The N64 Encyclopedia by Chris Scullion
The N64 Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo 64 is the fourth in a series of books by Chris Scullion where he catalogues all the official games released for console.
The main concept behind this book is have a one-stop-book to be able to read about what each game is about and sometimes even some of the history behind it. It was released in 2022, so it comes at a time about 20 years since the final game was released on the Nintendo 64, giving it plenty of time for the dust to settle on what each game meant at its point in history.
Before this book was published, he work on an encyclopedia for the NES, SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis, and since then he has added the Game Boy (including GBC) and Dreamcast to the lineup.
Scope & purpose
I feel that the book is to be used as a reference book – in the sense that you think of a game and then flip over to its page to learn what it is about. It is useful if it’s something that you haven’t played yet or to get a bit of context for a game that you are already familiar with.
If I had to guess who the target audience is, I’d say that it is likely someone who prefers a straightforward, factual summary of every game released—rather than lengthy quotes from developers, journalists, or other contemporary sources.
It makes for much easier reading, since you get all the key information about a game and what made it special without needing to be an expert. That said, if you already know a lot about a particular title, you might find the coverage a bit simplistic as it mostly sticks to the basics.
Organization & Editorial Approach
The vast majority of the book is dedicated to the list of games, with only about 5 pages dedicated to an introduction and history of the N64.
The introduction is the odd section out thematically, as it is pretty much the only part of the book which goes in any depth into the author’s personal experience with the console. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it is a bit jarring that you never read anything else like it in the rest of the book. There are a few times within the individual game entries where some personal fair does pop in, but it’s few and far between.
The N64 game entries
The N64 Encyclopedia covers all N64 games. And by that, I really do mean all games ever released. This includes all games released in Europe, USA and even Japan.
Book structure
The book is divided into two main sections: The games released in USA and Europe, and then the Japanese exclusives (including 64DD). Each one has the games listed in mostly alphabetical order with some exceptions like Gex 64 and Gex 3, Cruis’n World and Cruis’n Exotica, etc to keep game series internally chronological when needed.
Most of the time the different international versions are kept as the same entry unless there is some significant difference like with Michael Owen’s WLS 2000 (Europe) and Mia Hamm Soccer 64 (USA). There’s no point in covering a game twice when the main difference is the title like Star Fox 64 (NTSC) / Lylat Wars (PAL) or Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (USA/PAL) / Space-Time Warrior Turok (JAP). Where small differences exist like Turok’s lack of blood in Germany, those are noted when needed within the entry itself.
That said, the games are listed with their USA name, despite this book being written by a European author and written with UK spelling.
Funnily enough, there is an index at the end of the book. It is a bit redundant considering that the games are already in alphabetical order but it might be useful if you can’t tell the difference between a Japanese and non-Japanese game, or if you know the European title, it’ll redirect you to the American one.
What isn’t included
This book is 100% games. Here’s some things you won’t find here (except sometimes mentioned in a game entry of course):
- Unreleased games
- Hardware & accessories
- Homebrew and hacks
Entry structure
Every game has its own entry in the book, and they all follow the sane basic structure. In the header, you have:
- The name (defaulted to the USA version of the name)
- The release date (year only, USA release)
- Regions: NA, PAL (Australia exclusives are counted here) and/or Japan
- Developer (by region)
- Publisher (by region)
Then you have the main text body which varies in length between a quarter page and a full page. This of course includes at least one screenshot, and finally a little ‘fun fact’ bubble.
Main body
The main body of text follows a fairly consistent structure. It typically begins with some background on the game – explaining how it fits within its series, its place in the gaming industry at the time, or offering behind-the-scenes stories about its development.
Next comes a summary of the game’s plot. The author usually focuses on the early part of the story to avoid spoilers, instead providing an overview of the setting and the general narrative arc.
Following that is a look at the gameplay. This section varies depending on the game’s genre but usually covers the core objective, control mechanics, and any new features – particularly if the game is part of a series.
If space allows, the final section discusses the game’s reception at the time of its release and how well it holds up 20 years later. Occasionally, the author includes a bit of personal insight, which adds a welcome touch of personality.
This structure tends to shift a bit when covering sports or racing games. Since these titles often lack a traditional narrative, the focus turns to their setting and style. Which teams or vehicles are included? Is there an official league or manufacturer license? What’s new in this version? Are there any celebrity tie-ins? Does the game aim for realism or lean into a wackier style? Each entry has its own quirks, and Chris Scullion does a good job of highlighting what sets each one apart.
Content analysis
Pacing and alphabetical order
Since all the entries in the book are ordered alphabetically, it can lead to some peculiar situations.
Some other publications try to give every game its own page to keep things consistent, but The N64 Encyclopedia instead gives more space to the major titles 64 and less to the obscure. That means that the length varies depending on the game’s significance to the Nintendo 64.
This can result in some odd moments – like when a relatively minor game gets a full page just because it’s sandwiched between two heavy hitters. For example, you have Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong 64, and then in between them there is a full page dedicated to Donald Duck: Quack Attack. It sometimes feels like space is being filled just for the sake of formatting.
That said, some groupings are handled quite well. International Superstar Soccer 64 gets a full page, while its sequels – ISS 98 and ISS 2000 – share a half page. The NBA games (ten of them in total) are all bunched together, but mercifully most only get a quarter page each. Still, the “N” section can be a bit of a slog thanks to how many sports titles are clustered there.
The only other section I wasn’t looking forward to was the “W”s – specifically all the wrestling games. I didn’t grow up watching wrestling, so I only played those games occasionally with friends. Every single one gets a full page, adding up to nine pages I didn’t get much from. A fan might appreciate the detail, but for me, it felt like overkill.
The Japanese-exclusive titles are mostly short—just a quarter page—except for a few notable ones like Doshin the Giant, SimCity 64DD, Animal Crossing, and Sin & Punishment. There’s a lot of Mahjong, baseball, and Shogi games, which aren’t particularly exciting, but the author does his best to keep them interesting and acknowledges their niche appeal. Thankfully, these entries aren’t lumped together alphabetically, so you don’t have to wade through them all at once.
Of course, if you’re not reading the book cover to cover, most of this doesn’t matter. You can just flip to the game you’re curious about and dive in.
The bigger picture
One of the great things about books that revisit the Nintendo 64 all these years later is that they benefit from hindsight. The N64 doesn’t exist in a vacuum – it’s part of a broader lineage, following the SNES and leading into the GameCube. It also shared its era with the PlayStation and the evolving PC gaming scene, which shaped the industry in parallel.
Whenever it’s relevant, Chris Scullion dives into that wider context. Was a game the first of its kind to go 3D? Did it have notable predecessors or sequels? What innovation did it bring to the table, or what made it stand out from everything else at the time? These aren’t just blurbs about games – they’re there to help you understand why each title mattered (or didn’t).
The way some entries are written also encourages reading the book in order. Later entries often reference earlier ones more than the other way around. For example, Flying Dragon brings up Fighting Force, Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest refers back to MLB Featuring KGJ, and Mortal Kombat 4 opens with: “This book has already shown multiple examples of platformers that made the jump from sprite-based games to polygonal 3D this generation (…)”. While not entirely necessary, it’s more comfortable to read this book from start to finish than to read individual entries in isolation.
Since this is the third book in the series, there are also a handful of references to the previous NES and SNES books, but they’re never overbearing. For example, in the Pokémon Puzzle League, Automobili Lamborghini or Midway’s Greatest Arcade Hits Vol 1 entries, he brings up the SNES book; meanwhile only Shadowgate 64 mentions The NES Encyclopedia directly. Even Bassmasters 2000 starts off by mentioning all three previous books, but it’s always done with a tongue-in-cheek tone which makes it feel more self-aware than distracting.
Value of content
Most of the information in The N64 Encyclopedia is based on publicly available sources. In fact, you could probably gather 90% of the facts from the game’s Wikipedia page, GameFAQs, and about 30 minutes of playtime. So the real value here lies in the concise, well-organized summaries that each entry offers.
That said, the book is massive – so even if you’re an N64 veteran, you’re bound to pick up something new simply through the sheer volume of facts. The “Fact” box that accompanies each entry, in particular, tends to include lesser-known tidbits that you won’t typically find when looking the game up.
When the game in question doesn’t have much depth or notoriety, the fact section usually shifts focus to something broader – often the game’s theme or its cultural context. For example, in Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey ’98, the fact discusses the relocation of several NHL teams, while in 64 Oozumou and its sequel, the focus turns to sumo wrestling in general rather than anything specific about the game.
When it comes to Japanese exclusives, though, there’s a noticeable drop in detail. To be fair, most of those games and the information about them are in Japanese, which makes it difficult to research unless you’re fluent in the language. Still, it would have been great to see more coverage of obscure titles—like the Japan-only RPGs (Onegai Monsters, Nushi Tsuri, Wonder Project J2, Zool), the mecha games (Super Robot Spirits, Last Legion UX, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Bangai-O, Custom Robo), or oddball curiosities like Ucchan Nanchan or Mario no Photopi.
There also isn’t much in the way of first-hand research or original reporting. You won’t find developer interviews, community retrospectives, analysis of leaked source code, or anything along those lines. Then again, that level of depth would probably clash with the book’s goal of being a straightforward, accessible encyclopedia, so it’s not necessarily a flaw, just something to be aware of.
Similarly, there’s no “recommended reading” section if you want to dive deeper into a game. There’s no bibliography or curated links, aside from occasional references to the author’s previous books for more information on related franchises.
Review and conclusion
Physical Appearance
The N64 Encyclopedia is a hefty hardcover, measuring 21.59 × 3.05 × 28.7 cm and weighing in at around 1.3 kg. It’s not exactly something you’d want to lug around on a train or plane—this is very much a coffee table book, best enjoyed at home where you have space to prop it up comfortably. Heck, I even found it a bit awkward to find somewhere to put it in between reading sessions.
The cover design feels a little like an afterthought. It features a simple two-tone gradient background with a render of the N64 console and controller, plus a blank cartridge slotted in – which I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere else; it feels a bit stock. Add to that the ‘sticker’ labels reading “The Unofficial Guide” and “Includes All 64DD and Japanese Games”, and it starts to resemble a magazine cover more than a more serious publication.
That said, this aesthetic seems consistent across the series. The other books in the collection share a similar format, though I do think the Game Boy Encyclopedia cover stands out the most – it has a bit more flair, with its synthwave-inspired design. The NES Encyclopedia at least tries something a little different with a starry night sky, which gives it a bit of charm.
Despite any quibbles with the visuals, the build quality is excellent. The hardcover has a soft, almost velvety finish, somewhere between matte plastic and thick paper that feels both durable and pleasant to hold. The pages inside are surprisingly lightweight for a book of this size and turn easily without feeling too thin or fragile.
Editorial
There are a lot of things that work well in The N64 Encyclopedia. While the book is long, it is by no means hard to read. The author puts in a great amount of effort to finding something interesting about even the most mundane of entries, and it’s evident that he has a genuine appreciation for all kinds of games, regardless of genre.
What stands out most is the book’s completeness and consistency. While some games receive a full page and others only a quarter, every title gets a fair share of attention; enough to ensure that no entry feels like an afterthought.
The screenshots throughout the book aim for a kind of “typical gameplay moment” aesthetic. They don’t showcase big set pieces or title screens; instead, they give a grounded glimpse into what it’s actually like to play the game. However, if you’re already familiar with a title the images may not offer anything particularly eye-catching.
Reading through it, what I think is missed the most from the entries is that there is zero mention of fan contributions to the N64 library anywhere in the book. There is a massive modding scene for game like Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye and Ocarina of Time, but no mention of it. Same goes for translations of Japanese titles like Wonder Project J2, Sin and Punishment or even Eikou no Saint Andrews that have significantly broadened their reach. While it’s understandable that these unofficial efforts aren’t recognized by Nintendo, they’ve played a huge role in keeping the N64 relevant long after its commercial life ended and it would have been nice to see at least a nod to that.
A lot of the information within this book’s pages feels. The N64’s legacy is well established: its major sequels have long since been released, and its place in gaming history is pretty much locked in. Aside from the handful of games made available via Nintendo Switch Online, there isn’t much in the way of new developments. Because of that, the content here is unlikely to become outdated any time soon, which gives the book lasting value as a reference.
Value
In terms of price, I think that it definitely provides the best value for money out of the genre of “Coffee table Nintendo 64 books”. It’s about $40 in the US and £30 in the UK (currently on sale for £21), it’s the most affordable of the bunch while still managing to be both insightful and comprehensive.
There is also a paperback edition for £17 and a digital version for £10. That said, for a book of this size, the hardcover is by far the better option. A paperback would be too floppy and unwieldy to read comfortably.
Final thoughts
At first impressions, The N64 Encyclopedia is quite unassuming. The cover is a bit bland, the title is almost generic and non-descript which makes it come off as a basic informative fact book when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The author’s ability to cover everything a game has to offer in a way that’s engaging for both experts and novices is truly a hard task to accomplish and probably the book’s greatest strength. The quality of each entry is consistently good. The explanations are all clear, to the point and cover an immense amount of information is the space they are given. Even reading through the games I’m not particularly interested in doesn’t feel like a chore; it’s as though a die-hard fan of each genre wrote each entry with extreme attention to detail.
Whatever gripes I might have mentioned really are minor at the end of the day and through no fault of the author. The biggest issue arises from the limitation imposed by the alphabetical ordering of the book. It forces a lot of similar games together (which is a plus most of the time since you can see the progression of a series one after the other) but it can be monotonous especially in the N and W pages. It also causes some entries to be too big or too small when sandwiched between other more significant games.
The N64 Encyclopedia of course has some limitations in terms of lacking specific sections about hardware or accessories, or even any Nintendo 64 hardware or software from after the GameCube was released. If you are looking for a N64 book that is inexpensive and covers every single retail release across the world, then this is the book for you.
