Today is the20th anniversary of the release of the Nintendo GameCube, a system with a complicated legacy. Despite having a lot going for it on paper, it was up against stiff competition in the early 2000s. Sony and Microsoft were both moving the industry forward with the PlayStation 2 and Xbox respectively. Games likeMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyandHalofelt more mature next to Nintendo’s typically colorful fare. The sales numbers ultimately tell the story, with the GameCube moving 21.74 million units versus the PS2’s 155 million.
While the cube-shaped console is among Nintendo’s least successful financially, it still holds a fond place in many players’ hearts. And for good reason: The Nintendo GameCube still has the bestexclusive game libraryof any console, period.
Only the hits
Sure, that’s a controversial statement. After all, the GameCube’s stiffest competition in that department is Nintendo itself. Consoles like the Super Nintendo have historically been lauded as touting the all-time-best games library. The Nintendo Switch is also starting tomount a strong run at that titlethanks to games likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandSuper Mario Odyssey. Outside of Nintendo, both the PS2 and PS4 boast an incredible list of exclusives. It’s a tight race all around.
Despite that, the GameCube’s library still shines bright. When it comes to the heavy hitters, some of the best entries in Nintendo’s biggest franchises are on GameCube.Wind Wakerwas a defining moment for Zelda,Metroid Primereinvented the first-person shooting genre entirely, andSuper Smash Bros. Meleeturned the fighting series from a gimmick to a competitive institution.
An era of experimentation
The GameCube era was a space where Nintendo was eager to experiment with game design. While polarizing,Super Mario Sunshinewasn’t afraid to throw the Mario rulebook out the window with delightful results.Mario Kart: Double Dash’s co-op racing is still the series’ most inventive moment. And how can we forgetDonkey Konga, a brilliant rhythm game that used a pair of plastic bongos as controllers? For a company known for its creativity, Nintendo was firing on all cylinders in the early 2000s.
That’s especially true when you look at the original franchises that came out of the GameCube.Luigi’s Mansionfinally gave Mario’s little brother something to do, creating an unlikely launch title.Pikminwas another strong early GameCube game that found Shigeru Miyamoto at his most weird and wonderful. The GameCube was also the home forAnimal Crossing, which had its breakout moment after debuting overseas on the Nintendo 64.
The GameCube was perhaps the last time that Nintendo was truly invested in supporting all of its various franchises. It wasn’t just a console full of mainline Mario titles and Zelda games. F-Zero, StarFox, Paper Mario, Fire Emblem, and more all had strong moments on the system. It was also the last hurrah of sorts for the Mario sports series, with strong entries likeMario Golf: Toadstool TourandSuper Mario Strikers. Few Mario sports titles have risen to those heights in the decades following.
Nintendo at its peak
It’s not just first-party support that elevates the GameCube. Nintendo landed some serious third-party support, a feat that it’s struggled to pull off ever since. Capcom led the charge, offering up five-star classics likeResident Evil 4andViewtiful Joeas exclusives initially (though both were later ported elsewhere). That’s only the tip of the iceberg, though. The GameCube is full of truly bold titles likeKiller7,Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem,Odama, andIkaruga, all of which initially launched with an “Only on Nintendo GameCube” stamp. It’s a shockingly rich library of deep cuts that hasn’t really been replicated since.
For those who never grew up with a GameCube, it’s hard to explain just how strong the console’s run was. Every month brought some must-play game that no collection was complete without. While Sony and Microsoft each rolled out a fair share of top-level classics, the innovation present in the GameCube’s lineup is staggering. It’s Nintendo at its peak, both as a game maker and as a prestige company that could entice other companies to give it their biggest games as exclusives.
Now if only Nintendo would give us a way toplay those games on Switch.
