcade football, try NFL Blitz. And for a hidden pick, Robotron 64 is pure arcade chaos with a techno soundtrack.
