When the new consoles come in, the first system that I have from the lot is always (with the exception of the 128-bit generation – as I had a Dreamcast and a Playstation 2 before a Gamecube) a Nintendo console. Every generation Nintendo manages to impress me, but in the 32-bit era Nintendo really impressed me since their franchises took the leap into 3D beautifully. While some 2D franchises had bumpy transitions (Sonic for example), Nintendo crafted the 3D versions of their 2D franchises in such a way that it seemed to mesh perfectly into the game’s 2D world.

Mario 64 is one of my favorite Mario games of all time, I still play it today from time to time along with the NES originals. The mechanic stayed the same, Mario bopped bad guys on the noggin and picked up powerups. But, this time it was done in a 3D environment. It was different from anything before, but somehow it still felt the same.

The same could be said for Ocarina of Time taking Link into the 3D realm, Mario Kart 64, and even Dr. Mario. The latter is my favorite version released yet for any system, as it added a new background tune and a much needed story mode to break the monotony up a bit in single player.

Out of all of Nintendo’s systems, the Nintendo 64 is probably tied with the Super Nintendo for the system that I still play the most on to this day.