The Nintendo 64 has the reputation of producing some of the most influential games of its generation, with titles like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time standing out as games that would shape the future of their respective franchises. Many titles from the N64's library are still beloved by fans today, even with the limitations of the hardware. Despite many of Nintendo's iconic franchises making the jump to 3D with the N64, there are some surprisingly absent series that wouldn't receive a 3D makeover until a future console generation.
There could be any number of reasons why these franchises never appeared on the N64, perhaps due to the lack of storage space afforded by the console's use of cartridges. One of the reasons the console featured so many action and platformer titles was because the lower storage capacity limited its ability to handle many longer RPG and narrative-driven games. It could also be that developers had a hard time envisioning new iterations of these series with the shift from 2D to 3D. Whatever the reasons may be, fans are left to speculate as to what these missing franchises could have looked like on the N64.
Metroid
The last Metroid game to release prior to the N64 was Super Metroid on the SNES in 1994, and the series wouldn't see a new game for another eight years with Metroid Prime on the GameCube. Despite the critical success of Super Metroid, the game arrived late enough in the SNES' lifespan that sales were less than satisfactory. Metroid Prime took the series into the third dimension, changing up the gameplay from a 2D adventure-platformer to a first-person shooter. Although the N64 featured its share of FPS games like GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, Super Metroid's late release likely disrupted efforts to translate gameplay and delayed the series' 3D debut until the GameCube.
Kid Icarus
The first title in the Kid Icarus series released on the NES in 1986, with a sequel - Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters - released for the Game Boy in 1991. The franchise wouldn't see another new entry until 2012 with Kid Icarus: Uprising on the 3DS, marking the series first foray into 3D. The on-rails shooter gameplay of Kid Icarus: Uprising would have been perfect for the N64 alongside similar titles like Star Fox 64 and Buck Bumble. However, the mixed critical reception of its first two entries likely prevented it from gaining a new entry until Pit's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl reignited interest in the series (and gave Masahiro Sakurai new ideas).
Punch-Out!!
Starting life as an arcade title, Nintendo's boxing series Punch-Out!! first made its way to home consoles with the release of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! on the NES in 1987, followed by its sequel Super Punch-Out!! for SNES in 1994. The series went dormant after that, missing out on both an N64 and a GameCube release. It would be revived in 2009 with the series reboot simply titled Punch-Out!!, which finally saw protagonist Little Mac make his 3D debut on the Wii.
Fire Emblem
Although the Fire Emblem series would not make its way outside of Japan until 2003, it had quite a legacy dating back to the Famicom. It received three titles on the Super Famicom, two of which releasing well into the N64's life with Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War in 1996 and Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 in 1999. Despite the N64 having other strategy RPGs like Ogre Battle 64, the Fire Emblem series opted to release those titles on the Super Famicom, so it would not receive its first 3D entry until Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance released for GameCube in 2005.
Earthbound
Earthbound's history with the N64 is quite different from the other series missing from this console, as it had a game in development that was ultimately canceled. While the first game in the series was originally a Japan-only Famicom title named Mother, its sequel got an international release with the title Earthbound. Despite its cult-like status today, the quirky RPG sold poorly in North America, which may have contributed to the cancelation of its N64 sequel. The series has yet to hit the 3D space, but elements of the scrapped Earthbound 64 can be seen in its Japan-exclusive sequel Mother 3 on Game Boy Advance.