My favorite video game console of all time is without a doubt the Nintendo 64. It was the very first console I played on and really taught me the fundamentals of gaming. I feel really nostalgic writing this article because I mostly played the 64 when I was about five, but last year my love for the 64 was resurrected and I’ve been playing my favorite games from my childhood again.

In terms of the games I love the most, these ten are the ones that I hold near and dear to my heart. They might not be the best games (that’s why Zelda nor Super Mario 64 is on this list), but they’re the ones I grew up with and still play to this day.

1. Star Fox 64 (1997)

The first game I really ever owned, I remember my dad taking me to Game-X-Change to pick out any game I wanted. As a five-year-old I didn’t really know what to get, so with help of the employee there, he suggested Starfox 64.

I’m so glad he did. I took it home and beat the game that night. The air combat and sci-fi element of the game was right up my alley. I’ve beat that game upwards of 30 times and continue to do so while reciting the memorable lines such as “Can’t let you do that Starfox!” or “Hey! What’s the big idea?”

This is definitely my favorite N64 game and might be my favorite game of all time.

2. Goldeneye 007 (1997)

This game was an easy pick for this list. I’ve probably logged over 200 hours on this game and beat it so many times. A lot of people like to say that Perfect Dark is the best FPS on 64, but my heart will always hold true to Goldeneye 007. The multiplayer is possibly the best part of this game, and I definitely had countless hours of fun with my brothers, irritating them with my choice of Oddjob.

3. Spider-Man 2000 (2000)

The first real eccentric game on this list, Spider-Man 2000 was one of the first games I ever played. The story is one of the coolest I’ve ever seen in a video game and had combat that was well ahead of its time. The voice acting is also on point.

4. Star Wars Episode I Racer (1999)

This was also one of the first games I ever played. I have a natural love for racers, and there’s at least one more on this list. This one, however, was Star Wars related and featured some of the most beautiful courses and graphics the system had to offer.

5. Conker’s Bad Fur Day (2001)

I’m not a huge platformer fan, but when I find one that I like, I’ll definitely get into it. Bad Fur Day is probably the funniest game I’ve ever played but is also so mechanically and fundamentally sound. Rare had so many amazing releases for the 64, and I hope by a miracle they’ll get ported to the Switch.

6. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

If you didn’t pop this blue cartridge into your 64 at least a few times, then what was your childhood like? This game is so synonymous with the early 2000s and 90s kids when skateboarding became a huge fad. Behind that rocking soundtrack, Pro Skater was tons of fun.

7. Mario Kart 64

I mentioned that I was quite fond of racers? Well, you can’t have an N64 without this racer! I was particularly good at Mario Kart 64, DS and Double Dash, but haven’t yet tried 8. Anyways, Mario Kart 64 was the first Mario Kart game I played, and as most of you already know, it’s tons of fun.

8. Super Smash Bros.

I remember playing this game for hours on end with my brothers. One time, I remember reading online that you could unlock the “dark” modes of certain characters if you beat the game on the highest difficulty with only one stock. Well, we tried and tried and eventually beat it to no avail. Even still, this game is a classic, has great multiplayer and should be owned by every N64 owner.

9. Pokemon Stadium 2

Other than the Pokemon games, I’ve never been a huge fan of turn-based combat, but this one was different. I had played the original Pokemon Red for Game Boy and had leveled up my Venusaur quite a bit.

Well, with the N64 Transfer Pak, you could pop your game in and play with the Pokemon you had trained in the Game Boy versions! It was so cool to see my Venusaur in glorious N64 graphics. I personally didn’t own one, but one of my friends did and I borrowed it for quite some time!

10. NBA Live 99

A simulator of my favorite sport, basketball, NBA Live 99 was tons of fun, especially when playing with my brothers. I definitely wasn’t a Bulls fans, but I always remember choosing them so I could use Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, and Michael Jordan, who had retired at the time, so he was hilariously named “PLAYER.”