The Nintendo GameCube has rightfully become a cult classic console over the years.
During its release, it was sadly overlooked compared to the PlayStation 2 and its massive library, as well as the appeal of online gaming through the Xbox and Xbox Live. Over time, however, it’s become apparent that not only did the GameCube have plenty of great games released for it over the years, but quite a few of them are highly replayable, even today.
It’s impressive not only how well these ten GameCube games have held up over the years, but how they remain as replayable today as they were twenty years ago. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t stop playing these games back in the day, and that’s something that holds true all these years later.
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10 Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
An Underappreciated GameCube Classic
There were quite a few possible reasons people missed out on 2001’s Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. First, there’s the fact that the GameCube’s presumed demographic was far too young for the game. Second, it was dismissed as a Resident Evil clone, which I get, considering how it plays.
Those who experienced it, however, are fully aware of the masterpiece that is this game. Yes, it plays a lot like old-school Resident Evil games, but it’s far more optimized and user-friendly. There’s also the wonderful addition of fourth-wall-breaking sanity effects that are far too effective to mess with your mind. There wasn’t much that scared me back in the day (except for The Silence of the Lambs), but I was legitimately terrified to play Eternal Darkness for long stretches.
Thankfully, I was able to power myself through playing the game multiple times to achieve the game’s complete ending. There isn’t much that changes from playthrough to playthrough, but it’s such a delight to play the game and see how it messes with your head that it was a blast all three times I played it. Here’s to hoping Nintendo can find a way to bring it to Nintendo Switch Online.
9 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
Proud Is To Hear It All, Yeah Yeah
I was surprised at how little Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 grabbed my attention, considering how many hours of my life I poured into Tony Hawk 3 back in the day. Chalk it up to the “joys” of gaming as an adult with responsibilities, I suppose.
The beauty of Tony Hawk 3 is how much personality all of its stages have. It’s no longer about completing tricks, getting high scores, and finding secret tapes. It’s about discovering the countless secrets that exist within each level, which are more expansive than the last.
Suburbia and Airport will always be my favorites. I could spend all day focusing on different parts of the stage, from grinding the power lines in Suburbia to seeing how long a continuous grind I could pull off in the Airport. It helps, too, that the game has an absolutely killer soundtrack that I still listen to today.
8 Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
Copy, Rogue Leader
I’m someone who thinks that Star Fox 64 is easily one of the most replayable games on Nintendo 64, so of course, I’m going to say that Rogue Leader is one of the most replayable games for the Nintendo GameCube.
This was cinematic gaming before it became a widely adopted practice, chronicling a wonderful mix of iconic scenes from the movies and original battles made specifically for the game. It’s all tied together thanks to Denis Lawson’s performance as Wedge Antilles. His iconic voice, combined with the magic and spectacle of Star Wars, helped Rogue Leader become one of the first must-own games for the Nintendo GameCube.
Its campaign is also surprisingly deep, featuring far more content, including unlockable missions, than a game like Star Fox 64. Plus, there was always the desire to come back to missions and attempt to win a Gold Medal. I look forward to doing that again when Nintendo puts it on Nintendo Switch Online. One day. Please.
7 The Simpsons: Hit & Run
GTA: Springfield
The GameCube didn’t have the fortune of seeing a Grand Theft Auto title released on the console, which is a shame, as many consider the PS2-era trilogy of GTA 3/Vice City/San Andreas as some of the best games of all time.
It did, however, have The Simpsons: Hit & Run, which, in the eyes of some, is even better. It truly feels like the best of both worlds: the style, charm, and wit of The Simpsons combined with the gameplay that makes Grand Theft Auto so replayable and iconic.
Is it anywhere near as deep or open as GTA? Of course not, but it doesn’t need to be. If anything, there are times when it’s a smaller scope and focus that works to its advantage.
6 Kirby Air Ride
The City Is At War
Controlled chaos. That’s the best way to describe Kirby Air Ride.
This isn’t a Kirby clone of Mario Kart, so don’t go into the game expecting it to be. You’ll be sorely mistaken. Instead, despite its simplistic control scheme, Kirby Air Ride is a fantastic party game with plenty of over-the-top zaniness to keep you coming back for more.
The real appeal here is the City Trial mode, the chaotic Battle Royale-esque party mode where players compete against each other to power up their vehicles in preparation for a mini-game. It’s equal parts unpredictable and strategic, capturing the same amount of magic to make it worth coming back again and again.
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5 Animal Crossing
The Sims, Nintendo Style
The Animal Crossing franchise has undoubtedly come a long way from its humble origins, offering its fans more content than ever. Yet the core DNA of the series has remained the same ever since its Nintendo GameCube debut.
It’s still all about moving to a new town, building and customizing your house, and interacting with all of your villager neighbors while making new friends. It’s a highly social experience despite the fact that, on the GameCube anyway, it’s pretty much only a single-player game.
Yet Animal Crossing’s ability to give life and personality to your NPC neighbors makes it feel like you’re interacting with some of your closest friends, and that’s what keeps you coming back day in and day out. You want to check in on them, see how they’re doing, and, of course, perform some tasks so you can get one step closer to paying off Tom Nook’s loan.
4 Soulcalibur 2
A Tale Of Souls And Swords, Eternally Retold
The existence of Soulcalibur 2 on Nintendo Switch Online is one of the more recent pleasant surprises in gaming history.
It’s not that the game was bad. Far from it in fact, it was just not expected. Playing through Soulcalibur 2 again, both solo and with friends, reminds me of how incredible this series truly can be. Sure, it helps out that it’s a fighting game on a Nintendo console that features Link as a playable character, but the replayability of Soulcalibur 2 goes far beyond that.
Few fighting games can match the presentation, spectacle, and deep playability that Soulcalibur 2 offers. It’s just as good as its predecessor, which many argue is a perfect game, delivering on a fighting game experience that still holds up well today.
3 F-Zero GX
Show Me Your Moves!
Speaking of Nintendo Switch Online miracles, it’s been a great time to be an F-Zero fan as of late, as Nintendo has suddenly remembered that their high-speed racing franchise exists.
As nice as F-Zero 99 was, it’s not the same as a full-fledged new F-Zero game. The same is true for F-Zero GX (I mean, it is a full game, but it also came out 20 years ago on the GameCube), but its existence as a launch title for the GameCube on Nintendo Switch Online serves as a reminder of how deep and addictive this game truly is.
The Switch 2 library has plenty of great racing games, ranging from Mario Kart World to Kirby Air Riders. F-Zero GX keeps pace with them, sometimes even lapping the field. It doubles as not only an incredible racer but also a challenging game that begs you to keep coming back and conquering its challenges. It’s a call that’s always worth answering; I can’t help but keep coming back for more, even when I feel like I’m finished with it.
2 Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Double The Pleasure, Double The Fun
Far and away the most unique entry in the Mario Kart series, Double Dash gives you the option of having two racers, not just one, per kart.
At first, this may not seem that innovative or revolutionary, but this is technically the first time in franchise history where you could hold multiple items at once. Anyone who’s played a modern Mario Kart game, such as Mario Kart 8 or Mario Kart World, knows what this means.
It’s an extra layer of strategy that delivers on top of some incredible course design. Double Dash may not have some of the heaviest hitters in franchise history, but it makes up for that by offering one of the most complete, well-rounded course lists in Mario Kart history.
1 Super Smash Bros. Melee
Final Destination, No Items
It’s Melee. What’s more to say about the game at this point?
Sure, the Super Smash Bros. series has gone on to see bigger and better things, especially with its roster. Ultimate, for example, is a wonderful celebration of all things video games that balances a fighting game and a party game, but with Melee, it’s still one of the best fighting games ever made.
Its mechanics work extraordinarily well, offering the right amount of balance between its skill requirements and randomness that you expect from a Smash title. Of course, you can throw that randomness out the window if you go down the “no items, Final Destination” route. From there, there’s only one person in the way of you fulfilling your destiny: your opponent.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
