I’m beginning to feel sorry for the GameCube! I have owned one since it’s first year of release, and the last time I played it a few years ago, it still worked absolutely fine, which means it must be one of the most reliable, and well built video game consoles ever made. And then there’s the wealth of video games released on it during it’s six year run as Nintendo‘s lead home console.
The GameCube had a difficult life in the market, there’s no easy way of saying that. It didn’t sell as well as the debuting Xbox with 24 million sales, or the mighty PlayStation 2 with 150+ million sales. The GameCube only sold 21+ million units. Also, due to some design choices, it wasn’t an easy console to make games for due to the decision by Nintendo to release games on tiny discs, much smaller to it’s two main competitors, which may have put other developers off.
But as Consoles go, the GameCube wasn’t bad, merely just underated in comparison to it’s two main competitors. Despite the disc sizing, a lot of games were released on the console, and the GameCube controller is easily one of the best video game controllers ever designed.
But today, it’s a console whose library is not being utilized all that efficiently. When the Nintedo Wii launched in 2006, a string of classic video game titles were added to it’s ‘Virtual Console‘ feature, and many more were added over time. But it was limited in size, and the most modern classic Nintendo console to feature games on the Virtual Console, was the Nintendo 64. And now here we are, roughly 18 years since the release of the Nintendo Wii, with another major Nintendo console on the market, which features a simillar feature to the Virtual Console, and the most modern console featured on it, is once again, the Nintendo 64.
Now it is true though that some classic GameCube games have been re-released in HD remastered-ish variations, but it is still a very minimal number of games. From a quick look around online, the total number of GameCube games available to play on Switch right now, via a remastering is…(23), but most of them aren’t major releases! It’s sad really, because speaking as a proud GameCube owner, there is so much more from that console, that should be readily available for classic owners to play once more, and new fans to try out for the first time.
Well, with just a blank void covering the future, with a vague question mark around the shell of a GameCube in thin air, I thought I would suggest a few games for Nintendo to get their skates on with, and bring back from the past, into a hopefully more glorious future. Below I have chosen 10 Games which I would like to see brought to the Nintendo Switch (or Nintendo Switch 2…?) from those GameCube glory days. But I haven’t simply chosen my 10 favourite GameCube games, as I have already done that. No. I have chosen 10 games, some of which were among my favourites, and some others, which I never got a chance to play, in the hope that I can play them on a more up-to-date console. Anyway, waffling over, here are 10 GameCube Games I Would Like To See Come To Nintendo Switch (or Switch 2…?); Enjoy!
10. F-Zero GX – Starting off with the most obvious (at least to me) one; my favourite game on the Nintendo GameCube, and what I think is the also the last full 3D F-Zero game released onto a home console. I absolutely loved playing this game over and over again, and would love to see it come along, and show racing game fans what they have been missing all these years. I do though think the game could do with some improving before it re-releases on Switch. Firstly the multiplayer maps need to be on par with the single player maps, so that they are, well…the same, instead of removing large scale backgrounds. The multiplayer could also be updated to allow online multiplayer (much like GoldenEye 007‘s recent re-release). Most importantly though, as the game’s single-player mode is sort of infamous for being one of the hardest story modes in the history of gaming, either it could be made so much easier, or better yet, allow all vehicles, even hidden ones, available for unlocking straight away, rather than even attempting the single-player mode.
9. Mario Party 4 – Mario Party 5 is easily the best Mario Party game made to date, but I have played it a lot, where as this one, I only breifly played as I rented a copy of it from Blockbuster (remember them?). So I added this one to the list, in the hope of it being made avaialble in the vague future to try out again. I especially want to replay the rock climbing mini game!
8. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg – This is a game I had fond memories trying out when I again rented a copy of it from Blockbuster, but never really purchased afterwards. I then played it many years later, and it looked super out-of-date. Probably a much forgotten game by many gamers; Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg was a non-Sonic game from the makers of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. OK, Sonic and friends made the occassional cameo within, but for the most part, it was about a kid called Billy Hatcher who pushed large eggs around a map, and occassionally hatched them, in the hope of defeating the many in-game bosses. It also had an infectious theme song, which you will never be able to forget!
7. Sonic Adventure 2 (or Sonic Adventure 2 Battle if you prefer) – I am genuinley surprised that this true classic of the Sonic series is somehow not available already on Switch. I dunno, maybe it’s because Sega don’t want to admit they got it wrong by not creating another Chao Garden game. Anyway, this game is one of the best games in the Sonic series (my number 1 favourite in fact). It tells a terrific story by allowing players to choose one of two different sides to play, allowing them to discover new characters like Shadow, and Rouge, whilst also trying other gameplay styles. Rather than just running around, their’s vehicular gameplay of sorts, and even treasure hunting. Why this game is not avaialble on Switch currently is anyone’s guess, but it should be; because it’s a real no brainer!
6. James Bond 007: Nightfire – Simply mentioning this game is like going back in time, because it was released during a time when Call of Duty was not the king of First-Person-Shooters, but James Bond was. An entirely new story in the James Bond series, choosing not to reference the latest film, but still carry the likeness of Pierce Brosnan. The game featured a challenging story campaign, and a terrific multiplayer mode too, featuring amazing maps, and a host of legendary characters from the franchise. Just imagine if this was re-released now, with online multiplayer? Although I would still like to re-play multiplayer mode in single-player once more, and with those quirky AI Bots too, something that is truly missing from modern FPS multiplayer games!
5. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance – Another potentially unheard of entry in a major franchise, but one that I again have fond memories of. When I first got this game, I stayed up until nearly midnight playing what was the first Mortal Kombat game I had played in many, many years. It’s a bit simple by the satndard of what was to come, but that should make it an easier port surely!
4. Odama – A very obsucre one now, but an interesting one I wish I had played. Odama is a tactical wargaming experience, crossed with…Pinball. Yes, Pinball. You sort of lead armies into combat, whilst also controlling a giant ball to assist you in combat, just makesure you at least try not to squash your own men in the process!
3. Need For Speed: Underground 2 – I played the first Need For Speed: Underground game quite a bit, but only vaguely had a brief go at this one when I finally found a copy of it somewhere. What I quite enjoyed about the first one was being able to go on long drives around the city to that terrific soundtrack, so some more of that in nicer cars would be nice. So I don’t really know what to expect, but am hoping for big things considering how big these games were at the time!
2. Super Mario Strikers – Mario has enjoyed playing many different sports over the years, but he has rarely ever played Football. He did on the Wii, and more recently on the Switch, but his first foray into the sport was back on the GameCube with this amuzing game, combing football, with Mario Kart. Yes, it was a game where Super Mario characters picked teams, and used items and super abilities in intense football matches. Again, another game that surprisingly wasn’t ported to Switch sooner, especially around the release of Mario Strikers: Battle League!
1. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Back when I was a GameCuber (not a real term), I had zero interest in The Legend of Zelda. Yes, I did have a copy of Ocarina of Time on my N64, but it was something my brothers played, and I didn’t. Buying a new Zelda game back then was not a priority for me. Since then though I have played and loved both Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom, so now I do want to give this game a go, and so am hoping that one day, it will get a re-release on a recent/later Nintendo home console!
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