Category: Japanese Exclusives

Developer: HAL Laboratory Publisher: Nintendo Released: March 31, 2000 6/10 Earthbound fans may often find themselves frustrated by Shigesato Itoi’s eclectic resume, but you’ve got to admire the man’s passion. Outside of his work with APE, Inc and contributions to the beloved Mother franchise across its three games (and any help he might have contributed Read more

Developer: T&E Soft Publisher: T&E Soft Released: December 26, 1997 5/10 Longtime developer of golf sims and many other titles for a multitude of systems and computers, T&E Soft debuted their expertise on the N64 with Masters ‘98. Having developed several 16-bit titles while in possession of the prestigious Augusta National license, the mission statement Read more

Developer: Compile Publisher: Compile Released: October 1997 7/10 After receiving two different paint jobs to bring the series stateside on 16-bit consoles — Kirby’s Avalanche and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine on SNES and Genesis, respectively — the third entry in Compile’s timeless color-matching puzzle game hit Japanese N64s in Fall 1997. With no form Read more

Developer: Shouei System Publisher: Amtex Released: November 28, 1997 2/10 From the category of games that are largely culturally irrelevant in the West, pachinko simulators were nothing new to the gaming world by 1997. A cross between slot machines and pinball, pachinko essentially fills the role of the former, as cash gambling is illegal in Read more

Developer: SETA Corporation Publisher: SETA Corporation Released: November 29, 1996 5/10 The first golf title released on the N64, Eikō no Saint Andrews takes advantage of the hardware with a 3D modeled representation of The Old Course, but unfortunately does little else to make it worthwhile. Though certainly playable, both for an import title as Read more

Developer: Hudson Soft Publisher: Hudson Soft Released: August 8, 1997 4/10 Even with baseball offerings from Imagineer and Konami already on the market, and Namco coming up not long after with a new Famista title the same year, the opportunity for Hudson to carve out its niche with the first Power League release on the Read more

Developer: AKI Corp., Asmik Ace Entertainment Publisher: Asmik Ace Entertainment Released: December 19, 1997 7/10 Though it’s nearly the same as the western release, WCW vs. nWo World Tour, the Japanese version of AKI’s first wrestling game on the N64 boasts a few differences that ultimately contribute to a more complete and cohesive overall package. Read more

Developer: Amtex Publisher: Seta Corp. Released: November 13, 1998 5/10 The full experience of Seta’s version of Tetris can be a bit difficult to get an idea of nowadays, as it was the only game compatible with the N64 Bio Sensor, an accessory originally included with it upon release. The Bio Sensor would clip to Read more