The Nintendo Gamecube: Carry on my Wavebird Son

[Tegan]

Been playin' a lot of Gamecube this year and I feel like there's growing nostalgia for the system, so I thought y'all might wanna talk Gamecube.

So I picked up a black DOL-001 this spring and dropped in a GC Loader for disc drive emulation, a cheapo SD2SP2 for memory card emulation and patching, and the Game Boy Player that @Ixo gave me for Christmas; then set up Swiss and Game Boy Interface; and now I have the ultimate Cube (almost). I was playing it on the CRT but I've been enjoying it so much that I think it's making the cut to the new entertainment center, so now the only thing to fix now is the output. As such I think I'll be grabbing a GCHD Mk II at some point in the coming weeks.

So far I've been playing a couple of old favourites:
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is still the best Zelda game ever, outside of maybe BOTW. I don't have much to say about this one, because I just assume everyone already loves it. It's like trying to describe what fries taste like.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is better than I remember. It's incredibly slow to ramp up and parts of it have aged very badly, but I'm liking it a lot. I had only ever played the Wii version prior to this so it's been fascinating to go back and see it without the flipped world and with much nicer controls. Replaying the water dungeon is probably the first time in years where I had to take a break in the middle of a Zelda dungeon and not just blast through it in one go.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run is fantastic. I mean, it's not, it's a middling GTA clone. But it's good enough and the charm of the early Simpsons license is more than sufficient to push it the rest of the way into cult classic territory.
Chibi-Robo! is extremely sweet. I feel like it would have done gangbusters as a Switch indie game or something. As it is it arrived too early for people to really appreciate the charm of bein' a little dude helpin' people and cleanin' a house. Also I remember my friend in middle school playing this and saying the footstep noises were annoying. Well fuck you, Michael, I like the footstep noises.
Animal Crossing is a game that's been basically replaced by its sequels. Having only gotten into AC later in life, there's a few things in here that are nice surprises (namely NES games and the fact that your villagers can be outright pricks and not just nice all the time), but yeesh do I miss the QOL stuff from later entries.

So what else should I check out? There's other old favourites I want to revisit (Pokémon Colosseum, Pikmin 2, Luigi's Mansion, etc) and I'm definitely tracking down a pair of DK bongos for funsies but there's plenty of the Gamecube library that I just never got to experience.

And yes, I'm playing with the Wavebird. I have two with receivers (and one without) and they work much better in the new setup than the old one. I think the closed-in spot where the Wii sat may have provided too much interference or something. Love my wavey boi.

 

[Olli]

F-Zero GX hasn't aged super well, but it's really really good, if you have the hours to sink in to really learn the tracks and the vehicles. It's not something you just play for a half-hour for funsies, it's something you have to really grind.

 

[Phantoon]

Chibi-Robo is an incredible game and it's a huge shame it never took off as a series.

 

[Peklo]

There was a time when FromSoftware weren't solely dedicated to permutations of their Souls formula and their repertoire was much more diverse and experimental, so for their only GameCube projects there was the Lost Kingdoms duology--card-based action RPGs and dungeon crawlers featuring interesting narratives and female protagonists. They're very worth looking into.

It's not like it's unknown and has been ported since, but if you have an opportunity to play the Resident Evil remake in its original context on related hardware and displays, I'd take it. It's certainly a peak of its brand of survival horror.

 

[Exposition Owl]

Chibi-Robo is an incredible game and it's a huge shame it never took off as a series.

I really enjoyed it, too. I remember playing it a lot around the time my parents were getting a divorce, which felt oddly appropriate. I sort of wonder what it would feel like to revisit it today.

 

[Olli]

Some random picks:
* The best version of RE 4 is on the 'cube
* Soul Calibur II is my favorite game in the series.
* Eternal Darkness is a fun curiosity. Slight spoilers:

Spoiler: Eternal Darkness

The intro section ends with a choice that determines your game mode!

* Rogue Squadron 2 is hard as balls if you want to unlock everything, but it's good Star Wars stuff.
* Paper Mario TTYD. Some people hate it, most people think it's the best entry in the series, including me.
* Baten Kaitos is a pretty fresh JRPG. Not everyone's thing, but I liked it enough to finish it, which is saying quite a lot.

 

[FelixSH]

There was a time when FromSoftware weren't solely dedicated to permutations of their Souls formula and their repertoire was much more diverse and experimental, so for their only GameCube projects there was the Lost Kingdoms duology--card-based action RPGs and dungeon crawlers featuring interesting narratives and female protagonists. They're very worth looking into.

Lost Kingdoms is from the Souls guys? I never knew! I only played Lost Kingdoms 2, and while the story seemed pretty lacking (it was more than 15 years ago, so maybe I misremember), the game itself was super fun. I second the recommendation.

* Baten Kaitos is a pretty fresh JRPG. Not everyone's thing, but I liked it enough to finish it, which is saying quite a lot.

This and it's sequel, Baten Kaitos Origins (which is technically a prequel, just came out later), are great JRPGs. A bit long, but very unique, with a really fun, card-based battle system. If you like deck building and JRPGs, these are must-haves.

Aside from that, Metroid Prime and MP 2 are fun games, especially the first one. Beyond Good and Evil is also a nice Zelda-like (it's not that similar, I think, but shares some elements in its basic structure.

There is also, of course, Skies of Arcadia, which is a lot of fun.

 

[JBear]

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is still my favourite Fremblem, I think (Although FE7 & 3 Houses are both GOATs as well). It'd be really nice if they ported it and its sequel to Switch as a package deal so that more people could play them. I feel like the the timing couldn't be better, and they'd make Nintendo mad bank.

Also, the Gamecube was home to two of the best gaming experiences/memories I've ever had, both of them logistical nightmares that I managed to pull together:

• Four Swords with 4 GBAs
• 8-player Mario Kart Double Dash with two networked Gamecubes and a split-screen big-screen CRT

The latter honestly might be one of the most fun afternoons I've had in my life. I was laughing so hard after 8-player Shine Get battle mode that my sides hurt. I also managed to play 4-player Crystal Chronicles a few times, since we had the set-up for Four Swords anyway, and it was... fine. Certainly novel, at least!

 

[Mogri]

Honest question: do you start threads because you have things you want to discuss or because you have come up with the greatest title?

 

[Kazin]

I'm glad you're already playing Chibi-Robo, as that's usually my go to recommendation for uncommon Gamecube games because that game is fantastic. Other than that I'm going to be basic and say Super Smash Bros Melee is still the best in that series, and I agree with JBear about Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - it's also my favorite in that series (though I don't like the Wii sequel all that much if I'm honest).

Don't sleep on Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - while it's obviously better with other people, it's still very playable in single player and has some fun stuff going on in it. I really wish that'd get a Switch port or something with online play.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is probably the best in that series, it's certainly the one I've replayed the most.

If you've never played Phantasy Star Online, the Gamecube port is probably the best console version of it, and can still be taken online if you've got a broadband adapter and some time to get it all set up. I played an absolute ton of it offline back in the day, though, since there was no way my mom was going to pay a monthly subscription for a game back in 2002 or whatever lol.

I'm also a big defender of Super Mario Sunshine (though iirc you may have played it on the Switch port when it came out in that collection?) - while it sure ain't perfect, there's a lot to enjoy in it and it's worth playing. Just don't go for 100% on it and I think you'll have a good time.

Pikmin and Pikmin 2 are classics. I prefer them on Gamecube, too, rather than the Wii versions.

Tales of Symphonia was my favorite in that series for a long time, and always felt to me like a riff on the plot of Final Fantasy X.

They've been ported all over the place so you've probably played them elsewhere, but if you haven't, Super Monkey Ball 1/2 are still great.

If you have someone else to play with, Super Mario Strikers will be some of the most chaotic, hilarious fun you'll ever have playing videogames. It and the Wii sequel were mainstays for me through college, even when I lived with dudebro sports fan meatheads who nonetheless loved these games and drunkenly played them with me all the time.

But yeah, give Luigi's Mansion a shot, and if you enjoy it, play the 3DS sequel which I like even more than the original (I really need to get around to playing the third game one of these days).

I love the Gamecube so much. One of the best systems of all time imo

 

[Tegan]

I've always wanted to do four-player Four Swords Adventures. I have two cables and three compatible GBAs, so I'm almost there.

... except I don't have any friends.

 

[Tegan]

Honest question: do you start threads because you have things you want to discuss or because you have come up with the greatest title?

The latter.

 

[JBear]

Probably worth mentioning: the startup sequence is the secret best Gamecube game.

 

[Kazin]

I've always wanted to do four-player Four Swords Adventures. I have two cables and three compatible GBAs, so I'm almost there.

... except I don't have any friends.

I had friends who had GBAs, but nobody wanted to play FSA with me back in the day

 

[JBear]

I had friends who had GBAs, but then we played FSA.

(Not entirely a joke. That game is all about hilariously fucking over your friends, and one of my friends got legit heated at another one of my friends at one point.)

 

[Kazin]

Also the Chibi-Robo DS sequels are pretty good imo, if slightly not the same thing as the Gamecube game, but they're worth trying out. 3 got a fantranslation, and the inexplicably Walmart exclusive (in the US, anyway) Park Patrol is actually quite good.

 

[Issun]

Seconding Eternal Darkness. It is the most underrated survival horror game, so it makes sense it's trapped on an underrated system. Switch remaster plz.

 

[Patrick]

Lots of good recs. I'll add that Rogue Squadron III is uneven, but it has some great sections.

 

[muteKi]

I got a Wii to play those old GBA-GC link games. Mainly the pock-eyed mans.

 

[Exposition Owl]

* Rogue Squadron 2 is hard as balls if you want to unlock everything, but it's good Star Wars stuff.

Heck yes. I’d love to see another Rogue Squadron game, or even just an HD upgrade of this one.

 

[Tegan]

One thing I've always wanted to try is the legendary "five Gamecubes, five TVs, four Game Boy Players" Four Swords Adventures setup.

 

[ArugulaZ]

These thread titles really are so damn good.

One of the best things about the GameCube is that the Wii is also a GameCube, but also has a component cable that's quite reasonably priced. Play GameCube games on that and you're suddenly asked if you want to play all your old games with progressive scan, making them sharper than they've ever been. Uh, yes please! Even better, a hacked Wii can run Nintendont, which lets you play dozens of GameCube and even TriForce (!!!) games without having to pull your fat, sweaty butt off the couch to swap discs.

A personal favorite of mine is Bloody Roar: Primal Fury (aka Bloody Roar Extreme on the Xbox). It's focused on delivering high impact hits that send your opponent into and through walls, much like Sega's Fighting Vipers, but it's a deeper, more satisfying, and all around better game. The zoanthrope gimmick is brilliant, letting your combatant transform into a more powerful beast form once a meter at the bottom of the screen is sufficiently filled. The graphics are likewise exceptional, full of rich color and stages that make good use of the high impact attacks that turn your opponent into a wrecking ball. Aside from Soul Calibur 2, Bloody Roar is probably the best fighting game in a library that's woefully lacking in them.

 

[Voncaster]

I think the Gamecube library is superior to the N64 library. But for-whatever reason, I think the general public likes N64 library more.

My favorite Gamecube game has to be Resident Evil Remake. I wasn't into RE until I got RE2 on DC. Remake was my intro to RE1. Remake remains a favorite game of mine today.

The GBA link games Zelda Four Swords and Crystal Chronicles are also amazing.

I also love the colors of the console and the controller. It was a very slick system.

 

[SpoonyBard]

I also really enjoyed Tales of Symphonia. I've thought about replaying it from time to time but I don't even have the spare time to play new JRPGs, much less replay lengthy ones.

Should also mention the first two Metroid Prime games, since they were the only versions of those two to be playable with a standard controller, they've only been re-released since using the Wii's Prime Trilogy (original Trilogy release and Wii-U download), which also means at least in Prime 1's case the only accessible version has most of the fun skips patched out. I also remember some talk about some of the effects in the Trilogy version of Prime 1 and 2 being either tone down or at least changed to help account for the extra movement of Samus's gun arm.

 

[R.R. Bigman]

I think the Gamecube library is superior to the N64 library. But for-whatever reason, I think the general public likes N64 library more.

The ‘Cube certainly had more good to great games, whereas the N64 had a couple of the most important games ever made. The small library and interminable gaps between anything to play also may have hardened N64 kids and made them cherish what few games they got way more than the Gamecube owners.

I’ve been wondering what the Gamecube library would have looked like if Microsoft hadn’t poached Rare from Nintendo early in the cycle. With how much Rare helped carry the N64, I do wonder why Nintendo didn’t fight harder to keep them around as a second party?

 

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

GameCube wasn't the best place for Mega Man games, GB Player capabilities aside.

Mega Man Anniversary Collection inverted the controls with no option to flip them.

Mega Man X Collection... I have a difficult time imagining using that controller to play those games. At least, to play them the way I'm used to.

MegaMan Network Transmission was a neat idea and had a neat story, but it just did not work for me the way I wanted it to.

I would argue that with Mega Man X Command Mission, the GameCube version is probably the one to go with, at least if you like collectibles and have a GBA and link cable. There are a lot of little figurines to collect, and that helps. PS2 version, you get an X8 demo, which is neat in its own right if you want to see what it was like before they changed stuff up for the final release.

 

[Kazin]

Gamecube was actually where I first played the Mega Man series via the Anniversary Collection, so while, yes, the controls being inverted is dumb and hard to recommend now, if you'd never known any better in the first place, you can become a Mega Man fan through that game lol

Also re: Rare - as a huge Nintendo fanboy, I was worried at the time when Rare got sold to Microsoft, but then as more of their games came out on the Xbox I realized it was no great loss. It's not like Starfox Adventures was that great, either. Speaking of Star Fox, though, Star Fox Assault is pretty good, though nowhere near as good as 64 was.

 

[FelixSH]

It's a shame with Rare, I love some of their N64 output, and enjoy the rest, at least. But with Banjo-Tooie not as loved as BK (and it's easy to argue, why it isn't as good), the signs where probably there, already, before the Gamecube came out.

 

[Phantoon]

I think the Gamecube library is superior to the N64 library. But for-whatever reason, I think the general public likes N64 library more.

Third party there's no dispute. However, from a Nintendo point of view I think the N64 is notably better. Mario Sunshine is unpolished and at times downright annoying. Wind Waker is unfinished. The new mechanics in Double Dash leave me cold. F-Zero GX is brilliant, but I prefer X. The only straightforward win the GameCube has over the N64 for me is Metroid Prime.

It's still a great console, Capcom alone guarantee that.

 

[Kazin]

Couldn't disagree more, and I love the N64. Mario Kart 64 is wildly inferior to Diddy Kong Racing, and Double Dash beats both of those. Smash Melee is an all timer, far better than Smash 64. Paper Mario is better on Gamecube, we actually got Metroid games on Gamecube unlike N64, etc. The only series that is better on N64 is Zelda imo, and that's mostly because Majora's Mask is the best in the series (and those can be played on Gamecube, though I suppose that doesn't really count lol).