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10 best GameCube games

What games made the Nintendo GameCube legendary?

The early 2000s was a monumental turning point in video game history. Sony began the new millennium with the PlayStation 2, and Microsoft ended 2001 with the Xbox. These two systems were pillars in video game history.

However, we’re not here to talk about those two consoles. We are here to discuss the one that came out between these two, the Nintendo GameCube.

During this time, Nintendo was going through a weird era. Sure, they were definitely still doing well. The Nintendo 64 left a great legacy and the Game Boy Advance came out earlier that year and had phenomenal sales. Unfortunately, the Gamecube did not sell as well as the Xbox, and not nearly as well as the PlayStation 2.

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With that being said, that doesn’t mean the GameCube didn’t have great games. The GameCube had a rich library of games that set it up for success. The Xbox and PS2 just had a leg-up with revolutionary first-person shooters like Halo and regularly updating franchises like Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter.

For this list, we looked for the games that still made the GameCube worth buying. They didn’t win the console war, but they did win over the fans.

Top 10 GameCube games

10. Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

A lot of the reason why people buy Nintendo’s mobile consoles like the Nintendo DS and the Game Boy Advance is so that they can play Pokémon games. While fans wanted Pokémon games on Nintendo’s home consoles, we never expected them.

Not only did the GameCube get a Pokémon game, but it got the best home console Pokémon game ever made. Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness has some of the same mechanics as your typical Pokémon game, but it focuses more on the story rather than collecting mons and badges.

It’s also a much harder Pokémon game than what we were used to seeing. The final boss is so hard it just seems cruel. Also, rather than you getting the opportunity to hunt in the wild for whatever mons you want, you are at the mercy of using only the mons you snagged from other trainers.

If you’re a Pokémon fan, you can’t go wrong with this classic.

9. Soul Calibur 2

Soul Calibur 2 was on the PS2 and Xbox as well as the GameCube. However, what made it better on the GameCube was the inclusion of our favorite sword-wielding fairy boy, Link. Each game had its exclusive character depending on what console you played. Xbox got the comic book character Spawn, and the PS2 got Mishima from Tekken.

Both of those characters were fun, but they’re no Link.

Soul Calibur 2 is a tournament fighter game where the characters fight with swords, staffs, axes, nunchaku, and even magic. Sure, you can mash buttons and do fairly well, but the more experienced player plays the game like a chess match.

8. Mario Kart: Double Dash

If you were to ask the average Mario Kart fan which game in the series is their favorite, you probably wouldn’t hear anyone mention Mario Kart: Double Dash. However, the game is still a lot of fun.

Double Dash had a unique mechanic where you picked two characters instead of one. One character sits up front driving the kart while the other one sits in back throwing items at other drivers.

This made for some interesting decisions. Maybe you want to have a lighter character up front like Toad, and then throw a heavy character like Donkey Kong on the back to help balance it out.

This might not be our favorite Mario Kart game, but we can pop this one in any day of the week.

7. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle

First, let’s start this off right:

Ahh, if only Sonic’s transition to film went over as well as his transition to Nintendo.

After the demise of the Sega Dreamcast, Sonic the Hedgehog made his way over to the Nintendo GameCube. His stay had… mixed results. Sonic Heroes was a decent title, but the original Sonic Adventure had quite possibly the ugliest talking animation ever.

That said, the crown jewel was Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. The game was animated well for the time, and the gameplay had actual 3D platforming mechanics fitting for the blue hedgehog.

This was the first Sonic title to get the 3D formula right. It wasn’t buggy and game-breaking like future titles, and it was more polished and clean than its predecessor.

The game also introduced us to Shadow the Hedgehog who would go on to be a major anti-hero in the series. The game was divided into a hero and villain side where you could choose to play on the side of good or evil. Each side had three different types of levels. Sonic and Shadow had fast-paced 3D platforming levels. Knuckles and Rouge were treasure hunters in a race to collect all the pieces of the Master Emerald. Tails and Dr. Eggman drove their mechs through levels, shooting down everything in their paths.

One of the things that really makes this game stick out is the Chao Garden. Chao are blue fairy-like creatures that also look like onions.

In the game, you raise them from the moment they hatch. You feed them, train them, and take care of them. It definitely is not enough to merit its own game, but it’s definitely a fun break from the main game.

6. Super Mario Sunshine

Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 set the course for every 3D platformer thereafter. The essence of the game is in its control. Mario feels like he can move wherever you want him to go. His limits are not set by the game, but by your own limitations as a gamer.

That game set such a high standard that Super Mario Sunshine, unfortunately, did not entirely meet. However, that doesn’t mean that this game isn’t fun.

Super Mario Sunshine is an absolute jam. The same feeling of control from Super Mario 64 is still present here. Also, this time Mario has a water hose/water-powered jetpack called FLUDD. This tool gives Mario a whole new dimension to how he can maneuver through the world.

You might be thinking, “Okay, so why isn’t this game as good as Super Mario 64?” Its shortcoming lies in its level designs. When you think of Mario 64, your mind jumps to Bomb-Omb Battlefield, Shifting Sands Land, or Wet-Dry World. Mario Sunshine just doesn’t have the same memorable worlds.

Mario Sunshine is a great game, but it is far from being a legend.

5. Metroid Prime

Nobody thought this game was going to work out as well as it did.

While Link and Mario had 3D incarnations on the Nintendo 64, our favorite bounty-hunting baddie Samus did not get a game. Our thought process was that we couldn’t get a Metroid game was because a 3D Metroid game wasn’t possible. Thank God we were wrong.

Metroid Prime didn’t have the online multiplayer of the Halo franchise, but it had the best alien-hunting campaign of its time. The labyrinth of the original Metroid games is back in a 3D environment that translated so well to the GameCube.

You get to use Samus’s power-ups like the Morph Ball and Grapple Beam to navigate the 3D environment. Eventually, you get to take down some of the most challenging bosses in video game history.

4. Resident Evil 4

The video game era of the early 2000s was defined by graphics.

Nobody thought that the GameCube had the same graphics capabilities of the Xbox or the PS2. People thought GameCube games had such cartoonish graphics because they couldn’t make characters look realistic. Resident Evil 4 was the game that shut them all up.

Resident Evil 4 is about an agent named Leon who is sent into essentially a cultist’s dystopia where he needs to find and rescue the president’s daughter. While there, Leon encounters humans infected with a parasite that takes over their mind and makes them stronger.

Throughout the game, the bosses get harder as your arsenal of guns gets larger. The game isn’t about bringing the biggest, baddest gun to the fight, but bringing the right equipment for the job. Plug in this game, and you’re in for arguably the best Resident Evil game in the entire franchise.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

After the success of Ocarina of Time and Majora Mask, fans of the Zelda franchise were expecting another fantastic title just as dark as its predecessors. We were also expecting more realistic graphics. What we got wasn’t exactly dark:

So many fans wrote off “The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker” based on the graphics alone. Those fans missed out on an incredible game.

Wind Waker has some of the best sword-fighting mechanics in any video game. Link moves around like a Jedi, parrying blows while flipping through the air.

The story is also great. Link is on a journey to rescue his sister who was kidnapped by a giant albatross. From there, he gets roped into a mission by a talking boat to defeat the evil Ganondorf while unlocking secrets from Hyrule’s past.

Along the way, you meet a colorful cast of characters while you sail the high seas in one of the best adventures in the series.

2. The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess feels like the Zelda game fans wanted for the GameCube. The game is dark and abysmal. Everywhere you go, you encounter characters who just seem to have zero joy left in them. However, once you get to know them, they inspire you, even more, to conquer evil and save the land of Hyrule.

Also, we finally got the graphics we wanted:

Speaking of characters, Twilight Princess introduced us to Midna who is, without a doubt, the best companion to journey alongside Link in any Zelda game. Midna is charismatic, sassy, and, most importantly, flawed. Throughout the game, we see the chinks in her armor as she lets her guard down more and more to the player. By the end, you care about her making it out alive more than Link.

The game was released as a launch title for the Nintendo Wii as well as one of the final titles for the GameCube. Although the game is pretty fun on the Wii, the GameCube was the console that not only deserved it but made it a legend.

1. Super Smash Bros. Melee

The more we thought about it, the more we realized that there simply is not another GameCube game worth of this spot.

Super Smash Bros Melee is not only the best Smash Bros. game and the best GameCube game, but it’s quite possibly the best platforming fighting game ever created.

Three Super Smash Bros. games have been released since Melee, and yet this is the one you still see at tournaments.

The fighting is fast-paced and fluid in a way that Nintendo hasn’t been able to capture since. When you plug this in, hours fly by without you noticing.

Melee showed truly what the GameCube could be. It showed that it could have you and three friends huddle on a cramped couch that smelled like Cheetos and stale Dr. Pepper, and you’d be fine with it.

Wrapping up

Yeah, Pikmin didn’t make the list. We’re sorry, there just wasn’t enough room. What games do you think should have made the list? Let us know in the comments below? As for us, we have to go 1v1 Fox only on Final Destination.

10 most frustrating video game escort missions

Ready to defend a weak, helpless character? These are the most infuriating escort missions of all time.

The bane of even the most battle-hardened gamers, escort missions are perhaps the most frustration-inducing mission types in the gaming world. These missions usually entail protecting an AI controlled character from enemies while guiding them through a particular environment. It sounds like a simple structure, but can quickly devolve into controller-throwing fits of rage. Whether it be due to bad AI, convoluted level design, or poor controls, these are the top examples of the absolute worst that escort missions have to offer.

10 most frustrating video game escort missions

10. Metal Gear Solid V

frustrating escort missions metal gear solid v — Image courtesy Konami

Metal Gear Solid V has widely gone down as a disappointment in the gaming world. Though the graphics are incredible and the open world design immersive, the game itself was hampered by internal feuding between series creator Hideo Kojima and executives at Konami. As a result, the game was shipped in a borderline unfinished state, with loads of content cut at the last minute. Repetitive and poor level design was used to fill the empty spaces.

Once such level, Blood Runs Deep, occurs later in the campaign. As Snake, you’re tasked with escorting a group of unarmed child soldiers through enemy territory to an extraction helicopter. As if playing babysitter doesn’t sound frustrating enough, one of the kids is injured, and Snake is forced to carry him to the extraction, which means players will have to manually drop and pick up the kid every time they need to use a weapon. Since you’re being pursued by enemies, this turns into a fairly frequent occurrence.

Taken together with the poor AI pathing, this mission quickly becomes an agonizing slog that will leave you wishing you could just get on the chopper by yourself.

9. The Evil Within

frustrating escort missions evil within — Image courtesy Bethesda Softworks

Much of the first entry in Bethesda’s Evil Within series consists of escort missions. In the late game especially, player character Sebastian Castellanos will find himself paired with a rotating series of AI companions that he’ll need to keep out of harm’s way. Most of the time, this aspect of gameplay is no more than an annoyance.

This annoyance, however, quickly becomes rage-inducing during a particular set-piece sequence. Sebastian and his partner, Joseph Oda, find themselves in a maze-like area filled with hordes of bloodthirsty enemies. As these enemies chase them down, they also need to endure barrages of fire from enemy-controlled arrow turrets. This sequence would be difficult enough playing alone, but Joseph’s AI quickly becomes a complete hindrance. If you don’t move fast enough, the hordes will attack and kill him. Move too fast, and you’ll be slaughtered by the arrow turrets. Playing this particular mission more than a few times is enough to drive players to a state of insanity worthy of the mental hospital where the game takes place.

8. Jak 2

frustrating escort missions jak 2 — Image courtesy Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog is no stranger to the escort mission format. Their blockbuster title The Last of Us is essentially one long escort mission, and garnered critical praise as an example of how to do this frustrating mission type in a way that doesn’t alienate players. Before they perfected the art, however, they had their share of missteps.

Their classic PS2 title Jak II included a variety of exasperating escort missions. Of note is a late-game mission that involves providing protection for a group of mercenaries as they move through a sewer infested with ravenous Metal Head creatures. The three soldiers are essentially useless at defending themselves and have pitifully low health bars. The route is long and full of enemies, and to top it all off, there are no checkpoints, meaning if any one of the soldiers dies the mission starts from the very beginning. It’s enough to make any player want to throw their copy of the disc in the nearest trash can.

7. GoldenEye 007

frustrating escort missions goldeneye 007 — Image courtesy Rare

GoldenEye 007 is a classic title that includes an escort mission that has reached legendary levels of infamy in the gaming community. The mission? Seemingly simple: “Protect Natalya.” As Bond, you’ll need to do your utmost to protect hacker Natalya Simonova in several levels throughout the game.

This would be an easy task, if not for the fact that Natalya’s AI was seemingly programmed by some kind of chaos god that feeds off the pain of gamers everywhere. Natalya is all but suicidal, walking into enemies with brazen abandon and even walking in front of your own gun at seemingly any opportunity. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to get through the missions except with a dose of luck and near-infinite reserves of patience.

6. Resident Evil 5

frustrating escort missions sheva resident evil 5 — Image courtesy Capcom

Love her or hate her, Sheva Alomar holds a special place in the heart of any Resident Evil fan. Serving as Chris Redfield’s partner throughout the events of Resident Evil 5, Sheva seems great on paper. She can shoot, carry supplies, and follow a variety of commands. Sounds great, right?

Well, it would be, if Sheva did so with any kind of skill. She’ll routinely get in your way, chew through your ammo and supplies, and default to using her weakest weapons. More often than not, you’ll find yourself having to drop whatever you’re doing to save her from certain death at the hands of nearby enemies. Oftentimes even your best efforts won’t cut it, and you’ll have to sit through Sheva’s death screen before starting over at the nearest checkpoint. If possible, grab a friend to play as Sheva, and spare yourself the stress and anxiety of dealing with her utterly horrid AI.

5. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

frustrating escort missions mgs3 snake eater eva — Image courtesy Konami

For the most part, MGS3 is an excellent game, regarded by many to be the best entry in the series. As Naked Snake, you’ll engage in Cold War-era espionage during a secret mission to take out a Russian defector. Most of the game sees you playing as a solo operator, but for some baffling reason, the developers decided to include a head-scratching escort mission directly before the final boss battle.

Your companion, fellow spy EVA, is injured by a tree branch. With enemies on your tail, you’ll need to escort EVA through a maze of jungle with enemies in pursuit. EVA moves at a snail’s pace and her stamina drains at a blistering speed, meaning you’ll have to continuously burn through valuable food and healing items to get her through the area. Again, this mission takes place right before the final boss, so every resource you’re forced to use to keep EVA alive makes that final fight just that much harder. As far as we can understand, this mission seems to exist purely to make the player suffer.

4. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

frustrating escort missions mgs2 emma emmerich — Image courtesy Konami

Though including three Metal Gear games in the same list may seem like pushing it, Konami doesn’t seem to learn from their mistakes. Their repeat offenses all seem to stem from a particular mission in Metal Gear Solid 2. The character you’re tasked with escorting, Emma Emmerich, is a veritable cornucopia of phobias and questionable life choices.

First, you’ll have to physically carry Emma through a series of flooded areas. She can’t swim, however, and has insect-sized lungs, which means you’ll need to come up for air every couple of seconds.

Once that’s done, you’ll have to sneak her past groups of enemies, and if seen, she’ll simply sit down and wait to die while enemies attack her.

Finally, you’ll come to an elevator covered in bugs, and Emma will refuse to move any further until the bugs are taken care of. You have two options to get rid of them: use coolant spray to kill them, or knock Emma out and drag her unconscious body through the door. After everything you’ve just been through, it’s hard to pass up this opportunity for catharsis.

3. Dead Rising 1, 2, 3, and 4

frustrating escort missions dead rising — Image courtesy Capcom

Escort missions are the backbone of the Dead Rising series, and that’s a crying shame. In big worlds full of opportunities to make mayhem and kill zombies with ridiculous weapons while wearing hilarious outfits, the last thing you’ll want to do is escort all-but-useless survivors through the zombie hordes. Unfortunately, that’s what you’ll be spending most of your time doing if you want to advance in the game.

It’s an incredibly unfortunate design choice that almost makes the series unendurable. Later entries include free-roam modes that allow players to mess around to their heart’s content without worrying about protecting their latest damage magnet. You have to be a particular type of masochistic to find the base games any level of enjoyable.

2. Bioshock

frustrating escort missions bioshock little sister — Image courtesy 2K Games

Like MGS3, this is another late game escort mission that seems to serve no purpose except to infuriate players. In the game’s first and only escort mission, you have to protect one of the game’s Little Sisters as she goes about her work. Though other Little Sisters are just about impervious to any type of damage, the game pairs you with a Little Sister that’s apparently made out of glass. She can die quickly and unexpectedly at the hands of the endless hordes of enemies that choose this particular moment to go after you, and if she does, you’ll have to start over again. It really makes you gain another level of respect for the Big Daddies that make a full-time job out of protecting these little demons.

1. Resident Evil 4

frustrating escort missions resident evil 4 ashley graham — Image courtesy Capcom

Resident Evil 4 isn’t always an escort mission, and thank goodness for that. For large portions of the game, you’ll have to endure the presence of Ashley Graham, the President’s daughter. Fortunately, these sections are spread out between periods of solo gameplay. If Ashley were a constant presence, she could have easily prevented Resident Evil 4 from becoming the enduring classic that it remains to this day.

Ashley is pretty much nothing more than a giant bullet sponge. She can’t use weapons, oftentimes she can’t hide, and essentially just serves to make you a bigger target. To make it even worse, her nasal screams of terror will quickly drill their way into your subconscious and you’ll start to hear them in your dreams. The phrase “Leon, help!” will soon be enough to cause even the most hardened player to break down in a cold sweat and tears of anxiety. Invariably, Ashley will get herself kidnapped again at some point or another, and it’s hard to view these moments as anything but a blessed relief.

Despite all these egregious examples, escort missions aren’t always awful. There are plenty of instances, from The Last of Us to Bioshock Infinite, that show how escort missions can be used to create fulfilling character bonds and interesting new gameplay elements. That said, bad escort missions can easily ruin a gaming experience, and well-done escort missions unfortunately seem to be an exception rather than a rule.