Blazing past the stars and driving futuristic race cars was never as exciting as it was on the Nintendo 64.

“Star Fox 64” and “F-Zero X” are two games that tickle my fancy for all things science fiction. They took different approaches to the science fiction video game genre by using unique gameplay styles. I always saw these as fringe games that I could play to have a break from numerous platformers.

“Star Fox 64”

This 1997 game is a side-scrolling shooter that takes place in a starship-like fighter jet.

The player is able to fly around, dodging projectiles and shooting enemies down. The gameplay is hit or miss: The N64 joystick makes controlling the camera and the ship a bit confusing, but it doesn’t take too much away.

One thing “Star Fox 64” does well is its atmosphere through its story and lovable characters. For a Nintendo 64 game, the 3-D graphics always kept me interested.

Even though Slippy may be one of the most annoying characters in gaming history, he is one guy who makes the game for me. Without Peppy and Falco, the game is just about a moody fox in a spaceship.

I may not be the best at this game, but it never stopped me from having fun revisiting “Star Fox 64.”

“F-Zero X”

“F-Zero X” was one of my favorite games that none of my friends played.

The game combines science fiction with a “Mario-Kart 64”-like racing element. The multiplayer aspect is what made this 15-year-old game special to me.

The game certainly struggled in terms of graphics, but the gameplay made up for those problems. Racing through the futuristic race tracks as Captain Falcon cannot ruin block-like graphics.

“F-Zero X” brought a lot of originality to a racing game which made it stand out among the competition. It took a tired genre on the Nintendo 64 and brought its own unique spin to it. The game is certainly fresh after playing a lot of “Mario Kart 64.”

It was a blast coming back to this game after so long and leaving my friends in the dust.