Nintendo fans have a soft spot for the GameCube, and with games like these it's easy to see why. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're looking at the 30 best games to grace the Nintendo GameCube!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the greatest games released
00:11on the Nintendo GameCube.
00:20Number 30, Custom Robo.
00:28While not the first entry in the Custom Robo series, this title is the first to be released
00:32outside of Japan, and it's a shame because this is an often overlooked gem.
00:37An action RPG, Custom Robo lives up to its title and allows players to customize various
00:41Robos to duke it out in holographic matches.
00:44The combat is deceptively simple and extremely fun, whether you're going through the story
00:49mode or battling against friends.
00:51The sheer variety and individualization involved help make Custom Robo a game that will never
00:55get old.
00:56Number 29, Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes.
01:04While traditionally found on PlayStation consoles, Metal Gear games also have a history on Nintendo
01:09systems.
01:10Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes is a remake of the first Metal Gear Solid game, and sure
01:14it has all the stealth action gameplay, insane bosses, and even crazier storyline of the
01:18original.
01:19However, it also has improved graphics, as well as voice acting that's been translated much
01:23better than its PlayStation predecessor.
01:26There are also some tweaks to the original gameplay, such as the ability to transition
01:30to first person view, that help make the Twin Snakes a fresh experience.
01:33Number 28, Resident Evil Zero A prequel to the first Resident Evil game, Resident Evil Zero
01:51sees players take control of multiple characters to investigate a spooky abandoned Umbrella Corporation
01:57facility.
01:58The game plays like most of the earlier titles in the series, though it does make some nice
02:02changes to the inventory system, and allows you to freely switch between two characters
02:06for the first time, making for some inventive puzzles.
02:09While it's not the best Resident Evil game even on the GameCube, more on that one later,
02:14Resident Evil Zero is still worthy of its inclusion in the franchise, and in any GameCube
02:18owner's collection.
02:19What?
02:20It's the Queen!
02:21The self-destruct system has been activated.
02:33Number 27, Chibi-Robo Plugin 2 Adventure.
02:453D platformers weren't quite as big on the GameCube as on the N64, but there are still
02:50a few to be found on the console.
02:51This underrated game follows the tiny titular robot as it assists its family and household
02:56tasks that are simple for humans, but big work for it, given its small size.
03:01The game's adorable premise, fun gameplay, and inventive sound design are all reason enough
03:05to give this cult favorite a look.
03:07It may have a small following outside of Japan, but being little has never stopped Chibi-Robo.
03:12Number 26, Skies of Arcadia Legends.
03:26Since airships are often the best parts of JRPGs, why not build a whole game around them?
03:31An enhanced port of the Sega Dreamcast Skies of Arcadia, Legends delivers classic RPG turn-based
03:36combat, both with individual characters and with flying ships.
03:39It has a colorful cast of fun characters, a rousing soundtrack, and so much to explore.
03:44In addition to everything present in the original game, Skies of Arcadia Legends features improved
03:49graphics, new features, and content previously only available via DLC.
03:53It's arguably the best way to experience the game, and it positively soars.
04:06Number 25, Batenkaidos Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean.
04:10Before Monolithsoft made Xenoplade Chronicles, the developer also released this underrated
04:14RPG for the GameCube.
04:16It's a sprawling traditional RPG, albeit with combat that feels positively modern, given
04:21the recent rise of card battlers, and its emphasis on magical cards.
04:25While it wasn't a major success at the time, it did get a prequel of Batenkaidos Origins,
04:30which is also quite good.
04:31It may have languished in obscurity on the GameCube, but there's remasters of both games
04:35available on Nintendo Switch and Steam, so there's really no excuse not to check them out these days.
04:40Number 24, Wario World.
04:57Before Wario became Nintendo's poster boy for party games, Mario's greedy counterpart
05:01had a ton of platformers.
05:03His first, and so far only, 3D game is Wario World.
05:06To reclaim his lost treasure, Wario sets out to beat up everyone who stands between him
05:10and his goal, mostly some derpy dinosaurs, it's great.
05:13Short but sweet, this game has some fun combat that sees Wario toss, punch, or spin enemies
05:18around, making it reminiscent of a 3D beat-em-up, but with platforming and puzzles.
05:22It's a relatively small world, but Wario World is rich in more than just gold.
05:34Number 23, Viewtiful Joe.
05:44While not a GameCube exclusive, Viewtiful Joe feels right at home on the Nintendo console.
05:49There are plenty of side-scrolling beat-em-ups out there, but Viewtiful Joe has a truly unique
05:53take on the genre.
05:54The game sees the titular character brought into the world of a film to become a superhero
05:58and rescue his girlfriend.
06:00In addition to its wacky premise and incredible art style, Viewtiful Joe also has some amazingly
06:05creative gameplay mechanics.
06:06Each of Joe's VFX powers imitate movie conventions, like slow-mo and zoom-ins.
06:11Bottom line, you should henshinagogo play this game as soon as you can, baby.
06:15Number 22, Tales of Symphonia.
06:26The Tales games aren't quite household names, but they've got a dedicated following for
06:31good reason.
06:31Although the actual tale being told in Tales of Symphonia isn't the most original in an
06:36RPG, it more than makes up for any lack of novelty there in other areas.
06:41The characters are fantastic, wonderfully developed, and they have excellent dialogue.
06:45The battle system also offers a surprising amount of depth, being both fast-paced and
06:49customizable.
06:51If you haven't given the Tales series a look, Symphonia isn't a bad place to start.
06:55Number 21, Pokemon Colosseum.
07:06The Pokemon series struggled with making the transition to 3D, but this fairly early attempt
07:10is excellent.
07:11Pokemon Colosseum features a darker storyline and more challenging combat than mainline
07:16entries in the series, as well as the ability to steal enemy trainer's Pokemon instead
07:20of capturing them in the wild.
07:22The game introduces darker Pokemon variants called Shadow Pokemon, has an emphasis on double
07:26battles, and features several multiplayer modes.
07:30Colosseum proved successful enough to get a sequel, Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness, which is
07:34also great, I might add.
07:35Although the series hasn't gone back to this style of spin-off for many years, Pokemon Colosseum
07:39is worth adding to any Pokemon fan's collection.
07:46Number 20, Star Fox Assault.
08:00One problem with Star Fox Adventures was that it behaved more like a Zelda game than a real
08:04Star Fox game.
08:05Luckily, we got to see a new form of the Star Fox team, one that put the crew in a more action-packed
08:11setting.
08:12Veterans appreciated their return to dogfights, but what really showed the franchise's
08:15potential was how you could go from aerial combat to on-foot third-person shooting in
08:19ships and bases.
08:20And it was all presented in excellent visuals that still hold up to this very day.
08:25Why Nintendo did not continue taking Star Fox in this direction?
08:28We'll never know.
08:29And we wait for the day Corneria needs Fox once again.
08:32Number 19, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.
08:39As one of the few games to utilize Nintendo's plastic bongo controller, Jungle Beat took the
08:53big gorilla on a somewhat musical adventure.
08:55Beat, clap, and punch your way through the jungle and face off against mighty adversaries
08:59like Karate Kong and Cactus King.
09:01Even with its simple control scheme, Jungle Beat was a wondrous experience, with its beautiful
09:06level design and frenetic energy.
09:08Our only gripe with the game was that the party lasted only a few hours.
09:12That, and the sound of hands beating on plastic, wasn't too pleasant for our parents.
09:24Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2 Rogue Leader.
09:34Honestly, it's somewhat befuddling that Rogue Squadron 2 never made its way to other platforms.
09:39And yet, it really shows how many exceptional games premiered on the GameCube.
09:43Rogue Squadron 2 Rogue Leader was more of the same we had experienced from its predecessor on PC and N64.
09:49Now, that isn't necessarily a bad thing though. Not only did Rogue Squadron 2 boast far more exceptional visuals than the first game,
09:56it also featured fantastic sound design, creating one of the most immersive Star Wars games at the time.
10:01It's only a shame that the third Rogue Squadron game, Rebel Strike, could not live up to the expectations set here.
10:06Still, we'd love to get all three games make their way to modern platforms.
10:10Number 17. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.
10:20Even though Sonic Adventure 2 originally debuted on the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast,
10:24the GameCube version was the best version to play, and for good reason.
10:27In addition to improved textures and character models, players were also given more options for multiplayer.
10:32Of course, the real star of this version was the expanded Chao Garden,
10:36which incorporated the ability to transfer Chaos between Adventure 2 Battle and the Sonic Advanced GBA games.
10:42Plus, who could forget Chao Karate? Even with its secretly sadistic concept, that mode was downright dope.
10:47And we got to enjoy all of this with no sign of Big the Cat.
10:50You're a little thieves. Did you really think you've been out of here alive?
10:55Come and get some, Eggman Sonic!
11:00Just leave it to me!
11:03Number 16. Super Monkey Ball.
11:05Ready?
11:07Whoa!
11:09There's just something about rolling giant balls through all of these games.
11:15There's just something about rolling giant balls through obstacle courses that make games like Super Monkey Ball so much fun.
11:20Though in this case, Super Monkey Ball will always be the king of said domain.
11:24Each course presented its own unique set of challenges to test your speed and reflexes, as you guided your cute chimps to the goal.
11:30The short stages and arcadey experience made it easy to compete against friends or tackle a whole run together.
11:36And if for some reason you were worn out from obstacle courses, you could all compete in various minigames like Monkey Billiards, Monkey Bowling, and Monkey Fight.
11:43Number 15. Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem.
11:46Can we get this over with, please?
11:48Of course. This way. But I must warn you, it's not a pleasant sight.
11:53It has been FOREVER known as the GameCube's forgotten horror title. Eternal Darkness was a victim of circumstance, having been overshadowed by the system's more family-friendly games, as well as Capcom's HD remake of Resident Evil.
12:06The few who actually got to experience this title were treated to a terrifying journey that offered up unique ways to break the fourth wall.
12:13With its sanity mechanic, players could potentially find themselves suffering from adjustments to their television, making it much harder to ward off enemies.
12:21If you ask us, this game has been long overdue for a remake, and if we were to come back, we'd need it on every single platform available.
12:28Number 14. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance.
12:41Back when Path of Radiance first launched, there weren't too many folks familiar with Fire Emblem. How shameful us Westerners were to ignore a gem like this one, I know.
13:02As if we weren't already spoiled enough by a fantastic story, Path of Radiance offered up a large roster of characters to recruit, a whopping total of 46.
13:11Really, that's about it in terms of new features, and it's all we could have asked for, honestly. More of that challenging and tactical gameplay where permadeath could prove to be an unforgiving punishment.
13:20Number 13. Soul Calibur II.
13:22Now, we know that we said we would be prioritizing exclusives for this list, but we really must make an exception for Soul Calibur II here.
13:36You see, this wasn't just a fantastic fighting game with great controls and visuals.
13:40This game actually had the honor of being one of the few times we got to see a Nintendo character in a non-Nintendo game.
13:46Whereas Xbox and PS2 users got Todd McFarlane's Spawn and Hiyachi Mishima from Tekken, respectively, GameCube owners got to play as Link.
13:54That's right, Link was actually a playable character in a fighting game that wasn't Smash Bros. It's awesome.
13:59It was an absurd idea, we never thought would actually happen, and between the three guest characters, he was honestly the most fun to play.
14:06Anyway, Soul Calibur II was simply awesome.
14:08Number 12. Kirby Air Ride.
14:10While it certainly had its fair share of problems in terms of controls and content, Kirby Air Ride excelled in its own unique way.
14:23This wasn't just Kirby's version of another Nintendo racing franchise.
14:27It was a racing game with Kirby's simplified control philosophy mixed with the action of the other racing series.
14:33All you have to worry about are steering, pressing the A button at opportune times, and just owning the race.
14:38It's enough to warrant a challenge, but not enough to deter new players.
14:42Though, as fun as its core gameplay was, we have to be honest, we lost countless hours due to the insanely fun City Trial Mode.
14:48Yeah, the critics certainly underplayed how much fun this game really was.
14:57Number 11. Pikmin 2.
14:58Even though the first game will always hold a special place in our hearts, Pikmin 2 is without a doubt the best in the franchise.
15:04Having discovered that random pieces of junk are actually worth money, Olimar is sent back to the distant planet alongside Louie to recover more foreign objects and help their boss climb out of debt.
15:14Yes, you are back where you were in the first game, squatting up with legions of Pikmin and trying to recover treasures.
15:19Only, there's a new wrench thrown in your journey, Louie.
15:22Pikmin 2 bumps up the difficulty by giving you two teams of Pikmin to manage.
15:26Yeah, it's a lot harder than it sounds, and the co-op mode is just as fun to play.
15:36Number 10. Animal Crossing.
15:44We never anticipated a game so cute and charming to evolve into one of Nintendo's most influential and innovative franchises in the last couple of decades.
15:52Animal Crossing threw players into a new village inhabited by adorable animals and a greedy as heck tanuki.
15:58From there, we lived a second life, where all that mattered was digging up fossils, gathering fruit, fishing, and decorating our awesome island homes.
16:05The way it integrated the GameCube's internal clock into in-game events made for a package with a seemingly endless supply of secrets.
16:11So, when someone asks why folks are obsessed with Animal Crossing, just point them to this game.
16:16A few hours will suck them right in.
16:22Number 9. F-Zero GX.
16:24It seems that no matter how much time has passed, F-Zero GX refuses to show a wrinkle.
16:35And it's splendid to revisit all these many years later.
16:38This was F-Zero at its finest, anti-gravity racing with vehicles blasting beyond the sound barrier as Nintendo's most rocking soundtrack blares in our ears.
16:47This was hardcore racing with mind-bending tracks and a touch of vehicular mayhem.
16:51And it's the reason why so many folks have been begging and begging Nintendo for a new entry decades later.
16:56Come on guys, at least do a port of this one, we'd love to see it.
17:03Number 8. Resident Evil 4.
17:09According to our intelligence, there's reliable information about a sighting of a girl that looks very similar to the President's daughter.
17:16Apparently she's being withheld by some unidentified group of people.
17:21While you can play this treasured game on just about any platform anywhere today, it originally launched as a GameCube exclusive, so yeah, it counts here.
17:29Anyways, what is there to say about Resident Evil 4 that hasn't honestly already been said?
17:33It's absolutely the best game in the series, and you can see why.
17:36Fantastic visuals, terrifying enemies, brilliant level design, satisfying gunplay, and the campy dialogue that we've come to expect from Capcom's famed horror franchise.
17:46It all blends together into a game that almost everyone needs to play for themselves at least once.
17:51What, are you supposed to be a cop or something? Nah, you don't look the type.
17:56Maybe.
17:57Number 7. Super Mario Sunshine
17:59Now, we'll be the first to admit that Sunshine has its own problems to be sure, particularly in the finicky controls.
18:09However, it excels in so many other great ways.
18:12First off, the flood mechanic grants a new way to combat enemies and traverse areas.
18:16As for the areas themselves, each one is crafted in unique ways, while still fitting the game's theme of tropical island resort.
18:22From Bianco Hills to Rico Harbor, it's almost impossible to forget about any location.
18:27Couple this with the spectacular music, and you have yet another 3D Mario game worthy of being called one of the greats.
18:33Number 6. Metroid Prime
18:40It's rare to see a franchise manage to reinvent itself the same way Metroid did back in 2002.
18:55Before then, we had only seen Samus and her foes on a two-dimensional plane.
18:59Prime not only brought the franchise into the 3D landscape, it did so with flying colors.
19:04It was the same core experience of exploring areas for secrets, yet it felt like an entirely new game with its breathtakingly morbid environments and frenetic combat.
19:13This was Metroid fully realized for a new generation that would carry on into the Wii era, and it's been away for far too long.
19:20Please, Prime 4, please hurry, we want to play so bad.
19:23Number 5. Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door
19:25This would be the final time we'd see Paper Mario as we knew it after the N64 original, and goodness gracious was it a stellar adventure all around.
19:39Sure, the gameplay hadn't changed much between then and now, but that's not why you play turn-based RPGs.
19:44The Thousand Year Door holds a special place in people's heart because of its story, its colorful characters with their own arcs, and the wondrous locations visited throughout.
19:53There's a lot to love here, except those darn paper airplane segments, those are really tough.
19:57And it's precisely the reason why Paper Mario has become such a contentious yet beloved franchise today.
20:07Number 4. Luigi's Mansion
20:15Honestly, if we were to choose which Mario brother had stolen much of the spotlight during the GameCube days, we'd pick Luigi.
20:21Luigi's Mansion was practically a required title for GameCube owners, and rightfully so.
20:25The control scheme offered a unique playstyle we hadn't really encountered in games prior, and the expansive mansion held so many secrets to find that we needed to do multiple playthroughs.
20:34With its goofy humor, clever level and boss designs, and challenging puzzles, Luigi's Mansion showed the world that the younger bro could provide a game just as amazing as Mario.
20:43Number 3. Mario Kart Double Dash
20:45After the exceptional display put on by Mario Kart 64, we weren't expecting to see our beloved kart racing series take such a drastic turn in gameplay.
21:01Double Dash was the chaotic energy of its predecessors cranked up to 11, and it worked out extremely well.
21:07Veterans practically had to relearn Mario Kart with the new addition of interchangeable karts, special items, and character switching.
21:13It wasn't enough to know which corners to drift around, now you needed to know which characters were right for the job.
21:19It's this level of depth that has caused so many players to scream for a sequel to this game.
21:23Hey, the Switch hasn't had its own true Mario Kart yet, so there's hope.
21:27Number 2. The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker
21:45It's astonishing to think that way back in the day when Wind Waker was still in development, folks were appalled by the art style.
21:51Much to the chagrin of skeptics, Wind Waker would prove to be one of the timeless classics in the Zelda franchise.
21:56From its cel-shaded art style to its charming character design, this was an adventure for every gamer, regardless if they were a Nintendo fan or not.
22:03Everything was just brimming and overflowing with personality, and sailing brought about a creative spin of traversing the world.
22:09It's almost still hard to believe that such a sharp change in visuals would spawn a whole new style of Zelda games years later.
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22:30Number 1, Super Smash Bros. Melee
22:3726 playable fighters, 300 trophies to collect, 51 challenges to conquer, an expansive and epic adventure mode, the introduction of special rules, home run contest.
22:48These were all great factors in what allowed Melee to define the GameCube era.
22:52Smash Bros. had upped its game by gearing up the speed, throwing in new techniques, and serving up a plethora of modes, making Melee insanely replayable.
23:00One simply cannot ignore the influence on indie fighters and the hype this game has brought.
23:04And it's for all these reasons why we crowned Super Smash Bros. Melee as the greatest GameCube game of all time.
23:15So is there a GameCube game we forgot? Share your excellent picks in the comments.
23:34Let's see.