One of the many reasons people love Nintendo as a video game platform developer is that they’re always thinking outside the box. Granted, they’ll produce a sequel to one of their more popular consoles every couple of generations. Still, every couple of years, they’ll hit us with something like the Nintendo GameCube, an innovative console that’s often overlooked, but never forgotten.
I remember picking up my Indigo-colored GameCube at launch, with copies of Luigi’s Mansion and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, secured next to an additional controller and two memory cards. I adored the system’s mini-disc presentation, and the console’s compact build was both adorable and easy to slot into my shelf. In 2002, the WaveBird controller debuted, making wires on a Nintendo console a thing of the past. I still have my original WaveBird and controllers, though somewhere along the way, my indigo GameCube turned black. I don’t recall how or when that happened. At any rate, the system still works, and it’s hooked up in my office, ready to play at any time. Unfortunately, a portion of my collection is gone after some asshole robbed my house roughly a decade ago. However, I still have an impressive number of titles, including limited-edition collections of the OG Legend of Zelda games, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, TimeSplitters 2, and all the Resident Evil games (RE1 Remake, Zero, and RE4). Anyway, we’re not here to stroll down memory lane; let’s get to the games!
10) Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
- Release Date: June 24, 2002
Developer: Silicon Knights
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Psychological Horror / Action-Adventure
Why It Matters: One of the most innovative horror games ever made, famous for its reality-bending sanity effects.
Before looking up solutions to some of gaming’s more challenging puzzles and WTF moments was as easy as going to GameFAQs, games like Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem surprised players with a mind-bending survival horror experience unlike anything they’d ever seen. Yes, games like Resident Evil, Alone in the Dark, and Silent Hill existed, but Eternal Darkness messed with your mind (and gameplay) in ways that at times made you feel as if you were genuinely losing your marbles.
Designed with a Lovecraftian feel, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem follows several characters over two millennia and across four locations on Earth as they contend with an ancient evil that seeks to enslave humanity. The game features “sanity effects,” which alter in-game content without warning, such as killing a player in an elaborate way when they enter a room, only to bring them back to life as if nothing had happened seconds later. I distinctly recall my character’s head rolling off my shoulders and exploding on the floor during one of my play sessions. I also remember the game seemingly wiping my save file before assuring me that all was well. Eternal Darkness gets a bit rougher with age, but it’s still one of the most unique, ambitious, and unforgettable experiences you can have on the Nintendo GameCube.
9) Mario Kart: Double Dash
- Release Date: November 17, 2003
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Kart Racing
Why It Matters: The only Mario Kart game to feature two racers per kart, creating unique cooperative and competitive gameplay.
Mario Kart: Double Dash is a delight, and I will not hear otherwise. It’s one of my favorite installments of the long-running Mario Kart franchise, and while the series has evolved, I wish Nintendo would bring Double Dash‘s dual-driver feature back at some point. Featuring some seriously fun courses (Peach Beach, Baby Park, Dino Dino Jungle, DK Mountain, and my personal favorite, the Luigi’s Mansion track in the Flower Cup), Double Dash is non-stop, fast-paced fun with gorgeous 3D models, clever hidden paths, and intense multiplayer modes.
A lot of satisfaction comes from the game’s dual-driver mechanic. Players choose two characters at the start of each play session, switching between them on the fly for varied gameplay, inspired pairings, and strategy on the track that could mean the difference between getting first or sixteenth place. There are better games in the Mario Kart franchise, but Double Dash is still an absolute blast on the GameCube. The game looks great, handles like a dream, and makes for hours of fun during solo races or leaving your friends in the dust.
8) Viewtiful Joe
- Release Date: June 26, 2003
Developer: Clover Studio
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Action Platformer
Why It Matters: A stylish cult classic that combined comic book aesthetics with innovative combat mechanics.
Dear Capcom, what will it take for you to bring Viewtiful Joe back into the fold? It doesn’t even need to be a sequel, I’ll take a remaster or remake! Designed like a comic book and a Hollywood film made sweet, sweet love, Viewtiful Joe is a fantastic 3D cel-shaded side-scrolling action game where you play as Joe, a cinephile thrust into Movie Land, where he transforms into the superhero “Viewtiful Joe,” in an attempt to rescue his girlfriend Silvia.
Directed by Hideki Kamiya, the helmer of Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe features a robust combat system with special moves (or Viewtiful Effects) that alter the gameplay, letting you chain together insane combos for a cinematic look and presentation that makes the game feel different than others in the genre. While Viewtiful Joe can be challenging, the game deliberately sets you up for greatness by feeding you rows of enemies to dispatch with flair using your VFX. If you want to feel like a movie superstar badass while living out your superhero fantasies, Viewtiful Joe is ready to put your name in lights.
7) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Release Date: July 22, 2004
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Role-Playing Game
Why It Matters: Widely regarded as the finest entry in the Paper Mario series.
As far as Mario-style RPGs go, it’s challenging to find a better game in the franchise than Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Recently remade for the Nintendo Switch with several improvements, The Thousand-Year Door finds a paper-cutout Mario and Princess Peach searching for a fabled fortune in new and mysterious lands. However, when Peach gets kidnapped by a group of aliens called the X-Nauts, it’s up to Mario to find the treasure and Peach before it’s too late.
While The Thousand-Year Door borrows much of its gameplay from previous installments of the franchise, it builds on everything that came before and does it with pizazz. Everything in the game shines with polish, from the whip-smart humor to the vibrant graphics, hilarious story, and time-sensitive gameplay that evolves through many power-ups, enemy interactions, and strategic depth. The Thousand-Year Door is the high-water mark for the Mario RPG realm. If you still have your copy of the GameCube version, hold onto it.
6) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Release Date: November 19, 2006
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Action-Adventure
Why It Matters: A darker, more mature Zelda experience that helped shape future entries in the franchise.
After venturing into cel-shaded territory for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Nintendo returned to a more “realistic,” grounded approach to Link’s adventures in Hyrule. As the first game in the franchise with a Teen rating, Twilight Princess hits different compared to past installments of the franchise, and it serves as the blueprint for Breath of the Wild, a game that’s often hailed as the best video game of all time.
Taking place over a century after Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess finds Link preventing Hyrule from being consumed by a parallel dimension. To set the game apart from other entries in the Zelda series, Twilight Princess gives Link the ability to transform into a divine white wolf, while a charming imp named Midnar joins you for the grand adventure. Many players breathed a sigh of relief when Twilight Princess introduced a darker, grittier look to the Zelda franchise, but I’ll always hold a candle for Wind Waker. Still, Twilight Princess is a pillar of the franchise, and it’s one of the best experiences you can have on the GameCube. Not just because it’s Zelda, but because it’s the beginning of a new direction for the storied franchise.
5) Pikmin 2
- Release Date: April 29, 2004
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Strategy / Puzzle
Why It Matters: Expanded Nintendo’s unique real-time strategy formula with new Pikmin types and cooperative play.
While Pikmin will always hold a special place in my heart, Pikmin 2 takes everything about the original game and makes it better by introducing new Pikmin (white and purple), a two-player mode where a second player can take control of Louie, Captain Olimar’s diligent friend. Pikmin 2 also includes new puzzle-solving abilities that take exploration and strategy to a new level as you discover a wondrous world of sight and sound.
In my mind, Nintendo’s Pikmin franchise fills a hole in my heart where Sega’s Toejam & Earl resides. Both games feature quirky aliens searching for ship pieces across a foreign landscape overpopulated with dangers. Pikmin 2 carries the top-down puzzle game torch while getting rid of the timer that made the first game feel more like a nerve-racking race against time than an imaginative rescue mission. While I maintain that Pikmin 4 is the best game in the series, Pikmin 2 is when Nintendo planted the seeds of the franchise’s best ideas, and it’s been wonderful to watch it grow throughout the years.
4) Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Release Date: December 3, 2001
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Fighting Game
Why It Matters: A competitive gaming phenomenon that remains active decades after release.
While I do have a deep and abiding respect for the original Super Smash Bros., it was Melee that truly turned me onto Nintendo’s mascot brawler franchise. The solo mode is fine for when you’re unlocking characters and getting the lay of the land. However, once that busy work is out of the way, it’s all about the multiplayer, baby!
I have so many fond memories of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, from winning matches by the skin of my teeth to watching opponents rocket toward the sky with a well-timed charged move. Melee features some of the best evolving stages and assist characters in the franchise, and when you get four people hotting and hollering in the same room, the game becomes pure Nintendo-brand magic. I tend to bounce around in fighting games, never sticking with one character for too long, but in Melee, I kept Link, Ness, Zelda, and Kirby close to my chest. As far as party games go, players can instantly transform a ho-hum gaming session into something heated, competitive, and hilarious. Friendship is overrated. Play Super Smash Bros. Melee.
3) Luigi’s Mansion
- Release Date: November 18, 2001
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Action-Adventure
Why It Matters: Gave Luigi his most beloved starring role since 1992’s Mario is Missing while showcasing the GameCube’s visual capabilities.
I want everyone reading this article to appreciate my restraint. Luigi’s Mansion is my personal favorite title on the system, but I’m willing to give it the bronze to feature other games that make owning the Nintendo GameCube worth every penny. Luigi’s Mansion is a short but sweet experience, with Luigi exploring a haunted mansion while searching for his missing brother, Mario. Aided by Professor E. Gadd, a plucky paranormal investigator and inventor with the best gibberish dialect in all of Nintendo history, Luigi nervously uncovers a mystery set across four sections of an elaborate manor filled with spooky apparitions.
I love everything about Luigi’s Mansion. It’s one of my few “comfort games,” and a title I return to whenever the mood strikes. I’ll never forget hooking up my GameCube roughly a decade ago, on the eve of my moving to Canada after 36 years in New York. I played the game in its entirety, smiling from ear to ear the entire time. I love the themed ghosts, the music, the chilling atmosphere, and the inventive puzzle design. While Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a more refined experience, and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is kind of a letdown, the original game remains one of my all-time favorites across any system.
2) The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
- Release Date: December 13, 2002
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Action-Adventure
Why It Matters: Its cel-shaded art style was controversial at launch but is now considered timeless.
A lot of people who went out of their way to hate on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker don’t know how good they had it when Nintendo released this absolute gem of a Zelda game experience. Departing from other games in the time-honored series, Wind Waker, with its drop-dead-gorgeous cel-shaded look, finds Link investigating a cluster of islands to save his sister from the evil sorcerer Gannon. Along the journey, Link meets Tetra, an alternate, sea-faring version of Princess Zelda, and sails aboard a talking sailboat called the King of Red Lions. Yes, it’s a chore to navigate the vessel, but once you commit the commands to memory, setting sail on one of the GameCube’s grandest adventures feels like a dream.
Not without its flaws, The Wind Waker is a breath of fresh air for the Zelda franchise and features some of the best level design and presentation in the hallowed series. The game pops with radiant colors, giving Hyrule a cartoonish makeover and presenting well-worn territory and new corners of the beloved kingdom, with a vibrancy that makes the journey memorable and visually unique. Yes, there are two Zelda games on this list, but that’s what happens when a franchise is so nice you’ve got to include it twice.
1) Metroid Prime
- Release Date: November 17, 2002
Developer: Retro Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: First-Person Adventure
Why It Matters: Successfully reinvented the Metroid franchise and is often ranked among the greatest video games ever made.
Finally, we’ve reached the top of Mount GameCube, where Nintendo’s Metroid Prime plants its flag as the best game on the system. Before Prime came along, Metroid was a 2D-only affair, and the thought of bringing Samus into a first-person adventure was unheard of. However, Nintendo decided to bet big on putting players in Samus’ boots, and the result was one of the greatest experiences you could have on the GameCube.
When I make these lists, I often mention how certain titles helped redefine well-worn territory, and Metroid Prime is one of the greatest examples of that evolution. Prime still has players collecting power-ups and gaining new abilities as they explore a maze-like alien landscape. Still, by presenting the mission in first-person, Prime literally changes the game. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that games like Metroid Dread are still getting made, but it’s nice to have the choice between regular recipe or extra crispy, if you know what I mean. Metroid Prime is a moody, brazen, and brilliant gamble that pays off in spades, giving Metroid fans a whole new way to feel close to one of the greatest video game protagonists of all time.
Honorable Mentions
- Resident Evil 4
- F-Zero GX
- Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
- TimeSplitters 2
- Animal Crossing
- Resident Evil
- Star Fox Adventures
- Soulcalibur II
- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
- Super Mario Sunshine
- The Simpsons: Hit & Run
Nintendo GameCube FAQ
What is the best Nintendo GameCube game?
Many fans consider Metroid Prime the greatest GameCube game thanks to its groundbreaking first-person exploration, atmosphere, and influence on future Nintendo titles.
What is the best-selling GameCube game?
Super Smash Bros. Melee is the best-selling GameCube title and remains one of the most popular competitive fighting games ever made.
What was the rarest GameCube game?
Titles like Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest, and Gotcha Force have become highly sought after by collectors.
Is the Nintendo GameCube still worth owning?
Absolutely. The GameCube remains one of Nintendo’s strongest consoles thanks to its unique hardware, memorable exclusives, and excellent local multiplayer experiences.
What are the best multiplayer GameCube games?
Popular choices include Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, TimeSplitters 2, and Mario Party 4.
Why is the GameCube considered a cult classic?
Despite lower sales than some competitors, the GameCube developed a passionate fanbase because of its strong library, creative game design, iconic controller, and Nintendo’s willingness to experiment.
What do you think about our Top 10 Nintendo GameCube list? What’s your Top 10 list look like? Leave a comment below and let us know what your favorite games for the Nintendo GameCube are!
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