A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Retro Dodo listed the best Star Wars games on Nintendo 64.
Ok, it was 2022, and in Yorkshire, UK, but you get the idea!
I think it’s safe to say that everyone reading Retro Dodo loves Star Wars. It’s one of the greatest franchises of all time, and gamers all over the world leap at the chance to get involved in the action.
There were only 4 Star Wars games ever released for the N64 over its 6-year lifespan, but they all packed a serious punch.
To be honest, anything with an X-Wing or a Stormtrooper is always going to rank highly in my book, so perhaps it’s a good job there were only 4!
Otherwise, this article could have been incredibly long!
So, let’s crack on and check out the first game in the list, shall we?
Oh, and may the force be with you.
Table of Contents
4. Star Wars: Episode 1: Battle For Naboo (2000)
Let’s face it, we all loved Rogue Squadron. Star Wars: Episode 1: Battle For Naboo was the second offering on the N64, a spiritual successor if you like.
And while it wasn’t as good as Rogue Squadron, It was still an absolute tour de force filled with action both in the air and on the ground.
Oh, and on the water too!
Battle for Naboo is the third-best thing about the first Star Wars Movie. There are 15 missions that players must embark on to thwart the trade federation.
Pilot a Naboo Starship, unlock a TIE fighter and secret levels, and maybe pop a few shots at Jar Jar Binks if you see him.
Visually, this game is incredible. I think it mostly gets a bad rap with critics and players is because of its unavoidable links to the world of the Phantom Menace.
I mean, it’s all in the name, I guess.
Still, there is one Episode 1 game that makes all that messing around on Naboo worth it.
3. Star Wars: Episode 1: Racer (1999)
I wish that Pod Racers were real. I probably wouldn’t own or drive one, but watching people blasting through canyons at immeasurable speeds would be something insane to behold.
Yes, apart from the rolling credits (second best thing), Star Wars Episode 1: Racer is the main redeeming quality of the Phantom Menace.
Anakin might have ended up beating Sebulba in the film, but now you and your mates can race to your hearts content with all manner of quirky characters and Pods.
Fans of F-Zero will be all over this game. It’s fast, it’s furious, and Pods take on damage as they collide against cave walls and other racers.
Players can heal their crafts, but be warned; there’s a strong chance you’ll explode while going around a corner.
Moral of the story, it’s a wild ride from start to finish.
This game is a Star Wars fan’s dream game and a real thrilling racer for those bored of Extreme-G or Mario Kart 64, two of the other best N64 games of all time.
2. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (1998)
If we’re talking about the best flying game on the N64, then it’s gotta be Rogue Squadron.
Let’s face it, piloting an X-Wing or the Millennium Falcon after inputting cheats and destroying TIE Fighters could be the greatest feeling on earth.
Shooting Probe Droids, protecting shield generators… this game sums up my Saturday afternoons after watching WWF Smackdown on Sky 1.
Can you remember the first time you heard a TIE Fighter shooting through your living room too, or the first time you flew a Y-Wing Bomber?
Jeez, those were the days!
Soar through all the classic settings from Mos Eisley to Beggars Canyon, taking in the entire Star Wars Universe and the iconic ships that fight in the starry skies above.
The Rogue Squadron stands to fight the Imperial forces after the Death Star is no more. In other words, they’ve got their work cut out for them.
To be honest, this is one touch cookie to crack. I’m glad the N64 controllers were pretty tough, as I definitely bounced them a few times while playing this game.
This game will forever go down in history as one of the greatest Star Wars titles of all time, it not just for that Millennium Falcon cheat alone.
If you’ve never played it, you need to get on it!
1. Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire (1996)
And finally, first place in our best Star Wars games on N64 list goes to Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire.
Seriously, what could be better than taking Dash Rendar on a mission through classic Star Wars settings, getting up close and personal with Stormtroopers with your trusty blaster?
Creeping through snowy canyons, knocking Stormtroopers into the shadows, blasting around on speeders… this game was, and still is, one of my favourite titles of all time.
Apart from when I was playing that garbage train level. That will haunt me forever!
There’s Dash above, just shooting some Empire scum while on his mission to aid Luke Skywalker.
Set between the 5th and 6th Star Wars films (chronologically), Dash is a Rebel with a cause, searching for Boba Fett and battling through Both, Mos Eisley, and many other cool settings.
This is one of the first games that I could remember where you had to wait for your blaster to actually recharge too, making fighting with enemies incredibly tense!
I’ll tell you what else was tense… the fact that all of those jumps seemed just a little too big to cover, meaning you’d have to do them again, and again… and again.
Shadows continued to be my favourite Star Was Game until Bounty Hunter finally dropped on the GameCube. Until Jango Fett took to the skies, however, Dash Rendar was the coolest kid in town.
I still owe my cousin half the money for this game 26 years later.
Please don’t tell him!
