One quality I love about the Nintendo Switch is the NSO membership plans that come with retro consoles and a satisfying library. I’m interested to hear everyone’s favorite N64 titles from the NSO library. Here are five of my favorites!

Pokémon Snap

Pokémon Snap is short, sweet, and very addicting. I never thought I would be so into taking photos of Pokémon in this on-rail camera game. It’s not just about taking pictures of Pokémon doing funny and adorable things, but more so the techniques in getting the best picture or getting a Pokémon to do something different. This may take a sequence of items to reveal that specific pose, attack, or secret. Whether it’s throwing an apple at a Pokémon to make it angry or lure it closer with a path of apples. Professor Oak needs photos of all the different Pokémon and their behaviors in the wild for his studies. This all makes for a relaxing but fun experience and something all Pokémon fans or photographers should play.

Starfox 64

This is one of my all time favorite on-rail shooter games. Barrel-roll your way past missiles and enemy pilots with your team of characters with Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and Peppy Hare. Each of these characters have such fun and interesting personalities on the battlefield. My favorite part of Star Fox is all the boss fights and how each boss has a mechanic and technique to defeat efficiently. So many games have been influenced by the Star Fox franchise and I grew to love on-rail shooter games because of this game.

Paper Mario

This turn-based RPG influenced my love for a lot of other turn-based games like Final Fantasy. Paper Mario is a breath of fresh air, although it can be relatively grind-heavy at times (which most RPGs end up that way, especially turn-based ones). I guess it’s just not something to expect from the Mario franchise, but overall, the game is so fun, and the story of Mario saving the princess is timeless. I’ve replayed this game countless times and am currently doing so again on the Nintendo Switch. I love the battle schemes like timing, which may give you an edge or save you from a sticky situation. Press B before landing a strike or receiving a strike to lower the damage you take and increase the damage of your hits. Also, each special ability and regular ability has the player pressing a button or moving the joycon a certain way to get the full potential of damage or to even do damage at all, so it can be punishing at times, but this only will make you better by the end. You also get party members to swap in and out of battle depending on the strategy that works best for you. These party members are so fun and have great personalities to keep them interesting and full of life. Even the villains are there to give you a satisfying laugh at times. If you enjoy Mario or turn-based games at all, do yourself a favor and check out Paper Mario!

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

There is so much to love from the first 3D Zelda. During the Nintendo 64 era, most of my childhood was spent playing Ocarina of Time. I spent far too many hours collecting every single gold Skulltulas, and trading for the special weapon. This game had so much to offer besides just following an epic quest to save Princess Zelda from the one and only evil Ganondorf! The music in this game was soothing and at times ominous. Being able to play so many songs on Link’s Ocarina made for a captivating experience and musical bliss. I am very appreciative of this game taking such a huge step into the 3D direction and nailing it. Fans love and cherish these bosses, dungeons, and overall world of Hyrule. Traveling back and forth in time lines really made for a fun experience playing as a child myself at the time, who wanted to grow old so fast. Now I wish I had a Temple of Time to relive the glory days. Oh well, NSO provides a little to that by having the opportunity to relive the N64 days.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Majora’s Mask is my all time favorite 3D Zelda game and the darkest twisted Zelda game I’ve ever played. It was so dark that most kids my age during release didn’t enjoy it, and I can say I struggled with it at first also. From the gruesome transformations with bone cracking sound effects, to the joyous lighthearted environments Majora’s Mask simply has the best of both worlds.

The game relies on a three day cycle which I love and keeps me managing the things I do so I don’t accidentally run out of time, which is hard to do since there are many ways to change the time. The closer this moon gets to Clock Town, the closer you can feel the impending doom. This game has some of the best dungeons and bosses in the Zelda franchise, and it’s a shame too many people quit by comparing it too closely to Ocarina of Time. This is the first game I ever delved into all the side quests, which I still don’t do as much In most games, but there are a select few I do. Besides the mask abilities and transformations, the gameplay mechanics were identical to Ocarina of Time. Anyone who quit this game before should try and give this masterpiece another shot. Use a guide to get moving because those limited three days get less stressful when you figure out what to do and how to manage your time better. This game can give Zelda fans a very unique and energetic experience, so do me a favor and play my all time favorite Nintendo 64 game Majora’s Mask!

Are you a fan of the NSO N64 library? If so what are some of your favorites on the Nintendo Switch? Comment below or join the Boss Rush Discord and discuss these great classic games.

Featured image: Nintendo