10 Games I Loved For My Gamecube
One thing that maybe changed a few of my tastes in games was the variety of games that was released on the Gamecube, they weren't just the exclusives that were the ones that made me sit up and take notice it was the multi-platorm games that did too down in no small part to the fact that all three systems released at the time had very little overall between them from a hardware stand point and could all pretty much run the same games, this wasn't a bad thing because especially early on the Gamecube had the best third party support of any console since the SNES and even better than the Wii.
Also due to the way the system was built it was easy to make good looking games on resulting in some of the best looking and cutting edge games but many of the games weren't just pretty to look at they backed it up too.
Also due to the way the system was built it was easy to make good looking games on resulting in some of the best looking and cutting edge games but many of the games weren't just pretty to look at they backed it up too.
10. TimeSplitters 2
I loved Rare's two FPSs on the N64, Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark and while the Gamecube never had a truly great exclusive FPS it did get a great one in TimeSplitters 2, developed by Free Radical Design a group of ex rare employees, so you can see where the fundamental influence is within this game comes from.
The single player mode borrows much of it's structure from those two N64 games as you have to complete certain objectives to progress in the story mode and more are added as you increase the difficulty, and much like those games all the areas are tightly closed in affairs with no real open spaces to explore but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of extras to search for.
Much like the two N64 game the solo campaign is only a tiny part of the game and the challenge mode and multi-player will take up most of your time as it did mine, and it also featured a basic but good level creator feature where you could make some good multi-player levels and some basic but at times challenging single player ones which increased the lifespan of the game well beyond just beating what was given to me by Free Radical, and for me is equally as good as either of Rare's games if not better.
The single player mode borrows much of it's structure from those two N64 games as you have to complete certain objectives to progress in the story mode and more are added as you increase the difficulty, and much like those games all the areas are tightly closed in affairs with no real open spaces to explore but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of extras to search for.
Much like the two N64 game the solo campaign is only a tiny part of the game and the challenge mode and multi-player will take up most of your time as it did mine, and it also featured a basic but good level creator feature where you could make some good multi-player levels and some basic but at times challenging single player ones which increased the lifespan of the game well beyond just beating what was given to me by Free Radical, and for me is equally as good as either of Rare's games if not better.
9. Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO
One thing the N64 really missed was a really great one on one fighting game, it had a few decent ones but none that were really great, mainly due to none of the big games ever coming out on the system other than Mortal Kombat, the Gamecube on the other hand had a few but for me there was none better than Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO, as it featured the two biggest sprite based beat-em-up companies ever going head to head in a dream game, any one telling you this version is bad because there is a control method that allows you to use easy special moves with the c-stick need there head checking as you can simply disable it, and I would recommend using either a Wavebird controller since it has a better d-pad or a fight stick for the game to get much better control.
I will admit I spent countless hours on this game just trying to get better as the game is very very challenging, and if you think it gets a bit easy after practice you can always put it on the boss challenge difficulty and get battered even faster than ever before, I loved both Street Fighter and King of Fighters before I played this so this was really a dream com true for me, maybe not for my thumb though and the countless sleepless nights I spent playing it at times but every minute was worth it and to this day remains probably my favourite beat-em-up ever.
I will admit I spent countless hours on this game just trying to get better as the game is very very challenging, and if you think it gets a bit easy after practice you can always put it on the boss challenge difficulty and get battered even faster than ever before, I loved both Street Fighter and King of Fighters before I played this so this was really a dream com true for me, maybe not for my thumb though and the countless sleepless nights I spent playing it at times but every minute was worth it and to this day remains probably my favourite beat-em-up ever.
8. Resident Evil
I will have to admit when I first seen this remake of Resident Evil I was completely stunned out just how good it looked, not only was it the best looking game on the Gamecube at the time but it was arguably the best looking game on any system too, but that isn't why I loved this game so much it was actually a huge improvement over the original, because it offered far greater atmosphere thanks to the huge jump in hardware power.
I played this game the only real way it should have been played too in a dark room at night with headphones on and the volume turned up, and it really does make you jump at certain set pieces.
I probably played this from start to finish about 20+ times just to make sure I got the most of it, also the fact for pretty much the whole generation it kept the main Resident Evil series exclusive to the Gamecube and Capcom also supported the system more than just about any one else releasing many timed exclusive games on it, but it really did make me realise why I love the Resident Evil series and that's because I loved to be scared by something and have fun doing it.
I played this game the only real way it should have been played too in a dark room at night with headphones on and the volume turned up, and it really does make you jump at certain set pieces.
I probably played this from start to finish about 20+ times just to make sure I got the most of it, also the fact for pretty much the whole generation it kept the main Resident Evil series exclusive to the Gamecube and Capcom also supported the system more than just about any one else releasing many timed exclusive games on it, but it really did make me realise why I love the Resident Evil series and that's because I loved to be scared by something and have fun doing it.
7. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Another remake yes but this game did come about because creator Hideo Kojima always wanted to work on a project with his idol Shigeru Miyamoto and this was the game of choice, the game was given to Silicon Knights to develop under the watchful eyes of both Nintendo and Konami of course.
The game was remade using the game engine for the squeal so everything looked vastly better, but it wasn't just the original game with the new game engine, all of the fight cut-scenes were completely redone this time with a real fight choreographer to help direct them making them much more impactful.
The newer game engine also brought a lot more to do in the game which is where my real love for the game came as not only is completing the game worth it, trying to get all of the dog tags in it is a challenge as you have to find new ways of isolating certain people to be able to do it, then there is the fact that with an increase of difficulty there are all new ones to get, so you can't get everything on just one difficulty making it more of a challenge to fully beat the game and a good intensive, for me it was also better than the original just because of all the extras and the game played a lot better thanks to the bump in hardware at it's disposal.
The game was remade using the game engine for the squeal so everything looked vastly better, but it wasn't just the original game with the new game engine, all of the fight cut-scenes were completely redone this time with a real fight choreographer to help direct them making them much more impactful.
The newer game engine also brought a lot more to do in the game which is where my real love for the game came as not only is completing the game worth it, trying to get all of the dog tags in it is a challenge as you have to find new ways of isolating certain people to be able to do it, then there is the fact that with an increase of difficulty there are all new ones to get, so you can't get everything on just one difficulty making it more of a challenge to fully beat the game and a good intensive, for me it was also better than the original just because of all the extras and the game played a lot better thanks to the bump in hardware at it's disposal.
6. Tales of Symphonia
One thing the N64 really lacked and that was any really good RPGs and by that I mean it had none at all other than maybe Paper Mario the Gamecube however had a fair few, none better in my eyes than Namco's Tales of Symphonia, the game was pretty amazing looking thanks to the cell shaded visuals and it really made the enemy design stand out more so on the larger boss enemies.
The game overall was pretty large too and had a decent story and not to mention the action based combat that really made the game worth playing as you were in direct control of all of your attacks, rather than just being turn based, and as a bonus your party members could either be computer controlled or be manually controller by some one else making it up to four players making it really fun when it came to combat and tactical too.
I love good JRPGs and this is one of the best I have ever played and just writing about it has made me want to return and play it again.
The game overall was pretty large too and had a decent story and not to mention the action based combat that really made the game worth playing as you were in direct control of all of your attacks, rather than just being turn based, and as a bonus your party members could either be computer controlled or be manually controller by some one else making it up to four players making it really fun when it came to combat and tactical too.
I love good JRPGs and this is one of the best I have ever played and just writing about it has made me want to return and play it again.
5. Super Smash Bros. Melee
I have to admit I never played Super Smash Bros. on the N64 despite hearing how good it was, as it was released nearer the end of the life of the system and it was getting harder to find games where I lived, I did however pick up the sequel the day it was launched, and it was the first really big game to be released after launch here in the UK and well lets just say it pretty much took up all of my time too, I was blown away at the sheer amount of content, from what I knew of the original it was pretty light on overall content, but this had more than you had dared dream.
Not only did the game look great it sounded great too an played great on top of that and is probably the best local multi-player game of any in the generation it was released as despite sometime action being very frantic it was also well passed and you always knew what was going on.
The real reason I did love it was because of all that content though as there were just loads to unlock and collect as I put hundreds of hours into doing that alone, not to mention the hundreds I put into multi-player battles too, it really did up the standard of the series too stupidly high levels too.
Not only did the game look great it sounded great too an played great on top of that and is probably the best local multi-player game of any in the generation it was released as despite sometime action being very frantic it was also well passed and you always knew what was going on.
The real reason I did love it was because of all that content though as there were just loads to unlock and collect as I put hundreds of hours into doing that alone, not to mention the hundreds I put into multi-player battles too, it really did up the standard of the series too stupidly high levels too.
4. Super Mario Sunshine
It wouldn't be a list with out a Mario game on here some where and despite some people saying they were disappointed about this game not being better than Super Mario 64, I can't say I shared the feeling as I pretty much loved every second of it and found it to be a greater challenge, there were some frustrating moments for sure but they are the parts that got me coming back for more.
I will admit I did spend a lot of time being frustrated at this game more than any other Mario game but I just kept going maybe that why I loved it so much, but it does show all qualities of any top made Nintendo game and looks and plays great to boot.
In places I did enjoy it more to Super Mario 64 too mainly the challenging sub levels that removed Fludd and made you rely purely on your platforming skill and they were pretty hard too and rewarding when you beat them.
I will admit I did spend a lot of time being frustrated at this game more than any other Mario game but I just kept going maybe that why I loved it so much, but it does show all qualities of any top made Nintendo game and looks and plays great to boot.
In places I did enjoy it more to Super Mario 64 too mainly the challenging sub levels that removed Fludd and made you rely purely on your platforming skill and they were pretty hard too and rewarding when you beat them.
3. Resident Evil 4
Capcom's final game to be released under the exclusive contract with Nintendo was pretty much the best that they have ever had to offer, the expectation was pretty high too as the hype slowly started to build as the games release drew closer, and no one was disappointed in the slightest, it completely changed the way Resident Evil games looked and played, making it a much more action based game, and managed to make it better for it.
I loved every single aspect of this game from start to finish it managed to balance it all perfectly it looked great, sounded great and most importantly played great, the story was great too starting a new chapter in the Resident Evil series and helping evolve the series at the same time.
I loved this game so much I actually purchased the limited edition platinum Resident Evil 4 Gamecube bundle, and played the game from start to finish with a couple of days of getting it a few times, I was looking forward to it when i started reading the reviews at the time but when I got it my expectations were met and then some, it really is a true classic.
I loved every single aspect of this game from start to finish it managed to balance it all perfectly it looked great, sounded great and most importantly played great, the story was great too starting a new chapter in the Resident Evil series and helping evolve the series at the same time.
I loved this game so much I actually purchased the limited edition platinum Resident Evil 4 Gamecube bundle, and played the game from start to finish with a couple of days of getting it a few times, I was looking forward to it when i started reading the reviews at the time but when I got it my expectations were met and then some, it really is a true classic.
2. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Well if there has ever been a game that has received so much of a reaction based on just one screen shot more than this one I would like to know what it is. I will admit when I first seen it I was in shock, especially after seeing the more realistically proportioned tech demo a year before.
After that shock wore away though and the game got closer to release I could actually tell it was going to play in a very similar way to the N64 games and then my excitement built, and after playing it I was totally blown away at just how magical the game felt and the look compliment it all perfectly completely dispelling any worries I might of had to begin with. If anything it was better than I had ever thought possible very much matching the previous two games in the series, with the story helping expand the whole time line of the series.
I remember staying up all night playing this game at one point because I wanted to find out more about the story and I git to a certain point where it helped link it with some previous games which really took me by surprised as I completely avoided any spoilers what so ever on the story at the time. It is definitely equally as good as any Zelda game that came before it and one of the best in the series for me.
After that shock wore away though and the game got closer to release I could actually tell it was going to play in a very similar way to the N64 games and then my excitement built, and after playing it I was totally blown away at just how magical the game felt and the look compliment it all perfectly completely dispelling any worries I might of had to begin with. If anything it was better than I had ever thought possible very much matching the previous two games in the series, with the story helping expand the whole time line of the series.
I remember staying up all night playing this game at one point because I wanted to find out more about the story and I git to a certain point where it helped link it with some previous games which really took me by surprised as I completely avoided any spoilers what so ever on the story at the time. It is definitely equally as good as any Zelda game that came before it and one of the best in the series for me.
1. Metroid Prime
It had been a long long times since there was a new Metroid game a whole generation had passed with only a few whispers here and there but nothing concrete, that was until Nintendo's next console was unveiled the Gamecube, and with that a game called Metroid Prime was shown as a brief tech demo in a scene reminiscent of the Lost in Space movie.
Although not all seemed rosy and early indication were that the game wasn't shaping up to be quite as good as Nintendo had hoped and any other projects that Retro Studio's were working on were all cancelled so they could focus all of their efforts on this one game.
Luckily this strategy paid off big time for both Nintendo and Retro Studios as the game turned out to be a true masterpiece, in many ways the game is simply Super Metroid in a first person perspective but the fact that the structure is so similar helps the transition so well, much in the same way that, The Legend of Zelda: OoT was pretty much LttP in 3D it helped keep a familiar structure for those who played it before but truly expanded on it in every way.
Not only did I love playing through this game I loved the challenge that it offered and playing it on the hardest difficulty is really a challenge and makes it worth playing over and over again for the amazing experience.
Although not all seemed rosy and early indication were that the game wasn't shaping up to be quite as good as Nintendo had hoped and any other projects that Retro Studio's were working on were all cancelled so they could focus all of their efforts on this one game.
Luckily this strategy paid off big time for both Nintendo and Retro Studios as the game turned out to be a true masterpiece, in many ways the game is simply Super Metroid in a first person perspective but the fact that the structure is so similar helps the transition so well, much in the same way that, The Legend of Zelda: OoT was pretty much LttP in 3D it helped keep a familiar structure for those who played it before but truly expanded on it in every way.
Not only did I love playing through this game I loved the challenge that it offered and playing it on the hardest difficulty is really a challenge and makes it worth playing over and over again for the amazing experience.
I though that this was going to be easier to compile than my N64 list but as I started and realised that there we far more higher quality games released on the system than there ever were on the previous generation and much more from third parties too, I suddenly had to start leaving games out that I really loved so saying that i have to admit that for favourite generation of consoles it may have to go to the Gamecube era now just based on the fact that the overall quality of titles was just far greater than they were before.