Nintendo One of the best snowboarding games on any platform, 1080 Snowboarding faithfully recreates the mountain experience with beautiful graphics, realistic character and environment physics, atmospheric sound effects, and addictive gameplay. Players compete on a variety of unique tracks ranging from a half-pipe and long jump—both devoted to trick-happy boarders—to long descents that offer plenty of environmental obstacles, including jumps, deep powder, ice, and thick stands of trees. On several tracks, simply reaching the bottom of the hill is an accomplishment in itself.

Much of the game's appeal lies in the finely tuned player controls. As in real life, learning the basics—turning, jumping, carving—is a snap. Honing one's skills to smoothly land a jump, pull off complex in- air tricks, and negotiate tight turns and steep descents, however, is very challenging. It's this appealing combination of skill learning and track mastering that promises to entice players back to the slopes season after season. Extra kudos to the designers for the beautifully realistic sound effects—scraping along icy sections of the track is, literally, a tooth-grinding experience. —Eric Twelker

Pros:One of the best snowboarding games on any platformGorgeous graphics and environmental sound effectsRealistic character and environment physicsCons:Game engine slows down in graphic-heavy sectionsOpening "locked" tracks requires advanced 'boarding skills, patience, and a love for the sport

Nintendo

Nintendo Video game developers sure are giving us ex-kids an excuse to shamelessly play with our favorite childhood car toys again. Seems that every favorite car toy brand is now immortalized on a game console: Lego Racers, RC Racing, Penny Racers, Micro Machines—even Tonka Raceway. And now in zips the virtual rendition of a toy collector favorite, Hot Wheels Turbo Racing.

In the Hot Wheels world, wild stunts and blazing crashes are par for the course. Each track faithfully incorporates design elements and the feel of the Hot Wheels track sets, complete with that signature scraping sound of plastic wheels digging into dizzying loops and high-banked curves.

It's the stunts that make this game a true Hot Wheels racing experience. Each track offers plenty of bumps and jumps for pulling off crazy flips, rolls, somersaults, and helicopter spins that earn turbo boosts, necessary power-ups for finishing in the lead. This stunt-boost-stunt-boost racing method makes for a chaotically fun experience, with the lead shifting by the moment as cars flip, tumble, crash, and burn every which way toward the finish line.

The graphics aren't the greatest to grace an auto racing game—bland colors, flat textures, and blocky scenery are a common sight—but once one is barreling along at over 100 mph through dizzying loops and curves, aesthetics take a back seat to the intensely fun action. —Eric Twelker

Pros:Faithful recreation of the Hot Wheels worldDizzying track designsTons of replay valueCons:Bland graphics on many tracks

Nintendo No matter how you slice it, Jet Force Gemini is one tough game. But the frustration of playing this epic is tempered by the sheer magnitude and quality found within. Be forewarned, this run-and-gun action-fest is not for everyone. In fact, novices may be better off letting seasoned gamers fight over this morsel.

Jet Force Gemini includes three complete characters, more than 15 unique weapons, smart artificial intelligence (AI), and the rescue of Ewok-like creatures from giant space insects. For those who don't have an extra 30 to 60 hours to burn, JFG feels like the most bloated, uncut Hollywood epic ever. Yes, the game is deep, but not good enough to wade through enormous hours of gameplay. Buying JFG is a commitment, one that will have die-hards playing gleefully for many months, and the rest of us wincing each time we need to restart a level after being annihilated. —Jeff Young

Pros:An amazing array of gameplay styles, weapons, and bossesColorful graphicsGood valueCons:Excruciatingly hard and excessively longChoppy animationDifficult control scheme

Nintendo Mario Kart 64, one of the first games released for the Nintendo 64 platform, is an updated translation of the very popular Super Mario Kart for the Super NES (SNES). And while the game clearly takes full advantage of the graphics power and speed of the N64, a few components that made the original so compelling have been left out of this release. Still, Nintendo's expertise at sucking players into the game world is strongly evident, and Mario Kart 64 offers enough challenges to keep players (especially casual gamers) entertained. Placing a familiar Nintendo personality behind the wheel of a sputtering kart powered by a 50, 100, or 150-cc engine, the game lets players race computerized opponents or up to four other players on a variety of well-designed tracks. Because karts lack the power and speed of race cars, drivers must focus on collecting power-ups and nonlethal weapons rather than negotiating hairpin turns on two wheels. Grabbing and using on-track items is the heart of the game's fun: a strategically-placed banana peel sends the unlucky victim into a spin, nailing an opponent with a turtle shell launches their vehicle skyward, and a rocket provides a quick boost to near-breakneck speeds, if only for a moment.

Nintendo

Nintendo Nintendo 64 owners have been patiently waiting for a decent role-playing game, and, at long last, one has arrived in the form of the perplexing Paper Mario. World-famous video game icon Mario stars in this unconventional RPG, which was originally announced as Super Mario RPG 2. Don't be fooled by the cutesy visual exterior of this game, which borrows heavily from the well-established Mario universe. Yep... it's the same lovable Mario who dons his familiar red overalls and unkempt moustache. However, the catch is that Mario now stubbornly appears as a two-dimensional character—despite the largely 3-D exterior gaming environments that surround him. When our flat-headed friend turns around, his paper-thin presence becomes immediately apparent. It's a cool gimmick, but fortunately Paper Mario is far from a cut-and-paste cartoon caper.

As with most RPG titles, players must battle with several menacing enemies as they travel from place to place on their quest. Each encounter requires gamers to strategically choose between various modes of attack. For example, Mario is particularly handy with the hammer—thus you might opt to select his hangover-inducing hammer attack. As the adventure progresses, additional characters will join your quest. Your ever-growing posse gives you more fighting power, as each team member brings new attack moves and powers worth mastering. To advance within the game, you'll need to pay close attention to your health meter, enemy hit points, and your ever-expanding attack options. The game starts with enemies that are easy to defeat, but it quickly becomes quite difficult to survive subsequent attacks without careful planning.

Unlike most RPG games, each attack sequence is enhanced by a special action function. Instead of passively sitting back and watching each attack move occur, the player can enhance your attack by pressing a button or moving the directional controller at precisely the right time. As someone who has racked up several hours (and more than a few snoozes) during repetitious RPG attack sequences, the action feature is a welcome addition to break up the monotony of multiple attacks.

Fans of the traditional Mario games will appreciate the return of familiar characters, such as Princess Peach and Luigi. Perpetual baddie Bowser even plays a key role in this addictive adventure. Best of all, there are plenty of hidden areas and extras to uncover. Paper Mario may boast elements of the classic platform gaming genre, as well as the traditional RPG—but it ultimately cuts through all expectations to deliver an experience that appeals to both casual and hard-core gamers. —Brett Atwood

Pros:Weeks of gaming due to expansive environmentsHidden goodies to uncoverClassic Mario gameplay mixed with traditional RPG actionCons:Highly addictive (prepare to lose some sleep)Cartoon exterior may not appeal to some hard-core gamers

Rare A first-person shooter that mixes spy and sci-fi, Perfect Dark is both a thoroughly engrossing one-player experience and a riotously fun multiplayer romp. Easily one of the best games of its genre on any video game console, this long-awaited follow-up to GoldenEye 007 is a must-have for Nintendo 64 owners—and a damn good reason to be one if you're not.

The futuristic Perfect Dark casts players as Joanna Dark, a secret agent who becomes embroiled in a sinister conspiracy involving aliens and an evil corporation. Gameplay is broken down into missions, each with objectives that must be unerringly completed before progressing to the next mission. This is not your typical kill-anything-that-moves game: putting a bullet in the wrong person, not keeping the right one alive, or perforating a seemingly unimportant inanimate object can often result in mission failure.

While Perfect Dark's solo missions play out much like those in GoldenEye 007, the game's fantastic multiplayer options are another matter entirely. Cooperative and counteroperative simultaneous-play modes allow for another player to join in on a mission as, respectively, a teammate or the enemy. However, the real fun here is in the highly customizable Combat Simulator, a one-to-four-player simultaneous-play mode that features both free-for-alls and team-based challenges and can include up to eight Simulants, computer-controlled combatants of varying behavior.

Although Simulants make for decent adversaries or teammates, you'll want to grab a friend—and an Expansion Pak, as only 35 percent of the game is available without one—to fully enjoy Perfect Dark. —Joe Hon

Pros:One of the best first-person shooters on any video game consoleOutstanding multiplayer game with huge replay valueBevy of game options, cheats, and secret featuresExcellent training mode with challenges all of its ownCons:Graphics get ugly when playing with more than two players

Nintendo

LucasArts Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer is, of course, a shameless tie-in game based on the Boonta Eve Pod Race scene from the movie. As a Star Wars title it's sure to get a lot of interest, but the question is: is it any fun to play? Yes, actually, it is.

Racer differs from a normal racing game. Rather than merely steering your way around the track, you can enhance your turns by using the Z button on the controller. Holding down the button shifts the cockpit off to the side and kicks you sideways with a burst of extra speed. And of course, a big part of pod racing is the spectacular crashes, and here LucasArts does not disappoint. As Qui-Gon says, "Pod racing is very dangerous!" Even your opponents crash—sometimes into each other.

The 3-D visuals and sound are good, but not groundbreaking. To forestall the inevitable boredom that all racing games eventually leave you with, the game lets you race on different planets, each with their own tracks. The tracks are inventive, especially in the later levels: some tracks have shortcuts to discover, others have zero-gravity sections and hair-raising jumps. The racing pods also differ, and with victory in certain races, more powerful craft become available. A pit area allows you to view all the weird designs up close in 3-D.

In tournament mode, prize money is awarded for top finishers; you can use the cash to buy parts to upgrade your pod. It's a good thing the purse isn't paid out in Republic credits: Star Wars fans will recognize the parts dealer as none other than Watto. His wry comments spice up the shopping experience, and he sounds just like he did in the movie. Racer is a worthwhile purchase for fans of Star Wars or racing games. —Eric Fredrickson

Pros:Imaginative tracks keep it interestingWatto's parts shop!Up to 2 players (each needs his or her own controller)Star WarsCons:Basically a racing game, won't hold your interest foreverDoes not allow a 4-player option

LucasArts It is a time soon after the destruction of the first Death Star. Luke Skywalker has formed a squadron of hot-shot pilots to engage the still-formidable Imperial forces. You, as Luke, must lead this rogue squadron in a series of galaxy-spanning raids and rescues. To complete all your missions, you'll need good flying skills, fast reflexes, a keen eye, and a quick trigger finger.

You get to fly all your favorite ships: The X-wing, Y-wing, snowspeeder—even the Millennium Falcon. There are also some "secret" ships, such as the sleek Naboo Starfighterfrom Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, a TIE interceptor, and, um, a '78 Buick.

The flight simulation in this game is first-rate. You'll find yourself leaning to the side as you pull a high-G turn in pursuit of Imperial TIE fighters. And the outstanding graphics and sounds are realistic enough to transport you to the Star Wars universe. Every detail is in place, right down to the individual Stormtroopers you can see running around (and trying to shoot you). One of the more impressive sequences lets you bring down Imperial Walkers by using the tow cables on your snowspeeder. Nice touch.

This is a single-player game, but you start each mission with a few wingmen from your squadron, and the well-done spoken dialogue between pilots and commanders really makes you feel like part of a team. The only significant shortcoming is the lack of a cooperative multiplayer option. With its excellent gameplay, varied environments, and interesting missions, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron is sure to become a long-time favorite. —Eric Fredrickson

Pros:Faithful to lots of Star Wars detailsSatisfying flight action, explosions, sound effectsInteresting missions and plotSee—and fight over—the Spice mines of Kessel and other famous Star Wars planetsCons:For some reason, you can only fly clockwise when bringing down a WalkerNo "easy" setting for those without The ForceVoices of Luke, Wedge, and Han don't sound like the real thing

Nintendo

Nintendo

Midway Entertainment Designed for N64 Controller Pak. Tear u the ice with the Great One, and experience lighting fast skating, blistering one timers and hard hitting body checks. Hammer the puck, and rip the net..with the world's best