TheNintendo 64has the reputation of producing some of the most influential games of its generation, with titles likeSuper Mario 64andThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timestanding out as games that would shape the future of their respective franchises. Many titles from the N64’s library are still beloved by fans today, even with the limitations of the hardware. Despite many of Nintendo’s iconic franchises making the jump to 3D with the N64, there are some surprisingly absent series that wouldn’t receive a 3D makeover until a future console generation.
There could be any number of reasons why these franchises never appeared on theN64, perhaps due to the lack of storage space afforded by the console’s use of cartridges. One of the reasons the console featured so many action and platformer titles was because the lower storage capacity limited its ability to handle many longer RPG and narrative-driven games. It could also be that developers had a hard time envisioning new iterations of these series with the shift from 2D to 3D. Whatever the reasons may be, fans are left to speculate as to what these missing franchises could have looked like on the N64.
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Metroid
The lastMetroidgame to release prior to the N64 wasSuper Metroidon the SNES in 1994, and the series wouldn’t see a new game for another eight years withMetroid Primeon the GameCube. Despite the critical success ofSuper Metroid, the game arrived late enough in the SNES' lifespan that sales were less than satisfactory.Metroid Primetook the series into the third dimension, changing up the gameplay from a 2D adventure-platformer to a first-person shooter. Although the N64 featured its share of FPS games likeGoldenEye 007andPerfect Dark,Super Metroid’s late release likely disrupted efforts to translate gameplay and delayed the series' 3D debut until the GameCube.
Kid Icarus
The first title in theKid Icarusseries released on the NES in 1986, with a sequel -Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters- released for the Game Boy in 1991. The franchise wouldn’t see another new entry until 2012 withKid Icarus: Uprisingon the 3DS, marking the series first foray into 3D. The on-rails shooter gameplay ofKid Icarus: Uprisingwould have been perfect for the N64 alongside similar titles likeStar Fox 64andBuck Bumble. However, the mixed critical reception of its first two entries likely prevented it from gaining a new entry until Pit’s appearance inSuper Smash Bros. Brawlreignited interest in the series (and gave Masahiro Sakurai new ideas).
Punch-Out!!
Starting life as an arcade title, Nintendo’s boxing seriesPunch-Out!!first made its way to home consoles with the release ofMike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!on the NES in 1987, followed by its sequelSuper Punch-Out!!for SNES in 1994. The series went dormant after that, missing out on both an N64 and a GameCube release. It would be revived in 2009 with the series reboot simply titledPunch-Out!!,which finally saw protagonist Little Mac make his 3D debut on the Wii.
Fire Emblem
Although theFire Emblemseries would not make its way outside of Japan until 2003, it had quite a legacy dating back to the Famicom. It received three titles on the Super Famicom, two of which releasing well into the N64’s life withFire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy Warin 1996 andFire Emblem: Thracia 776in 1999. Despite the N64 having other strategy RPGs likeOgre Battle 64, theFire Emblemseries opted to release those titles on the Super Famicom, so it would not receive its first 3D entry untilFire Emblem: Path of Radiancereleased for GameCube in 2005.
Earthbound
Earthbound’s history with the N64 is quite different from the other series missing from this console, as it had a game in development that was ultimately canceled. While the first game in the series was originally a Japan-only Famicom title namedMother,its sequel got an international release with the titleEarthbound. Despite its cult-like status today, the quirky RPG sold poorly in North America, which may have contributed to the cancelation of its N64 sequel. The series has yet to hit the 3D space, but elements of thescrappedEarthbound 64can be seen in its Japan-exclusive sequelMother 3on Game Boy Advance.
