Hidden Gems For The Nintendo 64

Released in 1997, Blast Corps offers one of the best action/puzzle hybrids ever made for Nintendo 64. You control a variety of demolition vehicles in a timed race to strategically destroy buildings and other structures in the path of a runaway nuclear missile carrier. If it collides with anything, the missile explodes, ending your run. Each of the eight vehicles has a different way of destroying structures, and much of the puzzle-solving in Blast Corps involves picking the right vehicle or switching between them to clear the way or bridge a gap.

Blast Corps features 57 increasingly difficult levels, with extra features like secret levels, medal rankings, bonus objectives, and more. After its early 1997 release, Blast Corps received critical acclaim and sold over one million copies. This actually turned out to be a disappointing number for developer Rare, who were previously known for amazingly successful games like Battletoads and Donkey Kong Country. 

But Rare made up for it in late 1997 with their next two N64 releases: GoldenEye 007 and Diddy Kong Racing. These titles both earned acclaim and racked up massive sales, effectively stealing the limelight from Blast Corps. Overshadowed and outclassed by its younger "brothers," Blast Corps faded into the background and ended up becoming one of Rare's most underrated and overlooked titles.

Released by Acclaim in 1999 for Nintendo 64 and several other platforms, Shadow Man was overlooked by most gamers back then and has been essentially forgotten today. Obscure games aren't necessarily good ones, but this atmospheric and mesmerizing 3D action-adventure definitely deserves more attention.

The "Shadow Man" himself is Mike LeRoi, a man with a tragic past and the power to travel between the realms of the living and the dead. He serves a Voodoo priestess, who sends him to stop the demon Legion and his apocalyptic plans. Legion has recruited five serial killers to harvest Dark Souls, powerful spirits he can use to end the world. To stop him, Mike must fight off hordes of undead and find the Dark Souls, defeating Legion's five lieutenants before confronting the demon himself.

Shadow Man offers non-linear and action-packed gameplay with a chilling atmosphere straight out of a horror film. There's no in-game map, so pay attention while you play — you'll need to backtrack frequently when items and abilities unlock new areas. If you love exploration, puzzle-solving, good storytelling, and zombie-killing action, then this hidden gem definitely belongs in your Nintendo 64 game collection.

The violent action-adventure Body Harvest is a great game from 1998 which represents the humble roots of the Grand Theft Auto series. After a century of alien attacks, humans have been nearly wiped out. Their last hope is Adam Drake, a genetically engineered soldier who must travel back in time to stop the attackers and their campaign of extermination.

Body Harvest was originally slated as an N64 launch title, but Nintendo dropped the game over its violent content. By the time it was published, developers DMA — later renamed Rockstar North — had already moved on, creating Grand Theft Auto for PlayStation and PC. Although Body Harvest features alien invasions instead of gangland battles, you'll still recognize many trademarks of the GTA franchise — including nonlinear gameplay with a focus on missions. You have a variety of weapons at your disposal to dispatch enemies, and over 50 different vehicles to help you explore the five expansive eras of history. Body Harvest will definitely entertain sci-fi and action lovers, as well as Grand Theft Auto fanatics hungry for a look at the origins of the franchise.

The 1997 side-scroller adventure Mischief Makers is one of the few "2.5D" titles made for the Nintendo 64, and it offers a variety of fun, frantic levels that will keep you guessing. The game begins with robotics expert Professor Theo, who's kidnapped by a gang of bad guys during a visit to the planet Clancer. You play as the robot maid/bodyguard Marina, who sets out to rescue her creator. Along the way, she learns more about his kidnappers and gets caught up in a high-stakes planetary conflict that complicates her mission to save him.

Mischief Makers features some extremely fun gameplay, centered on Marina's unique mechanic of grabbing, shaking, and tossing enemies and items. There's a bit of a learning curve with the controls, which utilize all the controllers buttons and the D-pad instead of the analog stick. However, the game provides several tutorial areas to help you get started. There are over 50 different unpredictable levels to explore, which will keep you on your toes as you go from puzzle-solving to platforming to boss battles from one moment to the next. It may not have a particularly deep plot, but this funny and original game is a great addition to any Nintendo 64 owner's collection.

Published in 2000, the James Bond game 007 The World Is Not Enough is easily one of the best first-person shooters available on Nintendo 64. While it's hard to imagine any first-person shooter eclipsing Rare's legendary GoldenEye 007, this game comes pretty darn close. Unfortunately, this hidden gem from Eurocom was largely overlooked by gamers because of the mediocre movie it was based on. Don't confuse it with the inferior (and entirely different) PlayStation game from Black Ops Entertainment – because this sweet little N64 title definitely deserves your attention.

The game's campaign mode stands out for its realistic setting and level design, which was based on production materials for the film. The London Underground mission (which doesn't appear in the movie) is just one impressive level among many. The World Is Not Enough brings a strong multiplayer game, too — with traditional deathmatch and co-op modes, 14 different maps, and several other cool multiplayer modes. Eurocom created a special 3D FPS engine just for this game, which makes for some of the fastest, crispest, and smoothest visuals you'll see on the N64. Combined with detailed special effects, score, and sound design, 007 The World Is Not Enough delivers a truly cinematic experience that's just as challenging and satisfying as Rare's other legendary FPS, Perfect Dark.

While pretty much every new console gets a Tetris port, you've probably never played one as cool as the 1997 puzzler Tetrisphere before. Originally developed for a cancelled release on Atari Jaguar, Tetrisphere was reworked by H2O Entertainment into a totally unique and addictive title for N64. Instead of an empty playing field that fills with falling pieces, the various Tetrisphere gameplay modes feature a spherical field covered with pieces. You rearrange and stack these pieces to cause reactions, which remove layers to reach the "core" of the puzzle. Make just three mistakes, and it's game over.

It sounds like a pretty simple concept, but Tetrisphere offers many features that will surprise even seasoned Tetris pros. Among the five single-player modes, Hide & Seek and Puzzle mode provide the most challenging twists, and the multiplayer mode allows you to go head-to-head against the computer or a friend in a timed race. With so many options and a polished techno soundtrack composed by Neil Voss, Tetrisphere is sure to become your new favorite time-waster, even two decades later.

After the first Winter X-Games in premiered in early 1997, snowboarding and other winter "extreme sports" soon became the newest video game craze. While you might remember playing later Nintendo 64 snowboarding titles like 1080° Snowboarding or Twisted Edge, few have gotten to experience the awesomeness that is 1997's Snowboard Kids. This hidden gem was among the earliest snowboarding games, and the first one for N64. Instead of focusing on getting big air or doing crazy tricks, Snowboard Kids is at its heart a racing game. Although it was clearly designed with a child audience in mind, Snowboard Kids still holds a lot of appeal for gamers of all ages.

Snowboard Kids falls firmly in the realm of other kid-friendly racing titles like Mario Kart 64, with players each picking a pint-sized snowboarder before hitting the slopes. The nine unique courses range from snowy mountain runs to more unconventional locations, including a desert and an amusement park. However, unlike Mario Kart, you have to pay for support and attack items using coins that you collect along the course or earn for doing tricks. The controls are tight, the tunes are crunchy, and the powder is fresh — so what are you waiting for?