After months of rumors and speculation, Nintendo 64 games are finally coming to the Switch. That's right, N64 games will launch this week on the Nintendo Switch Online service thanks to an overpriced expansion pack. This will give you access to nine Nintendo 64 games and twelve Genesis titles at launch, with more on the way. I'm talking about legitimate classics like Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, StarFox 64, Mario Tennis and even Sin & Punishment. To help celebrate the release of Nintendo's expansion pack, we're going to see what the critics said about these N64 games back when they first came out. Join me as I flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Next Generation, GamePro, 64 Extreme and other classic magazines to see what they had to say about the Nintendo 64.


If we're going to talk about the Nintendo 64, then we might as well begin with the game that started it all. Super Mario 64 was the first game to really show off the system's power, not only solidifying its place in history, but also changing the way the entire industry looked at mascot-driven platformers. And, as I'm sure you can imagine, the critics were quick to sing Mario's praises. In fact, of the countless critics who covered this launch game when it first came out, it's impossible to find even one of them giving the ground-breaking title a low score. Hell, Next Generation went as far as to give it a perfect 5 out of 5 and call it "the first 3D game to play as good as the 2D games of the 16-bit era. It's true that few video games can match the delight of one from Nintendo, but no Nintendo game you've ever seen is as delightful as Super Mario 64." In fact, Next Generation loved the game so much that named Mario 64 the best video game ever made in their Top 100 Games of All Time feature found in issue 21.

Electronic Gaming Monthly may not have named it the greatest video game ever made, but they certainly loved Super Mario 64. "How fun can a game get?" asks Dan. "I couldn't put the controller down, nor did I want to. Everyday, I love to play this game after a day's worth of work. That's how you tell it's a great game." Shawn summed it up by saying that "the beautiful thing is that it's as fun to play as the originals on the NES and Super NES, but now it's in the 3D world with mind-boggling graphics." And in case you're wondering, yes, even the critics across the pond in the UK loved Mario 64, with 64 Extreme giving it a 97 out of 100 and raving that the graphics are "as close to perfection as possible" and that "the future of video gaming is here today." People in 2021 may complain about some of the control and camera issues, but critics in 1996 were far too busy being blown away to care about any of that.

If you clicked on this video hoping to see the old school critics falling all over themselves to praise the Nintendo 64 games you loved as a kid, then prepare to be shocked. While many of the games launching with the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack are considered classics, some of them were more divisive than you my have thought. A great example of that is Mario Kart 64, a game that was surprisingly polarizing at the time. GamePro gave it a perfect 5 out of 5 when they reviewed it and 64 Extreme called it "unconditionally the ambassador for the Nintendo 64." Electronic Gaming Monthly liked it so much that they concluded that "once in a while, a game comes along that's so much fun to play, that you'll look past all of its problems. Mario Kart 64 fits that bill."

Next Generation, on the other hand, was definitely not ready to look past the problems. Giving the racer a 3 out of 5, it's clear from the start that critic was disappointed. "Kart and driver design is similar to that of the game's 16-bit predecessor, with tiny, sprite-based, sliding little vehicles. It's disappointing that Nintendo's own developers didn't give Mario Kart 64's racers the polygonal touch. In fact, one could argue that this is less a sequel than the same game with new courses; the polygon tracks aren't functionally different from the Mode 7 bitmaps of the original." They ultimately concluded that "Mario Kart 64 isn't as bold or as deep as the first 16-bit venture." Next Generation wasn't alone in their disappointment, as Computers & Video Games gave it an 80%, predicting that "there's a chance Mario Kart 64 could become a classic in time, but the hit is far from instant."

While critics may have been disappointed by the next-generation Mario Kart, that was not the case when it came to StarFox 64. Released four years after the ground-breaking original, this polygonal shoot 'em up was beloved by the critics, with some even calling it the "second must-have game for the N64." Computer and Video Games ended up giving StarFox 64 a perfect 100%, raving that the "levels are bright and varied and there are an absolute ton of secrets to find. I want to buy a Nintendo 64 after playing this and I don't think you can pay any higher compliment than that. Quite simply, awesome." Fellow UK mag 64 Extreme also loved Fox McCloud's newest mission, calling the graphics "flawless" and the sound effects "top notch."

If you watched me count down Electronic Gaming Monthly's Best Reviewed Shoot 'Em Ups, then you already know that StarFox 64 landed in second place. Shawn used his review to posit an interesting theory he had been batting around: "I'm starting to see a pattern with games released by Nintendo for the N64 -- a nice pattern. Star Fox 64 is close to the best N64 game I've played thus far -- almost as good as Mario 64. Why? Simply because Star Fox 64 not only has the same awesome control and play the original had, but also adds so many things that make this version so much better." That said, there were a number of critics who were disappointed with StarFox, including EGM's Sushi-X, who complained about the battle mode and single-player-only campaign. Nintendo Power was also less enthusiastic, noting that the game is too short and has an annoying camera. But even with those complaints, everybody agreed that StarFox 64 was a big improvement over the 16-bit original.

The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack is filled with landmark games that received nothing but high scores from the critics. Unfortunately, Yoshi's Story is not one of them. Of the eight titles we're going to talk about today, this is by far the worst-reviewed Nintendo 64 game of the bunch. And it's not even close. The most negative review came from, you guessed it, Next Generation: "Originally designed as a sophisticated follow-up to Yoshi's Island, this game finds itself in the embarrassing position of being a sort of Yoshi lite." They complained about the lack of puzzles and the short length, concluding that "Yoshi's Story could have been a renaissance for side-scrollers, instead, it sounds more like a death knell."

Electronic Gaming Monthly liked it more than Next Generation, but Yoshi's Story still only managed to average a score of 6.6 out of 10. Kraig called it a letdown: "It's not that this is a bad game -- it's not. There just isn't enough of it. You can literally beat the game in under two hours, which is utterly ridiculous." The rest of the review crew agreed. You want to know who strongly disagreed? That's right, it was Nintendo Power, who gave the game an 8.2 out of 10. They liked the "variety and natural play control," with Jerry noting that "the game is so cute that I have to take Duke Nukem breaks." They were not disappointed by the extremely short length. Now is your chance to see who was right.

If we're simply going off of the magazine scores, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time would be considered the best Nintendo 64 game released in the Expansion Pack. Hell, it would even outscore every single Genesis game released, which we'll get to in our next video. To say that Ocarina of Time was a sea change would be a gross understatement, because, much like Super Mario 64, this was a game that changed the way we looked at an entire genre. In fact, the game was so good that there's almost no point in looking at the reviews, since they all rave about the epic scope, great bosses, amazing story and mind-boggling 3D gameplay.

Don't believe me? Just check out this review from Electronic Gaming Monthly: "Once again, Shigeru Miyamoto and the wizards at Nintendo have delivered a truly epic gaming experience that no one should be allowed to miss. The game's creators have managed to take everything that was great about the 2D Zelda games and translate them all into 3D flawlessly." GamePro gave the game a perfect 5 out of 5 and called the game "Zelda supreme," but expressed worry that "the skill level gets progressively harder -- so hard that casual gamers might give up rather quickly." Computer & Video Games also gave Ocarina of Time a perfect 100%, while fellow UK mag 64 Extreme came close with a 97%. Even notoriously grumpy Next Generation gave it 5 out of 5 and then awarded it the best game of all time. Sorry Mario, you're old news.

Of all the Nintendo 64 games coming to the Switch this month, Winback: Covert Operations has to be the strangest pick. For one thing, it's the only game we're talking about today that wasn't originally published by Nintendo, making it a real oddity next to Mario, Zelda and StarFox. It's also not what I would call a cult classic, unlike Sin & Punishment. Sure, the game was popular enough to warrant a 2006 sequel on PlayStation 2 and Xbox, but that's the last we've heard of the series. It didn't even come to the Virtual Console, back when Nintendo was doing that. So, what's the deal? And, more importantly, is this game actually worth going back to?

Based on the Next Generation review, the answer is a resounding ... maybe? Giving it a 3 out of 5, the unnamed critic summarized the game this way: "Imagine a combination of gameplay ideas from both Metal Gear Solid and Time Crisis. Now, place them in a gray, fuzzy environment with lots of terrorists to shoot. Mix in a few simple puzzles. Sure, Winback may not be the most original action game, but what else are you going to play until Perfect Dark ships?" The critics at EGM liked it more than Next Generation, but they still complained about the lame story and unruly controls. "It's weird, but Winback has almost as much in common with something like Virtua Cop as it does with Syphon Filter. Beneath the stealthy adventure façade, this is actually quite a simple shooter with lots of overly scripted sequences, but it's all carried off with enough panache to make it very atmospheric." GamePro gave it a 4 out of 5 and called it compelling, concluding that "while it's not GoldenEye killer, Winback is an excellent way to pass the time until Perfect Dark's released." Wait ... didn't Next Generation say that? I think we're stuck in a loop, so it's time to move on to the next game.

If you're a hardcore sports fan, then let's be honest for a second, the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack doesn't have much for you. Unless you want to count Mario Kart because of the racing, Mario Tennis is the Nintendo 64's only traditional sports game coming out this week. The good news is that it's a phenomenal game that the critics couldn't help but fall in love with. One of the magazines that gushed over Mario Tennis is Maxim. That's right, the men's magazine with half-naked women on the cover. Well, they gave this N64 game a perfect five out of five stars and covered it in the witty and respectful way you've come to expect from Maxim: "Sometimes it's hard to take tennis serious when it's played by babes in short skirts, but you should try watching it when it's played by plumbers and dinosaurs. The gameplay is so addicting that you might just forget there's no chance of Venus Williams' mini-skirt fluttering up in the wind."

Nintendo Power also loved Mario Tennis, raving that it "captures the speed and excitement of real tennis." They even make an argument for why this game is actually better than Nintendo's other sports games: "Mario Tennis is one of the most universally appealing games ever. Unlike Mario Golf, the tennis game is full of action." Electronic Gaming Monthly also loved this cutesy take on tennis. With an average score of 9.1 out of 10, they praised the cute cast of characters, the gameplay and the amount of extras you can earn and unlock. "Don' t hesitate on this one; Mario Tennis is a must-buy." While the Expansion Pack may not have a wide selection of sports games, at least they chose one of the system's best releases.

Originally released in 2001, Dr. Mario 64 has the distinction of being one of the final ten games released on the Nintendo 64. In fact, the game came out so late in the system's life that Nintendo didn't even bother shipping it to Europe and Japan. As a result, you didn't see as many magazine critics reviewing it back in the day. Sure, we saw it pop up on a number of popular gaming websites, such as IGN and GameSpot, but this is a series about magazine reviews, so you'll just have to go to MetaCritic to see what the internet had to say.

I think it's safe to say that critics were mixed on Dr. Mario 64. GamePro gave it a 4.5 out of 5, one of the higher scores, and concluded that "N64 puzzle players who have played Pokemon Puzzle League to death will find Dr. Mario to be great CPR for their waning systems." EGM liked it less, giving it an average of 6.8 out of 10. "By today's standards, Dr. Mario is pretty clunky, both in feel and looks. Game design-wise, Dr. Mario 64 is rather basic -- it's child's play next to something like Pokemon Puzzle League." One of the lowest scores came from N64 Magazine, who called it "a below-par puzzler that should never have made it into the 21st century. Dull, rushed and completely without merit. An insult, frankly." The 43% they gave it seems a bit generous after reading their verdict. All in all, critics were not impressed with Dr. Mario 64 when it was released back in the day. I guess it's a good thing the rest of the line-up is so strong.