The GameCube had some of the best exclusives that the sixth generation of consoles had to offer. In many ways, the system exemplified the broad range of Nintendo’s creativity in the medium. With a NES and SNES Classic already on the market, it’s inevitable that fans will one day be treated to a GameCube Classic as well. Reports suggest that the manufacturer is already developing it, in fact. The following is a list of the games most eligible to be featured on the miniature console whenever it does release.
GameCube Classic Games – Luigi’s Mansion
Luigi’s Mansion was a GameCube launch title that became somewhat synonymous with the console itself. The game served to fill in the gap that a full-fledged Mario game would typically fill. This drew a bit of ire from fans at the time, though today the title is regarding for its fun mechanics and surprisingly detailed environments. A sequel, Dark Moon, released for the 3DS a while later in 2013.
GameCube Classic Games – The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
A lot of people felt betrayed when The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was shown off for the first time. The cell-shaded art style was a departure from the stark portrait of Link’s world in the past. This caused a lot of fans to skip out on the game. Those who decided to stick around, however, found that Wind Waker was of the most ambitious titles in the franchise to date.
GameCube Classic Games – Metroid Prime
Nintendo fans had wanted a sequel to Super Metroid for years leading up to the reveal of Metroid Prime. When the game was revealed, a lot of these fans were appalled by the first-person perspective developer Retro Studios opted to go with. Despite the negativity, when the title finally launched, people praised how Prime seamlessly blended first-person gunplay with the game’s third-person morph ball sequences. What’s more was that Prime was one of the most visually impressive games on the market at the time.
GameCube Classic Games – Mario Kart: Double Dash
Nintendo had a frightening mission to accomplish when developing a follow-up to the smash hit that was Mario Kart 64. Fortunately, the developer had succeeded in Mario Kart: Double Dash, a title that allowed players to race together in one vehicle. Fun was practically guaranteed every time players would boot up the game. To add to the party, Double Dash supported the GameCube broadband adapter. This allowed up to 8 different systems the ability to play together via LAN. It would be interesting to see how Nintendo manages to implement the game’s many features into a miniature console.
GameCube Classic Games – Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing may seem like a gaming phenomenon today, but the title was a big risk for Nintendo when it first debuted on the GameCube. Up to its release, players were skeptical as to what exactly they would be doing in the game. It was something akin to No Man’s Sky in that no conclusive details were really specified about the title. Despite the uphill battle, Animal Crossing managed to come out on top, spawning another successful Nintendo franchise. Here’s hoping it will see its return via the Switch sometime soon.
GameCube Classic Games – Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic’s exclusive debut on the GameCube through Sonic Adventure 2 was bizarre at the time. For the years leading up to that point, Mario and the blue hedgehog had been duking it out over the console space. Now the two had seemingly joined forces. The result was a game that was noteworthy for its excellent boss battles and cute but addicting Chao Garden.
GameCube Classic Games – Super Mario Sunshine
Whereas Nintendo could have just produced a direct sequel to Super Mario 64 and sell GameCube units like hotcakes, the company decided to go the extra mile. Super Mario Sunshine was not what a lot of fans were expecting, yet excelled in introducing gameplay mechanics that the medium had never seen before. Being able to use the FLUDD cannon to float, blast, and skim across water opened up a wide range of possibilities for the player. On top of that, Sunshine had some of the most challenging platforming segments ever conceived.
GameCube Classic Games – Pikmin
Pikmin combined the best elements of a real-time strategy game with the fundamentals of a classic simulation title to produce perhaps the most unique title on GameCube. The player was tasked with reassembling a demolished spaceship with the help of colorful creatures named Pikmin. Though managing your forces was the key to success on that strange planet, the game also encouraged exploration and experimentation. The 30-day time limit may have been a nuisance for some people, but it definitely added a level a challenge to an already complex title.
GameCube Classic Games – Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is just as noteworthy as today’s Awakening or Fates. Unfortunately, it hasn’t enjoyed the same mainstream success that these titles have, however. It follows the hero Ike’s rise to glory and more or less features the same fundamental gameplay mechanics that the series enjoys to this day. A re-release via the GameCube Classic would help the title earn the popularity it rightfully deserved years ago.
GameCube Classic Games – Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door serves today as an example of how to do a Mario-styled RPG well. Each chapter had its own self-contained narrative and felt distinctly different from the one before it. Characters were lovable and outright relatable at times. Gameplay was fun, fluid, and novel as well. It’s a shame that Nintendo hasn’t brought back the game in the form of a sequel as of late. Perhaps its re-release on GameCube Classic will help the company reevaluate its priorities in the near future.
GameCube Classic Games – Super Smash Bros. Melee
No list of GameCube games would be complete without the inclusion of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Still regarded by the community as the best Smash Bros. title in the series to date, Melee‘s mechanics arguably set the gold standard of how fighting games should perform at the time of its release. It remains to be seen whether or not Ultimate will replace Melee as the go-to tournament fighter in the future. We’ll have to wait until December to find out.
What games do you want to see on the GameCube Classic? Let us know in the comments below!
