Graphically Impressive N64 Games

Even though the N64 is over 20 years old now, some games that released for the home console are still graphically impressive to this day! Join TVGS as I take a look at some gameplay of the best looking and visually impressive Nintendo 64 games the console ever received! Let me know your choice of best graphics down below.
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[@joshxx1]

Still to this day Resident Evil 2 seems like a miracle , cramming two cd's in a N64 cartridge and still putting more options an extra content is incredible.

[@stephenmalovski313]

It's not 2 CD, it's one...both CD have 90 percent of the same data except for some voice acting

[@sagenebula7120]

@@stephenmalovski313 so 2 cds

[@stephenmalovski313]

@@sagenebula7120 no 5 cd

[@christianterrill3503]

@@stephenmalovski313 resident evil 2 was the first game I got for Playstation I was on 2 disks

[@stephenmalovski313]

@@christianterrill3503 you obviously didn't get my comment... BOTH discs had 90 percent of identical data

[@Owlero]

I feel like it would have been appropriate to show what the games actually look like running on N64 hardware, rather than just emulated versions in HD.

[@aussieknuckles]

Yeah especially when he was talking about the racing game not dropping frames with 30 opponents in a race, maybe he tested it on N64, I hope he did otherwise emulation doesn't count for what he was stating.

[@amiradib1007]

Came here to say the same. As soon as I saw fzero I knew it was emulation. I get tired of the misrepresentation. Show the game how it actually looked, nothing wrong with the reality of it.

[@aussieknuckles]

@@amiradib1007 yeah between FPS, resolution & anti-aliasing there is a big difference between footage here, and footage off an actual N64.

[@SoupyMittens]

@@aussieknuckles Also the low quality makes it look better and doesnt highlight each pixel and each poly

[@aussieknuckles]

@@SoupyMittens true, especially on a CRT display.

[@DGR_Dave]

Great choices! I definitely would consider adding Wave Race 64 if you do a part 2. The water in that game is still impressive in 2022.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

For sure! I’ll add it to the list for part 2, loved that game back in the day!

[@johncarltonmusic4184]

Definitely! Just thinking about and remembering that game gives me a good feeling I can't explain. The way the maps constantly changed, the water physics, the tricks, RIDING A DOLHPIN secret. Man. Wish I could go back in time and play it for the first time again.

[@NYCJoeBlack]

I agree 100%!!! The water effects blew me away.

[@fredflintstone5356]

I agree. I remember first playing Wave Race and I was stunned by the graphics and the music. It does still hold up till this day and the physics are also like today’s standards.

[@Espalha_lixo]

Nope

[@PaulRockey]

Perfect Dark was beautiful back in the day. Very ambitious game.

[@Sinistar1983]

Some games that should definitely be in a part 2 -rakuga kids -sin and punishment -dinosaur planet -world driver championship -space silicon valley Some of these titles are absolute masterclasses of the hardware

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[@SuperHns]

Diddy Kong Racing

[@deepseasqueeze9081]

Rakuga Kids is such a charming game

[@Optidorf]

Dinosaur Planet O_o

[@DanCalibur]

@@Optidorf Even though Dinosaur Planet was cancelled for the N64 and released as Star Fox Adventure for the GameCube, the unfinished N64 ROM has emerged recently and apparently is playable

[@Sly2Cooper]

Kaze Emanuar makes amazing graphics on N64. He improved Mario64 to a totally new engine that draws 60 fps and more polygons on screen.

[@diegodias1998]

I gotta tell ya, Paper Mario manages to stay really good looking due to the choice of art style, it is simply a looker.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

I’ll second that, looks so good even to this day!

[@turntsnaco824]

I remember playing it on the N64 back in the day and thinking how incredible it looked. I specifically remember thinking the shot of Bowser's castle in the sky between chapters looked more dynamic than just about anything else I'd ever seen at the time. It doesn't seem like much in a vacuum but when you consider what everything else looked like at the time, and that it was one of the last 64 games, it definitely had a level of polish that many did not.

[@olevet75]

almost like cel shading without being one

[@chavesa5]

The N64 had it so rough. Definitely the most "puberty" feeling video game console of all time.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

😅

[@kamenanew9867]

I'd have to give that honor to the Atari Jaguar honestly

[@mohamedaminekhadhraoui6417]

That is so accurate. It had more power than PS1 but almost every game was much uglier.

[@wizkaqueefa9003]

@@mohamedaminekhadhraoui6417 If N64 used CDs like PS1 it would've had 10x the Storage Space/Game Size and better Draw Distance, at less than Half the Cost of Cartridges.

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Most disappointing, rather said

[@malcolmar]

Great list! The N64 truly was a magical game console not to mention it was built like a tank. It is one of the reasons why I am a retro gamer today. Can't wait for part 2. Keep up the great work and thanks!

[@divagaciones1628]

Jet Force Genimi should also be listed as a criminally underrated game. It's easily one of the best games in the Rare golden era. Not only is it graphically impressive but it was ahead of its time in terms of gameplay and structure.

[@pedromonteiro2248]

By the video’s title, I instantly think in Zelda: Majora’s Mask and Conker’s Bad Fur Day! N64 is an amazing system!

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Loved it growing up!

[@cerebus5]

Jet Force Gemini was such a great game. I remember how impressed I was with the bump mapping.

[@jhkuno88]

Theres no bump mapping on any N64 game...... There might be PreRendered bumpmapped graphics turned 2Dtextures and applied to surfaces....kinda like what DKCountry did on SNES

[@ravengaming4143]

Donkey Kong 64 also had such "fake bump mapping", as well as Golden Eye 007 and Perfect Dark.

[@LoGiTeChNoPrOdUcEr]

I really love these vids! I've had most of the retro systems, and game collections on my pc for years, but overtime they have been forgotten while I play the newer titles as they come out. Thanks to these vids I'm back to playing the retro stuff again!!!

[@davidknight3826]

Good video and keep the hard work up. It always pays off For part 2 I recommend Banjo Tooie, Glover, Rayman 2, Turok 2, Roadsters, Extreme G 2 and Yoshi's Story

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks David, I appreciate that man!

[@csmemarketing]

I loved Extreme G 2. Too bad they stopped that series.

[@kitsunemetal]

Resident evil 2 is definately one of the best looking n64 games and it runs full motion video the character models look great and it was the largest cartidge made for the system 512 mb

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Such an impressive port!

[@adam1984pl]

This cartidge is actually 256 mb.

[@ikaros21]

@@adam1984pl it's actually 64 megabytes (512 megabits)

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

lmao the misinformation here is unreal, res evil two is 64 MB same as conkers bad fur day, and it looks terrible with its blurry JPEG backgrounds

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

@@adam1984pl false

[@deepcovergecko]

Great video, I Love the N64. Turok 2 & 3 also had some really good graphics when used with the expansion pack.

[@chupitolepame5357]

Shadowman was another impressive game for the time, it was obscure and all the environments and models were really well done for the time.

[@peeko_luxx2873]

N64 was my first console. Man such nostalgia. Still have it and all my games. Had to rebuy a couple due to water damage in my old garage like 8-9 years ago but still holds up great. Quest64 is one of those games that I’m embarrassed to admit I played extensively. Not many people gotten into that one. Hell, I even thoroughly enjoyed Glover! Hahaha cheers

[@Tofuey]

I absolutely love this. Please look at the best graphics across tons of consoles. Its fun to see consoles pushed to the limit.

[@ikesters6697]

Conkers bad fur day could've easily come out in the next gen consoles at the time and no one would've batted an eye. That's how much it pushed the N64's graphics. It's practically a GameCube/Dreamcast game on N64

[@gaylordfocker7990]

Not even close. Stop.

[@ikesters6697]

@@gaylordfocker7990 I love you

[@gaylordfocker7990]

@@ikesters6697 That's nice. Compare this to something like Fur Fighters on Dreamcast or even Sonic Adventure. It's obvious this is N64-vaseline-smeared graphics. A N64 game is instantly recognizable.

[@nguyengamer7906]

​@@ikesters6697 Almost low end dreamcast graphic. It got a remake in original xbox which is same gen with ps2 gamecube dreamcast

[@benharris6732]

I look forward to each and eery video you do , also love your thumbnails

[@vinylhead00]

Another great video bro. Congrats!!

[@kaydog2450]

Best part about resident evil 2 on the nintendo 64 was the fact they managed to fit both A and B scenarios for claire and leon but they also managed to include hunk and tofus scenarios aswell

[@jon8223]

I'm definitely satisfied with the inclusion of Perfect Dark.

[@murraykriner9425]

Many you mention I've never heard tell of, a few I definitely recall being around when the console came out. Thanks for your selection's.

[@Dave_Art_R]

Just realised (after 24 years, lol) that they added the second pilot inside the Snowspeeder, great attention to detail, indeed.

[@goshiby9613]

That Tekken aesthetics intro was perfect!!

[@solidstrongbad]

have you ever played perfect dark on original hardware? there are a few uninhabited corridors where the framerate can accidentally creep over 25 fps, but that game ran at an average of about 13-15 fps

[@BenjaminPlaysRust]

Yeah, gonna have to disagree with the creator here -- Perfect Dark had an abysmal frame rate lol. I think your estimates are correct.

[@olevet75]

TR1 on saturn drops into single digits in Cistern level

[@Stupidude666]

Love how you start this with Tekken 2 music. A PS1 exclusive

[@michaelnixon3364]

enjoyed the mario and sonic at the olympic winter games music in the beginning for the background music

[@SharifSourour]

Nice list! A lot of these are my fave games too!

[@knuko6043]

Excellent choices in general except two: F-Zero X and Mario Kart 64. F-Zero X has low-rez textures and empty backgrounds, that's why the game is so fast and fluid. On the same genre, the two Extreme-G are better choices graphically. Mario Kart 64 is not a bad-looking game but maked old very quickly, Diddy Kong Racing did so much better only one year later.

[@SuperHns]

I say Diddy Kong Racing is better looking than both.

[@geminielectro]

Agree with you. Both of these games aren't impressive. F-Zero is just empty and low poly. Concerning Mario Kart 64, I think Mickey Speedway USA is far more impressive...

[@SuperHns]

@@geminielectro oh yeah for sure, and Diddy Kong Racing beats Mario 64 in pure gfx

[@chaospoet]

Never owned a N64 but I do have a Wii U and managed to get a few N64 games from its Virtual Console before it stopped taking Credit/Debit Card. F-Zero was the first one I bought. No brainer. I LOVE that game. Sometimes it really does feel like you're moving way too fast! Also the remixes of some of the songs from the first game are just awesome. Paper Mario I also grabbed but I haven't gotten to it just yet, but I'm looking forward to it when I do. One other game I got on the Wii U Virtual Console that I would put as an honorable mention as it's was only released in Japan (despite being in English with English voice actors) but looks and plays great is the original Sin and Punishment. Or as I like to call it: EVERYTHING GOES BOOM: The Video Game. 😉

[@diegocrusius]

beautiful video full of good game suggestions. Good job.

[@toadalthug4055]

great video my guy

[@brunomoreno3666]

solid list! i would add mischief makers and banjo tooie on the second part

[@worldsboss]

I actually disagree with Mario Kart 64. I always thought that game looked kinda ugly, with that being the main problem with it for me. Diddy Kong Racing, in addition to having spectacularly fun gameplay, is also better-looking imo.

[@dr.decker3623]

Play it on CRT..

[@worldsboss]

@@dr.decker3623 I did, back in the day.

[@darthboxOriginal]

I agree with this. MK64 to me never looked that great. Diddy Kong looks and plays way better.

[@aussieknuckles]

I remember playing Mario kart at my friend's on his 64 when I was about 7, and I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

[@ironinquisitor3656]

Yeah Mario 64 was an early title and games like Diddy Kong Racing and Crash Team Racing look graphically superior and take more advantage of their respective hardware.

[@ebesonen]

I have played all of the N64 games on your list, all of them bring back a lot of great memories I had with my N64, so thank you so much for doing this great list TVGS ✌️

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks for watching mate!

[@kroooassant9899]

F-Zero X N64 will always remain my favorite racing game after F-Zero GX from the GC

[@CrocoDylianVT]

the Star Wars one could even pass as a Gamecube game at times my jaw literally dropped when I saw it

[@johncarltonmusic4184]

Keep doing what you're doing. Great content every time!

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks John!

[@SpeedyGaming]

DK 64 should be in a part 2 list. That game was so much fun in comparison to its country counterparts.

[@acomingextinction]

Great collection. My pick would be Star Wars Episode One Pod Racer, which was astonishingly good.

[@CarmenXero]

Textures, fog, and lighting in Jet Force Gemini are unparalleled.

[@ITALIANMOBKING]

The replay value of Conker's Bad Fur Day is the multiplayer, my friend. It's nuts!!

[@truthseek3017]

Awesome video man

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Appreciate it!

[@spamburger222]

Are you running these on an emulator? Quality looks too good to be og hardware and resolution.

[@Svante]

Yeah, it's emulation.

[@rhetttr0]

Yes! Wave race! Also not sure how mario kart made this list. I love it, but definitely didn’t expect to see it on here.

[@MyBiach]

You had me at tekken 2 music

[@rimok.2765]

I completely forgot about Jetforce Gemini. You reminded me I loved that game as a kid! Hoping they release this on the switch n64 add on.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Such a gem! Would love to see it on the service aswell!

[@RockstarMazy]

ahh that lovely tekken 2 intro music 🎶 🎵 😍

[@Rokabur]

For F-Zero X, the devs intentionally made the models a bit simpler and with less textures to make sure the game stayed at 60fps no matter what was happening on screen.

[@systemshocker2557]

Great video! World Driver Championship and San Frasisco Rush 2049 should be on part 2.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll add them in 🙂

[@Tasuke]

Conker's Bad Fur Day was... something else LOL! My only regret was that I never got my copy until years after it jumped up in price. When I first played it as a kid I remember Conker looking all mean in the game intro scared me lol

[@kirbytsukinoXD]

It's a crime there is no Banjo-Tooie in here. It's graphically awesome, even it has a Wide-Screen mode!

[@briangray1671]

Great Vid Only Diddy Kong Racing Was Superior!

[@grinbrothers]

0:14 - I was just thinking of Paper Mario for it's distinct art style and what do you know, it was the first one shown. As always, glad to see you talk so much about the game itself despite graphics being the focus of the video. I'm also pleased to see Jet Force Gemini get a mention. It tends to get overlooked amongst Rare's library of games, yet it's my favourite Rare N64 game (alongside Diddy Kong Racing).

[@jc4446]

Dude that tekken 2 intro music gosh !!! Wow 🤩 took me back to being on my bedroom floor booting it up in the psx lol

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Haha such a great tune!

[@jaylucien669]

Great list. But I'd have to add Turok 2. It's graphics were pretty mind blowing back in '98.

[@aleckermit]

Nice choices overall but I think you missed International Track & Field 2000 (the powerlifting game in hi res is Dreamcast levels of pretty).

[@rafaelsuenagabortollo2815]

Perfect is amazing. Best game to N64. Amazing Solo game, and a great multplayer mode, even the multplayer mode can be played alone.

[@clarion-z2929]

Image looks surprisingly clean and sharp... Using an emulator for video capture?

[@jamesfrankiewicz5768]

I'll nominate Star Wars Episode 1: Pod Racer for a part 2. The pace of it is so fast that you tend to not blink very often when playing it, which my eyes really can't take anymore.

[@themonsterunderyourbed9408]

Loved JFG. Definitely underrated.

[@seanmckenna1643]

That Tekken 2 music when it cuts to Nina was my childhood. I watched that video 1000s of times, always has Tekken 2 in the Og PlayStation.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Such a tune!

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodGeek99]

Love the n64 wish i still had mine😭 great video!

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks for watching!

[@MACMETALFACE]

Idunno how i got into this nostalgic trip but jet force gemini man i almost forgot 😢

[@alistermcintyre7347]

Goldeneye n64 will always be my number one game on the n64

[@TheEarthRealm]

_WHERE_ is Banjo Tooie, Pokémon Snap, and Donkey Kong 64? 🤷🏿‍♂️

[@csmemarketing]

All are great choices. I'm looking for: Ridge Racer 64 Banjo and Kazooie series Donkey Kong 64 Killer Instinct Gold Clayfighter 63 1/3 Rayman 2

[@hawshimagical]

how did you feel about star wars battle for naboo? it had particle effects and better draw distance than rogue squadron

[@thepld]

The PC version of Rogue Squadron is definitely the way to go - it's a revelation being able to clearly see enemy ships instead of a murky clump of pixels. The Steam version ran pretty well on Windows 10 & supported my XInput controller out of the box iirc.

[@zanecolorado2885]

The Nintendo 64 is the best console. The graphics at the time were breath taking.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

One of the greats!

[@nadirjofas3140]

For console you mean

[@Kyle-pj2vc]

Got perfect dark on the 360 remastered. Great game.

[@the_kovic]

Can't believe you didn't include Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. Huge levels with no fog, great texture quality, and even shadows and dynamic lights.

[@Philroq7]

Treasure’s Sin & Punishment should definitely be on the list of impressive graphical games on the N64 as well.

[@GoatJDwg]

Pilotwings 64 looks so nice and the gameplay is crazy smooth and makes sense

[@james2175]

Perfect Dark Beetle Adventure Racing TLOZ: Majora's Mask Sin and Punishment Bangai-O Conker's BFD Banjo-Tooie Turok 3 San Francisco Rush 2049 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron This is what the list should have been. Period.

[@bes03c]

I would add Sin and Punishment. It always gets overlooked.

[@gabinoquintero9081]

Are you using the basic RGV cables? How did you get the quality to look so good.

[@marcowulliampopirers2216]

Its an emulator

[@alejandroruiz87]

What version of F-zero X is that? Is it using the disk drive? I remember F-Zero X having an intense use of the fog.

[@Simoss13]

Dam this list could also make a Top 10 list of games

[@miamimagicians]

Great choices! I would also put WWF no mercy in as the best wrestling game ever created

[@Crazy_Gamer_OG]

Jet Force Gemini is my favorite N64 game. Partly got an Xbox just so I could play it & other Rare titles again, but without the N64 controller it isn't quite the same.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

I’ll second that, felt much better on the original controller!

[@GameCubeGalaxy]

Every single choice here is absolutely spot-on! I always far preferred the visuals of the N64 than the PS1, but I do have to say Rare were the kings of the N64. They fully pushed the N64’s capabilities. Conker’s Bad Fur Day was a sublime looking game, and Jet Force Gemini is one of the most underrated gems for the console. Perfect Dark was also just stunning. Again…all Rareware 😂. Also, RE2 was a masterclass port that still blows my mind how they got the full game on the cartridge! Fantastic episode as always man!

[@danilopablo9848]

I remember when I first played Ocarina of Time on an N64 emulator on my computer It was about 2012, I had played multiple ps3 and Xbox 360 games and yet I find the graphics great, because my first console was a SNES

[@ShCruzZ]

awesome as always

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks for watching!

[@geoffreytasker2097]

I'd add extreme G, yoshi's story, star fox 64, sin and punishment, wave race, 1080, turok 2, starwars pod racer and Pokémon snap

[@Gruntvc]

Perfect Dark was probably the best FPS on N64. The best way to play it legally is through the remaster that's available on Xbox 360/One/Series or in the Rare Replay Collection for the same consoles. Hopefully the reboot lives up to the original and isn't another Perfect Dark Zero ugh. I also hope we finally get an official remaster for Goldeneye 007 N64.

[@SetsunoKai]

I just started playing the Perfect Dark remaster on Xbox today, funny to see it mentioned here.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Such a solid game!

[@Bladeclaw00100]

I would add Turok 2 Seeds of Evil, Yoshi Story, Wave Race 64, Lego Racers, Star Wars: Episode I Racer, Rampage World Tour, and Doom 64 to this list.

[@Barney_rubble983]

When this console came out every game was mind blowing it’s a matter of what you sensitised too.

[@alexbedini731]

Would you consider addin Turok 2 seeds of evil in this list ?

[@Ronsilk-pu5hr]

I have noticed that 5th and 6th Gen games still look amazing if up resolution to 1080p

[@Rigoberto.Calero]

Paper Mario looks amazing

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Such a timeless visual style!

[@CSLFiero]

i appreciate what nintendo does when they put together an fzero game. i think that buttery smooth framerate and tightest-in-gaming controls is why they haven't made a new one. because getting that to work online is going to be tough for nintendo who is not known to do brilliant netcode.

[@brichan1851]

I love how you’re playing Tekken 2 music for a Nintendo 64 video. Hello irony.

[@Father_Retro]

Turok 2 seeds of evil deserves a mention

[@liljaygray]

Would definitely include Mario 64, ray man 2 & Pokémon stadium 2 in part 2!

[@wilshirelive1014]

Came for Wave race hope it’s here