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Retro Rare's best N64 game?

Which is the best?

  • Banjo Kazooie

    Votes: 48 42.1%

  • Banjo Tooie

    Votes: 5 4.4%

  • Goldeneye 007

    Votes: 15 13.2%

  • Perfect Dark

    Votes: 24 21.1%

  • Diddy Kong Racing

    Votes: 3 2.6%

  • Conker's Bad Fur Day

    Votes: 6 5.3%

  • Jet Force Gemini

    Votes: 4 3.5%

  • Donkey Kong 64

    Votes: 4 3.5%

  • Mickey's Speedway USA

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Blast Corps

    Votes: 5 4.4%
  • Total voters
    114
curl-6

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Chain Chomp
I think most here would agree that Rare's output on the N64 was a barrage of gold the likes of which few other devs have managed, with so many bangers releasing in rapid succession within the span of a single generation.

But of all their games on Nintendo's 64-bit machine, which do you think represents the pinnacle, and why?
 
Banjo-Kazooie hands down. One of the greatest games of all time.

Shout out to DKR as the runner up. Hopefully that comes to NSO so I can play online co-op adventure mode.
 
Perfect Dark is perfection. The campaign is very good, but the multiplayer mode is one of the all time bests. Overall game still feels inspired to this day.
 
xghost777 said:
Perfect Dark is perfection. The campaign is very good, but the multiplayer mode is one of the all time bests. Overall game still feels inspired to this day.
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I would say the same, save for the FPS, which after playing the XBLA version, I can't go back to the N64 original which I don't say lightly.
My vote though goes to Banjo-Kazooie. One of my favorite games of all time! (Perfect Dark and Diddy Kong Racing follow close behind for me.)
 
Goldeneye is one of the best games ever created, period. Best N64 game, best FPS game, best multiplayer game and best licensed game IMO. Banjo comes after that on N64.

The dev team of Goldeneye reunited under the publisher Deep Silver and I'm pumped for whatever they're planning to create.
 
Banjo is the pinnacle of Rare's accomplishments, in my opinion. Everything before and after pales.
 
0
Perfect Dark, and it's not even close.
Just from the amount of content in the package it dwarves everything they did on the N64. Tech wise it is the most impressive N64 game by far. Nothing really compares to it. The animation, ai, textures, sound and asset variety are mind boggling for the time.
The MP suit hasn't been matched in terms of content, modes and modifiers yet outside of PC games with mods. You had coop and counter op for the entire Campaign, MP modes out the wazoo with a suite of challenge modes and bot support with programmable behaviours, weapons n editors and and and

It is a wonder the N64 was even able to run the game at all.
 
Phil32 said:
I would say the same, save for the FPS, which after playing the XBLA version, I can't go back to the N64 original which I don't say lightly.
My vote though goes to Banjo-Kazooie. One of my favorite games of all time! (Perfect Dark and Diddy Kong Racing follow close behind for me.)
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That’s the definitive version for sure just because of the frame rate, but I still love the original version too.
 
0
Perfect Dark and Goldeneye put an N64 in every college dorm across America in the late 90s/early 2000s.

I feel like games far too often only get credit for how they hold up as time passes and not enough credit for how good or important they were in the context of the time they released.

It did not get better than goldeneye/perfect dark Friday night pizza parties at that time. So I’ll go with one of them, even if today, alone in my game room I’d rather play Banjo Kazooie/Tooie
 
It's a toss up among Banjo Kazooie, Conker, or Diddy Kong Racing. I will say Conker has aged the worst, but I really appreciate how bold it was during the time. And I still enjoy it to this day despite some of the jank.

Banjo Kazooie is no doubt the best 3D platformer that decade, with Diddy Kong Racing probably being the best racing game that decade as well.

Don't make me choose, Curl 6. 😂
 
Obvious poll is obvious, but it's Banjo-Kazooie, which is also Rare's best game in general.
 
Banjo, Diddy and Perfect Dark all share an equal place in my heart, so I voted for Jet Force Gemini because - no, hear me out okay - game rules. It's a weird ambitious mess and I love it to death.

God I miss Rare.
 
0
Their top 3 games were without question Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, & Banjo. While I easily played Goldeneye the most and feel that Banjo has aged the best, it’s clear to me that Perfect Dark was far & away their best game at time of release. It’s mind-boggling just how much they added to the Goldeneye framework and they pushed the N64 to its physical limits. Just an all around incredible accomplishment for its time.
 
I have a soft spot for Conker but I think it has to go to Banjo-Kazooie. I replayed BK on Xbox last year and I was amazed by how well it holds up. I think it captured a specific joy for exploration and interacting with the environment that few 3D platformers were able to or even tried to replicate. I think Super Mario Odyssey is the only game I know of that recreated and expanded upon the same magic that Banjo had for me.
 
I've only played four of these (Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong 64) with DK64 taking my personal top spot. Yes really - it's all the things people tend to complain about when it comes to this title but ffs I think it's just straight-up fun. Then again, I'm the weirdo who is well capable of putting up with some games' bullshit if the overwhelming experience is enjoyable.
 
It's Banjo Tooie. The most complete and well designed game on the N64, period.

A ridiculous narrative has been developing these past few years to try and besmirch its good name (I blame Yooka Laylee for this primarily); but it doesn't change the fact that it's an absolutely incredible game from start to finish.

I can't wait for it to finally come to NSO and get its reputation restored (also, it'll be great to have the original N64 version finally given the HD & portable treatment, with a solid 30FPS, and without any of the junk changes that the 360 version made).
 
It's not a majority opinion nowadays, far from it, but my vote goes to Banjo-Tooie.

It took the brilliant mechanics and concepts of Banjo-Kazooie to their absolute limit. To some, that means the game grew bloated. To me, it was epic, ambitious, and a lot of fun.

And since we are talking about bloat, I will also defend Donkey Kong 64. I played it to full completion twice, and I never thought the collectibles were overwhelming. Even the bananas were spread out in a way that, to me, made getting them all a natural consequence of fully exploring the levels and grabbing the main items (Golden Bananas as well as blueprints) with all Kongs.

Again, it's not a popular opinion nowadays, but I love the scope of those two games.
 
Banjo-Kazooie is a timeless classic and one of the best platformers of all time. I think it's the best game Rare ever made although there's certainly other great stuff on its level like DKC2 and Perfect Dark.
 
None of those were in the least appealing to me, DK64 gets my vote solely for the goofy DK rap.
 
0
S tier-
Banjo-Kazooie
Diddy Kong Racing

A tier-
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Goldeneye

B tier-
Donkey Kong 64
Perfect Dark

C tier-
Mickey's Speedway

Josh, when are you going to play that game already????-
Banjo-Tooie
Jet Force Gemini
Blast Corps
 
Earthbounder said:
It's not a majority opinion nowadays, far from it, but my vote goes to Banjo-Tooie.

It took the brilliant mechanics and concepts of Banjo-Kazooie to their absolute limit. To some, that means the game grew bloated. To me, it was epic, ambitious, and a lot of fun.

And since we are talking about bloat, I will also defend Donkey Kong 64. I played it to full completion twice, and I never thought the collectibles were overwhelming. Even the bananas were spread out in a way that, to me, made getting them all a natural consequence of fully exploring the levels and grabbing the main items (Golden Bananas as well as blueprints) with all Kongs.

Again, it's not a popular opinion nowadays, but I love the scope of those two games.
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The one thing I really appreciated when I revisited Tooie a year ago was how it respected its players enough not to waste an hour reteaching the moves from the first game, and it gave you all of those moves from the get-go. I can't think of many sequels that function as a literal extension of the progression of their predecessor!

I found the later stages to be a little much, though, but I get a little bit farther every time I go back. Maybe next time I pick it up I'll finally see it through for the first time since my youth.
 
I played more Conker's Bad Fur Day multiplayer and story than anything. I also enjoyed Goldeneye a heck of a lot too as a kid.
 
0
ngpdrew said:
The one thing I really appreciated when I revisited Tooie a year ago was how it respected its players enough not to waste an hour reteaching the moves from the first game, and it gave you all of those moves from the get-go. I can't think of many sequels that function as a literal extension of the progression of their predecessor!

I found the later stages to be a little much, though, but I get a little bit farther every time I go back. Maybe next time I pick it up I'll finally see it through for the first time since my youth.
Click to expand...
You are right about that, giving you access to all movies from the prequel from the get go is a pretty unique way to start the game.

I hope you get to finish it. Grunty Industries is quite daunting, and personally I like it, but the worlds that follow it are not as complicated, I think!
 
0
Dcubed said:
It's Banjo Tooie. The most complete and well designed game on the N64, period.

A ridiculous narrative has been developing these past few years to try and besmirch its good name (I blame Yooka Laylee for this primarily); but it doesn't change the fact that it's an absolutely incredible game from start to finish.

I can't wait for it to finally come to NSO and get its reputation restored (also, it'll be great to have the original N64 version finally given the HD & portable treatment, with a solid 30FPS, and without any of the junk changes that the 360 version made).
Click to expand...
Having been involved in online Rare fandom for over 15 years, people souring on Tooie is not a recent development, and I don't think it coming to NSO will change that, which I say that as someone who likes the game but considers it very flawed.
 
0
I think most of Rare's output in the N64 years was fantastic. I'm struggling to place Banjo-Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing, and Perfect Dark over one another, that's absolutely my top 3. Genuinely better than nearly all of Nintendo's own N64 games. Play them if you can.

GoldenEye has aged pretty poorly compared to those three, but I still really love it. And can't wait for the remaster.

Banjo-Tooie and DK64 aren't as well balanced as BK imo, there are aspects in both that can drag the experience down a bit. But I think they are pretty good ambitious games still, with some standout moments between them worth experiencing. Especially if you love 3D collectathons like I do.

Jetforce Gemini and Blast Corps deserve more people to actually play them. They are very different from any of these other games. It's probably inaccurate to call them hidden gems, since the N64 library is so small. But to me they feel a bit forgotten when it comes to remembering the N64 years.

Mickey Speedway was oddly more like Mario Kart 64 than Diddy Kong Racing. Not bad actually.

Conker, much like Gex, feels somehow even more dated than GoldenEye to me(that's comedy for ya I guess). It was extremely of the moment, and pretty novel at the time. And like GoldenEye, I do love the multiplayer.

I can honestly say I don't remember Killer Instinct Gold all that well, but the N64 just wasn't where it was at for fighting games back then. Like not even a little bit lol.
 
0
GoldenEye is GOAT-tier. One of those truly rare (heh) games that just has an inexplicable kind of magic to it. I poured an ungodly amount of time into it as a kid. Easy pick.
 
0
While it's a truly impressive lineup, for me, Banjo Kazooie is the cream of the crop.

It takes everything that made Mario 64 such a memorable and exciting adventure and evolves it to the next level with a more organic hub and world design, greater overall variety, a richer atmosphere, a stronger sense of style, better graphics, a more convenient camera, not to mention a wonderful score, tons of content, and a level of polish worthy of an EAD production.

For me, it's the best game on the N64, and wasn't dethroned as my top game of all time until RE4 nearly a decade later. A true masterpiece.
 
0
Blast Corps for me. Played all the way through it back in the day. Feels so forgotten nowadays.

Goldeneye, Diddy Kong Racing and Banjo Kazooie are just after that.
 
0
Out of all of them, it's gotta be Banjo-Kazooie. While not as good as Mario 64, it's a really fun 3D platformer with some good worlds. It's definitely got the most charm out of Rare's N64 work. The worlds are nice and compact, unlike Tooie, which got way too bloated for its own good.

Goldeneye and Perfect Dark have to be my runners up! Neither of them probably hold up that well these days, but I have a lot of fond memories of them (especially Goldeneye!).
 
Clov said:
Out of all of them, it's gotta be Banjo-Kazooie. While not as good as Mario 64, it's a really fun 3D platformer with some good worlds. It's definitely got the most charm out of Rare's N64 work. The worlds are nice and compact, unlike Tooie, which got way too bloated for its own good.

Goldeneye and Perfect Dark have to be my runners up! Neither of them probably hold up that well these days, but I have a lot of fond memories of them (especially Goldeneye!).
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I think comparing Banjo and Mario is a little unfair. Banjo is more of a puzzle/adventure game than a fully dedicated platformer like Mario 64.
 
Phosphorescent Skeleton said:
I think comparing Banjo and Mario is a little unfair. Banjo is more of a puzzle/adventure game than a fully dedicated platformer like Mario 64.
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Yeah, that is true. Mario 64 does have plenty of puzzles, but I do think Banjo puts more of an emphasis on them. I might just be too harsh on it!
 
0
Goldeneye/Perfect Dark, can't decide which of them. Still to this I cannot say which is my favourit game of all time, butboth of these are contenders.

In fact these 2 games (along with a few others) are a big part of the reason why N64 is still my favourite console of all time.
 
  1. Perfect Dark
  2. Diddy Kong Racing
  3. Jet Force Gemini
  4. GoldenEye
  5. Banjo Kazooie
  6. Conker
  7. Donkey Kong 64

I didn't play the others. Well, I played Tooie but not enough to rank.
 
0
I recently played through Banjo Kazooie, it's still great fun but every time I met a cute happy little character I kept waiting for them to get decapitated and missed Conker's Bad Fur Day.
 
0
It's Perfect Dark. It's an incredible achievement, a work of insane ambition. Heaving with content and ideas. Like missions being completely different on different difficulty levels. Weapons' secondary fire adding a huge amount of variety to the gameplay. An insanely comprehensive multiplayer.

That said, Rare's output on the N64 is the stuff of legend, going toe to toe with Nintendo's output and not being found wanting.
 
Dcubed said:
It's Banjo Tooie. The most complete and well designed game on the N64, period.

A ridiculous narrative has been developing these past few years to try and besmirch its good name (I blame Yooka Laylee for this primarily); but it doesn't change the fact that it's an absolutely incredible game from start to finish.

I can't wait for it to finally come to NSO and get its reputation restored (also, it'll be great to have the original N64 version finally given the HD & portable treatment, with a solid 30FPS, and without any of the junk changes that the 360 version made).
Click to expand...
Honestly, for me the framerate is the only thing preventing Tooie from being on the same sky high tier as Kazooie, and even with the stutters its still an incredible game that I personally feel doesn't get its due credit.

I personally never felt it was "bloated" at all as so many insist. It may not have been quite as tight and polished as Kazooie but the addition of bosses and a multiplayer suite made up for this.

My parents didn't let us play Goldeneye or Perfect Dark as kids as they didn't approve of "realistic" violence, so my version of growing up with those was endless rounds of the FPS splitscreen battles in Tooie, haha. The Jinjo was basically oddjob and it had so many similarities that it was basically a PG-rated version of the same thing lmao
 
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