When reviewing every year of the GameCube’s run, something becomes apparent: this was a very, very underrated system.
Anyone who’s ever talked to me in the past knows my love for Nintendo’s purple cube. Despite not making the best first impression due to the console’s literal appearance and the lack of a proper Super Mario title at launch, many dismissed the GameCube before giving it a chance.
Those who missed out on that opportunity missed an excellent run of games that hold their own against the Xbox and PlayStation 2. Super Smash Bros. Melee, Rogue Leader, Metroid Prime, and Wind Waker; the first years of the GameCube’s life are all excellent.
But are they the best years in the GameCube’s run? Let’s dive in and find out!
I will be using the North American release date for these games.
7 2007
Madden NFL 2008
Madden NFL 08
- Released
- August 14, 2007
- ESRB
- e
- Publisher(s)
- EA Sports
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Madden NFL
- Developer
- EA Tiburon, Exient Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Sports
The final year of the GameCube’s run saw a whopping five games released: Madden, Ratatouille, Surf’s Up, Meet the Robinsons, and TMNT.
With Nintendo shifting all of its focus to the Nintendo Wii, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that all we got this year was a sports game and movie tie-ins.
To be fair, this year’s Madden was actually pretty good! The other games, however, weren’t. It’s not that they’re licensed games; there are plenty of good ones out there (shout out to 2005’s Madagascar). It was clear, though, that Nintendo was ready to close the door on the GameCube.
Let’s not waste any more time than we need to with 2007 and move on to some better years, shall we?
6 2006
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Chibi-Robo, Harvest Moon: Magical Melody
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Released
- November 19, 2006
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EAD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- How Long To Beat
- 38 Hours
Again, one thing becomes super clear here: Nintendo was ready to move on to the Nintendo Wii.
Twilight Princess first shipped as a launch title for the Nintendo Wii, eventually making its way to the GameCube before the year’s end. It was certainly well worth the wait, and to be honest, I’m pretty sure this was the preferred way to play the game; my roommate at the time and I talked a lot about the pros and cons between the Wii and GameCube versions, and ultimately, the novelty of the motion controls quickly wore off.
Besides Twilight Princess, we saw some big releases for the simulation crowd in Harvest Moon: Magical Melody and Chibi-Robo. However, it was still clear that the GameCube wasn’t a priority. While 2006 was certainly a better year than 2007, it was still one of the console’s worst. Don’t worry, though; better times are coming.
5 2005
Resident Evil 4, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, SSX On Tour, Killer7
- Released
- January 11, 2005
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Premium (PS3 Version)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Let’s have a quick history lesson, shall we? The “Capcom Five” was a group of five games that Capcom was publishing exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube in the early 2000s. 2005 saw the release of two of them, including their best one: Resident Evil 4 (and Killer7, a cult classic that launched Suda51 to stardom).
Ironically, both Resident Evil 4 and Killer7 were ported to other consoles, but I digress; they’re still fantastic games.
It wasn’t just the Capcom show in 2005, though; Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is one of the best Fire Emblem games ever made, and SSX On Tour combined SSX’s style, a heavy dose of metal, and even the appearance of Mario, Luigi, and Peach as playable characters.
Even the sports games were good this year: NBA Street V3 (also featuring Mario and friends), MVP Baseball 2005, and Fight Night Round 2.
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4 2001
Super Smash Bros. Melee, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Star Wars Rogue Squadron: Rogue Leader, Pikmin, Super Monkey Ball
Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Released
- December 3, 2001
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Comic Mischief, Mild Violence
- Developer(s)
- HAL Laboratory
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op
- Franchise
- Super Smash Bros.
- Platform(s)
- GameCube
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
The launch window for the GameCube, despite lacking a Super Mario game, was actually pretty great.
Luigi’s Mansion is a game that would have been received better if it wasn’t taking the place of a traditional Mario game. It’s enjoyable, but in no way, shape, or form a system seller.
Thankfully, there are plenty of other launch window games that kept us busy until 2002 brought us Super Mario Sunshine and Metroid Prime. Pikmin was a great console RTS that, while lacking, was the perfect weekend game. Rogue Leader is the best of the Rogue Squadron trilogy, and I am begging Nintendo to bring this game to the Switch Online.
Then there are the games that kept us coming back, not just for the next few months, but years: Super Smash Bros. Melee is the best in the franchise, Super Monkey Ball is incredibly addictive, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 lives up to the legacy of its predecessors.
3 2002
Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness, Super Mario Sunshine, Animal Crossing
- Released
- November 17, 2002
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Violence
- Developer(s)
- Retro Studios, Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- RUDE engine
- Franchise
- Metroid
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter, Metroidvania
- How Long To Beat
- 14 Hours
As much as I love the GameCube, one thing that’s been apparent is every year’s lack of depth. For all of the great games released on the Nintendo 64, third-party developers were starting to move elsewhere.
Yes, that seems counter-intuitive to what I just said about the Capcom Five, but remember: the best games from that group (Resident Evil 4, Viewtiful Joe, Killer7) all released on other platforms.
What does this have to do with the year 2002 during the GameCube’s run? It’s another case of a lack of depth. Metroid Prime is an all-time great game, and Eternal Darkness is the best game you never played during this console generation. There are also plenty of heavy hitters outside of the top two: Super Mario Sunshine ages like wine, TimeSplitters 2 is a great FPS and spiritual successor to GoldenEye/Perfect Dark, and this is the debut of the Animal Crossing franchise.
Beyond that, though, there’s a solid group of games that are good but not great that allow 2000 to fall short of the GameCube’s best years.
2 2003
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, SoulCalibur II, Viewtiful Joe, F-Zero GX, Mario Kart: Double Dash
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- Released
- March 24, 2003
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EAD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Local Co-Op
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platform(s)
- GameCube
Now we come to the hard part of ranking every year of the GameCube’s run: 2004 versus 2003.
Both years have exactly what you want: blockbuster hits, depth, first-party and third-party games, and a variety of genres.
Wind Waker would win over skeptics, Viewtiful Joe is one of the best side-scroller beat ‘em ups you can play, and those that have dove into Nintendo Switch Online know all too well how good SoulCalibur II and F-Zero GX are. This is also the year we saw the GameCube’s Mario Kart release, too.
2003 has the extra bonus of featuring an actually very good Madden game, too, alongside another good sports game in SSX 3, as well as Tony Hawk’s Underground.
There’s one thing lacking here, though, and that’s the RPGs, a genre that was lacking throughout the GameCube’s lifespan, so that’s why I have it behind 2004. You could play those sports games elsewhere, but the RPGs? You had to play them on GameCube.
1 2004
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Pikmin 2, Tales of Symphonia, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Tales of Symphonia
- Released
- August 29, 2003
- ESRB
- Teen // Violence, Sexual Themes, Language
- Developer(s)
- Namco
- Publisher(s)
- Namco
- Franchise
- Tales of
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PlayStation 3
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
This is it; this is the peak year of the GameCube’s run.
You can easily point to Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Pikmin 2, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door as the high points, and you’d be right. For me, though, it’s all about the RPGs.
Baten Kaitos isn’t for everyone (it’s a turn-based card JRPG with awful voice acting), but it’s still a good time. Tales of Symphonia, however, remains one of my favorite games of all time. I marathoned this game over a week during the summer, essentially no-lifing the game. It was a week well spent.
I’m also not ashamed to admit that I put over 100 hours into Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. No, it’s not perfect, and using the Game Boy Advance hookup was a gigantic pain, but it was some good ol’ fashioned co-op fun with friends.
If only the GameCube had been able to keep the momentum it had from 2003 and 2004 moving forward.
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