The library of games for the Nintendo 64 includes a number of popular releases and niche titles that people really enjoyed playing. Some of my favorite memories of the N64 come from games that weren't massive hits, but were still incredibly fun to experience. Whether someone was a fan of single-player or multiplayer games, there was always something intriguing to play on the console in one way or another. Unfortunately, game series that never found massive success were destined to fade into obscurity, while other franchises rose to prominence and continued to thrive on other Nintendo platforms. But those lesser-known games still managed to remain part of my gaming memories while growing up with Nintendo's 64-bit console.

But which of those game series should make a big return from the Nintendo 64 era? With a wave of interest in retro games and classic series becoming a big trend among gamers today, this might be a good time for some of those more niche games to make a comeback. While they might not be the same as they were for me back then, it would be a lot of fun to see those series get new entries or reboots that make them relevant once again. Here are three forgotten game series that I really miss from the Nintendo 64 era.

3 Army Men: Sarge's Heroes

The plastic men were real heroes

Although the series had numerous game releases across multiple platforms, few people remember the Army Men series from 3DO. Originally starting as a real-time strategy game for PC, the series expanded to other genres that leveraged a universe populated by plastic toy soldiers battling in the real world. One spin-off from the main Army Men series of games was Army Men: Sarge's Heroes for the Nintendo 64 and original PlayStation. Unlike the previous titles, Sarge's Heroes was a third-person action game that included characters with personality and a cheeky sense of humor, while engaging in combat on epic battlefields like a kitchen countertop. It was goofy to watch, yet interesting to play.

Army Men: Sarge's Heroes follows a green soldier named Sarge as he works to rescue his teammates from the clutches of the Tan Army. Along the way, he comes across other allies and crazy locations where the Green and Tan armies are at war. The game sold well enough to have a sequel on the Nintendo 64 that expanded upon the story of the original and included more new characters in the universe. However, following turmoil at the studio that made the series, the subsequent entries were received poorly. A spin-off of Army Men: Sarge's Heroes called Portal Runner starred Sarge's girlfriend Vikki as she adventures through portals to different locations to rescue Sarge from capture, but the game was not received well.

The series came to an end with Army Men: Sarge's War, which saw a darker and grim change in tone. This was the last game on the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, and the series has been dormant ever since. If a new game were ever released for the Sarge's Heroes series of the Army Men franchise, it would be best to ignore some of the later entries and keep the lighter tone following the second game. The best parts of these games were seeing what unique and weird locations the toy soldiers could fight in, which happened to be everyday places at home.

2 Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

Not losing the true Lost Land

While the Turok franchise went on to have more games beyond the era of the Nintendo 64, the core parts of the N64 series have been all but forgotten by most people. Luckily, the first three games were remastered by Nightdive Studios for modern consoles, which combined the Nintendo 64 and PC versions of the games into definitive releases for most of them, except for Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion. But while there is one game that has yet to be remastered on any new platform, the main series hasn't been continued since the last release on the Nintendo 64. Multiple games have rebooted or reimagined what Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is, but none of them have been true successors to what most people loved about the classic games. The grit, bold tone, and brutal gameplay of the original Turok were the first of its kind on a platform like the Nintendo 64, which appealed to many people.

Currently, Turok: Origins is the newest game in the franchise, which doesn't have a set release date. But this game departs from many aspects of the original series by putting players into a third-person perspective and focusing on cooperative elements in the gameplay. This is something that may work, but it's not what most people want to see with the Turok franchise. The original N64 series had a big emphasis on the atmosphere, with its open levels that were detailed and filled with places to explore. The first-person perspective was engrossing to players as they faced vicious enemies and monstrous beasts. It's these kinds of things that need to make a comeback for a true Turok reboot, or at least a continuation of the original series. Otherwise, once again, it's just going to look and feel like a completely different game.

1 Glover

A charming hand

The Nintendo 64 has no shortage of colorful and whimsical games, especially in the 3D platformer genre. Unfortunately, one potential series never got to shine due to forces outside of anyone's control. Glover is a series that never caught the same fire of popularity as other platforms on the console, despite having many interesting ideas to stand out. Gameplay in Glover involved guiding a ball to a goal through an intricate level that was filled with different obstacles, giving it a puzzle-like design. However, when Glover isn't interacting with the ball, he can move around like any other 3D platformer game, only with the funny appearance of a sentient glove. The story of the game was just as kooky as its gameplay, with Glover needing to restore the Crystal Kingdom by collecting crystals scattered throughout six worlds.

A sequel to the game was planned for release on the Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, and original PlayStation back in 1999. But development was canceled before officially releasing, even though the game was nearly completed. A cartridge with a prototype of Glover 2 was ROM-dumped online, giving players a peek at what the sequel would have been like. Since then, the original game has been re-released multiple times, drawing more interest from players wanting to return to Glover again. Despite never getting a true sequel, Glover has garnered a following of people who want things to continue with a new game. If a true sequel were done today on new consoles, the puzzles and visuals of Glover could become something unique that would be fun to play.

Having another shot after N64

Those who grew up with the Nintendo 64 as their console of choice know how much fun many of the games released for it were to play. Although many of the niche titles never found massive success with players, they were good enough to find audiences to help them remain relevant in some way. These are games that I miss seeing from my time playing on the Nintendo 64, and I hope they will somehow make a return in a new way beyond re-releases. Hopefully, different companies are able to pick up the rights to these series and can develop new games that preserve these universes and characters from being completely forgotten by everyone.