Every major console has announced games that ignited a firestorm of excitement among fans, and the Nintendo 64 was no exception. First released in 1996 and discontinued in 2002, the N64 brought 3D gaming to the masses and further progressed Nintendo into the realm of console royalty.
While the N64 is remembered for its iconic controller and enduring classic games, not every release was a masterpiece. In fact, a number of games were hyped up a bit too much considering they vastly underwhelmed players and were critically panned when finally released.
Updated April 21, 2022, by John Charron: What more can be said about the Nintendo 64 that hasn’t already? It was the beginning of modern gaming, bringing 3D graphics into a new era. Today, many gamers remember the system fondly as the first console they ever owned and the one that they spent countless nights playing on with friends. The Nintendo 64 had countless games that brought the fun to the party, many of which are still considered classics of the nostalgia era. With that said though, there were countless games on the system that could be considered cannon fodder. Some of these stinkers weren’t meant to be so terrible either, often hyped up in the old gaming magazines that showcased them ahead of release. For whatever reason, these games just couldn’t hack it and ultimately failed to meet player expectations.
15 Earthworm Jim 3D
The N64 brought a lot of old-school 2D series into the world of 3D gaming, often reintroducing gameplay features and remodeling them to fit the 3D graphics. Unfortunately, Earthworm Jim could not make that jump and the resulting 3D game ultimately killed the series.
The hype was real for an Earthworm Jim game on the N64, as it appeared destined to join the ranks of Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, but it was not meant to be. The game suffered from an awful camera system and uninspired design that left fans with an ugly taste in their mouths.
14 Big Mountain 2000
Extreme sports games like 1080 Snowboarding and Tony Hawk's became pretty popular on the N64 thanks to the boundless possibilities of 3D graphics. That being said, not every game was a winner, and Big Mountain 2000 falls squarely into that category.
Although the snowboarding and skiing game did boast some cool features and characters, it ultimately did not have enough content to keep it interesting and fun for players. Perhaps if DLC had existed back in those days the game could have survived its rough landing.
13 Blues Brothers 2000
Movies being adapted into video games is always a sticky subject, but when both the movie and the video game suck, it might just be time to retire the series. This platformer was delayed well after the movie came out, and, unfortunately, the extra time did not do much to save this disaster of a game.
Everything about Blues Brothers 2000 is mediocre, from its short length to its terrible gameplay mechanics. Maybe some things are best just left in the past?
12 B.I.O. Freaks
The N64 had a lot of fighting games, many of which are still considered classics today. Sadly, B.I.O. Freaks is not one of them. The fighting mechanics involve mutants duking it out in some huge maps in what could be considered a Mortal Kombat clone.
The game had some cool ideas, but the gameplay itself was a snooze fest and ultimately failed to be fun beyond the first hour. The Nintendo 64 couldn't knock it out of the park with every game. Few consoles realistically can.
11 Mega Man 64
Also known as Mega Man Legends on the PlayStation, this was by no means a bad game. However, the port to the Nintendo 64 left a lot to be desired. The port was released several years after the original, and, frankly, kept things too similar for fans to appreciate the game as any bit separate from the original.
In particular, the graphics were seen as dated and many players wished that more thought had been put into porting the game over to the N64.
10 Hexen: Beyond Heretic
The N64 may be predominantly known for their Nintendo-produced games, but ports of previously released games made up a huge chunk of its published titles. Hexen: Beyond Heretic was first released for MS-DOS and Windows in 1995 and Mac OS in 1996.
As a first-person shooter/fantasy blend, the game gained a strong following among early PC gamers and it was lauded as another Doom engine hit. Unfortunately, the N64 release of the game in 1997 left many fans in the cold with regards to graphics and framerate issues, resulting in an often forgotten shooter for the console.
9 Quest 64
One of the most exciting prospects about the Nintendo 64's release was the likelihood of genres undergoing a total makeover as games made the jump from 2D to 3D. As the first N64 RPG to be released in the United States, expectations were high for Quest 64, to begin with as many RPG fans were excited to play their favorite genre through a new 3D lens.
While the graphics were praised, the game was simply too easy and the quests were uninspired, leaving fans wanting more.
8 WCW Nitro
The N64 controller was notorious as either a "love or hate" feature of the console. The strange shape and button scheme either worked well or didn't, depending on the game. WCW Nitro is a case of the latter, suffering from a terrible control pattern, awkward graphics, and lousy pacing.
While expectations for WCW Nitro were probably never that high, it's still disappointing when a game can't meet the bare minimum, especially when it performs better on other consoles.
7 Daikatana
Confidence in Daikatana was something that can not be understated, with an edgy marketing plan that revolved around game designer, John Romero, and an exciting time travel story. But behind the scenes, a storm was brewing as more and more staff left the company and internal issues on game direction overtook the actual gameplay.
When it was finally released for Windows and the N64 in 2000, the game flopped hard. It was panned by critics and players, leading it to significantly fall behind in sales. Since the N64 wasn't known for having an abundance of shooters released, it made this hyped-up game all the more disappointing.
6 Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker
Licensed video games are typically not great (with some major exceptions of course), but when they involve Batman, die-hard fans will try and hold their noses for the sake of the Dark Knight. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker was based on the 2000 animated film of the same name, but that shouldn't fool anyone.
This game was basically an unplayable side-scrolling beat-em-up that didn't get far beyond the awkward stages of gameplay. Fans of the Batman Beyond series are better off sticking with the show and movie.
5 Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
When popular video game franchises try and explore outside their established genre, the resulting product can leave fans wishing they had simply stayed within their area of expertise. Mortal Kombat suffered this fate with the release of the 1997 installment, Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, a side-scrolling action-adventure from the perspective of Sub-Zero.
The game was mostly hated for its frustrating gameplay, but the N64 version was especially disappointing since it ditched the FMV cutscenes and was pretty lacking in the graphics department.
4 Paperboy 64
Old-school games are always getting reimagined on newer systems, it's the very thing Nintendo does best, keeping the love for Mario and Zelda alive after several decades of games. One game that couldn't make the jump from the old gen was Paperboy, an often forgotten arcade game that involves delivering newspapers on a bike, even featuring faux handlebars as the controller.
However, the N64 version displayed some pretty awful graphics and didn't integrate any more gameplay elements beyond delivering papers, making this one of the weaker games released on the system.
3 South Park Rally
The concept of a South Park-themed racing game looks amazing on paper. There's a colorful cast of characters to play as, iconic vehicles to race in, and plenty of interesting areas around the town to explore. Of course, it turned out too good to be true considering the game's corny graphics, monotonous gameplay, and uninspired tracks bogged down the game's potential.
South Park fans have been through a lot of highs and lows when it comes to their video games, but any racing fans looking for a substantial racer on the Nintendo 64 are best just sticking with the classics.
2 AeroGauge
Racing games may be a simple genre in essence, but what gives them depth depends on what is being raced and where. Hovercar racing sounds like an awesome time no matter the game. After all, that's essentially what F-Zero is.
However, AeroGauge somehow managed to make hovercars boring and repetitive. A serious lack of tracks and cars, as well as no story whatsoever, ensured that this game was as dull as dull can be. Thankfully F-Zero X would be released just a few months later to fill racing fans' appetites.
1 Superman 64
When one of the most hyped games of all time transforms into one of the worst games of all time, people have to ask what happened. Superman 64 had gaming journalists excited from the get-go, with many believing it would become one of the best games on the Nintendo 64.
Through a series of missteps in development (namely massive changes in concepts and gameplay), the game not only failed to deliver a finished game, but it was also panned so hard it is still legendarily bad to this very day. Everything is atrocious about this game, from the controls to the story. Those lucky enough to have gotten past the first level didn't seem to find any signs of improvement either.