I talked about this game in my look at forgotten video games based on movies, but it’s really worth emphasizing how strange it is that this title is rarely discussed today. Look past this game’s technical problems and structural shortcomings, and you’ll find a game that is remarkably similar to many modern FromSoftware titles. However, it was a fascinating attempt at an early 3D action-adventure game that utilized survival horror elements and a compelling gothic atmosphere. In fact, the very first 3D Castlevania game is still trying to shake its bad reputation all these years later.Ĭastlevania 64 isn’t perfect, and it’s certainly not as brilliant as Symphony of the Night. There are some good (or at least interesting) 3D Castlevania games that get caught under the wheels of that stigma. I understand why 3D Castlevania games have such a bad reputation compared to their 2D counterparts, but that reputation has unfairly taken on a life of its own over the years. Rare’s farewell to the N64 was a true showcase of both their knowledge of the hardware and the creative talents of an all-time great studio working at the top of their game. Sure, Bad Fur Day had the technological advantage of being released during the N64’s final days, but there were few N64 games in that specific time period that looked half as good as this one. However, I’d be lying to you if I tried to pretend that Conker’s stunning visuals weren’t the real reason it earns a spot on this highly-competitive list. I could probably make the argument that Conker’s Bad Fur Day belongs on this list due to the “ahead of their time” nature of the game’s pop culture/meta humor and cinematic action sequences. It turns out that there’s a pretty good chance you may have also missed some of the N64’s most innovative and original games. Personal ignorance aside, maybe it’s a testament to the innovations of some of the N64’s most overlooked titles that I only recently appreciated how ahead of their time some of those games were. While my research into this topic revealed quite a few N64 titles that were indeed as successful as they were innovative, I also quickly discovered that the N64 library ran so much deeper than I initially suspected. That success somewhat compromises the spirit of the “ahead of their time” concept.
Mind you, that’s not because the N64 library wasn’t filled with innovative games, but rather that the N64 library was oddly filled with innovative games that did receive a ton of praise and recognition in their day. As I continue my look at the history of video games that were ahead of their time, I have to admit that initially dreaded the idea of writing the Nintendo 64 entry in this series.
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