The 34 Best GameCube Games Of All Time

Nintendo's GameCube holds such a strange place in the annals of gaming history. It was basically the middle child in every aspect it could've been. In terms of Nintendo's legacy, it's sandwiched between the game-changing N64, and the outsized, asterisked success of the Wii. In terms of the console war of the time, it was just sort of there at a time when Microsoft had come for Sony's blood. When Sony went sleek and cool with the design of the PS2, and Microsoft went bulky and intimidating, the GameCube went compact and playful. Even in terms of horsepower, it was more powerful than the PS2, less powerful than the Xbox, and accompanying neither extreme, most of its positives went underappreciated. 

That's a special kind of disservice, since quite a few of the best games of that gen were GameCube exclusives, caught in limbo between warring gods, which is probably the exact reason why everything from the Wii onward has seen Nintendo operating on their own terms. But there's absolute gold on the old cube that deserved better. Here are the absolute best games for the Nintendo GameCube.

For a game that's still one of the crown jewels of the SNES-era — an SNES launch title, in fact! — F-Zero's cultural cache in the modern age is depressingly small, mostly relegated to Captain Falcon being a Super Smash Bros. mainstay (and the Falcon Punch still being ridiculously OP, but that's a whole other article). The best theory on why pretty much just boils down to Wipeout on PlayStation basically making F-Zero's cartoony graphics look a little juvenile by comparison.

That's still true in F-Zero GX. Nobody remembers that game for its utterly ridiculous cutscenes, after all. But those who do remember F-Zero GX fondly do so not just for being eye-poppingly fast, but for making that speed feel absolutely deadly in the process. Speed has consequences as you race in GX, but the rewards in zooming at thousands of miles an hour down a track sometimes the width of a ruler is still one of the most breathtaking racing experiences ever crafted.

• Release Date: June 25, 2003

• Genre: Racing

• Game modes: Single-player, multiplayer (up to 4)

• Metacritic score: 89

If gaming has anything resembling a David Lynch, able to make absolutely mindblowing choices within the context of tired genres, it's Suda51. While he'd been making bizarre little point-and-click adventures before, and his resume afterward certainly didn't get any easier to parse, Suda's breakout game, Killer7, is simultaneously his most accessible title and also the most psychologically baffling. 

On paper, it's easy to say Killer7's little more than a glorified rail shooter, with some light puzzle-solving for spice. But the reality is obvious within minutes of starting the game. Right at the outset, our main character dissolves away in a haze of white noise, something he's able to do to turn into seven wildly dissociated personalities. Even that's just the tip of the iceberg for a game that ends up being an unhinged, Kojima-esque take on government corruption, all rendered in a weirdly unsettling abstract cel-shaded noir aesthetic that just accentuates the weird. It's not the kind of game you typically look for or would ever expect to get on a Nintendo system — and that's even in a world where the Wii got the No More Heroes games — but it's certainly one to be grateful for, regardless. 

• Release Date: June 9, 2005

• Genre: Action, shooter

• Game modes: Single-player

• Metacritic score: 74

Before Platinum Games was, well, Platinum Games, the vast majority of their development team worked at Capcom under the name Clover Studios. Clover wasn't nearly as prolific as their current iteration, though the fact that they made Okami before they even became Platinum Games should be enough to drop a few jaws. But while that game is considered a masterpiece, their previous title was just as unique, but much more woefully overlooked.

Viewtiful Joe has all the hallmarks that we identify with Platinum today: the hard-hitting combo-based fights, the slo-mo mechanics, the obsessive hat tips to popular films — in this case, the entire plot happens because Joe's girlfriend gets sucked into a movie, Last Action Hero-style. The difference, however, is the 2D formatting, the cel-shaded art style, and some rather ingenious sections where Joe has to use those hard-hitting powers to not just ruin his enemies, but solve traversal puzzles. It's a mix that nobody would really attempt until Guacamelee some ten years later, which goes to show just how far ahead of the curve Platinum's staff really was.

• Release Date: June 26, 2003

• Genre: Beat'em-up

  Advertisement

• Game modes: Single-player

• Metacritic score: 93

It's a sobering thing to look at the RPGs that came out in 2004. This is the year that brought us World of Warcraft, Vampire: The Masquerade, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, and the first Fable. And right smack in the middle of all that is Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, as weird and wacky as it can be, at the most angsty and staunchly traditional time for RPGs ever.

Paper Mario games have rarely tried to reinvent themselves, but they've also never had to. It's only very recently that RPGs have lightened up to the point where a Paper Mario game's cheery take on RPG tropes isn't a wild departure from everything else it would share shelf space with. For Thousand Year Door, its greatest innovation is taking fuller advantage of the paper aesthetic, with Mario able to turn himself into paper airplanes, background elements depending on Mario himself, and the environment folding into various shapes. There's such a self-awareness, humor, and lightness to the whole thing that it stands out in the GameCube's library.

• Release Date: July 22, 2004

• Genre: RPG

• Game modes: Single-player

  Advertisement

• Metacritic score: 87

Metroid is, and always has been, a strange case for Nintendo. It's popular in the West, but not in Japan. Nintendo doesn't necessarily hate it, but there's always been a sort of benign neglect that means they only really address the series when they get around to thinking about it. 

As such, unlike the vast majority of their other properties, they've always left the good work of carrying on the series to studios in the West or friendly to the West. Luckily for them, the result has been some of the best first person shooters ever crafted, and it all starts with the  incredible first Metroid Prime. 

It's hard to imagine now, but there once was a moment where everyone was worried Metroid wouldn't make the jump to 3D very well. But it doesn't take long after Samus' ship lands on the Space Pirate station for the game to feel every bit as natural as its 2D counterparts. But even beyond that, Retro Studios also manages to capture that lonely feeling, a mood of truly being stranded someplace alien and hostile but beautiful. All the while, they manage to make precision aiming work in a way that still stands up to scrutiny. They even managed to implement platforming, something it would take most other FPS franchises years to get right.

• Release Date: Nov. 18, 2002

• Genre: Action, FPS, Metroidvania

• Game modes: Single-player

• Metacritic score: 97

There's an interesting throughline for many of the GameCube's best titles: they're ideas that, on paper, a lot of folks thought wouldn't work. For the most part, Nintendo proved all those naysayers wrong, but there's no one game this century that gamers owe more of a mea culpa to than The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

Nintendo did themselves a bit of a disservice by including that now-infamous tech demo of a more realistic Link fighting Ganon at the GameCube's big coming out party, and then announcing the next Zelda would be cel-shaded. But it's never a good idea to underestimate Nintendo, and pretty much every angry internet tough would go completely silent when they realized that Wind Waker is one of the more impeccably crafted Zelda titles in the series, brimming with charm, humor, ingenious puzzles, an exhilarating seafaring aspect, and a no-nonsense Princess Zelda unlike anything in the series. Did even Sheik run a band of pirates? No Sheik didn't.

The game's legacy is all but cemented a couple of generations later, when it and Twilight Princess got prettied up for the Wii U. And yes, Twilight Princess remains pretty spectacular, but between the two, one of these games desperately misses motion controls, and the other feels timeless, and felt timeless since the day it released on GameCube.

• Release Date: Dec. 13, 2002

• Genre: Action, adventure

• Game modes: Single-player

• Metacritic score: 96

Where many sports games skew towards realistic physics, "SSX Tricky" embraces its cartoonish nature, allowing its snowboarders to execute wild tricks and wear outlandish clothes on the course. "SSX Tricky" is sort of a sequel to 2000's "SSX," but it's not necessary to play the previous game to enjoy "Tricky." In fact, "Tricky" has a bit of a different style, giving a funkier aesthetic to its snowboarders, menus, and soundtrack.

IGN rightly noted that "SSX Tricky" was a port of the PlayStation 2 game that had released weeks before, and that the game ran better on the PlayStation 2. However, the GameCube simply didn't have anything else like "Tricky" available. With that in mind, IGN specifically praised the game's course designs, which are built to allow players to achieve the air necessary to execute big tricks. And what tricks they are: "Tricky" included the addition of "Uber Tricks," which are bigger and better than the sport's normal tricks in almost every way – just like the game itself.

• Release Date: Dec. 2, 2001

• Genre: Sports

• Game modes: Single-Player, Multiplayer (up to 2)

• Metacritic score: 87

"Super Monkey Ball" is a party game, allowing friends to race each other as they maneuver through tricky courses full of narrow pathways and tight corners. Of course, the players are monkeys rolling around the world in small transparent balls, as one might expect, but gamers don't actually control the spheres the monkeys are trapped in, but the course itself. The premise is deceptively simple, perhaps because – as IGN pointed out in its review – the game started as an arcade favorite. Sega chose to bring the arcade game to the GameCube and the rest is monkey history.

"Super Monkey Ball" rewards players who take their time and slowly maneuver the playing field to roll their character around carefully. However, speed is important in multiplayer, and part of the fun is seeing how your opponents navigate the risk versus reward style of the title. IGN commented that the game was simple, but completely engrossing. "Super Monkey Ball" features multiple modes of play, including one where the monkeys can be used as balls in an epic game of pool, which keeps things fresh when players tire of rolling around set courses.

• Release Date: Nov. 17, 2001

• Genre: Puzzle, action, party

• Game modes: Single-Player, Multiplayer (up to 4)

• Metacritic score: 87

The "Harvest Moon" series has been chugging along, producing quality farming sims for years, but "A Wonderful Life" was one installment that stuck out like a prize-winning ear of corn. As IGN explained in its review, "A Wonderful Life" added new features to the formula, like the ability to raise a child to adulthood and a soil fertility system. These features made gamers feel like their farmer was really putting down roots in the community, with the intention for their ancestors to carry on in the same way for generations. Of course, gamers still had plenty of "Harvest Moon" staples to enjoy, like caring for a pet and getting to know townsfolk, but the family aspect of the game added a new dimension of time management strategy.

"A Wonderful Life" was the "Harvest Moon" game for the GameCube, so popular with farming sim fans that it's been remade for the Switch. While the franchise's name has changed, fans can expect "Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life" to have many of the same qualities that made the original great, like an intricate marriage system and tons of crops to make the perfect farm.

• Release Date: March 16, 2004

• Genre: RPG, Farming sim

• Game modes: Single-Player

• Metacritic score: 79

Unlike many other "Pokemon" games, "Pokemon Colosseum" takes out most of the narrative of the mainline games and focuses on what many players enjoy most: battling. Much "Pokemon Stadium" before it, "Pokemon Colosseum" maintains a laser focus on pitting the creatures against each other in fights, although it did have a single-player mode that focused on a trainer who rehabilitated mistreated Pokemon.

But the real fun of "Pokemon Colosseum" was multiplayer mode. IGN's review of "Colosseum" detailed how multiplayer mode married the mainline "Pokemon" games from the Game Boy with the more technologically advanced GameCube, allowing players to link their Game Boy Advance and a copy of "Pokemon Ruby" or "Sapphire" to bring their Pokemon to the big(ger) screen. This feature turned "Pokemon Colosseum" into an all-new 3D stage for players to show off their best pocket monsters, and gamers took notice.

• Release Date: March 22, 2004

• Genre: RPG, Turn-based battle

• Game modes: Single-Player, Multiplayer (up to 4)

• Metacritic score: 73

Nintendo fans know that Mario plays tons of sports in addition to being a friendly plumber and adventurer. However, many might not expect soccer to be in the mix of his favorite hobbies. "Super Mario Strikers" brought Mario and friends to the world of soccer, adding items and power boosts reminiscent of another "Mario"-themed sports franchise, "Mario Kart," to what would otherwise be an ordinary match. Even though the conceit is simple, the game is incredibly fun.

IGN praised the simplicity and lack of frills found in "Super Mario Stikers," writing, "'Super Mario Strikers' is the quintessential arcade sports game." The review said that for gamers looking purely for a multiplayer experience, the game might even hold more value, as its multiplayer mode provided a quick and easy way to play with friends. Even though its graphics aren't the most impressive thing on the GameCube, "Super Mario Strikers" makes up for its looks with accessibility; almost anyone can get the hang of it relatively quickly. 

This game also yielded a healthy partnership. Years later, after working on many games together, Nintendo acquired Next Level Games, which worked on "Super Mario Strikers" and the "Luigi's Mansion" series, both of which have new games on the Nintendo Switch.

• Release Date: Dec. 5, 2005

• Genre: Sports

• Game modes: Single-Player, Multiplayer (up to 4)

• Metacritic score: 76

Rather than having its usual mascot Mario leading the charge for the GameCube's launch, Nintendo put the focus on his brother for the 2001 game "Luigi's Mansion." After Mario goes missing in a haunted house he mysteriously inherited, Luigi investigates what happened to his sibling while trapping ghosts with the experimental Poltergust 3000. As Luigi progresses into the mansion, clearing it of malevolent spirits room-by-room, he discovers a secret treasure defended by a sinister host of specters.

More than just a fun twist on the "Super Mario" franchise, "Luigi's Mansion" provided players with a technical showcase for the GameCube. Featuring more detailed textures, gorgeously rendered environmental effects, and a richer sound design, "Luigi's Mansion" was a far leap ahead of the Nintendo 64 — and it managed to pack in some real scares! "Luigi's Mansion" was well-received critically and commercially, quickly becoming the most successful title in the GameCube's launch window (per BBC).

• Release Date: Sept. 14, 2001

• Genre: Action-adventure

• Game modes: Single-player

• Metacritic score: 78

Of all the games released for the GameCube, the most successful title for the console is 2001's "Super Smash Bros. Melee," selling over seven million copies across its life cycle (per Nintendo). The second installment in the fighting game series, "Melee" brings together a cast of iconic characters from Nintendo's first-party properties for a variety of gameplay modes to duke it out for supremacy. "Melee" features the return of the original playable roster and significantly expands its offering of characters, stages, items, and modes, all while noticeably tightening the gameplay.

IGN's review of the game labeled "Melee" as an all-around improvement over its predecessor, praising its refined presentation and sheer depth. With a myriad of single-player modes and an impressive set of options for customize multiplayer matches, "Melee" defined the "Super Smash Bros." for years to follow. Players also immediately responded enthusiastically to the fighting game, which still enjoys a robust esports following to this day.

• Release Date: Nov. 21, 2001

• Genre: Fighting

• Game modes: 1-4 players

• Metacritic score: 92

In the early 2000s, Capcom partnered with Nintendo to bring "Resident Evil" games to the GameCube, with the first project blending old and new. As the console received updated ports of "Resident Evil 2" and "Resident Evil 3: Nemesis," franchise creator Shinji Mikami decided to remake the original "Resident Evil" from scratch. This resulted in a gorgeously realized redo on the GameCube in 2002, which retained the story from the 1996 game with updated controls and the most haunting visuals on the console.

After an elite police squad goes missing just outside of Raccoon City, the team sent to find them are forced to shelter in a nearby mansion, where they face ravenous zombies. Gamers play as Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, each of whom endure their own horrifying experiences in this survival horror adventure. 

In a statement to IGN, Capcom marketing director Todd Thorson explained that Capcom saw the GameCube partnership as a way to "achieve motion picture quality visuals and create even more suspense and fear than the original." Both critics and fans seem to agree that Capcom accomplished it's goal. True to Thorson's word, the 2002 "Resident Evil" remake stands as the definitive version of the game.

• Release Date: March 22, 2002

• Genre: Survival horror

• Game modes: Single-player

• Metacritic score: 91

One of the GameCube's early successes was "Pikmin," a science fiction real-time strategy franchise created by beloved Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto. "Pikmin 2" built upon the first game's foundation, expanding it to include new types of Pikmin, a second protagonist (complete with their own horde of Pikmin), and the inclusion of multiplayer in what had begun as a single-player experience.

Returning protagonist Captain Olimar's employer faces bankruptcy, so he and his co-worker Louie are sent back to the world from which Olimar escaped in the previous game. With two new species of Pikmin helping them, Olimar and Louie must work together to defeat ravenous new monsters and acquire enough treasure to save their jobs. Many reviewers, including 1Up.com, felt "Pikmin 2" was far superior to its predecessor, breaking beyond the established formula to create a truly thrilling adventure.

• Release Date: April 29, 2004

• Genre: Real-time strategy

• Game modes: 1-2 players

• Metacritic score: 90

Following the success of "Fire Emblem" games finally making their way to North America on handheld consoles, Nintendo and developer Intelligent Systems created "Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance." The first "Fire Emblem" title on the GameCube and the first installment of the series to utilize 3D graphics, "Path of Radiance" follows medieval hero Ike defending his homeland of Tellius. This was easily the most ambitious installment up to that point, featuring up to 46 characters ready and able to recruit into the player's party.

With so much variation in encounters resulting from different character interactions on the battlefield, "Path of Radiance" is a game that practically demands multiple playthroughs to get the full narrative experience. GameSpot's review of "Path of Radiance" complimented its engaging story and turn-based strategy gameplay, while IGN's review lauded it for updating and improving upon the franchise's successful formula. Encouraged by the game's success, Nintedo continued its story in a rare direct sequel for the franchise — "Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn" on the Wii — and Ike became a "Smash Bros." fixture.

• Release Date: April 20, 2005

• Genre: Tactical RPG

• Game modes: Single-player

• Metacritic score: 85

  Advertisement

As Nintendo turned its attention towards the Wii, the final first party game released for the GameCube was "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" (per Nintendo World Report). Returning the fantasy franchise to a darker, more serious tone after the cel-shaded and more family-friendly "The Wind Waker," "Twilight Princess" followed Link as he tried to save Hyrule from being overtaken by the Twilight Realm. Joining Link in this journey is Midna, a mysterious figure from the shadowy dimension who guides the Hero of Time after he's been transformed into a wolf.

In an interview with IGN, producers Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma acknowledged that fan feedback indicated a more realistic "Zelda" game was desired, which led to the shift in aesthetics and themes for this installment. This move paid off. Reviews from Game Informer and The Washington Post labeled "Twilight Princess" as the greatest "Zelda" game up to that point. "Twilight Princess" gave the GameCube its last triumphant hurrah with a dark vision of Hyrule that favored combat over puzzle-solving.

• Release Date: Dec. 2, 2006

• Genre: Action-adventure

• Game modes: Single-player

• Metacritic score: 96