Nintendo has had a must-buy gift of the holiday season for the past two years with the NES Classic Edition and the Super Nintendo Classic Edition, so it stands to reason they would move to a miniature version of their 3rd generation console, the Nintendo 64.
Now it’s possible Nintendo could skip this generation for several reasons. For starters, the N64 didn’t have that many amazing games as opposed to other consoles where there’s a wealth of great titles. Also, some of the best games (GoldenEye, NFL Blitz) would likely run into licensing issues. Then there’s the cost of the controllers, which are bulky and could be too much to produce.
But if we’re making a wish list, we shouldn’t be constrained by these limitations. And if Nintendo wants to own another holiday season, then we should look forward to an N64 Mini.
1080 Snowboarding
This seems like a solid sports title worth adding, especially if you can’t get Tony Hawk Pro Skater.
Banjo-Kazooie
This one seems unlikely because it’s owned by Rare, and Rare is owned by Microsoft. Unless it’s a title with a Nintendo-owned character like Donkey Kong, if it’s on Rare Replay, it seems like a long shot for an N64 mini.
Blast Corps
See previous entry.
Bomberman 64
Bomberman is a popular title, and for a console that famously came with four controller ports, this would be great for local multiplayer.
Conker's Bad Fur Day
This is one seems unlikely, not because of its raunchy humor, but because Conker is a Rare character.
Diddy Kong Racing
This would be nice to include, but would anyone play it when you had the option of Mario Kart 64?
Donkey Kong 64
Play it without requiring the Expansion Pak!
GoldenEye 007
If they could get this game, people would go nuts. Unfortunately, you have to clear the hurdle of not only Rare, but also the 007 license and likeness rights for every character.
Jet Force Gemini
Again, it’s Rare and it’s on Rare Replay, so that’s a problem.
Killer Instinct Gold
It’s a shame that Rare, one of the biggest developers for Nintendo, is now owned by Microsoft.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
It's only one of the best games ever made. Probably a good idea to include it.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
They re-released this for the Nintendo 3DS, so it would be surprising if it wasn’t available on the N64 Classic.
Mario Kart 64
This is a must-include. People would be pissed if it was absent.
Mario Party
You could also include Mario Party 2 or 3, but I’d expect to see at least one of these on the console.
Mario Golf
It’s a solid sports title worth including.
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
This one was on the Sega Genesis mini, so why not get it on the N64?
NFL Blitz
About as unlikely as GoldenEye since the NFL doesn’t want to trivialize the violence that partially defines football.
Paper Mario
I’d be surprised if this one didn’t make it in, especially since Super Mario RPG is on the SNES Classic.
Perfect Dark
The Rare problem rears its head again.
Pilotwings 64
That other N64 launch title!