N-E's Top Ten Gamecube Games

[Rummy]

Still not getting this DD hate, yo'.

[darksnowman]

I got a lot of play out of Double Dash!! at the time it came out (heaps of multiplayer) but we stuck it on a few weeks or months ago and it was really difficult to go back to. It felt really slippery and imprecise.

[Retro_Link]

The design approach didn't really appeal to me either, in terms of the colour palette/simple visuals, some of the music etc... Just didn't warm to the game and it's style from the get go.

 

I also don't really like the direction of all different kart choices with different characteristics. It's why I normally just go with the standard karts and bikes on the Wii version, and a feature I'm a bit wary of going into MK7.

[Coolness Bears]

I got a lot of play out of Double Dash!! at the time it came out (heaps of multiplayer) but we stuck it on a few weeks or months ago and it was really difficult to go back to. It felt really slippery and imprecise.

 

I had this and it was really frustrating because I used to be immense at that game plus there is one cup in the entire game I never got gold on and it really annoys me that I haven't but I can't now as it is definitely slippery. :p (and not my own fault)

[WiiUMarryMii]

Still not getting this DD hate, yo'.

 

I don't hate it.

 

But I dunno... it felt different in a way that made it unpalatable for me to play consistently. I'm not sure what it was exactly.

 

However, with MK Wii, I really got back into that franchise - mostly because I could play online. Playing offline was better than DD, IMO.

 

Looking at Mario Kart 7 (having seen the trailer on my 3DS in full 3D), I can tell that I could enjoy it very much. It's like having Mario Kart & Diddy Kong Racing all in one.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Still not getting this DD hate, yo'.

 

It's just very unmemorable. The double-team design of the entire game isn't really that great and it didn't really achieve much. The choice of kart designs was good, but the track designs to race them on was pretty poor, in my opinion.

 

I think Mario Kart DS was a far superior game, despite running on inferior hardware. That game had a lot of tracks and karts to choose from, and importantly, it kept the game simple, but fun. Something I don't think Double Dash or Wii managed to do.

 

Hope the inevitable WiiU version is much, much better than those two. Otherwise, no sale for me.

[Rummy]

DD vs DS; did you ever play much DD multiplayer?

[Grazza]

1. Wind Waker - The technical and artistic highlight of the series. Just brilliant in too many ways to list.

 

2. Super Mario Sunshine - For me, still the best 3D Mario. It was great being able to nudge the camera into exactly the position I wanted, and the atmosphere on Sirena Beach was enchanting.

 

3. F-Zero GX - The best F-Zero since the SNES. Very intense - perhaps too intense later on.

 

4. Metroid Prime - Took me years to appreciate (and complete) but it is indeed great. Such a neat, well-designed and intense game.

 

5. Twilight Princess - Not as well-designed or perfect as the games above it, but certainly deserves to be in the Top 5. Hyrule Field and Lake Hylia were highlights.

 

6. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time - If only for the sexy belly dancers.

 

7. Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction - Grr!! Few games have captured the feeling of raw power as much as this! Tanks! Planes! The Abomination!

 

8. Spider-Man 2 - Laugh all you like, it was brilliant!

 

9. Skies of Arcadia - A very good, cheerful RPG. Probably the best I've played after Dragon Quest VIII/IX.

 

10. Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door - One of the reasons I bought a 'Cube. The origami alone was spectacular.

 

Ah, how I miss the GameCube. A console that wasn't designed for the FPS crowd or the casual crowd, it was just designed to be bloomin' good, and it succeeded admirably. Best console ever.

[Sheikah]

Some difficult choices...the console had a number of greats. Some games were so great they provided countless hours of fun, more than most games released today.

 

1. Super Smash Brothers Melee.

 

Unmatched in terms of the sheer enjoyment that you could have from playing with friends. Even the developers never imagined it would be so great, if we're being honest. The number of hours I must have spent on this, if you exclude the next title on my list, would add up to more than all the others combined.

 

2. Phantasy Star Online

 

Ahead of its time, the focus on community and teamwork makes this a winner for me. The concept was so simple but worked beautifully; four players can team up to take down monsters and bosses, and help each other in quests. Arguably one of the first online console games back on the dreamcast, this made it to the gamecube and PC because it was so brilliant and popular. A real gem, one that provided me with hundreds of hours of fun.

 

3. Wind Waker

 

Although it didn't match up to Majora's Mask or OoT, there's no denying that this was extremely fun and looked gorgeous. If they had expanded the villages somewhat more, gave the villagers more personality and reduced the extent of the sea this would have been much better. But as it was, it was still an excellent title and great fun to play.

 

4. Resident Evil 4

 

Being fourth doesn't mean this isn't all that great. It was amazing, and was right on the money for having introduced a great combat system combined with the right amount of action and set pieces. Easily the best Resident Evil title and one of the finest action games ever made.

 

5. Tales of Symphonia

 

Simply wonderful. Although some Tales games since have grated on me a little because of how conserved many elements seem to be, this title had a nice story, looked amazing and had great real time battles. It had nice characters and had a great length to the game, providing real value for money. I'd love to see this head to 3DS at some point with additional content.

 

6. Super Mario Sunshine

 

I'll admit, this wasn't the best in the series, but it was still a fantastic title. Somewhat ironically, for a game that focused on using the FLUDD, the levels where you lost it were the real star as they were great tests of skill. Having a hover function somewhat detracted from the usual platforming experience where skill in timed jumps was required. That said, the game had a great vibe and some nice levels. It's earned its place here.

 

7. Super Monkey Ball

 

Before this game somewhat sold out a little on the Wii, it was epic. While at first glance this may have looked a little simple, it was actually devilishly difficult. It was great fun to play with friends, especially trying to perfect expert for extra stages. Monkey target was also a heap of fun, and added countless more hours to the game.

 

 

 

 

I'll probably leave it at that. I could think of others, but I don't really regard them as highly as these. I didn't think Metroid Prime was as great as many thought, I never really took to the idea of cross platform and FPS gaming. As for Double Dash, it was definitely one of the weaker titles in the MK series. After me and my friend invested some serious hours in MK Wii, we returned to DD for a few games and realised just how bad the steering was by comparison. I don't think having twice the items was a good idea either, and some of the tracks were lacking.

[FalcoLombardi]

I shall compile my list in the very near future! Killer7 will be making an appearance. My sig is pretty damn awesome because of it.

[Ville]

Actually, Double Dash!! was pretty awesome due to the double cart mechanic, played through all the different cups with me driving and my bro smacking them bitches with items and melee attacks Great fun being able to play through the entire game in co-op... We definitely need more games like this!

 

For pure single player, yeah the DS version is prob the best one yet...

 

As for the list, only 10 games? Shit, there are so many awesome games on the Cube...and to rank them? Even harder

[killer kirby]

Double Dash was the shits, Diddy Kong + Baby Bowser = Easy to get in the lead first with awesome special defence of giant shell and giant banana

 

Also Baby Park = Greatest track ever created!

 

Mario Kart DS was also increadible, I am one that was let down by Mario Kart Wii, but have high hopes for 7

 

As for the list, only 10 games? Shit, there are so many awesome games on the Cube...and to rank them? Even harder

 

I am playing all the games again, I have a couple, hoping to complete each one in 2 weeks at a time so far so good

[Fierce_LiNk]

DD vs DS; did you ever play much DD multiplayer?

 

Don't really see how it could be better in multiplayer if the problems are to do with the uninspiring tracks, handling and just overall meh-ness. I played a fair bit of multiplayer on it and it never truly grabbed me.

 

Then, DS came out and I've never looked back since. Much better in single and in multiplayer. Only let down by a bizarre online Friend-Finding system.

 

1

2

1

no connection!

2

1

3! Hurrrray.

[Rummy]

Friend/online system was always weak, but there was something about DD I happened to like enough at the time. The two people per kart, that slight team nature maybe, the new multiplayer modes it offered, and the tracks too! It offered a lot of new, and I wouldn't say any of them were exceptionally bad/out of place for an MK. It did feel a little wild if I remember rightly, kind of a little out of control(karts flying a bit harder round corners than one would expect) but I liked that. It gave a new feel that I liked.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Friend/online system was always weak, but there was something about DD I happened to like enough at the time. The two people per kart, that slight team nature maybe, the new multiplayer modes it offered, and the tracks too! It offered a lot of new, and I wouldn't say any of them were exceptionally bad/out of place for an MK. It did feel a little wild if I remember rightly, kind of a little out of control(karts flying a bit harder round corners than one would expect) but I liked that. It gave a new feel that I liked.

 

It did add something, but if we look at MKWii and see how that has progressed from Double Dash, I don't think they went down the right route.

 

Mario Kart is a pretty simple game. All we really need are new modes, great but fun tracks to race on and karts that handle well. Oh, and balance. What I will give Double Dash is that the majority of the time, if you were the better driver, you would win the race. Can't have many complaints with that. MKWii seems to be a little too random in that respect. Anyone can win. Which does take some of the fun away from it, in some ways.

 

Edit: One other thing that is really, really baffling is how Nintendo approached the multiplayer modes of this game. Namely, the fact that they included LAN Support, but not online. It could have been the game to really kick-start Nintendo's online plan, but instead they gave the game a mode that nobody really wanted and very few had the opportunity to use. A massive opportunity wasted.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Fierce_LiNk

[Rummy]

Hmm, unfortunately I lost a bit of faith in Ninty/MK(and in some part due to DD, I think) after DS that I never even bothered to pick up MKWii. I definitely felt the same about the LAN/Online though. Again, Nintendo constantly being behind the curve, just really hoping they not only catch up but also exceed with the Wii U. In my mind, it's still a hope in vain though.

[darksnowman]

1- Skies of Arcadia: Legends

Yes its a Dreamcast game but its so so good. A feel good RPG if ever there was one.

 

2- Tales of Symphonia

I had a blast with the battle system in this. Quality game. The only game on this list aside from No. 5 that I've revisited within the last 12 months!

 

3- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

When I was playing this I was so into it that I even dreamt about it.

 

4- Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Imaginative and freaky. Silicon Knights were on form with this.

 

5- F-Zero GX

F-Zero is one of my favourite game series and has been since the Snes. When faced with the choice of playing F-Zero or Mario World, I used to not hesitate in choosing F-Zero. If this GX outing had better music it would be the ultimate, imo.

 

6- Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

Whats left to be said about this?

 

7- Super Mario Sunshine

Has its detractors but it came out shortly after I'd started learning to drive. I hated the experience of learning to drive and concentrating on getting back home to play Mario Sunshine was what I clung onto.

 

8- Starfox Adventures

"This sucks!" I hear you cry, well... yeah, I know it should be better but it holds a dear place in my gaming heart as its Rares swansong on Nintendo home consoles. Great graphics, shame the game isn't a bit more open.

 

9- SSX 3

Bought on a whim one summer, part of a two for £30 I think and loved it. For me Ten Eighty on the GC was a let down after being so great on the N64. SSX 3 showed me what a snowboarding game could be! (I went on to get SSX On Tour as soon as it came out but didn't like it anywhere near as much.)

 

10- Splinter Cell

I may have got this in a 2 for £30 with SSX 3 but I can't mind. I have Viewtiful Joe which I'm sure I got in the same deal, but I can't remember what other game I would have got, so can't pair them up in my head. Anyway, I was COMPLETELY addicted to Splinter Cell for a few days after I got it! I loved the methodical stealthy pace of the game.

 

 

 

In no particular order the likes of Luigi's Mansion, MK: DD, Paper Mario: TTYD, Pikmin 2, BG & E and Baten Kaitos: EW & TLO didnt make the cut. I was going to adapt my list from this post of mine from 2007, but after some thought, I decided not to. I'd thought Paper Mario and BG & E would be worth swapping in, but no I'm pretty happy with my top ten as it is. The GC had more than ten great games so its inevitable that some things have to miss out.

[nekunando]

1 F-Zero GX

2 Resident Evil 4

3 Metroid Prime

4 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

5 Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

6 Wave Race: Blue Storm

7 Killer 7

8 Eternal Darkness

9 The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

10 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

 

I haven't concerned myself too much with the specific order of things but I do know I've made a few changes from last time and that I've had to leave out games such as 1080: Avalanche, Luigi's Mansion, Ikaruga, Mario Kart: Double Dash and Starfox Adventures..

1080: Avalanche > SSX 3

[killer kirby]

Ok going to put my list down, I really love the Gamecube so I am going to take my time writing the games that really made me love the Gamecube for what it was

 

10.The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

	Audio

Whenever I think of this game, I cannot help but think of the happy theme tune that you hear right from the get go. This game raised heads, it made fans cry in disappointment when it was first shown, but by God, where a lot of fans wrong in thinking this game was going to be bad, as the trend was starting to be ‘add more grey to your games’ Nintendo did the 180 and gave us this game. A fresh new style, artistically brilliant and such a simple story that turned into a vast adventure. The expressions on characters were vibrant and cheerful. But it came down to this after this game came out. Fans know nothing about how to make awesome Nintendo games, let Nintendo do their own thing.

Set 1000000000000000000000000 years after the Adult Link timeline(rough Japanese translation of where it’s set in the Zelda timeline ) The game focuses on a cute little boy who on his birthday gets the greatest birthday present, a hero’s green tunic, a sword, a shield, a free boat ride on a pirates ship, gets to go on a catapult and gets to sneak around a badasses hideout playing out his favourite game MGS (Each Link has his own favourite game trust me) only to get an after present...

	Audio

And goes on a personal quest to be the biggest baddass in the world. Oh and he is also on a quest to save his sisters, making him a true bro.

So yeah he’s got everything a boy and adult wants.

Gameplay is incredible, just like all the other Zelda games, and the world just makes you want to keep coming back to it. The game is just one awesome thing to another and it’s a game you want to get 100% on everything so yeah you want to play the second play through.

Now, as awesome as this game is, I am somewhat still a bit upset on a few things on the game (And I ain’t even going to talk about the Triforce quest I was ok with that) There were times where it did feel rushed with the infamous 2 dungeons that were meant to be in the game, but had to get rid of them cause of time. Another issue for me was the last 2 dungeons, I was not a big fan of the playing as 2 characters, playing the song over and over again, became a pain and made me just glad that I got to the end of the dungeon. Ganon’s tower was also an issue, making most of the rooms just be bosses you fought before but just in black and white screamed out ‘LAZINESS’ to me, OOT was good and different, heck even MM gave you the option of really testing your skills in the game. WW just gave me something which I have already fought.

The last thing may be stupid, but the child inside of me was still a bit upset. I remember going underwater and seeing the drowned Hyrule, the first thing that came to me was ‘Holy shit! Another world to explore!’ looking across the Hyrule fields and seeing the area in awesome Cel-Shaded graphics had me drooling at the thought, but, sadly the land of the sunken Hyrule was just one line. Perhaps Nintendo could have spent another 2 years on the game and give us like a 2 worlds to explore, or even make another Zelda game with Cel-shaded graphics giving us on foot adventure around Hyrule, I don’t know, but I really want to explore an awesome land in Cel-Shaded Nintendo have done this to themselves they got to give me something! >_<

Well, that’s me first post out of the 10 I’ll right up another one soon on the next game I highly praise on the Gamecube system peace out : peace:

[Grazza]

Just awesome, @killer kirby!

[Jonnas]

Haha, this should be good

[mr_bogus]

My top 10 (in order, starting with the best):

 

1. Metroid Prime

2. P.N.03

3. Killer 7

4. Resident Evil 4

5. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader

6. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg

7. Super Monkeyball Adventure (yes, I loved it - shut up!)

8. Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

9. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

10. F-Zero GX

 

Tho to be honest there were way too many to choose from.

Even when I was down to 15, every one I cut from the list felt like pulling the limbs off a puppy

[darksnowman]

Any word on your number nine, @killer kirby? The anticipation has killed most of us.

[killer kirby]

Sorry for the delay, things going on in life, but now everything has settled down so I now have more time to write my top 10

 

9.Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

I still remember how incredibly amazed I was when I played the first Metroid Prime game. It was a series that I caught the bug addiction for the series as a whole. Just the way the first came really made you think you really were on a planet that was truly alive, I remember when I was on Tallon overworld and not going to another room at the start of the game, I just stayed where my ship was and just soak in the atmosphere that this game created and seeing the rain go onto my visor was just incredible and the music, the soft soothing music that was playing. Brilliant. So spending most of my time on this game more so than Wind Waker. I was in love with Metroid Prime, it was a masterpiece everything about it was so good. I finally after so many months got 100% on everything in the game, and to see the extra ending made my mouth just water. Metroid Prime 2 was upon us soon, but for how long? Metorid Prime 2 was my most anticipated Gamecube game ever! It was more on my want list than Zelda:TP and that’s saying something. I wanted another Metorid Prime game, one that was just as awesome if not better than the first one. The wait was really killing me...and then I got it...2 days before my birthday it came out. I got a shiny awesome cover I just couldn’t wait to put this sucker into the Gamecube. Just as it get’s all quiet...

	Audio

That music plays, that familiar tune of a metroid music, so calming and then the momentum picks up to something incredible. The presentation of this game from the get go just blew me away. It still has an imprint on my mind to this day and I seriously do not think I will forget it either.

So the story is set whenever. Samus is super pissed that she doesn’t have that kick ass Phazon suit anymore, so she does what any chick does when she’s pissed off, eats crap, plastic surgery and decided to go onto a planet she has never been too, using the federation distress signal as an excuse to go there so she can break things (Yeah she is one crazy hot bitch) So arriving there, she realised it was the greatest decision she has ever made, since the alien that stole her phazon suit was there as well. So this all comes down to her just wanting to destroy the planet if it means it kills Metroid Prime (Which she technically did when she destroyed the dark world which is like half the world in the game)

So now the game plays almost identical to the first one, with a bit more polish and more goodies of gadgets you can use, some which are plain awesome. So now I really love this world. It’s vibrant colourful and what makes this game even better is there is 2 sides to the whole world so you get to explore the worlds twice which was fine by me

What was an interesting thing about this game is that this is the first Metroid game where outside of the missiles and such your beams had ammo, light and dark, it was an interesting concept for a game like this and adding it to puzzles and bosses and such makes you think about wasting your ammo.

Through the game just seeing how the world looks and seeing how the Ing’s have effected the world it’s quite a scene, the way it infects monsters and even machines. Which now I would love to talk about, my favourite part of the game!

 

Sanctury fortress! I can not express how thrilled I was to see this area of the game, it was like the first time in a Metroid game where everything was bright, it looked like the future rather than most Metroid games area where they were dark and moody. Plus the boss there, hoo boy was it one so awesome boss, even to this day I can remember fighting it the first time and just smiling on how excellent that boss was.

 

Plus the new designs of Samus’s armour was unique and quite awesome, especially the light armour, it threw away the typical gear that Samus always gets, but that’s really what this game was. Diferent. It tried to be something unique yet be still metroid and funny enough this game accomplished it a lot better than that of Metroid Other M

 

Now the few issues of the game too me. First of all Multiplayer, it was an exciting thought that a metroid game was getting multiplayer, however when it came out it wasn’t really as exciting as I was hoping, playing it with mates, and we got bored of it and went back to playing Mario Kart. The whole game was move and tap A while holding the L trigger. It was bad, and people agreed, was fun for 5 mins. It was good it was not in Metorid Prime 3. The other thing about this game was the treasure seeking. Now finding ultimate keys to get to the last boss is cool, like I said in the Wind Waker post, it was ok to have the Trifoce hunt. But this game was huge, and gave very little info on where they were, and not only was that a pain, but they were in the very corners that are easily overlooked and when you found the key, you had to go to the dark world to obtain it.

But other than that this game is flawless to me, it’s a game that really showed that Retro were not a one hit wonder and were capable of creating more and more fantastic games!

 

See you next Mission!

[killer kirby]

Just out of curiosity, how long do I have to wait before the posts don't merge together if I double post? So while waiting I just did all of the list so it won't take forever now

 

8.Resident Evil 4

 

 

Resident Evil! FOOOOOOOOUR! Come on, who has not said that when alone

This game is just awesome really really awesome, and you just have to see when people are asked what their favourite gamecube game is and most people tend to sometimes reply ‘Resident Evil 4’ not Mario, not Zelda, not Metroid, but Resident Evil 4. What makes this statement amazing is that not only does it get highly rated and is on par or even better than most Gamecube games, but the fact it’s on a Nintendo system, and on a Nintendo system with very little 3rd party support. First hinted at the end of 1999 it went through development hell and kept getting scraped with all the new idea’s, trailers were shown people were in anticipation to get their hands on this game. But it was in 2004 when the first trailer of what we were going to play really showed and boy did we get a nasty surprise.

No ZOMBIES!!!! For a series that fully relied on the whole concept of surviving a land full of Zombies we were now up against something even worst. Enemies that could think. If they could not get through one way, they would get through another, no other entries, they will smash through anything just to kill you at all costs.

It was a new concept of survival horror, being hunted while thinking how to survive and outsmart your enemies. And the new gameplay of it, completely different to what we were used to, button layout was almost identical to the previous and heck it even worked better now. It really felt like the game was meant for the Gamecube.

Now that the Umbrella is finished (God way to end it after the cliffhanger in Code Veronica) You are now a special double derp protecting the presidents hot daughter, which so happens that when you get the job she get’s kidnapped. You being the ladies man go out to find her, obviously an excuse to show off all the awesome moves, better voice acting and more muscle since RE2.

Right away when you start the game, you are all by yourself in a world which you have never been too before in a Resident Evil series. And straight away you can see the amount of detail the amount of effort that was put into the game. The gentle breeze with the trees gently moving, the detail in Leon, the ground and the houses around you. It’s an incredible first impression right away. Right away the controls feel perfect with being able to do 180 turns, aiming and the BEST thing ever, taking your knife out whenever you want to, rather than going into the inventory like all the other RE games, making this game play much smoother.

Through the game you are hunted, and that feeling of isolation, with no one to help you and everyone wants to kill you with brutal weapons really sends chills down your spin, and Capcom perfect the atmosphere by having plenty of traps around to always keep you on your toes, it makes me wonder who wasn’t shit scared the moment they got into a crowd of angry villagers and then hearing the sound of the chainsaw from a long distance. Plus I must also talk about another thing in the game which really improves over any other game and that was having someone else with you, now, I am someone who hated protecting an AI, they were always stupid they always slowed the game down and really, they added nothing to the gameplay as a whole, RE4 however I really enjoyed the AI Ashley wasn’t stupid through the whole game (She was stupid at times) But never did it feel so much better than to shoot a man behind her and her ducking so you don’t shoot her. It was fantastic.

Now the music, it blends so well into the game that you sometimes forgot that it’s playing, it play so gently yet gives you that feeling that shit is going down, and too me it’s doing its job in the that department. But still, as much as the music is very well done in the game, I still don’t have the urge to listen to it on Youtube like I have with so many other games.

This game was also a first for me in something which people either hate with a passion or love it. Quick time events, now for me QTE should not be used a lot in games, I think a lot of games use QTE way too much which ruins a lot of games, I thought RE4 did it perfect. Especially the Kruaser and Leon fight.

The pacing of this game is increadible to me, just how it doesn’t make you stay around too long but at the same time doesn’t make you rush from one part to another without you exploring, and each time finishing you either want to try something new out or beat your older time, it was an easy game to play over and over again, almost more than any other game to be honest. Also I must mention two things. First is the awesome merchant, who is he? What is he? Why isn't he one of them!? and HOW.THE.FUCK.IS.HE.ALWAYS.AHEAD.OF.YOU!? and last but least Ada Wong...WHOA! did they make her look hot or what! I never cared for her in RE2 but daaaamn she looking fine in RE4 and is so much more of a badass which is always an awesome thing, don't know about you but chicks with guns always awesome. : peace:

Resident Evil 4 is a game that will always stay as a great pedestal for gaming, and for very good reasons, the praises it got was truly deserved and it just makes me sad to know that Shinji Mikami left Capcom soon after Resident Evil 4 was done, never to know how Resident Evil 5 was truly meant to be. But alas time moves on, but we will always have a soft spot for this game, the game was well worth the wait, it’s a game you could compare to Zelda OOT and Mario 64 with how it raised the bar on everything.

Look forward to number 7