ASH PLAYS: Top Picks From The GameCube
Lately I have been digging through old consoles and games that I’ve enjoyed and felt are still top tier games to this day, starting with the GameCube, I will be going through consoles in no particular order, the games in this list are in no particular order either. The GameCube in my opinion was a very overlooked console by a lot of people but truly had some of the best hidden gems of that console generation. Here are some of my favourite GameCube games…
Eternal Darkness (2002)
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is a psychological horror action-adventure video game developed by Silicon Knights and published by Nintendo. I spent many hours on this game and still to this day I would say it’s a favourite. This game introduced a very unique vibe to video games at the time and it’s one of the most innovative games of its genre even by today’s standards in my opinion. 12 Chapters with an in depth story from different perspectives. It kind of reminds me of a real time Vagrant Story meets Dark Souls, upgrades, RPG elements for example. This is definitely one to try out if you haven’t already.
Viewtiful Joe (2003)
One of Capcom‘s greatest hidden gems, side scroller, beat em up – I’m sure this was exclusive to the GameCube first but I could be wrong, I have noticed it was released on the PlayStation 2 as well, but nevertheless I played a lot of this on the GameCube. Stunning visuals, soundtrack and amazing gameplay. Character design and story on top form and lead by Hideki Kamiya, rumours we may be getting a remaster on Switch but that’s down to Capcom. Fingers crossed!
Tales of Symphonia (2003)
This was my first Tales of… game, I was already obsessed with RPG games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Vagrant Story and so on. Instantly fell in love with Tales of Symphonia, I also regret selling my copy, if you’re reading this and have a copy of it please drop me a message, I need that back in my collection. This was also such a new experience at the time for me to play a real time RPG, being able to move in combat felt so refreshing, baring in mind at that point PS2 had FFX which still followed turn base combat, then followed with FFXII which adapted ATB. Without going into too much detail, if you’re an RPG lover and haven’t played this then get it on your list!
Resident Evil 0 (2002)
Always up for debate with Resident Evil 4 also being a GameCube exclusive at the time but I can’t miss out 0. I went through this game so many times when I was younger and I also loved the additional character control, certainly worked better than Resident Evil 5. The puzzles, environment, also one of the longer Resident Evil games I believe alongside Code Veronica. Billy & Rebecca cooperating through this game works so well in gameplay, both having their own perks and story makes this a great addition to the series.
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Okay, two Resident Evil games back to back and we still have the Resident Evil 1 remake being first on the GameCube and exclusive for a period of time but I have to put this beast in the mix. Game changing to the series and it still holds up with most games (apart from the controls being awkward, I know this because I played it again recently). The return of Resi hero Leon, gameplay and story rehashed, a turning point for the series, a downwards spiral from there on considering they managed to produce Resident Evil 5 & 6 with the same formula but done terribly. There are rumours Resident Evil 4 will be getting a remake at some point…
F-Zero GX (2003)
If you’re a Nintendo fan then F-Zero is pretty self explanatory why this is in my list, I will put F-Zero in any gaming list. We’ve managed to get every addition of Mario Kart on every console but why haven’t we got an F-Zero since GX? People are crying out for a new addition. Nintendo it’s about time, hopefully we will see this on the Switch.
Mario Kart: Double Dash (2003)
It doesn’t matter how many Mario Kart games Nintendo produces, this will still always be my favourite Mario Kart. Probably the most aggressive and fun Mario Kart in my opinion. All these new additional features they have been adding to the franchise since and still we’ve never received what Double Dash gave us, that is my one wish for Mario Kart.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004)
So who even remembers this? MGS1 remake exclusively on the GameCube, I remember ordering this from Japan and having to buy a boot disc for my GameCube to read different regions. Second for second a complete replica of the original but for the time, and still now in a way, it looks absolutely stunning. I love Metal Gear Solid and GameCube having this exclusively was major.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (2005)
Similar to Tales Of Symphonia this was my first Fire Emblem game and instantly fell in love with the series, imagine having Final Fantasy tactics but a series of them, yes that’s Fire Emblem. I still need to play the new addition of Fire Emblem on the Switch but if you like turned based map tactics then check this instalment out for sure. This is an RPG gem.
Soul Calibur II (2002)
I’m aware this wasn’t an exclusive but each platform had their exclusivity and this is exactly what I loved about this version. PlayStation – Tekken‘s Heihachi, Xbox – Spawn and best of all GameCube had Zelda’s Link as a playable character. I’m sure you’re all aware of Soul Calibur so I won’t go into too much details but one of my favourite fighting games, the GameCube had some great additions for their fighting genre category such as Bloody Roar, Smash Bros, Capcom vs SNK2 but Soul Calibur 2 would be my top pick of this generation.
And that rounds off our next guest column from Ash! Be sure to follow Ash on his socials and stay tuned to Distorted Sound next as we bring our next column in our Ash Plays series!
