Summary
Can you believe how fast time flies? It’s been 25 years since the Nintendo 64, PlayStation 1, and Sega Dreamcast dominated the video game market. 3D games were still in their early stages, online play was brand new, and you still had to blow into cartridges to get them to work. It doesn’t feel that long ago, yet here we are, a quarter of a century later.
The year 2000 was fantastic for video games. With the new century came some of the most influential titles ever made, many of which arestill fun to play all these years later. While there are far too many to name, the following games are the most notable.
Ask any Paper Mario fan, and they’ll tell you the new entriessimply can’t compare to the original. This charming RPG sees the plumber travel across a storybook world searching for the seven Star Spirits. Thanks to its quirky humor and adorable art style, it’s one of the coziest games in the series.
Not only is Paper Mario one of the few RPGs on the N64, but it’s also the spiritual successor to the legendary Super Mario RPG. The action commands are back and more varied than ever, and the new partners are incredibly endearing. In short, the game set the foundation for future entries, and the series wouldn’t be the same without it.
Often considered a fan favorite, Resident Evil - Code: Veronica was the first and only entry to debut on a Sega console. While searching for her brother Chris, Claire Redfield is abducted and taken to the zombie-infested Rockfort Island, where she must escape imprisonment while managing extremely scarce resources.
Code: Veronica wasa big step for Resident Evil. It was the first installment to use 3D environments and a dynamic camera. Plus, the Dreamcast’s spectacular lighting engine created some of the most eerie locations in the series. The enhanced PS2 port may be better known, but the original will always be a classic.
Known for being one of the highest-rated PS1 titles, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 is the definitive retro sports game, setting the bar for all skating games that came after. Take to the rink as a real-life or fictional skater to perform all kinds of cool tricks and get the best score possible.
Simply put, the gameplay and physics are timeless. Grinding on rails, tricking off ramps, and pulling off midair stunts is still exhilarating almost three decades later. To top it all off, the music is pure rock and roll perfection.
It’s hard to believe that The Sims is already 25 years old. The one that started it all debuted on PC in the year 2000, introducing the world to the iconic life simulation gameplay that would go on to inspire countless cozy games.
The magic of The Sims comes from its sheer sense of freedom. You can create a character, watch them find love, and help them start a lovely family. Or you can throw them in the swimming pool, delete the ladder, and sit back as they meet a watery doom. The game can be as wholesome or chaotic as you want. What more could you ask for?
Rare was on fire during the N64 era, and there’s no better example than Perfect Dark. Set in the far-distant year of 2023, the story follows Agent Joanna Dark, who gets tangled up in an alien conspiracy while investigating a power-hungry corporation named dataDyne.
As the spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark refined the first-person shooter gameplay while delivering impressive graphics and an endlessly replayable multiplayer mode. While the controls and frame rate are a bit primitive compared to modern standards, it’s still a remarkable game that’s a blast to revisit.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has long been celebrated asa top-tier fighter, and it’s still played competitively a quarter of a century later. Everything from the extensive character roster to the eye-catching animations is still just as impressive as when it launched.
However, the game’s biggest strength is its revolutionary tag-team gameplay, allowing you to swap between three fighters at any point. Because of this, each battle is fast-paced and exhilarating, with plenty of room for different strategies and devastating combos. And who can forget that iconic character-select song?
Despite being often overshadowed by the seventh entry, Final Fantasy 9 is a breathtaking JRPG in its own right. The plot follows a thief named Zidane, who kidnaps Princess Garnet only to discover she has always wanted to leave the castle. From there, the two form an unlikely duo and attempt to overthrow the tyrannical Queen Brahne.
The game introduced many new elements to the series, such as Active Time Events, the Trance system, and an in-game mail service called Mognet. Not to mention its outstanding story and combat system, both of which are still praised today.
Even 25 years later, Majora’s Mask is still the most unique and thought-provoking game in the Zelda series. While adventuring through the strange land of Termina, Link must repeatedly relive the same three days to stop the moon from crashing into the Earth. What follows is a powerful deep dive into the struggles of grief, betrayal, and death.
It’s astounding what Nintendo accomplished with such a strict deadline. The mask mechanic, time-based side quests, and existential themes complement each other beautifully, creating an emotional journey that’s never been replicated since. If you haven’t playedthis N64 masterpiece, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.
