A few months ago, back around the time when the Switch 2 launched, observant fans uncovered what appeared to be clues to upcoming Nintendo 64 games, including Donkey Kong 64 and Super Smash Bros. Now, all these months later, we finally got confirmation that maybe there's something to that theory, because this week Expansion Pack subscribers will get their hands on Forsaken 64, one of the games featured front and center in that leaked image. That's cool, news, but is this game actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Edge and more classic magazines that reviewed this game back when it first came out. You might want to have a barf bag handy, because this is going to be a dizzying episode of Nintendo Classics Review Crew!


After wowing critics with the early Nintendo 64 hit, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Acclaim was on a mission to rehabilitate its terrible reputation, one game at a time. Their next big title was Forsaken, a fast-paced 3D shoot ‘em up that combined the dizzying fun of Descent with some of the most frustrating level designs ever devised for a video game. Although the game also came out on the PlayStation, this Nintendo 64 iteration offered a far smoother experience and more multiplayer modes. But was that enough to get critics to recommend this 360 degree frag fest? Let's find out.

We're going to kick things off with Electronic Gaming Monthly, which is perfectly placed right in the middle of the scale. Giving this Nintendo 64 version a low 6.25 out of 10, the EGM editors had a lot of issues with Forsaken. Shawn called it “surprisingly decent,” but complained that “the game is ridiculously hard due to the lack of save points. Still, the graphics are awesome, the frame-rate is high and the levels are vast. The four-player mode is more confusing than it is anything else – the two-player mode is much better and more fun.” John agreed, though argued that he “would've liked to have seen some more involved gameplay here. The Star Fox-esque branched missions offer too little too late. Most of the levels are very combat-oriented, with few puzzles to break up the chase and shoot gameplay. An attractive, but ultimately mindless experience.”

Before we look at the magazines that actually liked Forsaken 64, let's first check in with Next Generation, who couldn't muster up anything higher than a so-so 3 out of 5. If you think that's bad, then wait until you get a load of GamePro. Giving the game a terrible 2 out of 5, they concluded that “as in Turok, the levels of this Descent clone become endless mazes – but this time, there's no in-game map to rescue you. The shooting is fun for a few minutes, then Forsaken becomes forsook.”

Now that we've gotten the negative reviews out of the way, let's shine a light on the critics who gave this version of Forsaken a passing score. For example, Nintendo Power was so impressed with the 3D gameplay that they gave it an average score of 7.9 out of 10. Edge went one tick higher, giving the game a straight 8 out of 10. “Forsaken's strength is in its single-player game. The N64-specific levels, multiple route system similar to Star Fox, and pleasing overall difficulty should go some way to calming the nerves of N64 owners worried about the apparent death of competent third-party releases. With luck, programming of this caliber can become an expectation for all N64 titles developed across multiple formats.”

If you're looking for the highest score, then I hope you brought a passport, because we're headed to Great Brittain. Giving this version of Forsaken a stellar 87%, N64 was the one magazine that unequivocally loved this game. “Forsaken is certainly the N64's best ‘serious' game since GoldenEye. Choose a Turok-emulated control system, spend a few hours getting to grips with the intricacies of combining vertical and horizontal movement, whilst simultaneously fending off attacks from every angle, and you will discover a game that, although not for the faint-hearted, holds a genuinely rewarding experience for those who are prepared to persevere.”

Yeah, what he said. While it's obvious that Forsaken had its fans, the overall tone of the reviews is pretty negative. Not as negative as the reviews the PlayStation version received, but certainly not on the same level as Descent, the game it desperately wants to be. With an overall average of just 68%, this is definitely one of the more divisive Nintendo 64 games on the app. If you're going to play Forsaken, then you could do a whole lot worse than this version of the game, but with the Night Dive remaster out there, you could also do a lot better. The choice is up to you.