Let us be frank about it. There’s no Virtual Console on the Nintendo Switch because they have a good thing going right now. The nostalgia is strong for the Classic Edition consoles and given the demand for the adorable NES and SNES Classics, it’d be foolish to assume that we won’t be partying like it’s 1996 this holiday season. The Nintendo 64 is a special console and deserves to be celebrated the proper way, the Classic Edition way. (Please give us Gamecube Classic too.Please!) So what exactly will be the first game that we rush to grab the weird looking, thick sai with buttons for?

Well, the lineup will be epic, making this nearly as difficult as indecisively cruising around with a car full of friends trying to figure out which drive-thru menu suits everyone enough. Consider this an appetizer to hold you over and maybe help with a decision. Here are the five games to play immediately on the N64 Classic:

5. Mario Kart 64

Skrrt Skrrt! Top five, for sure. Karting was never the same after this one. MK64 is the dawn of 3D racing with drifting and smacking friends with shells and bananas becoming seriously competitive while remaining equally as fun. This entry, in the best-selling racing series in the US, has since been bested a few times. First, with “Double Dash” on the Gamecube and now with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Going back to relive the conspicuously dated mechanics keeps this from being higher on the list because of the polish we are accustomed to in 2018. Still, the memories alone that will flash before our eyes as we race for that first Gold Mushroom Cup is absolutely worth it.

4. Donkey Kong 64

Remember how the N64 needed the Expansion Pak to fully run this game?

HA! A measly 4 megabytes can fit in a grain of rice these days. Luckily, that means Donkey Kong 64 will most likely make the lineup and we can all start searching for rainbow coins again which, by the way, are still being discovered today. Just last year, speedrunner Isotarge was the first to find a specifically hidden rainbow coin.

I don’t know what’s more impressive, the unobtrusively placed coin or Rare’s commitment to keeping its existence a secret. What other secrets could there be? Hmm…

3. Super Smash Bros.

By the time the N64 Classic launches, the Nintendo Switch Super Smash Bros. hype would have already crescendoed to the point of deafness, causing us to ignore this beautiful callback to a simpler time. In the event that it’s not overshadowed by the new game, be it by scheduled launch dates or possibly disappointment in the Switch game’s quality (there’s not even chance of that happening), the original Super Smash Bros. will get fired up and so will friendships. Again. This undisputed classic will never not be fun.

Every “Smash” is distinguishable from the others. No matter how good they get, every game in the series is special in its own way. Whichever Super Smash Bros. game is in immediate reach is guaranteed to be booted up and having it on a tiny replica of the N64 is enough to make any die-hard Nintendo lover salivate. Dibs on Samus!

2. Super Mario 64

This has to be the most overplayed game in history that’s not called Super Mario Bros., right? Apparently, too much is not enough. It still gets played regularly two decades later. What is there left to do in it? It doesn’t make any sense. That is until it’s in front of you and the urge to jump through a painting and soar the skies with Wing Cap Mario overwhelms to the point of dropping whatever it is you’re doing and flushing 3 swift hours of your life in the toilet.

It’s such a staple in the evolution of gaming, it’s hard to not appreciate it. Super Mario 64 fatigue is the easiest to get rid of for some reason and eventually, it comes back. Always! N64 Classic Edition will undoubtedly be running this game fresh out the box in the majority of households that are lucky enough to acquire one.

…And the game that YOU most definitely need to play on your N64 Classic first is — drum roll please -

1. Superman 64

Wooo! A gem! Must play!

April Fools!

Ok, but seriously.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Now, This game — this is reserved for a special group of people. When the N64 Classic drops, only the sophisticated, high-quality gamers will fire up this masterpiece instantaneously.

Are you one of us? Come, join the quest to restore peace in Hyrule. It’s number one on the list for a reason. Everyone should consider going straight for Ocarina of Time, the real ones already will. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is not just a game. It’s a way of life, ok? There is nothing to explain here. When Link picks up that Ocarina, make sure to press A, C-Down, C-Up / A, C-Down, C-Up. It will come in handy in disguising the moisture that will seep from your soul windows. It’s pretty simple; Ocarina of Time is the right choice. Being unable to resist a quick session of Star Fox 64 or Mario Party is understandable. However, no game is worth reaching the end credits first over The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

When the inevitable Nintendo 64 Classic Edition launch day arrives and you unbox the mini version of the iconic console that teased the potential of 3D gaming’s future, here’s the first thing you should do. Wake up and follow that voice. Navi will guide you.
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