Posts : 15082 Points : 15260 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 34 Location : Nagano
Subject: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 11:57
There's been some debate about whether or not this should be a fully-fledged vote thread. Personally, I think not. A top ten of all games across a console is such a wide subject, with the potential for lists that hardly ovelap and debate about what is and isn't a Gamecube game, so I think it'd work better if we just each share our personal top tens, with lots of comment and personality and emotion and anecdotes, and have a nice little chat about it with a cup of tea or a glass of gin, and just relax.
Notes:
I haven't played Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
I played Twilight Princess on Wii and think of it more as a Wii game.
I've stuck my usual rule with personal top tens and only included one game from any particular series.
Number 10:
Pokémon Colisseum I was 13 when this came out. I was at the height of my Pokémon love, and here was a Pokémon game with Gamecube graphics, and a cool character with a long coat, sunglasses and a motorcycle. He blew things up. He crusied around a Mad Max desert. He had a pretty girlfriend. Top, top stuff. . . if you're 13.
Number 9:
Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Party Game$ Top multiplayer gaming. We used to sneak out of school and play this all the time at mine, even when we were too young to actually be allowed up town at lunch. It's a real shame we haven't had another Wario Ware since with simultaneous multiplayer.
Number 8:
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader The very best videogame incarnation of Star Wars' dogfights. Looked phenomenal then, still looks phenomenal now. Plays a treat, too. I fire it up now and then to destroy a Death Star or two.
Number 7:
F-Zero GX The fastest god damn game ever made. Makes every other racing game look like a shit game for nerds and losers. I'm this close to finishing the infamous story mode, on the challenge of Mr Musselwhite.
Number 6:
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Directionless and wishy washy it may be, this is just the most gorgeous world, full of character and heart. Racing to the finish it can feel frustrating, but sitting back and exploring the open seas is a treat. I wish I'd played it more at release, with the boundless free rtime of a child.
Number 5:
Metroid Prime Perfectly translated the Metroidvania formula to a 3D first-person game, while looking and sounding immersive as hell. Masterpiece, and pretty much never bettered by either sequel.
Number 4:
Animal Crossing The original game. Even from magazine previews and reviews, I knew I desperately wanted this. I imported it and picked up a freeloader, over the course of my birthday and then Christmas, and finally got to play it. Newer versions have benefited from more features and handheld convenience, but the nostalgia factor here is immense.
Number 3:
Resident Evil 4 The game that wrote the script for the past decade of third-person action. Tense, scary, exciting and funny in the perfect dosages, this is a perfect game.
Number 2:
Super Mario Sunshine It's popular to hate on Sunshine, and sure there are some missteps, but Mario still controls phenomenally, and whether one is mucking about with the FLUDD or playing a proto-Galaxy without, this is a joy. A digital distillation of summer holidays.
Honourable Mentions:
Super Smash Bros. Melee I didn't really get into the series properly until Brawl, but I enjoyed what I played.
PN03
Spider-Man 2
Burnout, Timesplitters, various other fun third-party titles I enjoyed at the time but can't compete with the mighty Nintendo
Starfox Assault/ Adventure I love me some Starfox, and these are underrated, but they're not best on machine.
Number 1:
Pikmin One of my all-time favourite games. The world, the music, the charm, the characters, the tension of the mission, the holistic accomplishment of the whole package is up there with the very best videogames. Plus, the little C-Stick march for the 'min is missing on Wii or Wii U control schemes.
I did have this post with pictures and slightly different write-ups, but I accidentally closed the window.
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26468 Points : 25302 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 13:27
Ooft ya bastard. I must admit I hoped we could wait a while and have a vote on this. I'll be tallying up the points at the end regardless because I love numbers. Hopefully we get people commenting on each other's lists rather than just featuring their own too.
So this is how I feel about the games now, and is quite different from how I felt about them at the time.
10:
Super Monkey Ball 2
Cappa will crucify me for this, but SMB1 isn't in my top ten and this is. I'll explain more about the former later: SMB2 had the story mode (for skill-less scrubs like me), an expanded Monkey Race, Monkey Soccer, and was just generally great fun.
9:
Mario Kart Double Dash
Until MK8 this was probably my favourite Kart. Mostly because the character-specific weapons gave us a reason beyond weight and tiny miniscule stat. differences to choose other characters. It also had the last great battle mode on a home-console Mario Kart. Two-character karts weren't bad either. Sadly it was slow with not many courses to choose from. Still great though.
8:
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Even in 1-player I had a good time with this. Throw my sister into the fray - and, er, down a pit more often than not - and you had a laugh-a-minute game with a great adventure and a surprisingly fun competitive battle mode. You could stay in a house and hack up a chicken, sending a chicken storm down on everyone outside: that alone should put it in everyone's top tens.
7:
Soul Calibur 2
Primarily up here because it remains the latest, and... only(? Correct me if I'm wrong), game in the series on a Nintendo console. The Weapons Master mode was like nothing I'd ever played before. Dissolved into button-mashing for me after a while, or spamming the same moves, and I never did 'get' Guard Impact. But I enjoyed it, even if I did swiftly graduate from Link to Talim.
6:
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
I'm sorry dear game. You deserve better than 6th. You have a place very close to my heart. But the trouble is, if I were recommending GC games to someone who'd not played them, this would have to come with a massive caveat. It's third-gen.; Pokémon is touching its seventh. The battle mechanics have moved on.
If I'd been doing time of release, or allowing for nostalgia, this'd be up at three though. It dared to do what no Pokémon before bar Coliseum, or since, has done: strip out the bad bits of the franchise. No more wandering around in long grass. No more using Repel. No more caves. No more HMs. No more cookie-cutter story. (No more exploration either, let's be balanced.) Just battles, and catching, and a surprisingly strong storyline for a Pokémon game, and Miror B.
Blinding game. More people should have played it, but I'm not sure I can say now that more people should play it. If you get my drift.
5:
F-Zero GX
Much like SCII, primarily up here because it remains the latest, and arguably greatest, game in the series on a home console. I have a love-hate relationship with this game: especially in Story Mode, it was just too damn hard, and I'd never have unlocked all the characters without a dodgy cheat disc off some magazine. But both now and at the time, I could recognise and appreciate its quality for those good enough, and patient enough, to 'git gud'. Go for it Drunka my man, serious kudos if you can do it!
4:
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Had to be in here somewhere, didn't it? You should definitely buy the HD remake over this, but it's still beautiful originally. Not much to say here, the forum adores it so you'll have heard it all before.
3:
Super Mario Sunshine
'Popular to hate on Sunshine'? Not around these parts Mr. Lilly. This, along with WW, remains the game that makes me think that HD is a luxury, not a necessity. Beautiful games can and have been made in SD, and SMS' vibrant colours have been bettered by few games since (WW is one). FLUDD usage could be hit-and-miss, Yoshi was too gimmicky, and the blue coins could get stuffed, but who cares? The levels were beautiful intricate masterpieces of design, the hub the best in a Mario game ever, and the wonderful void segments benefited from the game constructed around them. FLUDDy amazing.
2:
Metroid Prime
Haunting beautiful atmospheric puzzling tough rewarding... The reason I still get my hopes up for another 3D Metroid game every generation. For which, damn you game. For everything else, a thousand thanks. My third favourite game ever.
1:
Paper Mario and the Thousand-Year Door
If Prime made me a Metroid tragic, what did this game do? In a world far removed from the Mushroom Kingdom, populated by genuinely interesting characters, Mario and his out-there companions travel through the best RPG I've ever played, not since bettered. The Glitz Pit. The Excess Express. Doopliss. Vivian. Bobbery. That creepy riddle tower thing. Cortez. The audience system. The final battle.
Get it played, Drunka. Get it bloody played.
Honourable mentions:
LoZTP - Like Drunka, this is a Wii game for me, even though I suspect the GC version was better. My favourite game ever.
SSBM - When this came out I went BLOODY INSANE. Much expanded from the previous game, and I was too young to mind the clones. No reason at all to play it now: Brawl had a better one-player, and for Wii U (clumsy) sped the fighting back up to acceptable levels.
Luigi's Mansion - Too short, much too short, but a little slice of fun that I really enjoyed at the time.
Mario Parties 4/5 - Not good games per se, especially 4, but my sis and I had a metric ton of fun with them that we've never recreated since.
Dishonourable mentions:
Super Monkey Ball - Not bad, not at all. I was just no good at it. Don't think I got past level three or so on expert. Couldn't get the hang of Target either: they made it easier in SMB2.
Pokémon Coliseum - Again, not bad, but XD knocked it into a cocked hat; and people then had the gall to criticise it because this barely-an-RPG used the same locations first. It used them worse, by the way.
Harry Potter Games - These were bad. Chamber of Secrets ballsed up the plotline and the final boss was a fishing minigame, while I actually managed to get stuck in Prisoner of Azkaban because of a rubbish stealth bit and lacking the requisite distraction item. Tripe.
gjones Disciple of Scullion
Posts : 1671 Points : 1704 Join date : 2015-01-12 Age : 37 Location : Swindon
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 14:15
Thoughts on Drunka’s list::
That’s very interesting that you declare Pikmin one of your favourite games of all time, but Pikmin 2 doesn’t factor in your Top 10 Cube games. I’ve not played the original, but adore the sequel. I think the fact that the original had timed missions put me off of buying it at the time – not a fan of games with time limits (unless it’s an arcade port). I can get with this list, although Sunshine over Resi 4 is, let’s say, interesting.
Thoughts on Balla’s list::
I think there was a Soul Calibur game on the Wii. This is a list I’d probably agree with more, however there’s one glaring omission. I’d agree with you that Super Monkey Ball 2 is the superior title, it just felt more like a complete package. The original is rightfully viewed as a classic game now, but at the time I was thinking with my wallet and the sequel wins in terms of content. I’m playing TTYD at the moment and I do wonder how much replay-value is in the game – although it’s an RPG so I suspect little.
Notes: :
Wind Waker. I never really got in to Wind Waker, don’t hurt me. F-Zero GX. As much as I liked it, no Death Race meant it lacked my favourite mode from F-Zero X. Metroid Prime – I’ve played the first couple of hours of this, numerous times, but have never stuck with it. I know there’s a fantastic game there though and one day, hope to put this right by progressing further than Phendrana Drifts. Smash Bros. Melee. Great multiplayer game, but I never had much fun with this on my own.
10:
Twilight Princess
I’m doing the opposite of Drunka and including this, as it felt more like a Gamecube game than a Wii game even though I primarily played it on Wii. Other than Ocarina of Time, this is probably my favourite Zelda game. Saying that, they are the only two that I’ve sunk a lot of hours in to. I actually stopped playing Twilight Princess after a bit in the Sky Temple required to backtrack a good 5-10 minute chunk of the level in order to reach the bit where you jump across spinning cage things (hard to explain but it felt cheap). There are some flaws, but the dungeon design is impeccable and something that made me start to believe what the hype behind Zelda was all about, seeing as I didn’t get in to Wind Waker. I really like the washed out PS2-style graphics as well, but I’m weird like that.
9:
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Another game I haven’t seen the end of, but currently plugging away at Chapter 2 of this and it’s already leaving an impression on me. It’s hilariously written and I’m a big fan of the combat system (reminds me of Grandia 2). Can’t wait to finish it as it may well end much higher up.
8:
NBA Street Vol. 2 Not played the third, but the first two are two of my favourite sports games. I know there are other really good multi-platform titles like Burnout 2 and Hitman 2 released around this time but I’ve played both recently and they either don’t hold up, or have been superseded. NBA Street had a good game on PS3/360 but it wasn’t as playful as the earlier titles (where you could unlock animals and such).
7:
Timesplitters 2
I probably played this more on the PS2, but as it is one of the best games of that generation (COME AT ME BRO) I’m including it here. The smooth speed and satisfying gunplay still hold up to this day – taking a zombie’s head clean off with the shotgun is a thing of beauty. There was so much to do once the campaign was finished too.
6:
Super Monkey Ball 2
I’m picking the sequel purely because it did similar stuff to the first game, but packed in more mini-games. I wish Monkey Fight was a standalone title with RPG stats and boss battles.
5:
Mario Kart: Double Dash
My favourite Mario Kart until Mario Kart 8 came along and hit it with a red shell (right on the final corner, natch). It felt like such a giant leap from the sluggish Mario Kart 64, and adding in the extra driver did make for some interesting ways of storing up power-ups. Everything just seemed to have a wiggle in that game, from the way the secondary driver would stick them arse out around corners, to the spongey feel of the karts’ tyres. It all felt very touchable and was bursting with personality. Plus: BABY PARK.
4:
Viewtiful Joe
I’ve not played Joe’s sidescrolling puzzle brawler hybrid in a good few years, but I do believe it still looks gorgeous. It had a fairly steep learning curve but again, it was a game that felt at home on the Gamecube. Full of character and satisfying combat, it’s another game from this era that I need to go back and actually see the end of.
3:
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
I must have spent hundreds of hours on this game, just playing through the Character Match mode trying to unlock opponents. It was quite unfair in a way, because you’d have to go 18 holes against the CPU, and they’d usually beat you on the last few holes (meaning you’d not unlock them). Some of the courses are very tricky, but thanks to the backspin and topspin features, there’s some degree of error-adjustment. There’s just so much to do though. Ring Attack, Coin Attack (I may have these names wrong) and collecting all the Birdie badges – it was and still is my favourite Mario sports title. The N64 original was a great game, but this just turned everything up to 11. It looks absolutely stunning too for a game released in 2003.
2:
Pikmin 2
Oh man, the feels! This game is what I think of when I look back to my teenage years. It’s got a whimsical, nostalgic feeling to it that is hard to explain, giving it’s about finding bits of litter in gardens. There was a sense of playing in the garden as a small child and discovering worms. It’s so chilled out and a great game to play to unwind, but also had enough tension (particularly with boss battles) to give a strong sense of achievement. The dungeons gave the game a Zelda-touch, but also told a story in some ways. You might be taking in 100 Pikmin but you’ll leave with a lot less. It’s a good job the Pikmin weren’t named as I think I’d have lost my shit hearing their little death cries. I must say that I completed this again in 2012 on the Wii and prefer the Wii controls, which can be said of my #1 pick also.
1:
Resident Evil 4
My favourite game of the generation (along with Shenmue but Dreamcast was dead by the time the Cube came around). I’m not a fan of survival horror at all and struggle with the tank controls in earlier Resi games, despite knowing full well they are like that for a reason, yet I adore this. It was the only game I imported and I remember owning the US version in January 2005 – my mind was blown. It was (and still is) perfectly paced and stupidly good fun for something that is essentially a third-person shooter. It has a lot of replay value too, which is why I continue to bust it out once a year for a playthrough. Never really played Mercenaries much (oddly I spent more time on Resi 5’s Mercenaries mode) so I was all about the story mode. It had its creepy moments despite ammo being plentiful, and I still dread the bits with the regenerators in the dilapidated science labs. I think I get a kick out of games that let you kill everything in an area and then collect any items that are left there before planning the next move, which is what Pikmin 2 and Resi 4 are.
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26468 Points : 25302 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 14:45
Really glad to see someone picking up TTYD, GJones (hopefully encouraging others, like Drunkski, to follow in your wake). And on chapter 2 you've still got all the best bits to come! I almost envy you.
Toadstool Tour is one that completely slipped my mind! One of the best sports games I've played. Out of interest (and because I'd still like to number 'em up later, I'm like that), if you didn't include LoZTP, what would come tenth?
I probably should mention one big GC game that I wish I'd played that I haven't: Skies of Arcadia. Wasn't much into that sort of thing then, would be now.
Buskalilly Galactic Nova
Posts : 15082 Points : 15260 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 34 Location : Nagano
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 14:58
Poochy & Balladeer wrote:
Get it played, Drunka. Get it bloody played.
Man, I would Along with the other 'cube games I want to try, Twin Snakes and XD, PM:TTYD is bloody pricey!
Can't argue much with the rest of your list. I didn't play much of Soul Calibur, though it was fun. I wish I had room for a Monkey Ball, now that you mention the series. Playing that and Melee at Bristol Balloon Fiesta was what convinced me I wanted a 'cube for my birthday. Unfortunately, I didn't play it much and then had to compete on Monkey Target when I went to NOM. I was demolished.
GJones wrote:
That’s very interesting that you declare Pikmin one of your favourite games of all time, but Pikmin 2 doesn’t factor in your Top 10 Cube games. I’ve not played the original, but adore the sequel. I think the fact that the original had timed missions put me off of buying it at the time – not a fan of games with time limits (unless it’s an arcade port). I can get with this list, although Sunshine over Resi 4 is, let’s say, interesting.
For me, Pikmin is the best in the series. 2 was bigger, but it didn't have the emotional story or the clarity of purpose. Using the Pikmin for financial gain and taking as long as I needed wasn't the experience of desperately using them to escape with my life. Plus, I only include 1 game from any series when I make a list.
I love 3D Marios. Ironically, though, because of the one-game-from-a-list rule, Resi 4 might make my Top Ten games of all time, depending on my mood, while Sunshine would be usurped by Galaxy.
Can't argue with much of your list. A lot of the games, your Timesplitters, Karts and NBAs, I would have played a lot more if I was older when I had a 'cube. It was mostly a single-player machine, my big multiplayer sessions started with the Wii.
Your angle on Twilight Princess is probably correct, it just isn't how I feel.
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6742 Points : 6905 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 17:10
Balladeer wrote:
Cappa will crucify me for this, but SMB1 isn't in my top ten and this is.
ARSEPIECE!!!
How good's the GameCube by the way? Buska's, Balla's and gjones' three lists above feature exactly three games that are going to be in my top ten.
I'll comment on those lists once I've posted mine, at some point in the next couple of days.
ZeroJones I'M SO LONELY
Posts : 10465 Points : 9425 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 44 Location : North Midlands, England
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 17:31
Against all the odds, and despite [Never having a GameCube! We get it, Zero! - rest of forum, all lurkers, undiscovered tribes in the Amazon], I've got a Top Ten that I'm going to present. Prepare yourselves.
By reading my comments on the lists of others first.
Thoughts on Drunka's List:
wish I'd played WarioWare - it sounds like a big heap of fun.
Musings on Balla's List:
never played any Super Monkey Ball games. It seems like a franchise that has had its heyday, which is sad. Also, any list that features FSA is a friend of my list.
Contemplation of Gjones's List:
Toadstool Tour is a big gap in my GameCube played games list. I spent an afternoon on it at a friend's house but that was it. Curses.
10:
Luigi's Mansion Short, sweet, and nearly the one that got away after my first disc of it broke. Probably a bit clunky these days but filled with cute.
9:
Viewtiful Joe I've not got very far, to be honest, but the ideas I did experience were first rate. Even if the difficulty level is first-rate too.
8:
Super Smash Bros. Melee A top-class beat 'em down. Still retains much of what I enjoyed most about its N64 predecessor, namely the silly awards and Break The Targets. Also did not bloat the roster with clones and such.
7:
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles OK, so it probably bears the 'Final Fantasy' name so that it can sell copies. That does not stop it from being a brave exercise in tech-heavy co-operative action RPG fun. Needs to have an online update, I'd say - if only Square-Enix weren't so busy making FFXV for the rest of time...
6:
The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures Dead similar to the above but a winner because of a), Zelda-y-ness, and b), the competitive/co-operative dynamic changing the fortunes of a team on a sixpence. Possibly also because I played it with my two best mates from uni.
5:
Pokémon XD: Gale Of Darkness A blast. Such a shame that the Wii 'Pokémon on the big screen!' game reverted to a Stadium-like nature, because big screen 3D stories about 'mon and the lengths that evil people of the world will go to to possess them can rock.
4:
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Fun is the watchword for this, one of my favourite Mario Kart titles. The two to a kart mechanic opened up a weird layer of strategy that hasn't been seen since. Also: want to know if gjones's "Also: BABY PARK" comment is meant to echo the "Also: SPACE ARK" that appears at the end of every tweet advertising a new Rotating Platform podcast.
3:
Super Mario Sunshine Probably the black sheep of the 3D Mario family (at least, in my opinion), SMS nevertheless manages to sparkle to the Bronzero Award. F.L.U.D.D. was tremendous fun while he lasted and you can see the Galactic future in those blessed Void levels, wretchedly hard though they were.
2:
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker Not just a wind waker, you understand - the wind waker. Having not liked Ocarina Of Time, not even played Majora's Mask and been put off Twilight Princess by the ruddy fishing by the time I settled down to this, my expectations were low. And the curious tale of Toon Link and Boaty in the flooded Hyrule caught me by surprise. A superlative adventure whose open seas begged to be explored. As mentioned elsewhere, there's an HD version of this, dontchaknow.
1:
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door A game so brimming over with excellence that Nintendo themselves are frightened of following it up with a similar adventure. The battle mechanics that the N64 Paper Mario game trialled are polished to a fine sheen here, with the addition of the audience and its heckling/cheering a masterstroke. There are more masterstrokes out there: each section of the plot is a slice of brilliance of its very own.
I'm gushing.
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26468 Points : 25302 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 20:58
ZeroThougts:
ZeroJones wrote:
Super Smash Bros. Melee A top-class beat 'em down. Still retains much of what I enjoyed most about its N64 predecessor, namely the silly awards and Break The Targets. Also did not bloat the roster with clones and such.
Er wut.
ZeroJones wrote:
Pokémon XD: Gale Of Darkness A blast. Such a shame that the Wii 'Pokémon on the big screen!' game reverted to a Stadium-like nature, because big screen 3D stories about 'mon and the lengths that evil people of the world will go to to possess them can rock.
YES. Why would you do this? Why on earth would you think that the travesty that was (apparently) Battle Revolution would be more appreciated than a full 3D Pokémon adventure? On the Wii no less? Cretins.
ZeroJones wrote:
Also: want to know if gjones's "Also: BABY PARK" comment is meant to echo the "Also: SPACE ARK" that appears at the end of every tweet advertising a new Rotating Platform podcast.
ZeroJones wrote:
Super Mario Sunshine Probably the black sheep of the 3D Mario family (at least, in my opinion)...
Depends if you include the 2.5D Marios. Bloody good black sheep though. You look at other families: Pokémon has Diamond/Pearl, Zelda has Adventure of Link, Yoshi has more black sheep than white, even 2D Mario has NSMBWii... And the worst 3D Mario game, in someone's opinion, is Sunshine. What a series!
(But series-ously Super Mario 3D Blob games are so much worse in comparison.)
ZeroJones wrote:
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Right answer, but how'd you manage to play right the way through this with no 'Cube? It's a long game.
The Cappuccino Kid wrote:
How good's the GameCube by the way? Buska's, Balla's and gjones' three lists above feature exactly three games that are going to be in my top ten.
Best Nintendo home console ever. Best home console ever. If you're not into your JRPGs, best console ever. That's how good.
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6742 Points : 6905 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 21:08
General List Chat:
I can see a lot of sense in what youse have put in your lists, and it's all very pursuesive, but I don't share anybody's enthusiasm for F-Zero GX or Paper Mario: TTYD. I had them when they were new, and I've given them (at least) a second chance after buying them again when the GameCube was out of style. I still don't like them that much. F-Zero GX gubbed itself by being far too difficult for my tastes, and I'm not one of those folk who pisses about with games like Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden and all that mince. It's a massive disappointment to me, as F-Zero X is definitely in my top five games ever. I got bored of TTYD. I really like Paper Mario on the N64, but the amount of text in it's sequel was much too much. I know that it's ironic for me to say that when I've got Animal Crossing on the list down below, but the difference (to me, at least) is that Animal Crossing has a funny, charming script. I've never found Paper Mario to be funny. Does it even try to be funny? It doesn't even raise a smile. And that kills it off for me.
10.:
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
It did a rare thing in gaming – it did something totally new. Actually, I’ll go as far as to say that Jungle Beat helped reinvigorate a genre that had been completely knackered from a decade before. I didn’t expect much from it, but it turned out to be an absolute stoater. The flexibility of Jungle Beat’s combo system more or less justified the existence of those GameCube bongos, and it deserves a lot of credit for that (as the bongos were amazing, natch). It’s a very satisfying and smart game that nobody talks about enough.
9.:
WWE Day of Reckoning 2
This might seem out of place on a GameCube top ten, but I had a brilliant amount of fun with WWE Day of Reckoning 2. It lasted me an age…which is just as well, as it’s been over a decade since the last good wrestling game on a Nintendo console. That’s criminal. Anyway, this has got just the right amount of speed, strategy, depth and authenticity to make it one of my favourite wrestling games. I’m sad that 2K Games have for the license for this now though, as the latest one is very definitely one of the most boring games that I’ve ever played. These games should never be simulations!
8.:
NBA Street V3
THIS IS A GAME AND A HALF. I bought NBA Street Vol.2 for £39.99 in GAME before I read any reviews, and my relative bravery was rewarded with a truly excellent game. I was tempted to stick that on this list, but I think that V3 is even better – the Trick Stick is an inspired addition to the gameplay, and EA BIG beefed it up to an insane extent. I bought two games the keep me going for spring 2005: Advance Wars: Dual Strike got patched about an hour in because it was keech, but NBA Street V3 more or less lived in my GameCube for about three months. “I’m sad that 2K Games have for the license for this now though, as the latest one is very definitely one of the most boring games that I’ve ever played. These games should never be simulations!”
7.:
Chibi-Robo!
I bought this the day it came out because I knew that it was going to be rare as buggery and I wouldn’t get another chance. I’ve still never seen a copy in a shop since I bought the one that Gamestation Ayr had delivered. I'm also going to see if anybody is actually reading these posts, so: you're all cunts. Anyway, I loved this at the time. Truth be told, I don’t know how it holds up today, as it has virtually no replayability (?) once you reach the end of it. But still, from what I remember of it, it’s a very sweet, weird, clever and imaginative game. What a shame that it was a definite one-off for the series though – the sequels are not even a tenth as good as the GameCube original.
6.:
Mario Kart Double Dash!!
It’s forever destined to lie in the shadows of it’s more popular and influential prequels and sequels, but it’s still my sixth favourite GameCube game. It didn’t reinvent the idea if we’re being honest about it, but I admire how frantic, fun-loving and energetic that Double Dash is. Dare I say that it’s the best multiplayer Mario Kart of the lot? Actually, bollocks to it, aye, I say it is.
5.:
Pikmin 2
In an old Wii U vote thread, I said that Pikmin 3 was “unparalleled in its field. Accessible, but intellectually rigorous while it’s at it, this is the acme of strategy gaming on any Nintendo console”. This is all true. But Pikmin 2 is even better.
4.:
Super Smash Bros. Melee
This was the best beat-‘em-up of all time for well over a decade. There was just an obscene amount to see, do, play and unlock. In summer 2002, this was the only game that mattered. I’ve honestly got no other memories of that summer, they’re all about playing Melee. My mates and I were still playing this regularly five years later, and we still talk about some of the epic multiplayer sessions that we used to have from time to time. This isn’t a vote for nostalgia though – it’s a legitimately excellent game, only surpassed in the genre by the Wii U version.
3.:
Super Monkey Ball
People say that it’s really frustrating, unfair and random, but they’re obviously thinking about Super Monkey Ball 2. The first one is made from sheer joy. What a superb showcase this was for the GameCube when it came out. Once everyone got over Luigi’s Mansion about three hours after it came out, I remember Super Monkey Ball being the game that all the shops had in their demo pods. I played that level that’s shaped like a guitar, and planted £39.99 on a copy of my own immediately. In the only good thing that they ever did, EDGE Magazine’s Japanese Import review called it “pure videogaming smack”. That’s a genius way of describing it!
2.:
Animal Crossing
I still remember trading in a load of games to get it from Gamestation, and thinking to myself ‘this better be worth it’ after I seen that they were giving me 5p credit for Tomb Raider II on the PC. Thank fuck, it was. No game was ever worth trading in about fifty PS2 and PC games quite like Animal Crossing was. At least four of my school mates bought a GameCube with Animal Crossing because I wouldn’t shut the hell up about it for a good six months after I bought it on launch day. I talked it all the time. It’s surely my most played game of all time too. It’s all highlights – even typing about it makes me smile. Taking the memory card round to my pal’s houses and writing notes on their notice boards like the one’s Kittsy did in NGC (“I find your lack of hygiene to be utterly repugnant”) is a very cherished gaming memory of mine.
1~!:
Crazy Taxi
Controversial~! It’s an unspectacular and fairly loveless port of a Dreamcast game from the previous millennium…but it’s still the best game of all time. Crazy Taxi just represents everything that’s so, so right about gaming. It’s just so bright, loud, new, happy, upbeat, infectious, energetic and fun. I love Crazy Taxi to bits. No joke: whenever I see somebody talking about JRPGs, I always wonder 'does this person know that there's games like Crazy Taxi out there?'. Not to start another argument, but I honestly don't understand why anyone would play something like Dragon Quest when they could play something like Crazy Taxi. I really miss these sort of games.
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26468 Points : 25302 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 21:14
Aye, I'd say PMTTYD got its funny and whimsical bits in its dialogue, as well as its epic moments and everything in between. It had it all.
How dare you call me that sir. Chibi-Robo and Jungle Beat are the first two games on anyone's list that I've not played, but wish I had. JB of course came out on the Wii, but is anyone really going to tell me it's the same game sans bongos? Anyone?
And I will admit: I have never played Crazy Taxi. No desire to play a mediocre port of it either. Happiness and fun, I love those things, and that's what Nintendo games deliver in absolute shedloads. I play them alongside my JRPGs.
gjones Disciple of Scullion
Posts : 1671 Points : 1704 Join date : 2015-01-12 Age : 37 Location : Swindon
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 21:30
Oooo that's a very interesting #1. Crazy Taxi is a classic but not something I played on Cube - played it (and the hugely underrated sequel) to death on the Dreamcast which is what those games "feel" like. Bright, infinitely replayable bursts of immediately enjoyable gaming. I was always a bit disappointed at the SEGA output on Gamecube. Billy Hatcher was good but aside from the Phantasy Star ports and Skies of Arcadia port, it was slim pickings. Stuff like Jet Set Radio and Virtua Tennis seemed more suited to the Gamecube.
masofdas The Next Miyamoto
Posts : 24019 Points : 24420 Join date : 2013-01-18 Age : 34 Location : VITA Island
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 22:20
Some interesting lists there for Nintendo's Best System Ever!
@gJones what do you mean the Dreamcast was dead by then, it has more games confirmed for it in 2017 then the Wii U also SEGA had nearly 25 games on the Cube just in the EU (USA had a few more sports games)
Guys you want to play these games
@Balla yay for adding together as I love that as well
I sort of want to do a similar list to Drunka but the one game per series is hard (mainly two series) to do on the GameCube also my list is games I played on the GameCube, the 6th gen was maybe Nintendo's best for 3rd party since the days of the SNES with FIFA's, TimeSplitters 2, Crazy Taxi etc on Cube but I played them on Xbox or Dreamcast.
Anyway my list, which likely has the least Ninetndo games in it but at the time sort of 8 exclusives
10th:
What can I say that hasn't already been said for the best 3D fighter on the system
9th:
Yeah controversial being this low, it is a great game but SM64 is still better IMO
8th:
Yes Andy the hipster cult classic of this fantastic survival horror game which was a flop due to a another game on my list
7th:
What you guys should be wanting to play is this from Michel Ancel as it's a dark Zelda-like meets Pokemon Snap, I want a sequel for this so much
6th:
I couldn't find a small enough image with Resident Evil on it, but you should all know it's Japanese name anyway. This game still looks amazing to this day on the Cube and what all Survival Horror games should be like.
5th:
I did play the Wii version first but have since gone back and played on Cube which in till the HD version came out was the better version of the game.
4th:
A lot of MGS fans don't like this game and Kojima also isn't much on it but this was the first time I finished MGS, if you read my Konami article yes I played MGS in 1999 but I never finished it as a 9 year old but still enjoyed it but when this came out, I loved it as it had the added elements of MGS2 which did make Twin Snakes easy. I have since of course gone back and finished MGS on PS1 along with MGS2, MGS3, MGS4, TS, MGSV's and bit's of others
3rd:
Still the best SMASH, but why this is 3rd is due to all the hours me and my mates played this in multiplayer
2nd:
Both the best and worst thing to happen to Resident Evil, yep on it's own it's by far the best game to be made with the Resident Evil name and is one of the best games ever made but also started the downfall of the series with the crap after it
1st:
I'm shocked how low this is on some lists as it always places highly in any vote it's allowed in, anyway the best Zelda ever on the Best Nintendo system which is also maybe my fav game of all-time as well.
Buskalilly Galactic Nova
Posts : 15082 Points : 15260 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 34 Location : Nagano
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Wed 7 Sep 2016 - 9:10
@Zero: That's still a pretty good list of 'cube games, for a self-confessed non-owner! Top stuff.
@The Kid: I really want to play Jungle Beat at some point. I'm pretty sure it'll be making my own lists once I do.
@Mas: Wind Waker tops list because everyone likes it, even if it isn't everyone's favourite. That's why I didn't want to make this a vote. Look at Cappa's list: Crazy Taxi at number 1! That's his passion and love for the game, proudly displayed with a number 1 spot. In a vote, it probably wouldn't even place, and WW and SMS would take top spot by virtue of being in the middle of everyone's lists.
masofdas The Next Miyamoto
Posts : 24019 Points : 24420 Join date : 2013-01-18 Age : 34 Location : VITA Island
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Wed 7 Sep 2016 - 9:33
Yeah sure Drunka but when I ever read about Wind Waker in the other votes, it always reads like it would be almost number 1 in every list.
Buskalilly Galactic Nova
Posts : 15082 Points : 15260 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 34 Location : Nagano
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Wed 7 Sep 2016 - 10:38
There might be a little bit of it being so universally adored, nobody feels personally attached to it. If it's everyone's favourite game, I'm not saying much if I make it my favourite.
OrangeRakoon Disciple of Greener
Posts : 1556 Points : 1560 Join date : 2015-05-06 Age : 32 Location : Reading, UK
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Wed 7 Sep 2016 - 14:52
Me and my brother moved from the N64 to the PS2, so I never owned a GC - I played my way back through the games once the Wii came out (literally buying Zelda: Collector's Edition and Wind Waker on boxing day after getting the Wii for Christmas!).
I contemplated going for a list of exclusively exclusives, but decided it was more interesting to just have an overall list, no restrictions.
10. F-Zero GX 9. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 8. SSX 3 7. Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures 6. Beyond Good and Evil 5. Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes 4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 3. Resident Evil 4 2. Skies of Arcadia: Legends 1. Timesplitters 2
Only 3 Nintendo games (and F-Zero was SEGA developed), and exactly half of the list is exclusives - although two of those exclusives are enhanced remakes of games from the previous generation! I wouldn't call that a bad showing from Nintendo though - it's more to do with the fact that the gamecube actually attracted a good number of third party games, in both exclusives and multiplatform releases. It's probably only the WiiU of all Nintendo consoles that would be dominated by Nintendo games I think, for exactly the opposite reason!
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
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Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Wed 7 Sep 2016 - 17:27
Few things:
1. The New Play Control! version of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is an all right substitute if you have no means of being able to play the backwards-compatible GameCube version, but you're not getting the authentic experience. It's main flaws - mainlt it's lack of depth and short lifespan - are much plainer to see when you're not having as much fun with it's control method. Essentially, hammering the bongos is a lot better fun than waggling the Wii Remote. It's not like a copy of the GameCube version and a set of bongos would cost you that much either - maybe about £15-£20 all-in?
2. I was a bawhair away from sticking Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and SSX Tricky in my top ten. They'd be 11th and 12th, probably. The Simpsons: Hit & Run, Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion and Beach Spikers were all in with a shout as well.
3. I'm not arsed about Wind Waker either way. I tried it when the GameCube was current, when it wasn't, and when it was ported to the Wii U. It looks nice...but that's about it from me.
4. An admission of guilt: I didn't really play Crazy Taxi on the GameCube. I had the PS2 version, then the diabolical GBA downgrade, followed by the Dreamcast release, and then the GameCube port at some point in the late 2000s. But three of them are all pretty much the same thing. I couldn't not have it on my list!
masofdas The Next Miyamoto
Posts : 24019 Points : 24420 Join date : 2013-01-18 Age : 34 Location : VITA Island
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Wed 7 Sep 2016 - 17:30
Drunkalilly wrote:
There might be a little bit of it being so universally adored, nobody feels personally attached to it. If it's everyone's favourite game, I'm not saying much if I make it my favourite.
I am it was my first Zelda and maybe what made me a Nintendo fan.
gjones Disciple of Scullion
Posts : 1671 Points : 1704 Join date : 2015-01-12 Age : 37 Location : Swindon
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Wed 7 Sep 2016 - 18:11
Drunkalilly wrote:
There might be a little bit of it being so universally adored, nobody feels personally attached to it. If it's everyone's favourite game, I'm not saying much if I make it my favourite.
Completely agree with this. I know Wind Waker is a great game but it's never something I'd put in my top 10 as there were games I enjoyed more. Personal top 10s are more interesting.
On a similar note: The SNES' holy trinity is generally considered to be Super Metroid, Super Mario World and A Link to the Past, and the N64's is Goldeneye, Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time (I just made that one up); what would you guys say is the Gamecube's?
Metroid Prime, Wind Waker and Resi 4?
Buskalilly Galactic Nova
Posts : 15082 Points : 15260 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 34 Location : Nagano
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Wed 7 Sep 2016 - 18:25
Pikmin, Chibi Robo and Captain Rainbow! Gamecube was the weird console.
Yours is probably more accurate, though an argument could be made to swap Resi for Sunshine as that is A) Exclusive and B) First-Party.
The_Jaster Din
Posts : 11972 Points : 12064 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 40 Location : Underground Corpse Pile.
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Thu 8 Sep 2016 - 9:38
Lists lists with some words everywhere.
10:
Eternal darkness - I've never had a horror game mess with my mind as much as this game did. I'll forever remember the sanity effect that'd pretend to lower the volume/mute your TV as the icon was exactly the same as the one that my CRT TV had at the time.
9:
Mario Kart double dash - Loved the co-op aspect of this MK as me and my brother would often team up with one on driving & the other on weapon duty then swap depending on the lap.
8:
Fight night round 2 - I'd say this is probably the best 3D boxing game of all time, you can play it as a fun arcade brawler or you can be really tactical with how you want to fight your opponent.
7:
Mario Golf Toadstool Tour - Another one me & my brothers played for countless hours & when that wasn't happening I'd get absolutely lost in trying to beat the birdie challenge mode.
6:
Def Jam Vendetta - Essentially WWF No mercy (The best wrestling game of all time) with added over the top finishing moves & rappers from the Def Jam record label to play as which was ace if you're a fan of Hip hop.
5:
Timesplitters 2 - It just carried on that fun shooting that started way back with Goldeneye but ramped everything up to 10 in terms of characters, guns, locations etc.
4:
Pikmin - Time & resource management made fun, an absolute classic.
3:
RE 4 - What are ya buyin'?
2:
Smash bros melee - This was my first smash bros & I was a bit worried how these characters would work in a fighting game & if I'd enjoy it since the genre isn't one I'm massively into but everything just clicked & I spent a crazy amount of time playing it single player.
1:
Metroid Prime 2 - Even though it was the first game that laid all the groundwork for a 3d Metroid I enjoyed this one much more for the overall darker tone & the mad dashes you'd have to make when on Dark Aether.
----
Honourable mentions :
Here's a few that just missed out my top ten:
Metroid Prime Paper mario TTYD Chibi-robo Mario Sunshine Wave race blue storm
gjones Disciple of Scullion
Posts : 1671 Points : 1704 Join date : 2015-01-12 Age : 37 Location : Swindon
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Thu 8 Sep 2016 - 9:49
Ooo Def Jam Vendetta. Did you play the sequel, Fight For New York? I seem to recall that one having the more extensive campaign mode. Both great games, mind. Big fan of wrestling and rap so it's a dream combination, just a shame what happened with Def Jam Icon. I'm not even sure they could make a game like that nowadays, as a lot of modern rappers just don't have any character.
Buskalilly Galactic Nova
Posts : 15082 Points : 15260 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 34 Location : Nagano
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Thu 8 Sep 2016 - 10:36
I was wondering whether to put Prime or Prime 2 in there. I remember being unbelievably hyped for that game. I think it was the first big release I properly followed from announcement, through all the previews, to the big multi-page review, asked for it for Christmas, unwrapped it on the day and got stuck in...
I also agree on all the dark world dashing, I think it added to the game.
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26468 Points : 25302 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Thu 8 Sep 2016 - 10:56
Whereas I thought the Dark World was unbelievably boring to traverse. MP1 had you going through these beautiful (for the time) jungles, snowscapes, facilities and such. MP2 did to a limited extent, but half the environments were miserable and purple, the equivalent of having Ribena forced through your eyeholes as you try to go on safari.
Environmental variety is, I've realised, a hugely important part of gaming for me. It's a thing XCX did inordinately well, and one of the things I disliked about LoZSS.
Also Plasma/Ice/Wave > Light/Dark/Annihilator.
The_Jaster Din
Posts : 11972 Points : 12064 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 40 Location : Underground Corpse Pile.
Subject: Re: Top Ten Gamecube Games Thu 8 Sep 2016 - 13:22
gjones wrote:
Ooo Def Jam Vendetta. Did you play the sequel, Fight For New York? I seem to recall that one having the more extensive campaign mode. Both great games, mind. Big fan of wrestling and rap so it's a dream combination, just a shame what happened with Def Jam Icon. I'm not even sure they could make a game like that nowadays, as a lot of modern rappers just don't have any character.
I did play the sequel & it was also a great game but I really missed not having a ring which meant certain moves just weren't there any more, like you said though the campaign was more extensive in fight for NY but I prefer the fighting overall in Vendetta and I felt like I could just switch it on have a few exhibition matches to get what I need from it.
Drunkalilly wrote:
I was wondering whether to put Prime or Prime 2 in there. I remember being unbelievably hyped for that game. I think it was the first big release I properly followed from announcement, through all the previews, to the big multi-page review, asked for it for Christmas, unwrapped it on the day and got stuck in...
I also agree on all the dark world dashing, I think it added to the game.
It's a tough call to be honest as I love them both but Prime 2 just edges it.
Balladeer wrote:
Whereas I thought the Dark World was unbelievably boring to traverse. MP1 had you going through these beautiful (for the time) jungles, snowscapes, facilities and such. MP2 did to a limited extent, but half the environments were miserable and purple, the equivalent of having Ribena forced through your eyeholes as you try to go on safari.
Environmental variety is, I've realised, a hugely important part of gaming for me. It's a thing XCX did inordinately well, and one of the things I disliked about LoZSS.
Also Plasma/Ice/Wave > Light/Dark/Annihilator.
Ribena is tasty! Hook it up into my eyeballs. What if they had just played it safe though and just retreaded similar ground?
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Tue 6 Sep 2016 - 11:57
Along with the other 'cube games I want to try, Twin Snakes and XD, PM:TTYD is bloody pricey!
Probably a bit clunky these days but filled with cute.
Chibi-Robo and Jungle Beat are the first two games on anyone's list that I've not played, but wish I had. JB of course came out on the Wii, but is anyone really going to tell me it's the same game sans bongos? Anyone?
also SEGA had nearly 25 games on the Cube just in the EU (USA had a few more sports games)
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What if they had just played it safe though and just retreaded similar ground?