Dcubed Posted May 20 Posted May 20 Interesting! Had no idea that the US got a different version of ISS2. BTW, it really strikes me just how many more sports games the GCN got over the N64. Even at this early stage in the GCN’s life, the difference is night and day!
Cube Posted May 20 Author Posted May 20 3 hours ago, Dcubed said: Interesting! Had no idea that the US got a different version of ISS2. BTW, it really strikes me just how many more sports games the GCN got over the N64. Even at this early stage in the GCN’s life, the difference is night and day! Early days is crazy. Although after a couple of years, they fizzle out due to EA pricing out the competition and other companies ditching the GameCube. So it goes from a ton of sports games to pretty much just EA's ones. 1
Cube Posted May 21 Author Posted May 21 Donald Duck: Quack Attack Donal Duck is Going Quackers to Save Daisy! NA release: 27th March 2002 EU release: 3rd March 2002 JP release: N/A Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Publisher: Ubisoft NGC Magazine Score: 32% Mods Used: Widescreen Hack Someone high up at Ubisoft really wanted the Donald Duck: Going Quackers/Quack Attack concept to work. Three different developers had already made completely different versions of the game for PlayStation, Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64 (with the N64 version getting PC and Dreamcast ports), but now it was Ubisoft Montreal’s turn to make a new version for the PS2 and GameCube. At this stage they mainly worked on licensed games and Tonic Trouble, but they would later create Splinter Cell, the Prince of Persia 3D trilogy and a little game called Assassin’s Creed. While the story and level themes are exactly the same as the previous versions, the levels themselves are completely different. They’re still mostly Crash Bandicoot-style levels with a few 2D levels, but they’re designed around the specific mechanics of this version. Throughout each level are sets of five cogs, collect these in quick succession and you’ll get a letter to spell out “SPECIAL”. Once you’ve completed a level with this, you’ll earn a special move. To activate a special move, you need to jump on three enemies without touching the ground, press R, then enter the combination for the various special moves – although all they do is activate a different animation then all give you the same power: invincibility and a bonus to your score for a little bit. While the actual reward for the special moves are fairly rubbish, they still benefit the game a lot: enemies and presents (which hold gears, health and power-ups) are placed within reach of each other, and bouncing across all these is extremely satisfying. I rarely actually activated the special move, but bouncing through the levels made them flow extremely well. Donald is also lovingly animated, looking like he just escaped from the cartoons. He’ll distort as he moves, grab his hat, dance around and is extremely expressive, which helps make the game feel alive. The main campaign is quite short (with fewer levels than previous versions), but there are two bonus ways to play. One is a time trial, and the other has you perform at least two special moves per level, both of which are fairly easy. Still, the mechanics of the game make it quite good fun. Fun Quote Goin’ Quackers is total rubbish, and not just because it’s one of the most boringly uninspired games we’ve played this year. Fact is, this looks and plays exactly the same as the N64 version, right down to the level structure and bumbling boss encounters. NGC Magazine #68 Remake or remaster? The various versions of this are worth including in a Disney platformer collection Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Donal Duck: Quack Attack. 4
Dcubed Posted May 21 Posted May 21 Oh that’s interesting. Had no idea that the GCN/PS2 version was a totally different game from the others! Ubisoft was a very strange company up until the PS360 came out and consolidated all of their game development output. 1 1
Ashley Posted May 21 Posted May 21 9 hours ago, Cube said: EU release: 3rd March 2002 EU release: N/A Just flagging this 1
Cube Posted May 22 Author Posted May 22 Driven Inspired by Sylvester Stallone’s hit movie DRIVEN. NA release: 27th March 2002 EU release: 3rd May 2002 JP release: N/A Developer: Crawfish Interactive Publisher: BAM! Entertainment NGC Magazine Score: 60% Mods Used: Widescreen Hack The first direct movie tie-in for GameCube, and it’s about a film I’ve never heard of. Driven was a personal project for Sylvester Stallone, who produced, wrote and starred in it. It was about an up and coming racing driver that started losing focus, so a champion is brought out of retirement (to help him out). It was supposed to be about Formula 1, but due to behind-the-scenes secrets, Stallone had to settle on “Championship Auto Racing Teams”. The game is, naturally, a racing game, but there are a few modes inspired by scenes in the film, and a story mode that follows the plot of the film, using the various modes throughout. The most unique mode is blocking, where you have to get behind a teammate and prevent an opponent from overtaking. You have to stay close to your teammate, so you just can’t crash into your opponent (despite having a special crash camera, the crashes are extremely underwhelming). A few scenes in the film are car chases in cities, and you get to play out these as well, dodging traffic, which is decent fun. There’s also a mechanic where if you don’t hit anything, you’ll enter “focus” mode and improve your top speed, acceleration and steering. I really don’t like how it handles, though, cornering is very stiff and the opponents are near-perfect, making each mission extremely difficult. While some of the modes are interesting, it’s not very nice to play. Fine Quote While Story and Blocking modes add a little variety to the mix, it never manages to really get going – there’s just enough speed, and it’s infinitely better than the PS2 version, but it still fails to grab you by the throat. More like a tap on the forearm. Shame, because there’s the nucleus of a good idea here. NGC Magazine #68 Remake or remaster? The blocking mode could be implemented into F1 games (if not already done). Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Driven. 1
BowserBasher Posted May 22 Posted May 22 2 hours ago, Cube said: It was supposed to be about Formula 1, but due to behind-the-scenes secrets, Stallone had to settle on “Championship Auto Racing Teams”. Look how far things have come. Now we have the F1 film due out soon that was filmed a lot on race weekends in the pits and on track with a lot of input from people in the sport. I know Hamilton had a major role in helping make it Never heard of this game. thanks. 1 1
Ashley Posted Thursday at 07:20 PM Posted Thursday at 07:20 PM 10 hours ago, Cube said: It was supposed to be about Formula 1, but due to behind-the-scenes secrets, Stallone had to settle on “Championship Auto Racing Teams”. This sounds like the subtitle a studio would use to make a Mario Kart rip off 1
Cube Posted Friday at 08:19 AM Author Posted Friday at 08:19 AM Bloody Roar: Primal Fury Fast and fluid hyper-beast fighting action. NA release: 28th March 2002 JP release: 25th April 2002 EU release: 3rd May 2002 Developer: Eighting Publisher: Activision (NA, EU), Hudson Soft (JP) NGC Magazine Score: 74% Mods Used: Widescreen Code The first traditional fighting game on GameCube, and this one is good fun. It’s the fourth game in the Bloody Roar series, and the first one to not be released in arcades. The series revolves around Zoanthropes, a human-like species with the ability to transform into animals such as tigers, elephants and rabbits – although they all walk on two feet like humans. A core concept of the game is swapping between your human mode and your beast form to access different abilities, as well as using your hyper-beast mode, which is powerful but only lasts a short time. In terms of controls, Primal Fury is fairly simple, with just one button for punches and one button for kicks (unlike the usual three for each), which is probably why I can perform reasonably well at the game. There aren’t a huge amount of modes, and still features the odd (to me) issue that you can’t select a specific fighter to be your opponent, but it’s still decent fun, and a good option for fighting games early in the GameCube’s life. Fun Quote As far as platforms for beat-’em-ups are concerned, the N64 was a real stinker. Okay, so Fighter’s Destiny wasn’t too bad, and it did have a number of redeeming features, but it was still a far cry from the Soul Caliburs of this world. To add insult to injury it took over a year to make it to these shores, a sorry state of affairs that, thanks to Bloody Road, can never befall our beloved GameCube. What’s more, as luck would have it, it’s currently sitting on a shop shelf as we speak, and being the solitary fighter on launch day, it’s a good job that it isn’t half bad. Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #68 Remake or remaster? A Bloody Roar collection would be good. Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Bloody Road: Primal Fury. 12 hours ago, Ashley said: This sounds like the subtitle a studio would use to make a Mario Kart rip off Moustached And Rotund Italian Originals Championship Auto Racing Teams 4
Cube Posted Saturday at 08:08 AM Author Posted Saturday at 08:08 AM Mystic Heroes Wield an incredible arsenal of mystic attacks in this epic fantasy action! JP release: 29th March 2002 NA release: 30th September 2002 EU release: 13th December 2002 Developer: Koei Publisher: Koei NGC Magazine Score: 71% Mods Used: Widescreen Code NGC Magazine compared this game to Gauntlet, but it’s actually something that borrows heavily from a Koei series that didn’t make its way to Nintendo platforms until much later: Dynasty Warriors. You control a powerful soldier on a battlefield, fighting your way through a massive amount of enemies. There is one massive difference, though. Dynasty Warriors is all about controlling the battlefield, helping your large army overcome the opponent’s army. Mystic Heroes is much simpler, you just kill everything or make it to the end of a stage, and you only have a small amount of troops available. On its own, the game isn’t much fun, as you only have a few attacks and the game is little more than just slashing your opponents, as it lacks the strategy element of Warriors games. Initially I thought that the game was specifically designed around 4-player co-op, especially after encountering a boss that spends ages running around in a large circle, so you can only slowly whittle away its health. However, according to NGC Magazine, the original Japanese release was singleplayer only, the game’s most redeeming feature of 4-player co-op was added for the western versions. What doesn’t help matters are the graphics, which are dull and lifeless. Mystic Heroes also features an immense amount of fog, which doesn’t even do its job of covering up the pop-in, with mountains appearing out of nothing. It really could have done with being as colourful as the box art. Mystic Heroes is simple enough to be enjoyable with four others, but is slow and tedious on your own. Fine Quote Okay, so Mystic Heroes might be something of a no-brainer, but at least it’s an entertaining – if a little repetitive and short-lived – no-brainer. Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #75 Remake or remaster? This would be a good inclusion in a collection of Warriors spin-offs. Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Mystic Heroes. 2
Cube Posted Sunday at 08:26 AM Author Posted Sunday at 08:26 AM Spider-man With great power comes great responsibility. NA release: 16th April 2002 EU release: 7th June 2002 JP release: 13th February 2003 Developer: Treyarch Publisher: Activision (NA/EU), Capcom (JP) NGC Magazine Score: 72% Mods Used: None When Treyarch was given the task of making a Spider-man game based on the first Sam Raimi film, they very clearly looked at Neversoft’s Spider-man game for the PS1 and N64, as this feels a lot like a sequel to that game in terms of how it controls and plays, even offering a “classic” control move based on that, and a similar web power structure. While the city levels still only let you move around a small square segments and you can’t walk on the ground, it certainly looks far more impressive, with no fog covering the ground and layers of lower detailed buildings to successfully sell the look that you’re in part of a colossal city. Webbing into the sky still looks ridiculous, though, and the few chases in the game come across as a bit silly as Vulture and Green Goblin just fly around in circles, which is sometimes handy as they’ll head straight back to Spider-man so you can close the gap. The levels inside buildings are much more focused on wall climbing and hand-to-hand combat, with a simple but satisfying system and unlocking more combos as you find them hidden in levels. This is where the controls and camera do trip up a lot, though. The camera is quite bizarre, as this one doesn’t affect Spider-man’s movement until you stop moving. So if you hold forward while moving the camera, Spider-man will still run in the same direction, and you can only “fix” this by stopping for a moment to reset the controls to now be based on where the camera is facing. This issue is made far worse in the horrible stealth levels, as you can never tell which direction you’re going to be moving when you push the stick. You also can’t tilt the camera up or down, restraining your view and making it difficult to track enemy movements. You’ll end up failing a ton of times just because of the controls and camera. One nice thing that works well is that, while this is based on the film, it mostly does its own thing, with the film scenes mainly being at the start and end of the game. They managed to get Tobey Maguire fairly late in development and, frankly, his voice acting is pretty bad, especially with the awkward and respective quips given to the character (games should not repeat the same line of dialogue after only five seconds). The end scene is also rather awkward, with Tobey’s Spider-man and MJ (who doesn’t look or sound like Kirsten Dunst) snogging right next to the Green Goblin’s dead body. Complete the game on hard and you’ll unlock Green Goblin mode. Here you can play through all the main levels as the Green Goblin, using his glider instead of webbing around. It’s a great way to play through the levels again, and the dialogue is reworked to change the story to be Harry Osborn investigating his father’s death and dealing with an imposter Green Goblin. Indicantally, he’s played by the original Spider-man choice for the game, Josh Keaton, who would still get to play Spider-man in later games and shows. While fiddly, Spider-man is still a fun and engaging game. It was massively overshadowed by its sequel game, but it’s still a really good film tie-in. Fun Quote The most important aspect of any licensed superhero game has to be the extent to which the developers can capture the essence of the character and the universe in inhabits, and in all fairness, Treyarch have done a remarkable job. The Spidey model itself is spot-on, boasting a healthy amount of texture detail on his sui (he even has shiny eyes) and they’ve also managed to get his stance and the way he moves pretty much perfect. Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #69 Remake or remaster? A collection of Spider-man games would be nice. Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Spider-man (2002). 3
Dcubed Posted Sunday at 09:24 AM Posted Sunday at 09:24 AM (edited) Hold the phone… this American-made game, based on a Hollywood movie, based on an American comic book… came out in Japan first!? That can’t be right, surely!? Edited Sunday at 09:24 AM by Dcubed 1
Ashley Posted Sunday at 10:08 AM Posted Sunday at 10:08 AM 1 hour ago, Cube said: The end scene is also rather awkward, with Tobey’s Spider-man and MJ (who doesn’t look or sound like Kirsten Dunst) snogging right next to the Green Goblin’s dead body. Don't kink shame. 1 1
Cube Posted Sunday at 10:12 AM Author Posted Sunday at 10:12 AM 43 minutes ago, Dcubed said: That can’t be right, surely!? It's not right, that's supposed to be 2003 for Japan. 1
Dcubed Posted Sunday at 12:41 PM Posted Sunday at 12:41 PM 2 hours ago, Cube said: It's not right, that's supposed to be 2003 for Japan. Aww… I was hoping for a weird situation like that Italian exclusive Sailor Moon game for the DS… phooey 1
Ashley Posted Sunday at 02:14 PM Posted Sunday at 02:14 PM 1 hour ago, Dcubed said: I was hoping for a weird situation like that Italian exclusive Sailor Moon game for the DS Tried to look at a reason for this. The series (and anime in general) is big in Italy, but at the expense of Japan is weird. Can't find the developer as I thought maybe it was an Italian one that pitched it but it doesn't help the name is Open Sesame. I can find a game developer, but it's French and don't mention it so seems unlikely (more the French than not mentioning a 14 year old game). But I did find a site that announced it and it was amusing reading though the comments. A lot of excited Italians. 1 1
Cube Posted Monday at 07:42 AM Author Posted Monday at 07:42 AM Lost Kingdoms A real-time action RPG adventure. JP release: 25th April 2002 NA release: 27th May 2002 EU release: 9th August 2002 Developer: FromSoftware Publisher: FromSoftware (JP), Activision (NA/EU) NGC Magazine Score: 86% Mods Used: Widescreen Code, Camera Mod RPGs were a genre that the N64 didn’t get many games in, at least outside of Japan. So it was promising that the GameCube got one fairly early in its life, from a developer that is far more popular these days: FromSoftware, who make games that I personally don’t like. Lost Kingdoms is an RPG where you take control of Princess Katia, whose kingdom is being invaded by a mysterious fog, which brings monsters with it. She needs to use a runestone, which lets her use cards to perform attacks and summon creatures, to find the king and save her kingdom. Lost Kingdoms uses a tilted camera, which is kind of like an isometric game in full 3D. There’s no ceiling to the environment, and levels take place in a kind of a “void”, which gives it a unique and rather pleasant look, as you can see a lot but it’s never too busy. Overall, it looks really nice, especially with the surprisingly detailed graphics. One thing I did hate was the camera, which moves 90 degrees with every push of the C-stick, which felt awkward as you were always walking at an angle. Thankfully, there is an action replay code that gives you a full analogue camera. There’s also an additional one that changes it to a “flat camera” rather than an isometric one, but that didn’t fit the style of the game. When a battle starts, which can be random in some areas or specific battles in others, the game has a cool transition to a small arena. This isn’t unrelated to the area you’re in like many RPGs, though, but a cut out of the actual part of the level you’re on, which looks absolutely wonderful. The card-based battles take place in real time, with crystals used to pay for cards. You can only have a small amount of time, so will have to rush around the battlefield picking more up as you hit enemies. There are three main types of cards. Summon cards will spawn the creatures to fight alongside you, attack cards are a (usually) quick attack form Katia, while monster cards will transform Katia into that monster to perform a single action – either an attack or recharging health or cards. Learning how each card functions is extremely important, as they all attack in unique ways, and you’ll need to position yourself correctly to use it. Thankfully, the card designs are very easy to remember and it isn’t as taxing as you might imagine to learn it all. Staying alive isn’t the game’s main challenge, as you can learn how to avoid enemy attacks and you can’t be damaged while casting a card. The bigger challenge is using your deck well, as you can only take 30 cards with you into levels, and they have to last through multiple battles. There are a few ways to manage this, though. In an individual battle, you can discard a card if the ones in your hand aren’t suitable. You can’t use the card again in the current fight, but it will come back in other battles in the same level. Cards you find within a level can also be added to your deck at recharge points. Some cards, like the expensive to cast Mind Flayer (if you don’t have enough crystals, you can sacrifice health to use card), can bring back spent cards. Levelling up is also interesting, you gain more power as you discover the additional rune stones throughout the story, but the individual cards you use gain experience as you use them, eventually letting you transform them into new forms, or letting you duplicate them instead. It’s a very deep system, but also easy to understand. Lost Kingdom is fairly short (although there are side quests you can do, especially if you want to find all the cards), with a fairly predictable story told in some simple cutscenes and text. However, the overall style of the game, and the combat itself, make this a rather wonderful experience. Great Quote Anyone familiar with the depth and brilliance of Magic: The Gathering will be right at home with Lost Kingdoms. Each cars is also classified as an elemental type – either Earth, Water, Wood of Fire. As tradition dictates, water-based creatures will be more powerful against fire-based ones, and so on. As more cards are collected, the combination of attacks and strategies becomes mind-boggling. Mark Walbank, NGC Magazine #70 Remake or remaster? A remaster of both games would be great. A better camera (like the action replay code provides) and a faster walk speed outside of combat would be welcome changes to the first game. Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Lost Kingdoms. 2 3
Dcubed Posted Monday at 12:50 PM Posted Monday at 12:50 PM That GCN Menu blurb is hilariously generic. Ironic considering how unique and novel the gameplay setup actually is. 1
Cube Posted Monday at 01:01 PM Author Posted Monday at 01:01 PM 10 minutes ago, Dcubed said: That GCN Menu blurb is hilariously generic. Ironic considering how unique and novel the gameplay setup actually is. They don't change the blurb for the sequel, either. 2
EEVILMURRAY Posted Monday at 02:01 PM Posted Monday at 02:01 PM I love Lost Kingdoms, wish they'd make another. As in a new sequel, not the one they already made 1
Ashley Posted Monday at 02:47 PM Posted Monday at 02:47 PM 1 hour ago, Dcubed said: That GCN Menu blurb is hilariously generic. Ironic considering how unique and novel the gameplay setup actually is. 1 hour ago, Cube said: They don't change the blurb for the sequel, either. Well I guess it's still accurate in the sequel. 1 1
Jonnas Posted Monday at 06:22 PM Posted Monday at 06:22 PM On 5/23/2025 at 9:19 AM, Cube said: Bloody Roar: Primal Fury Fast and fluid hyper-beast fighting action. Ah, that's one that definitely caught my eye back in the day. After Soul Calibur 2 had entranced me, I was definitely on the lookout for cool-looking 3D fighting games, and I heard of this creative-looking series. It's unfortunate that I had heard it was a bit "meh" at the time, so I didn't really look more into it back then. These days, I'm all for appreciating variety more, and also understanding that a "meh" back then didn't really mean much. Now I'd just like to see a collection of this schocky-looking series so I can look into the animations, creative choices, and hopefully laugh at some of its corniest elements. Like, this is a villain! I think 10 hours ago, Cube said: Lost Kingdoms A real-time action RPG adventure. And speaking of games I had my eyes on! When I was looking for an RPG for my Gamecube, I remember having to decide between Skies of Arcadia, PSO, and Lost Kingdoms (I did go with Skies, a choice I don't regret one bit) I did forever wonder what this game was like, though. I do occasionally hear people speak fondly of it, but it seems nobody became a superfan. Seemed solid, and would be pretty good as a lower-budget game these days. I've also wondered if it could return in a remastered collection of sorts, just so I could experiment with that card-based battle system I heard so much about. I don't even know who developed these games, honestly. 10 hours ago, Cube said: RPGs were a genre that the N64 didn’t get many games in, at least outside of Japan. So it was promising that the GameCube got one fairly early in its life, from a developer that is far more popular these days: FromSoftware WHAT 1
Cube Posted yesterday at 08:21 AM Author Posted yesterday at 08:21 AM 2002 FIFA World Cup Your country’s 2002 FIFA World Cup hopes are in YOUR hands! NA release: 30th April 2002 JP release: 2nd May 2002 EU release: 3rd May 2002 Developer: EA Canada, Tose Publisher: EA Sports (NA/EU), EA Square (JP) NGC Magazine Score: 30% Mods Used: None With 2002 being a World Cup year, it means two FIFA games in the space of six months. This means that in Europe, we missed out on the first fully-featured FIFA game and got this version on launch day. Unlike World Cup 98, though, this isn’t just the same core game with fewer teams, they actually made some changes. Passing has been reworked significantly, which means follow on passes are much more reliable, with your player running past opponents to meet up with the ball. The players you aren’t in control of seem to be much more intelligent, and will make runs into spaces (indicated by a dotted line so you can plan appropriately) and they sometimes even make tackles on your behalf. There’s a lot more activity happening in the box now, giving you more options than just booting the ball when you get close to the goal. I found it made the game flow quite nicely. Another small touch is a meaty WOOMPHHHH sound effect when you make a shot. But with a massively reduced number of teams, fewer modes and no team or player editing, it’s still missing a ton of stuff from the main FIFA releases, so hopefully some of these gameplay elements will be evolved for the proper game. Fun Quote FIFA places importance on the things that don’t matter, and ignores the things that count, such as passing, shooting, sprinting, crossing and AI. It’s hardly a new observation, but it’s worth pointing out again: if EA spent as much time on the mechanics of the game as they did on perfecting the look of the stadiums and the players’ boot designs, we’d have the best football game on the planet, no contest. Tim Weaver, NGC Magazine #69 Remake or remaster? This is not the height of the franchise. Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get 2002 FIFA World Cup. 2
Dcubed Posted yesterday at 09:56 AM Posted yesterday at 09:56 AM 2002 FWC was a Tose job!? Had no idea! Man, those guys get around! 1
Cube Posted yesterday at 11:10 AM Author Posted yesterday at 11:10 AM 1 hour ago, Dcubed said: 2002 FWC was a Tose job!? Had no idea! Just the GameCube port. Also, looking them up just now... They did the Switch port of Breath of the Wild?
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