Obligatory Gamecube Recommendation Thread

Cuckooguy · Post by **Cuckooguy** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:17 am

Since the amount of Gamecube games being released is diminishing (as of writing this the only game slated for upcoming releases on GameFAQs' release page are Power Rangers: Super Legends) so I thought it might be time to see if there are any games I missed out on (I just finished Majora's Mask so if there're any notable N64 titles other than Ocarina of Time, SM64, and Banjo-Kazooie go ahead and holler).

The first GC game I played was Tales of Symphonia, which I enjoyed whenever it wasn't being corny.

Even though it was a bit tedious, I liked Pikmin 2 (though I had my fill of the game once I got to the credits and didn't bother finishing the game 100% and I've had my fill of such games to last me for the rest of my life).

I thoroughly enjoyed Resident Evil 4. I stopped midway through the game to play the Wii Edition (mostly for the extras), but in the end it was originally made for the GC so I'm listing it in this thread.

There are also other titles I tried out like Smash Bros Melee (unlocked everything) and Soul Calibur 2 (didn't unlock everything).

There are some games I'd like to investigate like Super Mario Sunshine, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing, and the Metroid Primes, but I thought I'd ask what are your thoughts on the Gamecube's lifespan of games.

Senbei · Post by **Senbei** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:39 am

Chibi-Robo, maybe? I haven't played it but my friend swears by it.

Oh, and I recently discovered that Pac-Man Vs. is the funnest party game in existence. Definitely give that one a shot.

Kogen · Post by **Kogen** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:34 am

Chibi-robo is awful. I'd say avoid that at all costs. It's basically fruity poor animeish robot battles in tiny unfun arenas with a style that appeals to 8 year old children. If I were to compare it to something, it'd be Pokemon Stadium or a game based off of a Fox Kid's show.

The only games I can really think would be Paper Mario 2 and Metroid Prime 2. Paper Mario 2 is very heavy on 'funny(see: retarded)' text and cutscenes, but when you're actually playing the game it can be fairly fun. It's not as good as the first one, though. Metroid Prime 2 I found enjoyable, but there's a ton of back tracking and the 'dark worlds' are more annoying than fun. If you don't get bored exploring slowly in a massive world, that should be enjoyable providing you like Metroid games.

Post by **G.Silver** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:47 am

Definitely a second on Paper Mario 2.

I think my favorite game on GC is Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the platformer you play with the bongo controllers (which can be had for like $5 at EB now..) I was surprised to find out it's by the same team that's responsible for Mario Galaxy, so, I don't know what else that "team" is responsible but it sounds like pedigree to me. Jungle Beat is surprisingly awesome.

My other favorites are F-Zero GX and PN03, but most people don't seem to like that one.

Light Speed · Post by **Light Speed** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:12 am

I'll second F-Zero GX. I don't like racing games, but that one was a blast. Hard as fucking hell though. Pretty much all the Nintendo franchises on the GameCube are worth playing and virtually nothing else. Starfox is excluded from that list although I never played Assault.

Honestly the only decent 3rd party GameCube game that never showed up on the PS2 that I can think of at the moment is Tales of Symphonia.

Timestones · Post by **Timestones** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:30 am

Kogen wrote:Chibi-robo is awful. I'd say avoid that at all costs. It's basically fruity poor animeish robot battles in tiny unfun arenas with a style that appeals to 8 year old children. If I were to compare it to something, it'd be Pokemon Stadium or a game based off of a Fox Kid's show.

That's Custom Robo. Chibi Robo is something else entirely.

Arcade · Post by **Arcade** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 12:05 pm

Super Mario Sunshine--- Just No, trust me!

Smash Bros Melee: Yes

Wind Waker: Maybe

Twilight Princess: Yes

Animal Crossing: Yeah is better than the Ds version!,

and the Metroid Primes: They stoped being my kind of games after the Super Nes one...

And is hard to get as hell, but if you can, buy Custom Robo for the Gamecube!

Black Rook · Post by **Black Rook** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:19 pm

Super Mario Sunshine isn't that bad. It's a disappointment for sure, but for what it is, it's a fun game.

If you're into Star Wars, Rogue Leader is pretty good. Don't go for Rebel Strike, though, since even at its best points it doesn't really improve on the previous game... and its bad points include tedious on-foot missions.

Speaking of which, Star Fox Assault's kind of a mixed bag. The space missions live up to SF64, but about half of the missions are on-foot.

And I'll add my vote to Paper Mario 2. Great game.

Ritz · Post by **Ritz** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:28 pm

Super Monkey Ball is a must, so long as you don't suck at games. I honestly don't understand why no one else loves the franchise as fervently as I do. I personally prefer the original, but both games are equally awesome.

Also, play Brave Fencer Musashi. JON IS CAPPRICOLA

aso · Post by **aso** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:51 pm

Chibi-Robo is made up of the following parts:

1. One tiny robot, and thus one gigantic house to be explored
2. A multitude of side quests and hidden items
3. Several distinct abilities which unlock as the game goes on
4. An interestingly (yet oddly) dark storyline
5. A day/night system that works
6. Gameplay format which becomes incredibly repetitive
7. A battery setup which effectively limits how far you can go without charging up - again and again

There's a charm to the entire thing, to be sure, and picking up candy wrappers for future disposal, scrubbing out dog prints with a toothbrush, and blasting miniature robots makes for a fun diversion, but, essentially, that's what you'll be forced to do for vast stretches - the 'Happy Points' that you earn for tasks well done and the money that you earn by destroying the robots is your only way of getting the bigger batteries and better equipment that allows you to explore the rest of the house in greater depth. This is, ultimately, the only way to progress the story, and while the plot really must be seen to be believed, the gameplay formula could've use a bit more variety in how it works.

That small wall of text aside, though, it's still an interesting title, and likely won't be selling for too much at this point. If you somehow enjoyed Chulip on the PS2, you'll likely dig this, too.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is worth a shot, if you like horror adventures and dig Lovecraftian stuff (given that the plot rather brazenly rips off from such).

If you haven't player Killer7 yet, that's definitely worth playing, and I second any nomination of Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime, and Paper Mario 2. Not recommending Super Mario Sunshine, though. That sucked.

Majestic Joey · Post by **Majestic Joey** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:12 pm

Don't bother with windwaker, Instead play master quest, if you can get a copy of it.

Post by **Esrever** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:40 pm

Metroid Prime is so good it's like it comes from the future. It's one of the best games in basically ever. Prime 2 is almost as good, the main draw being more complex bosses and morph ball puzzles, but it's hurt by a less varied selection of environments and a clunkier, more forced-feeling overall structure.

I like Mario Sunshine. Maybe it's not a classic like Mario 64, but at the same time, it's not a bland retread like New Super Mario Brothers. I thought the waterpack elements were a lot of fun. The problem really is just that there is not enough variety in the levels and missions, and as a result some of them seem a bit bland or tedious.

Chibi Robo is fun. It kind of feels like a point and click adventure game in structure, even though it controls like a platformer. You are given an entire house to explore, with new areas opening up as you talk to people, fulfill their requests and earn new items. I think it has a very endearing style, but if you don't personally dig it you will probably have the drive to get far, as the gameplay itself is somewhat repetitive.

F-zero is fantastic, but you have to REALLY LOVE IT to have any hope of getting anywhere in it. The standard GPs are not much tricker than your average title, at least not the early ones. But the story mode... man, I still can't even beat the second mission. That game is freaking brutal.

Both the Monkeyball games are great, both as single player and as multi player affairs. I think you can get them bundled together pretty cheap.

Wind Waker bored me so much in the first hour that I never want to play it ever again. It looks great, though!

Post by **G.Silver** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:45 pm

Although the cut scenes are hilarious, story mode is NOT the reason to play F-Zero GX. I played up to near the end, must have been the 11th or 12th mission before deciding that enough is enough. The GPs are the meat of the game, story mode is (extremely difficult) extra fluff.

Opa-Opa · Post by **Opa-Opa** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:54 pm

About N64, have you tried Conker's Bad Fur Day? I think it's by far one of the best N64 games. Also, Starfox 64. But you probably know it already.

Post by **Crazy Penguin** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:09 pm

I feel obliged to recommend Wind Waker. It suffered from pacing problems and a low dungeon count but excelled in most other areas. It was too dull too often, but when it was good it was damn, damn good, particularly the art direction and sheer amount of interactivity and side quests in the town area (unfortunately mostly limited to one island).

Wind Waker is a masterpiece that could have been, but sadly wasn't.

Twilight Princess on the other hand fixed all of Wind Waker's flaws but didn't keep the high standards of Wind Waker's better aspects (the brilliant town area, plentiful sidequests, the grand feeling of freedom and so on). I was about to say that it also lacked a strong and unique visual identity to distinguish itself from the rest of the series, but that's not entirely true. The Twilight segments were gorgeous, just unfortunately absent for most of the latter half of the game.

I'm almost certain there's a parrallel universe out there where the best parts of both games as we know them were smooshed together and parrallel-me happily declares Twilight Waker to be the best Zelda game ever.

Isuka · Post by **Isuka** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:18 pm

Never played with the 'Cube, but maybe the two Baten Kaitos games could be interesting additions?

cjmcray · Post by **cjmcray** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:54 pm

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

Frieza2000 · Post by **Frieza2000** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:28 pm

Luigi's Mansion is kind of requisite. It's very short, but it provides a fun couple of hours and our first introduction to Luigi as a reluctant coward.

Team Mecha · Post by **Team Mecha** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:45 pm

Frieza2000 wrote:Luigi's Mansion is kind of requisite. It's very short, but it provides a fun couple of hours and our first introduction to Luigi as a reluctant coward.

Aside from the old cartoon anyway.

Tsuyoshi-kun · Post by **Tsuyoshi-kun** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:33 am

If you like Bomberman, I recommend Bomberman Generation, probably the only decent Bomberman game since that Saturn or Dreamcast one (never played either). The 1-player mode is also actually kind of fun this time, though you only get one life (fortunately, you can take several hits before dying).

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:44 pm

Chibi Robo is my favorite game on the system by a long shot. I don't think it got nearly the attention it deserved. In the US version, though, they texture mapped shorts onto the little girl, which is obnoxiously political and looks plain ridiculous.

Smash Bros, Viewtiful Joe, and the two Monkey Ball games (mainly the first) are the only others I'd consider essential. Mario Sunshine is worth playing despite not really being up to the series standard. Symphonia is the only Tales game I've ever liked and RE4 is the only RE I've ever liked. I'll throw in Beach Spikers as my nomination for "game nobody in the world likes but me".

Animal Crossing also, but that's really just a gussied up N64 game so I don't lump it into the GameCube camp.

Post by **G.Silver** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 3:56 pm

I was going to suggest Viewtiful Joe but just assumed he'd played the PS2 version.

James McGeachie · Post by **James McGeachie** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 5:02 pm

If you have any interest at all in the "traditional" Resident Evil gameplay, the remake of the first game is virtually the best, of the old gameplay style, in the series. Its defining strong point would be the virtually unparalleled level of atmosphere, with possibly the greatest pre-rendered backdrops you'll ever see on a non-HD system.

Of course compared to RE4 the gameplay is completely archaic so if that style of play never appealed to you, there's no way in hell the remake would.

Oh and avoid Resident Evil Zero like the plague.

Cuckooguy · Post by **Cuckooguy** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 5:16 pm

G.Silver wrote:I was going to suggest Viewtiful Joe but just assumed he'd played the PS2 version.

Actually I never played Viewtiful Joe. Does anyone know which version is the more preferable version?

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:02 pm

I imagine the Cube version looks best, but I never played the PS2 one so I can't say with authority.

Also, I forgot to mention Twilight Princess. I played it on the Wii, but it's a GameCube game and after the first few hours in I wished I'd just started it on the Cube. But it's really good.

I'm also going to throw Cubivore into this discussion because this discussion needs Cubivore.