Nintendo GameCube

Pikmin was the brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto and the most creative game in the GameCube’s launch lineup. It was also a perfect example of how a console-based RTS should be designed. The game featured an intuitive control scheme that utilized as few buttons as possible, and this allowed players to focus on strategy rather than on micro-management. In essence, Pikmin somehow manages to be both simplistic and deep at the same time. The premise involves a lost space explorer who has to recruit the help of plant-like creatures called Pikmin in order to locate and retrieve parts to his spaceship that are scattered across the planet’s surface. There are various types of Pikmin to recruit (each with their own unique abilities), and the strategy revolves around deciding which type of Pikmin to use in any given situation. The imaginative environments, creative premise, and simple control scheme made Pikmin an instant classic, but the sequel improved upon the original in several ways. It featured larger areas, it added a new multiplayer mode, and it introduced new types of Pikmin into the fold. The sequel also addressed many of the the shortcomings of its predecessor. Pikmin 2 no longer restrains players with a time limit and basically allows them to play the game at their own pace. This allows for a more relaxing experience, and it makes the game even more enjoyable than the original.

SoulCalibur helped revolutionize 3D fighting games in 1998, and its groundbreaking eight-way run was especially innovative in this regard. The sequel doesn’t take as many risks as its predecessor, but it feels more refined in a number of areas. The guarding system is revamped, it’s easier to dodge certain attacks, and the inclusion of walled arenas makes it necessary to develop new strategies. The console versions of SoulCalibur II have several different modes to play through that weren’t present in the arcade counterpart, and I had a lot of fun unlocking new characters, weapons, and outfits in the new “Weapon Master” mode. I always appreciate fighting games that offer robust single player campaigns, and you can expect to spend dozens of hours if you want to see everything the game has to offer. SoulCalibur II is a gorgeous game with amazing production values, and Namco went the extra mile to make each version of the game feel special. As a longtime Zelda fan, I was stoked to see Link included as a GameCube-exclusive guest character. The entire roster is worthy of praise, however, and each character feels different from the next. SoulCalibur II is arguably the best game in the series, and it still stands as one of my favorite 3D fighting games of all time.

Resident Evil is a remake of the groundbreaking survival/horror game that was released on the PlayStation in 1996. The most obvious difference between the remake and the original is the graphics. Simply put, Resident Evil for the GameCube is one of the best-looking games of its generation. The game has a photo-realistic quality to it, and the pre-rendered backgrounds are laced with full-motion video and real-time lighting effects. Beneath the surface, Resident Evil for the GameCube featured other significant improvements over the original. It’s almost unfair to describe it as a simple remake. After all, 70% of the game is comprised of new content. It has different layouts, new enemies, a re-written script, and more to explore. Certain gameplay elements were tweaked as well. (For instance, players can now utilize various defensive weapons in order to fend off their attackers.) Capcom went out of their way to increase the replay value by adding new characters and game modes, and there are multiple endings to discover depending on the decisions you make during the adventure. Resident Evil is arguably the best traditional survival/horror game of all time, and it basically renders the original PlayStation version obsolete.

TimeSplitters 2 feels remarkably similar to GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. This is because the staff of Free Radical Design was largely comprised of employees who had previously worked for Rare. Like its spiritual predecessors, the TimeSplitters series doesn’t give players the ability to jump, and it keeps the focus on the shooting aspects instead. The franchise wasn’t nearly as flashy as other shooters from the era, but the clean visual style and simplistic level designs make it easy for the player to tell exactly what they can interact with. The gameplay mechanics in TimeSplitters 2 are fairly grounded in most respects, but the story, characters, and missions are intentionally chaotic. The time travelling gimmick allows for tremendous variety. One minute players will be chasing monkeys through ancient ruins, and the next they’ll be fighting on an alien space station. You’ll also encounter outlaws in the wild west, chase down bootleggers in prohibition-era Chicago, and battle robots in a war-torn future. Rest assured, the weapons are just as varied as the missions themselves, and you have everything from crossbows to laser guns at their disposal. In addition to an entertaining story mode, TimeSplitters 2 features dozens of mini-challenges that include everything from shooting watermelons to shooting the heads off of zombies. The multiplayer modes are also phenomenal. The usual four-player split-screen battle mode makes an appearance, and the game also supports two-player co-op for the game’s main story mode. There’s also a litany of unlockable characters, cheats, and trophies, and this makes TimeSplitters 2 one of the most rewarding (and addicting) games of its era.

The Wind Waker is perhaps best known for its use of cel-shaded graphics. It was a bold move for Nintendo to adopt a highly-animated visual style for the Zelda series, but not everyone was happy with the direction. While most people admired the vivid artistry, some so-called “hardcore” gamers viewed the game as childish and refused to give it a chance. It was their loss. The Wind Waker featured some of the most memorable environments in the history of the medium, and this was largely due to the ambitious art style. The incredible animation and exaggerated facial expressions helped define the characters. If you look past the radical art style, you’ll see that The Wind Waker essentially plays like the Nintendo 64 Zelda games do. The target-driven battle system and other fundamental game mechanics were carried over from previous Zelda games, but everything feels a lot more polished and refined. The Wind Waker also boasts some of the best dungeon designs in any Zelda game. The game is not perfect though. The overworld is comprised of a vast ocean, and there’s a lot of empty space. The sailing gimmick starts to feel monotonous after a while, and some of the fetch quests near the end of the adventure are downright tedious. Even though The Wind Waker falls short in a couple areas, it still ranks as one of the greatest adventure games of all time.

Since there was no Mario game on deck for the launch of the GameCube, Super Smash Bros. Melee took the mantle as the killer app during the console’s launch period. The game was a smashing success, and it became the best-selling GameCube game of all time. It’s easy to understand why the game is so appealing. The idea of a crossover fighting game is nothing new, but it would be fair to say that Nintendo has created more iconic characters than any other video game company in history. Even though the characters, stages, and background music in the Smash Bros. games are familiar, the gameplay itself is highly unorthodox. The four-person mutliplayer gimmick sets the stage for hectic battles, and random items and power-ups make things even more unpredictable. Some hardened gamers will argue that Melee is more of a party game than a proper fighting game, but that doesn’t make the game any less competitive. Melee‘s simple interface masks its true depth, and gamers will have to invest a lot of time and effort if they want to master the various gameplay mechanics. Melee builds on the foundation of its predecessor in several meaningful ways. In addition to the many technical improvements, Melee nearly doubled its roster size, introduced a new “adventure mode” that allowed players to work their way through various Nintendo-themed stages, and included a plethora of minigames and unlockable bonuses. The original Super Smash Bros. was a great game in its own right, but Melee helped cement the series as one of Nintendo’s top franchises.

Metroid was noticeably absent from the Nintendo 64’s lineup, so the GameCube release was highly anticipated. Upon Nintendo announced that a new Metroid game was being developed as a first-person shooter, a lot of the hype was replaced with skepticism. Fortunately, Metroid Prime wasn’t really a first-person shooter at all. The game is played from a first-person perspective and requires you to shoot things, but it’s still a Metroid game at its core and it could be more accurately described as a first-person adventure game. The inventive control scheme is both innovative and intuitive, and it works well for both shooting and platforming. Metroid Prime is an incredible achievement from a technical standpoint, and it’s a great showcase for the GameCube. The environments are loaded with detail, and this is one of the reasons why the game is so effective. The exploration-based gameplay requires players to become familiar with their surroundings, so it’s paramount for each area to feel different from the next. Without a hint of hyperbole, Metroid Prime could be labeled as one of the most atmospheric games of all time. The initial skepticism was understandable, but the final product was truly worthy of the Metroid name. It would have been ranked even higher on this list if the boss fights weren’t so poorly designed. Everything else is virtually flawless.

The most obvious difference between Double Dash!! and earlier Mario Kart titles is the fact that there are two racers on each kart. The concept of a co-op racing game is highly unusual, and it allows for one character to drive while the other manages items. Working together to perform power slides around corners or trying to time the speed boost at the beginning of a race is a lot of fun. This unique co-op dynamic makes Double Dash!! a perfect game for veterans and novices alike. Double Dash!! is loaded with content. There are more characters than in any previous Mario Kart, and there are also special karts and items associated with each character. (For example: Mario has fireballs, the Kongs have giant bananas, and the baby characters have a giant chain chomp that can drag them around while wreaking havoc on the track.) The stages themselves are full of personality and they do a great job of highlighting the mechanics of the power slide. Racing around in Baby Park feels completely different than racing in Wario Coliseum or down DK Mountain. Double Dash!! makes several changes to the item management system, and it’s the first Mario Kart where you lose your items after being hit. This creates a pronounced risk/reward dynamic that wasn’t present in the previous games. You might be tempted to save a speed-boost mushroom for later; but the longer you hold onto it, the more likely you are to lose it. Being able to reach over and steal items from nearby racers was another nice touch. All in all, Double Dash!! is an incredible game on every level and stood as the best game in the series until Mario Kart 8 raced onto the scene 11 years later.

When Nintendo unveiled Twilight Princess to the public at the 2004 E3, they transformed a room full of adults into a bunch of screaming man-children. I’d be lying to say that I wasn’t a little excited too. I adored The Wind Waker‘s cel-shaded graphics and gameplay refinements, but the visual style in Twilight Princess was more in line with Ocarina of Time. In many ways, Twilight Princess looked like the game Nintendo had promised before the GameCube launched. For the most part, Twilight Princess stays true to the standard Zelda formula. The structure still revolves around acquiring new items in dungeons, and then using these items to solve puzzles and defeat bosses. Twilight Princess never feels like a rehash of previous Zelda games, however, because the items themselves are highly creative. For example, the “spinner” item (which allows Link to ride on rails situated throughout the game) is completely unlike any item that has ever been featured in the series. As such, any puzzles or boss battles based around the item also feel fresh. Twilight Princess finds creative uses for classic Zelda items, too. (The ability to use your iron boots to walk on magnetized walls and ceilings was greatly appreciated.) Twilight Princess does have a few faults, though. The overworld is a little empty, and the game doesn’t really take the whole “transforming into a wolf” gimmick as far as it could have. Thankfully, the dungeon designs in Twilight Princess are fantastic and each one feels radically different from the next. The game was delayed on numerous occasions and overshadowed by the Wii version in some regards, but Twilight Princess was a worthy successor to Ocarina of Time and a wonderful swan song for the GameCube.

Resident Evil 4 is easily the biggest third-party title on the Game Cube and was arguably the most significant third-party release on any Nintendo console in over a decade. The game was notable for rebuilding the Resident Evil series from the ground up and redefining the survival/horror genre as we know it. Resident Evil 4 abandons the static camera angles and tank-like controls of its predecessors in favor of a new immersive “over-the-shoulder” vantage point that gives players more control over their characters. The enemies are more numerous than they were in previous installments and show a higher level of intelligence. Throughout the game, your adversaries will break down doors, set up ladders to climb into second-story windows, and alert other enemies to your location. The end result feels more like a traditional action game than Resident Evil sequel. It’s not as though the game completely abandons the survival/horror themes, however. The setting is mysterious, players are encouraged to conserve ammo, you can only carry a limited number of items, and there are surprises waiting around nearly every corner. The relentless pacing will force you to the edge of your seat, and the game has numerous ways of killing you without warning. Chainsaw-wielding villagers can chop your head off in an instant, gigantic lake monsters can swallow you whole, and rolling boulders can turn you into a pancake right quick. Resident Evil 4 is easily one of the best-looking Game Cube games and the production values are second-to-none. Thrilling action, impressive boss battles, and a compelling storyline secure its position as the single greatest game of its generation.