As we patiently wait for Nintendo to turn on the Switch’s Virtual Console, we’ve begun to brainstorm what GameCube games they should bring to their new, portable console. The GameCube is one of my favorite consoles of all time, and it’s sad that it came in third place during its generation. The little purple cube had some amazing titles, most of which are super expensive now, which makes it difficult for new gamers to find their favorites. So, in the spirit of fairness and my love of history, these are the second half of the ten games in no particular order that I would most likely repurchase once I get my elusive Switch console. If you missed out on the first list you can read it here.
Paper Mario and the 1000 Year Door
The Paper Mario games have been less than amazing as of late and it would be nice to get younger gamers’ hands on the classics. The game isn’t set in the Mushroom Kingdom–instead, it is set in a faraway land and told in storybook form with nine chapters. The game kept the battle system, which relies heavily on timing and action, and also kept the unique visual style. The Paper Mario series is what we got after Squaresoft and Nintendo had their falling out. It is a great series, not in the same mold as typical Mario titles, and that’s what makes me like it so much. I wouldn’t mind another chance to play this game, but it’d be great in HD and on the go.
Metroid Prime (The Whole Trilogy!)
After E3’s announcement of a Metroid Prime 4 being in development, I realized that I need to actually get through this series. Retro Studios did a bang up job of translating Samus into a first-person heroine. Not only did they create a beautiful environment, but they told a lot of the story through what Samus would scan while on her adventures. I liked this part of the game, wandering around and playing detective to solve what happened to the various in-game worlds and bases. Seeing as this title was released in 2002, which was during my third-person-only phase, I really never got too deep into any of the games. Now, with another sequel in the works, I must get through the trilogy! My biggest decisions will be whether to play the GameCube version or the Wii version. Let’s hope that if they do release it on the Switch’s VC, they give the option of motion controls or Retro Studios’ implementation of handheld controls–both were great.
Luigi’s Mansion
To me, Luigi’s Mansion is Nintendo’s take on the Resident Evil formula but without the Mature rating. As a launch title for the system, it didn’t get too much love, and I really don’t understand why. Sure the game had a much different tone than all the other Mario titles, but man, that’s what made it so great. Watching Luigi freak out when he sees a ghost is priceless, and in my humble opinion, this version is better than the new 3DS one. The game seems to flow much better and I can explore more, which was very enjoyable. Finding money and such and looking for all the Boos in the creepy, majestic mansion was time not wasted. I feel that if Nintendo really wanted to do this title right, they could add motion controls to it so that you could control the Poltergust 3000 with the Joy-Cons. I’d replay this game in a heartbeat if I could motion control this bad boy!
Chibi-Robo!
I feel bad for this little Robo, he never seems to be given the chance to thrive and be successful. His GameCube adventure was his first and is an extremely fun game where you clean up around the house and make sure that you are charged at all times. As they do good deeds around the house, Chibi’s collect “Happy Points.” As you progress the game goes a little bit off the rails story-wise, but I don’t want to spoil it for you; it’s too weird for you to believe, and you’d lose out on all of those wtf? moments. Hopefully Chibi did well enough on the DS and 3DS to garner a console release, but I won’t be holding my breath. The only way I can see Chibi being reactivated is with a successful VC run.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
This game is probably the biggest pipe dream on the list: I see no reason why Konami would allow Nintendo to port this bad boy over to the Switch. I remember my time with both versions of this game, and while the graphics are far superior on the GameCube, I will always love my Snake on the PS1. That doesn’t discount this game at all, but it is very difficult to perfect perfection, even though Konami, Kojima, and Silicon Knights did a great job with the ground-up remake. It’s nice to actually see everyone’s face in this game instead of just a weird looking blob, and since the GameCube controller is still my favorite, I was able to play the title with ease. This would also be a nice send off to Kojima from Nintendo since they use to be pretty close in the GameCube era (I’m still waiting for Snake to return to Smash.).
What do you think? Would these 10 games be a good start for the GameCube VC, or are there some I missed? Let me know in the comments.