Nintendo 64 Marks 30 Years as Super Mario 64 and Zelda Define Its Legacy
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 29
Nintendo 64 Marks 30 Years as Super Mario 64 and Zelda Define Its Legacy
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 29
Summary
30 years after its debut, the Nintendo 64 is being celebrated for a game lineup that helped bring 3D gaming into homes and shape the fifth console generation.
Five titles anchor that legacy: GoldenEye 007, Star Fox 64, Super Smash Bros., Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
1997's GoldenEye 007 is highlighted for setting a new standard in first-person shooters with four-player couch multiplayer, while Star Fox 64 remains influential enough to draw a new remake on Switch 2.
Super Smash Bros. established Nintendo's crossover fighting template, Super Mario 64 became a benchmark for 3D platformers, and Ocarina of Time introduced mechanics such as Z-targeting that shaped later action-adventure games.
The anniversary underscores how the N64's biggest releases still drive remakes, memes and 'greatest of all time' debates nearly three decades later.