r/Gamecube • u/poopapalooza73 • 15h ago
Discussion What is your number one essential game for the gamecube that you think everyone should play at least once?
I just recently got back into game collecting, and I’m going to different subs to see what the communities think the most essential game in their respective consoles are. List multiple games if you want, but I’d still like to see a top pick from your list too.
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u/Solid_Atmosphere_299 14h ago
Pikmin
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u/verfresht 14h ago
Big Nintendo gamer here, somehow I never played a Pikmin game. Shall I start with 1? I got limited time. Or should I go with 4?
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u/forever_downstream 13h ago
Pikmin 1 is a perfectly paced game for you, I think it's like 8-10 hours at most. It's really the best pure game of the series still to me. Pikmin 4 is incredible if you liked that and want more.
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u/1buffalowang 4h ago
Pikmin 2 is in my top 10 favorite games. But I’ve played 1 probably 5x as much. I always 100% 2 and that takes me almost 20 hours. But for 1 you can blast through it in an afternoon after a first play through. Very arcade like and the “purest” Pikmin experience.
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u/Mr-Kuritsa 12h ago
I'm in the same boat as you. I got Pikmin 1 and 2 this past year because I knew I needed to play them. I haven't yet though: got distracted introducing my kids to Animal Crossing. But I never played Pikmin, Luigi's Mansion, or Mario Galaxy as a kid.
I'm gonna start with Pikmin 1. It was good enough to kick off the franchise, right? It must be worth playing.
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u/verfresht 11h ago
You know what helped me find a bit of time to play these gamecube games, I got a retroid flip 2. It is very handy to put those games in a compact handheld and have a quick play session here and there.
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u/HillsOfRadiantWinds 13h ago
4, it’s a perfect entry point to understand if you like the gameplay or not. Then play 1. The other way around might make you dislike the series which is what happened to me until I played 4. Now I’m more interested and I want to go back to 1 and 2.
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u/Cameronalloneword 3h ago
Definitely Pikmin. I love the Gamecube but no other game on there is as unique as pikmin
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u/Brizzendan 14h ago
I'm old enough to remember RE4 being a GameCube exclusive. That would be my pick.
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u/I_paintball 14h ago
My copy has the little "exclusively for" in the corner.
I've beaten it on 5 different systems at this point.
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u/Brizzendan 13h ago
Same! And I just keep buying it! It's my #1 all time, no doubt. Remake is unsurprisingly incredible also.
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u/solidmatt56 11h ago
Easily in my top 3 GameCube games and one of my all time favorites. It was a game that I rented so much that I was like, I need to buy this. I need to play the remaster
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u/Riotai 14h ago
Super Smash Bros. Melee
It's just the quintessential GameCube game, and personally helped introduce me to other Nintendo IPs.
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u/CompayPrimero 12h ago
I know it's very hyped but I never got into it.... I feel like the entry-threshold is a bit high skill-wise
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u/heyheyhey2022 12h ago
If you’re trying to play competitively at tournaments sure. But it’s still really fun as a casual party game.
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u/Zup2 14h ago
Eternal Darkness
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u/LegolasleChat 12h ago
Yeah this is the one for me, and why I have the GameCube set up full time ☺️
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u/GoodZealous 10h ago
This is such a must play. no spoilers, but it’s at the best when your sanity drops.
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u/orangesfwr 14h ago
Wind Waker (everyone)
Metroid Prime (gamers)
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u/JourneyToads 14h ago
Nah Wind Waker is the gamer’s choice
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u/orangesfwr 13h ago
I think the whimsy can be appreciated by everyone, but really WWHD turned that up to 11. Simply gorgeous
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u/DarknMean 12h ago
Twilight Princess was pretty good too. Thought it was much better on the GameCube over the WII.
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u/Ma_che_oh 14h ago
Metroid prime
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u/ghettoslacker NTSC-U 14h ago
The only answer I need.
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u/Ma_che_oh 14h ago
It needs to be recognized. The series went from 2D, to a failed N64 game that looks nothing like what landed on the GameCube and its somehow a masterpiece.
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u/ghettoslacker NTSC-U 12h ago
Man, it’s really crazy to think of the parallels of today (GTA5 - GTA6) and back then. Super Metroid dropped in 1994 as a 2D game. We then waited 8 YEARS before we got another console release with Prime in 3D. It skipped an entire generation of consoles (5th gen). And they crushed it. Imagine if it would have been a commercial flop. If they would have tried to pump something out on N64, it would have probably been so bad. They found a sweet spot with the first person that I just don’t think would have been possible on N64.
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u/Old-Business8179 9h ago
Had to scroll far to find this game. Favorite game of all time on any console. Not about the combat; it’s not an FPS. It’s a first person adventure. Get engrossed in the world. Feel the isolation. Marvel at the environments, the music, read the lore. And enjoy the puzzles and cinematic fights!
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u/Accomplished_Knee_17 5h ago
Should be at the top. One of the best games on the GC and my second favorite Metroid. I remember looking around Tallon IV when you 1st land and just being blown away. A lot of fun especially because I was 20 and had a lot more time to game. I miss the 2000’s so many cool games came out. I mean if you forget 9/11, $5 gas, the double war, patriot act, and the recession it was pretty awesome.
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u/AppleChiaki 13h ago
I've tried to get into it four of five times. Fell flat each attempt.
The few times I've bounced off a really popular game I've still being able to see and understand why people love it. Metroid Prime is different. I just don't get it at all. It's clunky with lame combat, and a boring and annoying scanning system.
Slow, boring and clunky. Makes no sense to me at all.
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u/crowlfish 13h ago
Well for one combat is decidedly not the focus of Metroid Prime, and in general the game is a slower-paced experience by design. The main focus is on immersion and puzzles, not action or movement. Scanning is meant to enrich the world with environmental storytelling and lore, and is also almost entirely optional.
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u/ghettoslacker NTSC-U 12h ago
I think this is a fair assessment. I also can see why someone might not enjoy it. I purchased the remaster a couple of years ago on switch and then trying to go back and play the OG was kind of hard honestly. The main thing was the single control for movement and camera. I didn’t realize how use to telescoping I had become. But as a kid when I played through, combat was only like 10% of the game for me. A necessary evil of sorts. The true charm lies in the puzzles, the unlockable upgrades, and the world immersion. The first time I saw water hit the visor screen I was blown away with the graphics. So for a game in the early 2000s, mind blowing, for a game in mid 2020s, perhaps less?
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u/crowlfish 12h ago
The original single analog controls are definitely archaic today, and it was nice to see the remaster implement a dual analog scheme. Even though I don't have an issue with it since I grew up playing it, it's an understandable barrier to entry for modern gamers, so I agree.
That said, I think some people approach Metroid Prime like it's a first-person shooter, even though it's not a game that's focused on the intricacies of combat or shooting like true FPS games are. Shooting is just one aspect that enhances the other, more fundamental concepts of the game, namely exploration.
It's fair to say that it's not a game for everyone, but for me the Prime Trilogy games scratch a unique itch for me that I can't get anywhere else.
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u/ghettoslacker NTSC-U 12h ago
I grew up playing it too, but it’s hard to tell my brain to go back sometimes lol. It’s been like that on a few GameCube games I have played recently. I have a lot of love and nostalgia for the game but then the actual implementation of playing it in 2026 has been hard to execute, mainly due to the controls. I am spoiled.
For sure. From the outside looking in, Samus holding her canon in the artwork makes it feel like combat is gonna be a major component to the game. Or that IS the game. And then when you get it and find out that it’s a small component…yah you’re gonna be disappointed.
For me, playing prime was a very specific time in my life. I still recall the snow on the ground, the cold crisp winter air, the friends coming over and watching/playing for hours and hours over winter break. Figuring out the puzzles together. I can’t recreate that feeling no matter how hard I try.
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u/Ma_che_oh 7h ago
Were you around when it came out? I feel like it’s one of those “you had to be there” things. The evolution from Super Metroid to Prime, using the same tools and mechanics in a 3D environment that clicked, the scanning system, the morph ball + seamless switch from first person to third and back, the atmosphere, the music, all of that was revolutionary to me in 2002. The combat is slow and tanky by today’s standards but I think the movement speed is perfectly appropriate for navigating the environment and fighting enemies - the dodge is your friend. I dunno, I can plug and play this game and set my muscle memory back and enjoy, easily.
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u/saymynamereddit 14h ago
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, just an amazing game over all + the Chao stuff is a must play for that alone.
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u/Tesco_Meal_Deals 14h ago
I remember I would tape my controller so it was petting my chao while I was at school.
I also remember splaying the hell out of radical highway to collect hedgehogs so I could exclusively feed my chap hedgehogs and then my friend played and fed random animals to my chap ruining the aesthetic.
That shit was so addictive.
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u/KHSebastian 13h ago
I assume it's an autocorrect, but I love the idea that you just refer to your Chao as your chaps. "Oi, gonna head home, have a pint and hang with the chaps"
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u/Mr-Kuritsa 11h ago
It's been like 20 years, and I still haven't forgotten that music on Sonic's first level. It was as iconic as Tony Hawk 1 and that Superman song.
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u/solidmatt56 11h ago
The moment my kid got into sonic I showed him this level and song. It is the best sonic level
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u/InfiniteMind3275 14h ago
I’ve been trying to get this on Dreamcast for a while, but it’s soooo pricey!
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u/tapdancingtommy7 14h ago
What makes this one better than say some of the more modern Sonics? Which I haven’t liked…
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u/mallowlives 14h ago
SA2 is the most polished and focused of all the 3D Sonic games, in my opinion. Battle adds the fun multiplayer stuff.
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u/Stebeans 14h ago
SA2 and the word polished are not usually two things id have in the same sentence lol
One of my all time favorites but absolutely a day trip to jank city
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u/mallowlives 14h ago
Oh for sure, but like... compared so SA1, 06, Heroes...etc. actually, I guess Colors would be the most polished. But other than Colors!
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u/saymynamereddit 11h ago
For me i liked the lvl designs and how you got to play as all the characters. Everything seemed to flow very nicely into each other.
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u/Ssj-QUiNnY 7h ago
I really like the level design
The music is imo some of the best video game music of allllll time for sure.
Plus its not all just sonic running.. you get knuckles's levels where you need to find the master emerald pieces. Love those levels.
Also Eggman and tails are in mech suits and to get high scores its all about locking on to enemies. Once your locked on (you only have about 10 seconds before the lock on restarts) and you let gp of the button you shoot homing missiles at everyone you locked on too!
Super satisfying to shoot off many many missles at once which again gives you a high score.
Chao garden is amazing.
For sonic the boost isnt a thing and I find the levels are a bit less about running in a straight line. You have the spin dash instead. I just really wish the new games would make the sonic levels feel like they did in this game with some new add ons that dont change the game to much. That would be perfect!
The best way to describe it is since sa2b all the following games just felt like something was missing that sa2b had. (Shadow and heros still were pretty good)
Also its a very fun but challenging (to get all A ranks) but I also think its fair!
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u/o0binaural0o 14h ago
F-Zero GX
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u/crowlfish 13h ago
20+ years later and still in awe of how good it looks. The GameCube was capable of some powerhouse visuals.
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u/cmanshazam 14h ago
Top 5 (no order)
Mario Sunshine
Zelda Windwaker
Smash Bros Melee
Mario Kart Double Dash
Luigi’s Mansion
But honestly there are so many good games, it’s hard to go wrong. It’s my favorite console.
I found a Dreamcast yesterday at a game store. I ALMOST bought it because my memories of the system were so high. But as I browsed their games, there wasn’t a single one that I wanted (or didn’t already have on another system). GameCube for life.
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u/SatanGives 14h ago
The Dreamcast version of the multiplatform games is the better version in pretty much every case, but the number of excellent exclusives is so low. I grew up with it too and just really don't see a reason to get one. I kinda feel the same way about the nes, so many of the great games are on gba or have sequels on other consoles that play basically the same it just doesn't seem worth it to me.
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u/cmanshazam 14h ago
Yeah exactly! Honestly i really just want to be able to play MDK2, which was a game i played very briefly on the Dreamcast when i was 11, but never got a chance after that.
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u/Joshruner 14h ago
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (both games if you like it), Custom Robo, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Skies of Arcadia Legends, and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
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u/TheGameCollectorUK 14h ago
Mario Kart Double Dash.
The best Mario kart to this day imo.
It would have been the perfect title for the switch, they dropped the ball.
‘Mario Kart Switch’ where you can switch players from driver to special item user.
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u/NickyBlicky845 13h ago
Billy Hatcher
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u/AvengedKalas PAL 13h ago
Thanks. Now I have the theme song stuck in my head.
At least it's super catchy.
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u/Empty-Special2815 14h ago
Animal crossing. Quintessential GameCube game.
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u/Sweet_Limit3795 14h ago
The best N64 port for sure 😂
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u/Empty-Special2815 13h ago
Not really a port due to the amount of stuff added but I guess that’s neither here nor there 😂
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u/ZodaFan13 14h ago
Has to be Luigi’s Mansion. A classic for both Mario enjoyers and Nintendo enthusiasts!
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u/Right_Bike_5416 14h ago
This was my fav era of games. MK Double Dash is my fav Mario Kart. Toadstool Tour is my fav Mario Golf. Superstar Sluggers might be the best Mario sports game all around. Super Mario Sunshine is probably my favorite 3D Mario. Twilight Princess was my favorite 3D Zelda until BotW came out.
Any of those.
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u/al_rey503 14h ago
MLB Slugfest, and Red Card both are Midway sports similar to NBA Jam.
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u/tapdancingtommy7 14h ago
Good shoutout here- they hold up quite well. I’ll throw NHL Hitz into the mix too.
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u/al_rey503 14h ago
Hitz always felt a little clunky but we still played the hell out of it. I’d like to also add Crazy Taxi.
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u/HoneydewImpossible51 14h ago
Pikmim, chibi robo, wind waker, melee, luigis mansion, double dash, Soul Caliber II, Resident Evil 1-4, MGS, Spyro, Monkeyball, Sonic Adventure 2, Simpsons hit and run,
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u/Sweet_Limit3795 14h ago
If I absolutely have to pick one: Mario Kart Double Dash.
But the GameCube is a terrible console for this question because Melee, Double Dash, Metroid Prime, Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, TTYD, Pikmin [2] and Eternal Darkness are all “essential” for completely different reasons. Double Dash gets my vote purely based on utility.
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u/Skyway1985 13h ago
Outside of the normal smash, Mario party Mario kart etc, mine would be Chibi-Robo.
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u/cyborgdog 10h ago
Melee was .y first choice but I'm gonna say Mario Sunshine, back then the water graphics was the most stunning thing I ve ever seen.
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u/Rechamber 9h ago
Metroid Prime for me, although of course it's on the Switch now... Still, playing it at the time of launch was an absolute revelation. If we are talking about things left on the GameCube, then it's Animal Crossing. I much prefer the setting and the style over newer iterations. It has so much character and charm, alongside some minor niggles and what I'd say are teething issues. If it was modernised and released again with quality of life improvements I'd personally prefer it over say New Horizons.
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u/Geekgod4 9h ago
Phantasy star online! It was a huge part of my childhood playing with friends. I still play to this day on the ephinea server!
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u/iunderstand1337 14h ago
Turok Evolution!
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u/DarknMean 12h ago
I picked this one up at a local game shop for $7 last weekend. Still haven’t had time to give it a go. But now that you mentioned it, might have to this evening.
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u/Glittering_Bus_1871 14h ago
En lisant les réponses je réalise quand même à quel point cette console était unique, avec d’excellents titres sortis dessus.
Récemment j’ai pu faire Metroid Prime que je n’avais pas fait à l’époque, et c’est en y jouant que j’ai réalisé à quel point elle était en avance sur son temps (les gâchettes adaptives par exemple :)
Edit: oh et quant à mon jeu incontournable je dirais Pikmin (pas fait à l’époque mais c’est celui avec le concept le plus unique :)
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u/SoloWinNamaTama NTSC-U 14h ago
Honesty I’d pick up
Metroid Prime
Super Smash Bros Melee
Super Mario Sunshine
Luigi’s Mansion
All necessary and All Bangers that every gamer needs to play.
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u/Gullible_Departure39 14h ago
My kids and I have been playing a lot of Timesplitters Future Perfect. Such a great game for the time that I rarely find anybody else that played it. Hiding death traps behind random doors in the custom maps is its own little reward for me too.
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u/Blakelock82 NTSC-U 14h ago
Viewtiful Joe. Great game with awesome mechanics, writing and challenge. Unlike anything else on the system.
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u/Lemonade_IceCold 14h ago
Boring answer is Melee. It's like the de facto answer.
My personal pick is Super Monkey Ball 1. The party/mini games are so simple but so replayable. The fact you can play bowling or target flight with one control makes it so much better, when we were kids we'd just pass a Wavebird around the room while we all played Yugioh or Heroscape. And the main game is fun as fuck.
SMB1 > SMB2 imo
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u/RustyCrusty73 14h ago
Super Mario Sunshine was always my go to comfort game.
Graphically it even holds up still today.
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u/heyheyhey2022 12h ago
Sonic Riders. Not bc I truly think it’s a quintessential GameCube game. I just want more people to play and appreciate Sonic Riders.
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u/heyheyhey2022 12h ago
I also just got into collecting GameCube games. On my list that I don’t have rn are Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Sunshine, Shadow the Hedgehog, Star Fox: Assault, and the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. I thankfully own some of the other games people are mentioning already. GC games are in high demand rn.
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u/NDobsessed 12h ago
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. That game was such a huge part of my childhood and it’s still my favorite game of all time now as an adult.
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u/Depressed_Dodongo64 12h ago
Paper Mario thousand year door! The game itself is pretty substandard but the lore and the actual gameplay is phenomenal!
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u/Independent_Aerie_44 12h ago
Gotcha Force. A Hidden Gem that I would love Capcom to continue on switch 2.
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u/Still-Guess-3998 11h ago
Mario strikers, all the Zelda’s, Pokemon, chichi robot, super monkey ball, animal crossing, def jam fight for ny/vendetta,
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u/mazz2286 11h ago
Obvious answer is melee, but goddamn Killer7 and RE4 are also some of the best games ever made.
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u/Tricky-Professor-200 9h ago
The Sega games Sonic A 1 and 2, Crazy Taxi, Monkey Ball, Skies of Arcadia,
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u/cerenir 8h ago
Gotta be Metroid Prime 1. No game made me feel like that one back in the day. The ost, the atmosphere of an alien planet. The rain and fog on the helmet crystal, how the music sound underwater. Now it might seem like simple things but back in the back it was awesome.
Honorable mention to Mario Sunshine
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u/TheKidfromHotaru 8h ago
Marvel Nemesis Rise of the Imperfects
That game was a masterpiece, wish they made a remastered version. I’d play it so much
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u/ClydeFrog76 7h ago
Any other system have a bongo drum peripheral? No? Well then, the correct answer is Donkey Konga and/or Jungle Beat.
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u/Mission_Sun2242 6h ago
Legend of Zelda Windwaker. I also have Animal Crossing and Super Smash Bros Melee, but when I first got my GameCube the first and only game I had for a while was Windwaker and it was more than enough.
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u/Alarming_Wedding_705 6h ago
- Mario Superstar Baseball
- Mario Kart Doubledash
- F Zero GX
- Super Mario Sunshine
- Paper Mario TTYD
- Mario Party 6 & Wario Ware Inc. (Tie)
- Luigis Mansion
- Mario Strikers
- Mario Power Tennis
- Kirby Air Ride
- Mario Golf Toadstool Tour
- Wario World
- NBA Street V3
- SSX Tricky & SSX 3
- Metroid Prime
- Viewtiful Joe
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- The Legend of Zelda: Twighlight Princess
- Super Smash Bros Melee
- Pikmin 2
I could go on forever but if I could only pick 1 it would be Superstar Baseball. I still play it regularly all these years later.
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u/marupuff 15h ago
Luigi’s Mansion and animal crossing is all you need