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The year is 2007, and it’s safe to say Nintendo’s little GameCube is pretty much dead. It almost pains us to write these words, as the console brought to us some of our favorite video games of all time. It’s been five years – hard to believe, we know. It’d be wrong to wave goodbye to the GameCube without some kind of salute or farewell.
 We’ve put together a list of the ten best GameCube games the console saw during its five-year life. Readers should keep in mind that we’re aware there are far more than ten great GameCube games, but it was our goal to single it down to the ten very best titles. While you might not be able to objectively say whether or not one game is better than another, we do feel every game on this list is leaps and bounds better than other GameCube software that didn’t quite make the list.
The process was difficult, but we think the list below speaks for itself. Enjoy AMN’s Best GameCube Games of all Time countdown. | |
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10) Viewtiful Joe
Henshin a Go Go Baby! One of the first titles from the now defunct Clover Studios was a true blend of comic book art, sick fighting and a true difficulty curve that made completing the game a worthwhile challenge. Collectively, as a staff, we've probably spent hundreds of hours trying to rock Viewtiful Joe's world (most of them spent on that damn final boss), but Joe is the one who really rocks our world. It’s too bad to see Clover Studios is no longer around, because the world could use more games like Viewtiful Joe.
9) Pikmin 2
Nintendo mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto surprised brand new GameCube owners at launch back in 2001 with an odd-but-strangely-fun exploration/action game in which you commanded a group of alien-like critters called Pikmin, ordering them around and having them carry out any duties you assign them to. For the most part, you spent your time tracking down objects and carrying them back to your ship. But the main problem with the original Pikmin was the constraining time limit in place. With the game’s sequel, Pikmin 2, however, Nintendo eliminated the time limit, allowing for much more exploration without the worry of a nagging time limit. This change easily made Pikmin 2 a far more enjoyable experience than its predecessor, but the game’s new levels, different colored Pikmin and other surprises contributed, as well. The original Pikmin might have failed to blow us away, but Miyamoto’s sequel certainly didn’t.
8) Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Canada-based developer Silicon Knights spent many years developing, polishing and fledging out its psychological GameCube thriller, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. In fact, the game was born on Nintendo 64 but suffered many delays, as the team refused to ship this thriller until it was completely ready. The wait was worth it. Perhaps what makes Eternal Darkness so entertaining is its deep and thought-provoking story. Silicon Knights has said time and time again that its goal is to create story-driven games, and Eternal Darkness is living, breathing proof that the model works. But while the adventure’s storyline might take the spotlight, Eternal Darkness also features fun gameplay mechanics, pretty visuals and atmospheric sound. This is one of GameCube’s most fun technological experiences, because few games do as good of a job immersing players the way SK’s adventure does.
7) Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Retro Studios’ Metroid Prime 2: Echoes had a huge amount of hype to live up to. Its predecessor to this day is hailed as one of the best games ever created. Despite the enormous amount of pressure and anticipation surrounding Prime 2, Retro managed to pull off one gripping and entertaining game. The developer introduced a dual-world theme, requiring Samus to travel back and forth between a dark and light world, giving Prime 2 a very puzzle-based theme from the get-go. What’s more, the first-person adventure introduced new weapons, more morphball-based puzzles and even more challenging boss fights over its older brother, the original Metroid Prime. Prime 2 also features a more story-heavy structure, featuring more cut-scenes than ever before. Samus’ second GameCube adventure is simultaneously one of her best and one of GameCube’s best.
6) Super Mario Sunshine
GameCube didn’t launch with a Mario game, making it the first Nintendo home console to ship to store shelves Mario-less. Instead, Nintendo followed-up almost a year after GameCube’s launch with Super Mario Sunshine, a 3D platformer that took the beloved gameplay of Super Mario 64 and evolved it. The game introduced a water-based jetpack that reworked the Mario formula, as Mario could now hover for short distances. Controlling Mario with the GameCube controller is undeniably intuitive and an enjoyment in itself. Indeed, the second you pick up a Cube pad and start playing Sunshine, you quickly forget the fact that you’re holding a controller. Mario Sunshine might be a little less traditional than some Mario fanboys would like, but we love it for its different theme and new gameplay mechanics.
5) Resident Evil 4
Capcom’s Resident Evil franchise has always been hailed for its extremely moody and startling atmosphere. Unfortunately, the series is more often than not remembered for its infamous “tank” controls. With Resident Evil 4, Capcom set out to change that. The developer designed an engine for the survival-horror ground-up, coming up with a brand new control scheme as well as implementing the franchises’ first real-time 3D world. The end result is one that scares, entertains, challenges and excites unlike any Resident Evil to come before. Shooting enemies has never been easier or more fun, thanks to the re-worked controls. Graphically, Resident Evil 4 also shines and is one of the GameCube’s best-looking games to date. Resident Evil 4 not only sets the bar for future Resident Evil games, it raises the standard for its genre, as well.
4) Super Smash Bros. Melee
Five years and one console later, we’re still playing the GameCube launch game Super Smash Bros. Melee. If that doesn’t speak loudly of how awesome Melee is then nothing can or will. The original Super Smash was a fun four-player fighter, but Melee turned the series into a real masterpiece. There is a subtle balance of characters that gives Melee a always-growing amount of depth. And yet this brawler is easy and accessible enough for anyone to pick up and play. But that doesn’t mean just anyone can play and be good at the game. Perhaps what makes Super Smash Bros. Melee so irresistible – five years later – is the hold it has on players; that one-more-game-late-into-the-morning addiction the fighter rapidly snowballs into. Whatever it is, we love this game, and chances are you do too.
3) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
When it was first unveiled, its surprising art style – a living, breathing video game reincarnation of a cartoon, if you will – might have been controversial and even hated by some, but by the time The Wind Waker released, Nintendo fans, Zelda fans and others alike quickly came to the realization that the adventure was gorgeous and every bit as good as any Zelda that came before it, regardless of the game’s graphics. While Wind Waker employs the same traditional Zelda formula you know and love, the game feels distinctly different from past Zeldas – mostly because of its art style, which despite original fears, turned out being a glowing success. In this adventure, Link must explore a gargantuan ocean by boat, exploring a combination of both small and large islands. This gives the title a more open-ended feeling than most games in the series. Sailing through a thunder storm, eventually reaching its end to by greeted by a warm, glowing sun and a small tropical island you’ve never encountered before feels so good, and it’s a feeling that no other GCN game gives more often than Wind Waker.
2) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Nearly four years after the release of The Wind Waker, Nintendo launched its “new-generation” home console, Wii, and alongside it, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The game was first spotlighted two years before, at E3 2004, and it received a very welcome response by showgoers. To say that Twilight Princess had a lot of hype going into launch is the understatement of the year. And despite all the hype for the adventure, it delivered. Not only did Nintendo release Twilight Princess right alongside its new system, it also brought the adventure to GameCube. The Cube version of Twilight doesn’t feature the new-age controls or 16x9 support the Wii version does, but it’s still a truly amazing game – no doubt the second-best GameCube game of all time. Twilight Princess presents a storyline that feels more cinematic, involving and ultimately more engrossing than previous Zelda storylines. What’s more, where it really counts – the gameplay – the title really excels. After twenty years of Zelda, Nintendo still manages to concoct fresh and rewarding puzzles. How the Big N does it, we don’t know. What we do know, though, is that we absolutely love Twilight Princess, and it was the ultimate swan song for Nintendo’s little purple box.
1) Metroid Prime
Games like Metroid Prime only come along once in a generation – if that. When a developer manages to flawless adapt a beloved franchise from 2D to 3D, something magical happens -- something that instantly impresses, something that is memorable and something that becomes a benchmark title for forthcoming video games. Retro’s first video game release ever is not only an accomplishment for the Austin-based Texas developer, it’s one for video games in general. Metroid Prime feels like a tight experience in so many ways. It feels polished in areas other games don’t – its menus, its loading process, its music, gameplay, storytelling method and even everywhere in between, they all feel incredibly refined and carefully designed. Maybe it’s a bit of nostalgia speaking – we doubt it – but over four years after its release, we still love Metroid Prime. It’s an atmospheric blast. Metroid Prime is not only the single best GameCube game ever released, it’s one of the best games ever made. And that’s all there is to it.
Honorable mentions: Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Tales of Symphonia, F-Zero GX, Super Monkey Ball, Baten Kaitos Origins, Super Monkey Ball 2, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Skies of Arcadia Legends, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Resident Evil (Remake), Killer 7 and Beyond Good & Evil.
So, there you have it. Those are our favorite ten GameCube games of all time. Do you agree with our list? Do you disagree with it? Send us an e-mail, and let us know. | |
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November 20, 2009
