Our 10 Stand Out N64 Games of 2025

Music.
Hello everyone, this is a little bit of a special recording for
remember 64.

Myself, David Petrangelo and
Jiggy look back are sitting here to take a look back at 20250.
See what I did there Sir, we are recording this just as the
holidays are getting going, so we haven't been able to sit down
with family and friends through the holidays just yet, but happy
holidays anyway.

Jiggy, how are you?
I'm.

Doing great.
How are you doing?

I'm good, I'm good.
Getting over a little bit of a sickness.
If anyone has has been going through that like we have,
hopefully you've been able to get past it in time to see
family and friends for holiday time and for the new year.
But you know, life, it gets in the way.
But life?

Finds a way.
You know what?

Yeah, life finds a way to shit
all over your holiday plans.

It is what it is.
But as I said, we're going to look back at 2025 a little bit,
just a little bit of a short different kind of recording
here.

Wanted to look back.
We we do an episode essentially every two weeks.
So we do a couple games each month and that adds up.
We're getting over 20 per year at this point, which is pretty
good.

It's quite a bit this year
actually, did a couple of episodes where we did two games
at once.

For example, our last one of
2025.

This is either going to be out
just before or just after that, so just look out for that.
But a way to sort of narrow that down and you know, everyone's
got their top ten list, someone's got their favorites,
your Spotify Rapt, your YouTube this year, whatever that your
service wants to call it at this point.
We're going to do our own version of that and talk about 5
games that we played on this show that stood out to us in
2025 specifically.

Now, if anyone has been
listening or has been looking back and watching or listening
back, you know that we covered a full month, full 3 episodes of
Banjo Kazooie Games.

I'm pretty confident in saying
that if we were to look at all the games we played this year,
for both of us, Banjo Kazooie will be the top of the list
whether we rank them or not.

So I think in order to give
everybody else a fighting chance, every other game of
fighting chance this year, we're not going to put that on these
five games that we each are going to be picking.
We're not necessarily going to rank them.
We're just going to pick five that are not Banjo Kazooie
that's we really enjoyed.

So that includes games like
Snowboard kids, that includes

Hot Wheels, F0, Battle Tanks,
the other Banjo Kazooie games.

There's nostalgia 64 from Kirko
Mods, the GBA games that we played as part of that.
All these games are going to be included and we're just going to
go back and forth and sort of talk about them.
We'll probably have, I would I would anticipate we're going to
have some crossover, but we don't know what each other's
picks are.

We'll do 5 each.
And without further ado, let's get the let's get the holiday
wrapped version of Remember 64 for the first time Going jiggy.
If you want to start somewhere,

I will allow you to kick things
off.

OK, well I'm I'm looking at this
list from my perspective because a lot of the games we we talk
about like I have a a past with, right?
That's.

Right, that's right.
And I'm not going to rule those out entirely, but we played some
games that I'd never played and that games that I've always
wanted to play and never got around to.
And I'm happy to say that a lot of those that we actually did
hop in, I really enjoy it like they were they were a new
experience for me.

They were really fun.
So I'm sort of basing my list off of that.
But that being said, I actually want to start my list with
Mickey Speedway USA.

That is a game we played earlier
in the year.

I.
First game.

The first game of 2025.
I do have a pass with it.

I did play it, but I feel like
this last time that I played it,

I really dove into the mechanics
and everything and really like

I, I went from the casual
playing of it as a kid to like,

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I can drift
like holding A and pressing B.

Like I started getting really
into it.

I did like a an analysis video
on it.

We did the podcast episode about
it.

Like I was getting like super
into Mickey Speedway USA.

And now I think it's like a
really, really good racer and I really enjoyed it.
It it's one of those I just sort of had as a kid and I played it,
but it it just didn't.

It didn't grip me like other
games.

But now I feel like it got me.
You, you got to it in a different way.
You approached it in a different way. 2025 was the year Mickey
Speedway USA got me.

Literally 25 years after it came
out.

Took 25 years but it finally got
me.

What did I say in the last
episode?

I got you, bitch.
Exactly.

In the mail just I can't I can't
got you bitch.

I can't do the voice of Mickey,
but but picture Mickey saying that nice.
That was the very first after our our sort of or my hiatus of
not being able to record episodes.
That was the first one we came back with.
So that's a that was a great way to kick off 2025.
So I'm glad that that still stuck with you.
I'm going to go chronological in mine.
I'm not ranking them either.

I'm just sort of picking ones
that I enjoyed.

This is also one that I knew of
but never really played, I think at all.
I can't remember if I played it before or not, but in the
moment, I'm sure during the episode I might have said this.
This was the very next episode we did, actually.
This is Body Harvest.

Body Harvest has actually stuck.
Yeah, it stuck with me this year.
This was the second episode we did for this for 2025 and at the
time I was a little bit worried it was going to be kind of
janky.

It's not really doesn't have
amazing reviews, but I think, you know, then and now still
thinking back, I I really like how it's this early version of a
semi open world game and it's not perfect.
I do think that there's a lot of sort of janky stuff in it, but I
think what they were trying to do was really fun and I found
myself really sinking into it and played the whole game.
And it's a much bigger, longer, more in depth game that I would
have expected to and definitely worth checking out as an early
version of what these games have become in a genre that is just
insanely massive now.

So that's why Body Harbor stuck
with me.

That would be level.
Where is it Here? 57 So that's right after Spiky
the Mickey Speedway USA Time

Travel Exterminators.
That's Bunny Harvest.

That would be one of my picks.
Yeah.

Oh.
Man, all right, well, jumping into my next pick, a game I, I
funny enough, I had, and it is probably the only N64 game that
I owned growing up that I'd never played.
Oh shit.

I never played it.
I had it.

I got.
It I'm trying to think of what this is because I don't remember
you saying this.

I got it at a rummage sale and I
was like, oh man, this looks cool.
I had a friend that had it.

I never played it and I never
even saw what it was like.

And I it's one of those things,
it's been meme to death.

I really needed to try it.
And finally 2025 was the year that I played Quest 64 for the
first time.

And I gotta say, I was, I was
pleasantly surprised at how much

I enjoyed it.
It's yeah, it was, it was a fun little RPG, played better than I
thought.

It was kind of like way too many
random battles, but it pulled it off It, it had a lot of charm.
And I think I just it just it, it really it stuck with me and I
was I was happy.

I finally, I I think it's more
of that I finally got to say that I played quest 64 than
anything else.

And I did it to completion like
I did it to completion beat the boss.
I I think I have a live stream out there.
I played it on stream.

It was it was so much fun to
talk about and finally get into it, especially with Mr. Quest,
64 official himself.

Yes, yes, which was an honor to
have him on to be able to talk about it.
Mike was an awesome guess and that was same here never played
it.

It was first time I played it
and it was it was cool to to go back.
That's good.

That's one of those ones that
just has to be.

Played it was it was like my
bucket list of N64 games.

Like how have I never actually
played that?

Yeah, yeah, especially for you,
'cause you have so much experience playing them, playing
so many games, right?

Like you said, I never.
Had a game before that I just never played.
Yeah.

And Quest 64 was one of it was
like I I was, I had so many N64 games as a kid.
I had a backlog and I never got to.
That's that's insane.

The backlog before backlogs were
even really that much of a thing.
You're you crazy, crazy kid.

Kids these days.
You know, N64, man, I had so many games.
That's one of those, one of those things.
OK, my next one is level 61.

I'm going to go to Rayman 2
because Jiggy, I know how much you love this game.
One that I knew of but never played either and really, really
enjoyed.

It was a fun episode to to have
Josh on from still loading and talk about it too.
But it was a game that I really, really wanted to love going in
'cause I knew how much you had, how much fun this you had for
it, right?

And it was one that you were
sort of rooting for that we were gonna cover at some point.
And like, we, we gotta do this.

We gotta bring a, a good guest
on.

We gotta talk about this game.
And I really, really liked it.

You know, we talked about it at
the time too.

But go back and listen and watch
that episode.

But it's just a very, very well
done 3D platformer.

And you know, coming from
someone who who prefers 2D platformers largely and really,
really likes the Rayman Legends game and Rayman Origins, I was
like, OK, what do they have 20 years before that?
Let's see.

Let's see what they had in the
pan here.

I hear it's great.
And, and it was it's a very, very good game.
So that's the one that's going to stand out to be too.
So Rayman too, that was done in

March.
We did that.

So that was also early.
All right man, what do you got next?
I'm gonna, I'm gonna throw going into Halloween.
I'm starting with Shadow Man.

I thought shadow Man was really
cool.

It was way creepier than I
thought it was going to be.

And the fact that it also
dropped on NSO and I could play it on my Switch and hand held
like under the covers in my bed.

Super cool.
You can't.

Play it any other way if it's
available in that.

In that version you have to play
it that.

Way I thought it was a fun
little metroidvania style N64 title and the fact that I had it
on Dreamcast and I I never played that one either.
That was a new that was a new one for me, but I think it was a
it was a banger of a new one.

I was happy to to play that in
experience with that and just it was perfect for the season.
Like so for Halloween, it was like.
So fucking dark, such a.

Dark I was I was into it for
Halloween like I was like this is this is a great game to play
in October.

So I highly recommend if you
never played it, play it on

October.
Like just wait till next year.

Yeah, Yeah, You know, I, I
agree.

I totally agree.
It really, like we talked about when we recorded it, the vibe of
that game is exactly what you're looking for.
It's not super scary, but it's kind of a little bit disturbing.
It's got a it's got a really deep lore to it and the gameplay
is just good enough that's going to get you to keep going, I
think.

And really, I think we wanted to
keep going because we're like, I just want to know more about
what the hell is going on here.

Like you.
Just want to do the story it's the lore is great.
Yeah, it was really cool.

OK, nice.
That was in our October episodes.
That was level 70. 4.

There we go.
The darkest N64 game ever, probably.
I think it is.

I think it is, yeah.
I asked that question, the title, but I think I know the
answer already.

OK, My third pick is going to be
one that's still early on in the year here, but one that
surprised me but also at the same time didn't 'cause I was
like, yeah, this is just my kind of game.
That is Tetrisphere.

Dang it, how do you do that?
It's called Tetrasphere, just on the shelves all over North
America.

This is a pretty neat game.
It's it's kind of a challenge and it's a real big.
Challenge Tetrasphere.

I really, really liked.
I, you know, is it the best puzzle game ever made?
No, but Flashback 64 came on the show asking let's talk about
this game 'cause we have some history with it and GUI McKenna
have both said like I have a feeling this might be something
that you guys might like.

And they were absolutely right
that the music is amazing.

It's a huge vibe and big part of
why we liked it.

And I just, you know, it's a
different way of doing Tetris.

I like puzzle games.
And if anyone's heard, seen or read any of the stuff I've done
with console creatures this year, Drop Dutchie is a game
that I really, really like this year, and it is also another
version of a Tetris game.

And both these games I really
enjoyed this year.

So yeah, Tetris Fear was, well,
that stood out to me, surprisingly.
Nice.

You know, my so we're getting
into the last two here and I have to say, always saw these
growing up, never played, never played.
I I always like regardless of how you feel about them,
regardless of the quality, like it was, it was competently fun.
But Sarge's heroes, we played one and two.
We did an episode on two.

We did a collaboration episode
for the first one with a 3D O experience and I, I just, I sort
of like in the same vein as

Quest 64.
It just felt like this game that

I always saw growing up and I
was like, why did I never play these?
And I've now I can say that I, I played them and they were in
some, in some respects exactly what I was expecting, also
lacking what I was expecting.

I feel like gameplay wise, they
were exactly what I thought they were going to be.
But like, they're really short and there's not much substance
to them, I guess.

But it was silly.
It was, it was kind of fun.

And if you just just play them,
just try them.

Yeah, you kind of can clump both
of them together, I think.

Yeah, yeah, they're pretty much
the same.

Yeah.
There's aspects of two that we preferred, like the level design
and stuff, but I think largely they were not massively
different.

Yeah, yeah.
Were they happy to?

Say I played it.
Army in honestly, let's go army in both both army men games.
So that's a, that's a late in the year game that is, let's see
what level is that. 77. 77 There it is.
It's a very recent, like just a couple episodes ago.
Yeah, exactly.

OK, The Serger's Heroes game one
the first one we played on the 3D O experience like you
mentioned and Surgeons Heroes 2 we covered on our show.
OK, so there's a couple ways I can go with this.
There's definitely more than two more games that I would want to
put on this list.

So the 5 is really sort of
limiting it.

I want to say a game like F0X,
but F0 is a little bit too obvious because I feel like I
just already loved that game.

So I just want to talk about
something that maybe wasn't that because I knew I was going to
like it going in.

I already loved that game
growing up.

It's it's too obvious for me.
So instead I'm going to go with something completely unexpected
and one that I didn't even know was a game until a couple weeks
before we played it.

That is a little bit of a lead
in to Nostalgia 64 because this didn't exist for anyone up until
this year.

So it is a new release on the
N64 from Kirko Mods who has made some incredible work on the N64,
specifically modding a lot of

Banjo Kazooie stages and
versions of that game, working on Zelda mods.
But this is, I would say pretty much like a full release that
they have done.

We were able to collaborate with
them a little bit and play it a couple days early to be able to
record our episode and get through it and play this game.
And you know, it's just a very special kind of game.
If you are an N64 fan and a

Banjo Kazooie fan, I know we
said we're going to leave that particular game off, but this
has those mechanics.

But there's a lot of really cool
ideas with it.

I know we both loved it when we
played it.

But I have to mention, in case
anyone hasn't seen the game, heard our episode or seen our
episode, like check it out.

If you have a way to play it and
have the ROM and and play the game, definitely try to play it
with an N64 controller in any way that you can.
But overall, Nostalgia 64 is something I'm also going to go
back to.

You know, we did play the whole
thing to completion and it was a fantastic time.
But just like the original game or games in that franchise, I'm
going to go back to it.

I'm going to play it again.
And I loved it, Absolutely loved it.
The creativity's off the charts.

So yeah.
Yeah, that was a great one.

I did.
I did really enjoy that.

But I will say we weren't
ranking them, but this was probably hands down the favorite
of the games that we played that

I was like not expecting to
enjoy it as much as I did.

Kind of thought I'd had a bad
Rep, but I guess not.

And I really got into it.
Both the both the podcast episode.
I think it's one of our best episodes we've done, honestly.
And I think it was a surprising banger of a game.
Castlevania level, level 75.

I That was my favorite game that
we did all year.

Wow for multiple.
Reasons.

But I really I really liked it.
Cool vibes, fun gameplay, just like it captures that perfect
amount of like creepiness, but also like just just fun, sort of
silly.

I don't know, it's just it hit
all the the right right notches for me and I did not expect to
like it as much as I did.

I thought it was going to be
super jank and I actually thought it was like pretty
competent.

Oh, absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, No, we, I mean, we talked about, I don't know how
many times we mentioned like when we were recording the
episode and we did it like on a live stream.
And one of our only ones that we've done.
And now we've kind of consistently been doing or as
consistently as we can been doing live streams for our
episodes.

But it's just like, I can't
believe how low of a rating or how the, the general vibe around
these particular 2 games on the

N64, we're so negative.
And then we played it and we're like, no, this, this is good.
What the, what are people talking about?
Like we were both very confused by that.
And it's weird it it's also like it answered a childhood mystery
I didn't even know was a mystery.
That these are in fact the same game, just remade.
Yes, I, I.

Did not know that.
I had no idea.

No idea that.
Yeah, no idea.

I'd always seen them separately,
and I never knew that Legacy of

Darkness was just a remake of
the the Gasabine 264.

It's what?
What?

Are the more content?
Well, like I said with the title of the episode, it's the, it's
like a Snyder Cut where it's kind of the same, but there's
more there.

You know, I feel like Snyder Cut
kind of has a negative connotation to it, and it
should, but in my opinion.

But this game is far better than
what Snyder has done with a lot of movies I would say.
It was good.

I really it was.
It was a sleeper game for me.

I did not expect to enjoy it as
much as I did.

Yeah, I think for both of us,
honestly, it was, it was something that surprises both.
We really enjoyed it and something that I think everybody
should give a shot.

I don't know if you have to wait
till October to play this one like you do a shadow man, but
but I do think that it's definitely worth playing and
don't let the general consensus or it appears to be the general
consensus that these are trash games and they're throwaways.
We both disagree with that.

So a. 100%.
Nice, I'm that's that's awesome that it was that it's that high
on your.

Yeah, like the others, like you
can throw them in any order, like doesn't matter.
But that one I was just like, that's when I wanted to talk
about because I thought it was just a it was a cut above the
rest for various reasons.

I just really, I really enjoyed
it.

I like the vibes.
I liked everything we did and and the episode too.
Like I thought the episodes explode really well.
Like sometimes, sometimes that plays a factor in it.
Like my enjoyment of the game was talking about the game and
that's when I could talk about like it.
I felt like there was a lot to talk about with that one.
And, and we were live streaming and stuff, but like it was one
of our longest episodes too, or it is our longest episode
potentially, but it didn't feel that way.
And I think you're right.

That is a sign of the right
game, the right time, the right everything.
And like, you know, stuff that's sort of out of your control in a
way just leads to a better time.

And I think that.
I didn't even realize that was one of the longest episodes we'd
ever done.

I didn't.
Just under two hours and that's really cut down.
It's got a pre show chat.

That's without the pre show
chat.

I think we were streaming for
like 3 hours yeah.

So it was it was it was a while
and it was a great time.

So again, if anyone hasn't
popped into live streams or anyone who has, thank you.
But you know, there was a whole build up to that playing that
game and how I tried to stream in, it was a disaster.
Like there's a whole thing.

But go watch and listen to the
episode.

It was, it was a blast to play
and a blast to record.

So OK, I was potentially going
to put that on mine too, because like we said, we're both talking
about it, but I had a feeling you were going to say it.
So I, I, I left, I left it off the list.
So because I'm going in a little bit of an order here, my next
one, now I have to find exactly where it is.
Jesus, where'd it go?

Where did it go?
Oh, there it is.

My next one is going to be level
68 battle tanks.

I knew it.
Yeah, I knew it.

I knew you were gonna put battle
tanks on that list because.

Because that beginning intro and
like, the setup of the plot is just so ridiculous.
You really were like, Oh my gosh, this is the best thing
ever.

I.
Still can't like, so what's funny is I'm not someone who
loves B movies or loves watching bad movies.
And that's what's good about them.
You know what I mean?

Like I don't enjoy bad stuff
just for the sake of enjoying something bad, you know?
Like I don't, if I don't like it and it's not good, I'm just not
going to like it and that's it and I move on, right.
There's something about this, the vibe, the way it's told this
ridiculous story that just, I don't know, I talked about it
for way too long in the episode, but it made such a difference to
me enjoying these games.

Both games are awesome.
So it's battle tanks and battle tanks, Global assault.
I, I, I think the second one is, is far better than the first.
There's just more variety that's just tighter.
If there's a lot more you can do there, both are 100% worth your
time.

I had no idea what these games
felt like.

I just knew of them and I
really, really like them And, and they're not perfect, but
they're just fun.

They're just stupid action fun
and and the second one really does improve on the 1st in more
ways than I would have thought, because it just feels like one
of those games where it's like we'll just add more levels,
maybe another tank, Maybe I'll you know, the story's going to
change a little bit.

But they they did a bunch of
things that made me like it even more and and one that if I
played a multiplayer, I feel like you'd like even more.
So is it the greatest game we played is the top of my list If
I were to rank them?

No, but I just had so much fun
with it that I I couldn't not talk about it.
So the Battle Tanks games, that is level 68.
It's AI, titled it.

What can I say?
We're feminists, Yeah.

It's all you could say.
Listen and watch more to find out why.
Do you know what I saw at

GameStop this past weekend?
We went shopping to get a couple like last minute Christmas
Christmas presents.

And in the little case there, I
didn't know this was not aware.

Whatever you however you feel
about limited run games.

They had limited run battle
tanks N64 like in like limited run boxes.
Like it looks like the old like

N64 boxes.
Yeah, they had them sitting there at GameStop and I was
like, oh, nice.

It was kind of neat.
But Battle Tanks?

Of all the games, it was battle
tanks.

Crazy, crazy.
It's so interesting.

Like there's stuff like that
that I've seen from them or other other companies that do
similar things.

I'm like, that's the game they
chose.

But then there's ones where I
go, oh, that's the game they chose.
I want that 'cause it's something.
You.

Know like one of the ones for me
I do I have it behind me yeah, I do only only reason why I never
spent money getting this one.

I think it's a limited run 1 is
Battletoads double dragon for the SNES.
It plays like a Battletoads game, not like a double Dragon
game, but has all, all five of those characters that you can
choose from, totally wacky, totally over the top or
whatever.

And they have an actual SNES
cartridge that works.

It's green and it has a, a box
with it like you said, kind of similar like you just described.
I'm like, oh, that would be great 'cause I love that game.
But then I am not spending the money 'cause I have it.
I just don't have it in green.

So I'm like, do I need it?
And I know it's the works.

Like I know it's the works.
I played it last year, the year before, like it, it works,
right.

And this is my original 1 from
when I was a kid, so like it, but I like that stuff.
That's kind of fun.

So battle tanks.
Interesting.

That's cool.
Now that I know it exists now

I'm probably going to go search
for it and see if it's at any point ever waste my money.
The answer's probably no, but

OK, so just to review our top
games or not our top games, some of our standouts of 2025, we
have jiggy.

Go for it.
I'm going to re re pick up my list.
Sorry.

Mickey Speedway, USA.
Mickey Speedway USA Body Harvest

We also 64 Quest 64 we have
Rayman.

Two, we have Tetrasphere Battle
Tanks, Nostalgia 64,

Castlevania.
Shadow Man.

And Shadow Man, and I think that
covers us.

Oh, and Sergeant Heroes.
Oh, and Sergeant that in there too.
That was my curveball.

Yeah, that's good.
That's fun in a similar way

Battle Tanks is just goofy fun
like that is right?

Like it's kind of in a way kind.
Of same company it's.

It's 3D O it kind of feels
Battle Tanks shows up in

Sergeant's Heroes 2 like in like
a background asset or something.

Yeah, it's like a sign on the
wall.

Yeah, and the the pinball
episode, pinball level right at the end.
So if you haven't played those games, I think those are a good
place to start if you have great, fantastic.
And check out our episodes about them because they were a ton to
record, a ton of fun to record, and great to kind of go back.
And a lot of these games were ones that we hadn't played this
year.

So 2026 we're going to set up
and kind of do that same thing too.
We're going to try and get a variety of different things,
maybe some mods here and there.

We'll keep going with 2026 and
Jiggy.

Happy happy holidays, Happy New
Year and everybody thanks for joining us for another 25 oh and
64 yield and 64 yield tide log.

Do they have any of those that'd
be fun.

I put I put one of those on my
family would think I'm nuts, but maybe I'll try I'll look for one
or I'll make one.

Unfortunately there's probably
ones out there all AI generated but.
Oh yeah.

Happy holidays everyone, Bye,
goodbye.