Gamecube: Top 10 Original Ips

 Gamecube: Top 10 Original Ips 

The Nintendo GameCube might not have been a financial success for the company, but fans, like myself, think of it as a classic. We love it for its unique concept, innovative controller and selection of games, to name a few reasons.  While Nintendo might have been better off financially if they had gone in a different direction than the GameCube, there are several IPs that were born on the platform that we would be much worse-off without.

Here are the top 10 original IPs that got their start on the not-so-square system:

10) Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles

Crystal Chronicles might not be anywhere near as popular as the mainline Final Fantasy series, but it is certainly a beloved set of games for those of us who only owned Nintendo consoles at the time.  Having lost the relationship with Square (Enix) during the fifth generation, to see even a spin-off come to Nintendo just one console later was a blessing.  All of us who had friends that wanted to join in on the FF experience now had a multiplayer option.  Were the mechanics and peripheral requirements strange (Game Boy Advance and Link Cables for all who wanted to join)? Yes!  But it was an all-new Final Fantasy experience that we could share as a group!

9) Mario Superstar Baseball

Mario sports titles were nothing new at the time with Mario Golf and Tennis coming out for the Nintendo 64.  But what we got on the GameCube was an arcade experience that was hard to beat.  I would definitely rank this one higher if it received more entries.  With only this one and Mario Super Sluggers on the Wii, Mario baseball titles are truly underrepresented in the Mario Sports series. I’m sure I’m not the only one that would like to see a new baseball title from the Mushroom Kingdom make its way to the Switch or its successor.

8) Baten Kaitos

A role-playing game using trading card elements is definitely a very niche genre, but Baten Kaitos and Origins are so well made, they really should appeal to a much broader audience. Unfortunately never leaving the confines of the GameCube, it didn’t really get the opportunity to reach more fans and be played by more gamers.  Hopefully with the release of the HD remastered version last year, more people will discover this series and it will get the revival that it deserves.

7) Chibi Robo

Chibi Robo is a feel-good character that has gotten its share of sequels, a Smash Assist Trophy and even its own amiibo.  However, this is definitely a case of diminishing returns, with each entry in the series losing some of the appeal of the original.  Chibi is a character that is just itching to come back with its original adventure format.  Just think of what could be done with our favorite little mouse-sized robot in an open-world…or open-house…format!

6) Mario Super Strikers

Just like Mario Superstar Baseball, we had already seen arcade-style sports games with Mario, Luigi, and pals.  Strikers brought something to the Mario Sports series that hadn’t really been touched on yet, though: multiplayer madness!  Sure you could play doubles in tennis and have a batter go against a team in baseball, but soccer was the first Mario sport outing where you had a full offence and defense go at each other at the same time. All the great arcade sports games had this dynamic: NBA Jam, NHL Blitz, NHL Hitz! Frantic, crazy arcade action like in the good ol’ days.  While there have been complaints about the more recent entries in the series, Strikers is still drawing a crowd and selling copies, so we’ll hopefully see these titles make a comeback in upcoming generations. 

5) Super Monkey Ball 

I know what you’re thinking: Monkey Ball was on all platforms in that generation.  True, but the PlayStation2 and Xbox versions were the Deluxe Editions that came out years later due to the great sales that the originals had on the GameCube.  Whether you enjoy the puzzle-like, platforming of the campaign or the killer multiplayer games (Monkey Bowling anybody?), you can’t deny the appeal of the Super Monkey Ball Franchise.  Not to mention the fact that this was an original SEGA IP that came out as a timed exclusive for NINTENDO.  For those of us that lived through the console war of the 90s, this was an unbelievable concept.

4) Pikmin

Real-time strategy has always been a hard concept to nail down on a console.  The concept originated on a PC and for the longest time, it felt like it should stay there.  There were some decent attempts in StarCraft 64 and Ogre Tactics, but for me Pikmin is the one that broke the mold and keeps me coming back for more.  There is no denying the appeal of the colorful world and intriguing characters that inhabit it.  Not to mention, each entry in the series adds some new Pikmin and even new mechanics to change up the formula slightly and give the player some variety. 

3) Metroid Prime

I will be the first to admit that when Metroid Prime was announced I was furious. “They can’t turn Metroid into a first-person shooter!” Well, I’m happy to report that I was wrong.  Playing this game after avoiding it for several months to a year, I was pleasantly surprised how intuitive Samus was to control, and how much I enjoyed an adventure game that I could explore in this new perspective.  With the release of Corruption and the Trilogy on the Wii, the game just became more intuitive and fun to play.  And I would probably have given it the number 2 or even the number 1 spot...if they would finally give us Metroid Prime 4! 

2) Luigi’s Mansion

The overlooked brother had a couple to outings without Mario prior to this release, but Luigi’s mansion is where the green plumber finally had a chance to shine!  The graphical detail down to the dust particles in the beam of Luigi’s flashlight showed us what an impressive game this was going to be.  And while is hasn’t gotten a lot of sequels, it is a series that keeps getting better.  Even though it is probably not a full upgrade, I am looking forward to Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD for the Switch this summer.

1) Animal Crossing

Technically a Nintendo 64 game if you count the Japanese release, Animal Crossing was a marvel at the time of it’s release and still fascinates fans as it continues to grow strong.  I could not even tell you the number of hours I have put into the OG, Wild World, City Folk, New Leaf, and New Horizons.  Every new incarnation pulls me back into the casual gaming world that is Animal Crossing.  And with the record breaking sales of New Horizons on the Switch, there is no doubt we will see even more sequels in the future.

What original IPs for the Nintendo GameCube didn’t make the list?  Feel free to comment here or message me.  You can find me on almost all social media platforms including IG, Threads, Bluesky, X, and Tiktok @mourabros

Happy Mini-Disc May everyone!

-Brian Moura