Looking at the library of N64 games currently available if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber at the Expansion Pack level, we now have access to not one, but two of Rareware’s 64-bit all-time classics in the form of Banjo-Kazooia and, now, GoldenEye 007. Before just a few years ago this might have seemed like a pipe dream, but with the appearance of Banjo and Kazooie in Smash Bros. With Ultimate apparently helping to establish a ‘relationship’ between Nintendo and Microsoft — owners of Rare for over 20 years — the reappearance of developer Twycross’s work on a Nintendo platform isn’t such a strange idea anymore.
There’s still a pack of games from the developer’s golden years that could potentially come to Nintendo Switch Online. Most are available on Xbox as part of sublime A rare replay bundle, and some of them, especially those containing Nintendo IP, are likely to appear on the Switch more than others.
So we thought we’d round up the handsome drifters and ask you which of them you’d like to see at NSO in the most ideal of ideal worlds. You’ll find a poll at the bottom, but first let’s recall the contenders from an era when Rare seemed to do no wrong. Here are the nine games in chronological order of release date, starting with the real killer…
Publisher: Nintendo / Programmer: Rarely
Port of Killer Instinct 2 from the arcades, Killer Instinct Gold was the second KI to appear on Nintendo platforms (well, the third counting the Game Boy port) following the original on the Super NES. The N64 didn’t get many great fighting games—the Smash Bros. legacy is far from the console’s greatest contribution to the genre, but fighting platforms are very much their own subgenre these days—and KIG is one of the system’s few notable fighters.
Chances are we will win this one on NSO seems far-fetched, since the series was revived on Xbox in 2013. Imagine if KI was announced and not, say, DK64? We like a little KIG (actually we like to say ‘KIG’) but we don’t believe this will be the first in the poll at the bottom of the page.
Publisher: Nintendo / Programmer: Rarely
Blast Corps involves clearing a path for a slow-moving truck carrying a malfunctioning nuclear missile to a safe detonation zone – a zone blocked by buildings and other structures ripe for destruction. As with many 64-bit titles, its early polygonal visuals probably look a little tacky these days, but don’t let its looks put you off. This incredibly silly concept makes for one of the most fun games on the N64.
We’d love to see this get even more love on the Switch, but it seems unlikely given some of the heavier hitters below. For example…
Publisher: Nintendo / Programmer: Rarely
Diddy Kong Racing did for Mario Kart 64 about what Banjo-Kazooie would have done for Super Mario 64; Namely, take the template set by Nintendo and expand it with color and creativity to produce much more than just an homage. DKR expanded the single-player game into an adventure, and the addition of aircraft and hovercraft required much larger, more complex tracks to race on. The game also saw the console debut of Banjo and Conker, both now Microsoft-owned characters.
We saw a remake hit the DS in 2007, and given Diddy’s presence, we think this would be a strong ‘maybe’ for a potential NSO re-release.
Publisher: Nintendo / Programmer: Rarely
An underrated entry in Rareware’s library, Jet Force Gemini fused cute design with chunky, fiery third-person shooter action in a bouncy mission to defeat the insect lord Mizar. The adventure of Juno, Vela, and trusty good guy Lupus isn’t without its flaws, but JFG is a surprisingly deep and satisfying adventure worth exploring if you’re a Rare fan looking for gems that passed you by at the turn of the millennium.
We have to be honest, we don’t really believe in the chances of this one coming to Switch considering the fierce competition.
Publisher: Nintendo / Programmer: Rarely
Some blame Donkey Kong 64 for the demise of the collectible 3D platformer craze, and while it’s hard to argue that Rare may have gone a little too far with the sheer number of insignificant collectible doohickeys, it’s a game that turns it up to eleven. and there is something admirable about his unapologetic “more is more” approach. With five playable Kongs (you know them well), huge worlds and plenty of mini-games (including emulated versions of the original arcade Donkey Kong and Rare’s Jetpac), the DK64 was a hell of a deal back in 1999, and we think it probably deserves a re-evaluation after a few decades of beating around the bush.
Given that Nintendo owns all the characters in this — and the fact that it’s coming to the Wii U Virtual Console — this is a prime candidate for some Switch Online love. Come on grumpy, put in the refrigerator.
