The Best Gamecube Games - A Definitive Guide (maybe?)

nwaugh

nwaugh

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This may be too little, too late, but with all of the "I just got a Wii, what are the best Gamecube games" threads popping up, I thought it might be helpful to have an as-close-to-comprehensive-as-possible game guide for the Gamecube. I've used the Gamecube space on the CAGwiki to post an initial list. It's sure to be controversial, though I've tried my best to balance many of the opinions I've seen posted here with the many professional reviews that are available for the games listed. I've also tried to include relevant factual information about individual games that would be useful to a potential buyer.

Check it out here:
http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/GameCube

I welcome any additions and corrections that anyone may have; feel free to post comments here or directly modify the Wiki as you see fit.
 
Eh... I know you acknowledge this, but I think it's weird to have definitive guide to something so opinion oriented. (Is RE0 really forgettable? Is Beyond Good & Evil niche?) I don't really mind the threads people make, as long as they address their own specific tastes. If they're vague, I just link them to past threads.
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']Eh... I know you acknowledge this, but I think it's weird to have definitive guide to something so opinion oriented. (Is RE0 really forgettable? Is Beyond Good & Evil niche?) I don't really mind the threads people make, as long as they address their own specific tastes. If they're vague, I just link them to past threads.[/QUOTE]

I totally agree on all counts.

I'm on shaky ground calling it "definitive," though I was really trying for a Metacritic-style concensus. This way, people might be read through a relatively simple list and get a feel for what's out there instead of searching through the forums or waiting for people to post that may or may not be coherent (not that I'm calling myself coherent).

I actually think RE0 is quite good, but I'm not sure about how well it stacks up against the other REs on the Gamecube. I was trying to draw the line somewhere, so I chose to go with RE1 and RE4 as the big recommendations. I'm definitely up for it being changed. I also think Beyond Good and Evil is probably too good to be considered niche, but I'm not sure if it sold enough games to be considered mainstream or popular.

I also don't mind individual threads - it's what makes the board a community. I just thought it might be helpful to have a clearinghouse for such information.
 
Splinter Cell is still great on Gamecube.
Comix Zone is in the GC version of Sonic Mega Collection as well.
Resident Evil 4 is not Gamecube exclusive.
Starfox Adventures is Abysmal.
Mario Party 6 & 7 are far better than 4 and 4 is far better than 5, this should be noted.
Four Swords Adventures should note the GBA requirement (as Crystal Chronicles does).
Twilight Princess is not Gamecube exclusive.
You noted that Super Monkey Ball Deluxe contains all content from both GC games, therefore Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2 are not exclusive.
 
I think the Gamecube version of Soul Calibur 2 should be included. It's an excellent 3D fighting game with Link as an exclusive character.
Also, I didn't see any mention of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. It's a good platformer that is unique in the fact that you have to use a pair of bongos to play. Plus, with recent sales, it's pretty inexpensive to add to your GC collection.
 
Not bad... but like Rogue Squadron beating Wind Waker or FE:pOR...dunno. It's more in you're opinion it seems...why don't we just link them to gamerankings.com lol
 
It's a decent list but it's pretty subjective. Without going through every game individually and polling on them, the list will be pretty incomplete.
 
[quote name='PenguinMaster']Splinter Cell is still great on Gamecube.
Comix Zone is in the GC version of Sonic Mega Collection as well.
Resident Evil 4 is not Gamecube exclusive.
Starfox Adventures is Abysmal.
Mario Party 6 & 7 are far better than 4 and 4 is far better than 5, this should be noted.
Four Swords Adventures should note the GBA requirement (as Crystal Chronicles does).
Twilight Princess is not Gamecube exclusive.
You noted that Super Monkey Ball Deluxe contains all content from both GC games, therefore Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2 are not exclusive.[/quote]

I really liked Star Fox Adventures =0\
 
[quote name='PenguinMaster']Mario Party 6 & 7 are far better than 4 and 4 is far better than 5, this should be noted.
.[/QUOTE]

I don't think that is clear. I think the way nwaugh broke it out is sufficient. There is a definite step-up from 4/5 to 6/7. Of course, no Wii owner will want any of those once 8 comes out in March (or at least I hope so ;)).

I think the list is pretty decent overall. I would rank Chibi Robo higher. I like where Rogue Squadron is - probably my favorite game of all that gen, and to think it was a launch title! (I didn't have a GC at launch, so it was new to me in Dec 2003 when I got my GC). I don't know that Mario Tennis is any better (or worse) than Strikers or Mario Baseball. It sure is hard to find now, though :lol:. And I would definitely put Mario Sunshine into the "best" category. IMO, it is hands down better than Mario 64 in every way imagineable. I never had an N64 but have played Mario 64 in 3 ways: emulation, on the DS, and on the VC. While it is fun, it seems to me a pale imitation of Sunshine (yes, I am aware 64 came first, I'm just trying to get people to look at it objectively and not consider the nostalgia or childhood factor in ranking it so high). And I would put Wind Waker in the "best" category too.

It is too late for me to try to think of any that need to be added to any categories. You might want to make a "good exclusives for kids" category though, I would put Kirby Air Ride in there. Now that the newness of the Wii has worn off (and the lack of games hit) my sons are back to playing the GC more now. What I always see them playing are the following: SSBM, SMS, Paper Mario, Kirby Air Ride, Sonic Adventure 2.
 
[quote name='PenguinMaster']Splinter Cell is still great on Gamecube.
Comix Zone is in the GC version of Sonic Mega Collection as well.
Resident Evil 4 is not Gamecube exclusive.
Starfox Adventures is Abysmal.
Mario Party 6 & 7 are far better than 4 and 4 is far better than 5, this should be noted.
Four Swords Adventures should note the GBA requirement (as Crystal Chronicles does).
Twilight Princess is not Gamecube exclusive.
You noted that Super Monkey Ball Deluxe contains all content from both GC games, therefore Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2 are not exclusive.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the great info.
  • Added Splinter Cell to the list of great multiplatform.
  • How do you unlock Comix Zone? As far as I can tell, it's only in the Japanese Gamecube version. (I'd love to unlock it, I hate pulling out the cart when I want to play it.)
  • After much internal debate, I decided to leave RE4 where it is for now. I don't want it to get lost with in the pile of games near the end since it was such a significant release, and I'd argue that the different graphics and additional PS2 content separate the two just enough to allow it to be called GC "exclusive." There's also some relevant RE discussion in there that should probably be kept together, if possible, and there's acknowledgement that it's not completely exclusive in the description. If someone has a better solution, let me know.
  • I didn't mind Star Fox Adventures, but I know there is a lot of debate over its quality. It's certainly a notable release, and I think the placement in the list (bottom tier of recommended games) and description ("While there are detractors for both Gamecube Starfox games ...") are fairly suitable.
  • Added that Mario Party 6/7 are better than 4/5.
  • Added note about Four Swords' additional needs.
  • "Exclusive" in this case refers to titles that either didn't appear on the XBox/PS2 or were heavily modified when they appeared on other consoles.
  • Moved Super Monkey Ball to great multiplatform.
 
[quote name='lonestar']I think the Gamecube version of Soul Calibur 2 should be included. It's an excellent 3D fighting game with Link as an exclusive character.
Also, I didn't see any mention of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. It's a good platformer that is unique in the fact that you have to use a pair of bongos to play. Plus, with recent sales, it's pretty inexpensive to add to your GC collection.[/QUOTE]
Those are both huge omissions, thank you for bringing them to my attention. Soul Calibur 2 is sitting on the shelf by me, so I really have no excuse for missing it. I liked how you described it - I used your language in its description (I hope that's ok). My Donkey Konga stuff is boxed up in the closet, so I'll let that stand as my excuse.
 
[quote name='Spades22']Not bad... but like Rogue Squadron beating Wind Waker or FE:pOR...dunno. It's more in you're opinion it seems...why don't we just link them to gamerankings.com lol[/QUOTE]
It's certainly subjective. I'd probably rank Wind Waker and Fire Emblem higher on my personal list, but I'm not sure if they appeal to as wide an audience as Rogue Squadron does. Wind Waker has a lot of detractors because of the art style, and Fire Emblem's strategy RPG format isn't for everyone.

On another note, I'm not a big fan of Super Smash Brothers, but since it has a huge fanbase and a lot of devotees it made the "Best" list anyway.

[quote name='encendido5']I don't think Prince of Persia took place in the Third Age :D

Two Thrones, not Two Towers.[/QUOTE]
Ha! Awesome, thanks for the heads up. I even made the same mistake in two places. Now fixed.

[quote name='furyk']It's a decent list but it's pretty subjective. Without going through every game individually and polling on them, the list will be pretty incomplete.[/QUOTE]
No doubt, but my hope was to at least present a complete list of the good exclusives for the Gamecube. I definitely missed a few in the initial pass - are there any others missing?

[quote name='mattstockton12']I really liked Star Fox Adventures =0\[/QUOTE]
Your vote will probably keep it from falling off the list. I liked it too, by the way.
 
I also liked the part of Adventures I played...one GC game I still really wanna play. I dont know bout Metroid Prime either... never got into it. I don't really like slow action FPS puzzley games. It either has to be intense action like CoD or something like Zelda in terms of puzzle...
 
The first two Burnouts, Extreme G3, XGRA, Aggresive Inline, any 007 game, and Gladius (I couldn't get into it, but others really liked it) should be added to the "Good Multiplatform" list.

Stay away from Triggerman, MC Dance Craze (Good dance pads, really bad game), any GameCube Army Men game, .

For me, Eternal Darkness is one of the "Best Exclusive Games" for the GameCube and definitely one reason to buy a GameCube.

Odama and WarioWare: Mega Party Game$ should be added to the niche exclusive games.

One question, I really prefered Sonic Adventure 2 Battle over Sonic Adventure DX, am I the only one? Seriously the best version of the first Sonic Adventure is on the Dreamcast and the GameCube version really screwed things up.

Also, add SSX On Tour. It is a really great game with a lot of style and great presentation. You can play as Mario, Luigi, and Peach, and it is probably the best skiing game out there.

Both TimeSplitter games should be on the Great Multiplatform games list.

1080 Avalanche should be on the Good Exclusive List. It is a short game, but the Avalanche mode is amazing.


 
I liked the list. It didn't mean that I'd like every game in the list but, generally speaking, if I had just purchased a GameCube I think it'd be a good list to reference to see what titles other people generally liked.

I can then do the nitty-gritty work of looking at reviews either in this forum or on Amazon to get more of a feeling of whether I'd want to purchase it or not.

Sure, it's subjective/opinions, but it filters out a lot of the crap. I think that's a lot better than just saying, "Since it's all opinion then there's no reason to have it." If you were to do that to movies, for example, people may unknowningly rent Gigi or Ishtar instead of seeing a movie that most people thought was pretty good.
 
4tygames, I'd like to reinforce/tear apart some of those game opinons.

" The first two...any 007 game"
The only game I can comment on here is 007: Everything or Nothing. I found it nothing like the other Bond games, mostly due to the swich to third person. A definite no on my list.

"Odama and WarioWare: Mega Party Game$ should be added to the niche exclusive games."
WarioWare yes, Odama I've never played, but it seems Niche-like.

For SA2B>SADX, I agree with you. I hated Big the Cat's missions and found SA2B's gameplay, story, and the addition of multiplayer much better.

Both Timesplitters games were AWESOME. I find 2's multiplayer levels, weapons, charecters, and gameplay better than Future Perfect's, but Future Perfect's story mode was better. They were both great games.
 
I don't understand the point of a "Niche" category. You have Best, Great and Good. Where does Niche fit in? Saying Eternal Darkness is a "Niche" game doesn't do it a justice. It belongs in "Best Exclusive". It's one of the best reviewed games ever on any platform.
I suggest getting rid of the "Niche" category.
Also, why have a Wiki if only one person can edit it? That makes it a blog, not a wiki. Can you open it for anybody to edit?
 
There's no way that Sonic Adventure DX should be praised above SA 2 Battle. SADX has a ton of slow down and is just sloppy. SA2 at least runs well.

Neither of them are really that great, but DX is by far the lesser game.
 
I agree. WarioWare: Mega Party Game$ should be added. As quirky as some people might think it is....It's a great party game for all ages. I also have the GBA version for travel.
 
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