Staff Picks: Top 10 Gamecube games.

By
David Rawlings
– May 29, 2012

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Top 10 lists.  Funny old things aren’t they?  No matter how hard you work at one, no matter how long it takes you to cover all details and equations, it always comes down to the fact that not everyone is going to agree with you.  Its the same case with the staff here at Operation Rainfall.  When it was suggested that we should compile a list of what we thought were the top 10 Gamecube games of all time, you would think it would just be a jovial few hours of happy memories and agreement shared over cups of tea and crumpets.  Well it wasn’t…. at all!

Insults were fired, accusations of fixing and favouritism were called and tears were shed.  However, after some calm deliberating games of eeny, meeny, miny, moe, we were able to pick what we actually believe to be the Top 10 Gamecube games of ALL TIME!*

 

 

(*in our honest little opinions)

I’m sorry, but you didn’t make it.

Before we get into the excitement of counting down from 10 to 1, honourable mentions must go to those games that were just pipped at the post:

  • Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
  • F-Zero GX
  • Skies of Arcadia: Legends
  • Baten Kaitos
  • Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rouge Leader

You shall never be forgotten oh mighty ones…

Anyway, enough of the sentimental pap, lets get on with the list:

10. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

Starting off our Top 10 is Silicon Knights’ time travelling, survival horror game, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem.  The unique thing about this game was the use of its so called Sanity Meter, which would deplete whenever you came across the many horrors and enemies within the game.  If your Sanity Meter becomes too low then the game actually starts messing with your own mind and sanity.  At a moments notice your controls could be reversed, all items from you inventory suddenly disappear or flies gradually crawl across your television screen – making you get up from your seat to swat them away only to realise its the game tricking you into doing that… not that it ever happened to me *cough*.

 

   Staff Quotes

   Steve Thompson – “Nothing scarier than a game telling you its erasing your saved data”

 

 

 

9. The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition

A surprise entry at No 9, The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition is must for any die hard Zelda fan.  It contains 4 games, the original NES The Legend of Zelda and its follow up sequel Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, as well as the highly acclaimed Ocarina of Time and the hipsters favourite Majora’s Mask.  It also contains a demo of The Wind Waker and a retrospective of the whole series.  All of this on one tiny Gamecube disc makes this a worthy entry into our Top 10.

 

Staff Quotes

Jonathan Higgins – “What’s not to love about a title that offers almost everything great within an entire franchise?”

 

 

 

8. Resident Evil (REmake)

When Capcom announced they were remaking the original Resident Evil, with all new graphics and sound, and that it was going to be a Gamecube exclusive, Nintendo fans around the world squealed with delight. They were right to squeal as REmake took everything great about the original and turned it up to 11. Many Resident Evil fans bemoaned the Gamecube exclusivity, but if you were a true fan then owning a Gamecube just for this game was a must.

 

    Staff Quotes

    Migui Goryu Rossy – “Took the original and made it 10X better with scarier OST, atmosphere and tension from start to finish”.

 

 

Go to Page 2 to find out what came in 7th, 6th and 5th place. The excitement is too much.


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About David Rawlings

David Rawlings, or ‘Rawky’ as we like to call him, joined the Operation Rainfall Campaign at the beginning. He’s British and found solace with us as he was able to understand our pain about Nintendo and their localizing faux pas. He’s a big fan of the letter ‘U’ and refuses to remove them from words, even though we constantly ask him to. He also believes it’s about time Princess Daisy got kidnapped.
  • http://www.facebook.com/kyle.emch Kyle Emch

    Seriously? Am I REALLY the only one who liked Viewtiful Joe!? SERIOUSLY!? D:

    • http://twitter.com/Fillytase Stephanie Michelle

      I played it for the first time a month ago or so.  It was fun, but I’m embarrassed to say I can’t beat the first boss D:

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1132320968 Bernhard Bambi Johnsson

       Lol noob, you must be so bad at video games…
      (couldn’t get past the second level)
      *cough* >_>

      No, but I liked it quite a lot too…I just wasn’t able to get that far in it either. xD

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1668724936 Will Whitehurst

      You’re not the only one, bro. That game is definitely in my top 10, and I’m pretty sure I voted for it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2362112 Zachary Pounders

    Holy crap. These guys. Their taste. Impeccable!! :D

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000298396658 Alain DeusVult

    Tales of Symphonia…Simply INCREDIBLE!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1127480867 Kyle Ray Lewis

    Gamecube had the best version of TimeSplitters 2, probably one of the best console shooters I’ve ever played.

  • http://twitter.com/Fillytase Stephanie Michelle

    I’m kinda shocked Baten Kaitos didn’t make the list, solely because I recall certain staff members always raving about it when talking about Monolith Soft’s work. :P

    • http://operationrainfall.com/ Marko Mac

       I tried. My vote went to Baten Kaitos. Ultimately, this was a team effort.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steve-Thompson/100000355411389 Steve Thompson

      same,voted for it but it didnt make it

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=740051018 Clinton Nix

      I also voted for Baten Kaitos.

  • Firethorn43

    No Sunshine? It didn’t have to make the top 10 but AT LEAST make the honorable mention. Paper Mario TTYD was amazing, and besides Mario RPG, it is the best…Mario RPG?

    It is a shame I never played Wind Waker, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a copy anywhere locally. Hopefully Nintendo does Gamecube re-releases on the Wii U so I can play the only console Zelda I never experienced.

  • http://www.facebook.com/DeeohWhitey Kim Deeoh Annersjö

    Atleast Skies of Arcadia got an honorable mention, that made me quite happy.

  • http://www.facebook.com/bretlfcampbell Bret Campbell

    I like this list, though I may have put Baten Kaitos in place of Symphonia: while I loved both games a lot, BK wins out because of its unique battle system, and possibly the most gorgeous pre-rendered environments I have ever seen. Both games had equally horrendous voice actors, but I absolutely cringe at the Presea scream when she notices her parents are dead. It’s worse than nails on a chalkboard, it’s like “Call Me Maybe” on repeat.

    I’m surprised Twilight Princess isn’t even an honourable mention, considering it was on the Gamecube as well, I’m also surprised Luigi’s Mansion was snubbed. And none of the Pikmin games, either – of which were some of my absolute favourites. While they weren’t the best, both Starfox games were great.

    I think my favourite Gamecube game was Metroid Prime, which incidentally makes the MP Trilogy one of my all-time favourite things in the universe. Although, I’m still currently plaing Xenoblade (170 hrs and counting)… I’m afraid to beat it, I don’t want it to end.

    • http://www.facebook.com/david.rawlings.353 David Rawlings

      It is surprising how the votes went. I vouched for F-Zero GX but it was overruled. Its the power of the votes I’m afraid, and its also a bit of fun. Thanks for the comment.

  • http://henteam.net Henry

    No Killer7 :( it’s probably Suda’s Greatest Game! oh well, that’s just my opinion i guess.

  • http://twitter.com/jimmygnome9 Jimmy Gnome

    Sweet, Pikmin 2 is my favorite Gamecube game as well!

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/Q673A72YPXAVKAM3LLG2U4PHPY Tyson

    Was I the only one that liked Tales of Symphonia’s voice acting? Like some of the supporting cast wasn’t that great the main characters did a fine job imo.

    • RyanOPR

      I loved it

    • http://www.facebook.com/devin.kotani Devin Kotani

      Same. It had an (as close as you can get in videogame dubbing) all-star cast!

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1668724936 Will Whitehurst

      Me too, but it could just be the fact that I like some dubbed anime, and like Devin said, there are a ton of famous English anime VAs in the Tales games.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Henrik-Henks-Olsson/575363933 Henrik Henks Olsson

    Mostly identical to my own list. Great taste OR ^^

    • RyanOPR

      Why thank you :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/rudy.bussieres Rudy Bussieres

    Mario Sunshine should be on the top 10 list. I would exchange places between Baten Kaitos and Paper Mario and finally Pikmin could get an honorable mention.

  • TrueWiiMaster

    I always have a ton of trouble making a top ten for the Gamecube…

    Honorable Mention: Metroid Prime, Luigi’s Mansion, Chibi Robo, Zoids: Battle Legends, and Starfox Adventures (there could be more, but I’m trying to keep the total length to 15)

    10. Mario Kart Double Dash
    9. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
    7. Pokemon XD
    6. Pikmin 2
    5. Super Smash Bros. Melee
    4. Animal Crossing
    3. Super Mario Sunshine
    2. The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker
    1. Baten Kaitos Origins

    What can I say?  No game engrossed me more last gen than Baten Kaitos Origins.  I loved the battle system, intertwined stories, characters, sidequests, environments… Basically I loved every part of the game.  It kept me coming back for 3 months!  Straight!  That might not be impressive to a more seasoned RPG fan, but I rarely spend that much time on one game without getting interrupted by another game or hobby.  When I started I didn’t even intend to play it through.  I was just checking to make sure it worked (I bought it used), but right from the beginning I was hooked, and couldn’t stop even if I had wanted to, which I didn’t.

    I also have to say that even though the list is numbered, I loved every game on it to a high enough extent that it’s hard to see which is higher.  In other words, this list is practically a 7 or 8 way tie…  Actually, the honorable mention games would be in there too, so make that a 12 or 13 way tie…

  • http://twitter.com/Schvitzing Misty Jugs

    No Cubivore?!

    Anyway, surprised Skies of Arcadia: Legends and Baten Kaitos wasn’t on the top ten.

  • ybeast10

    Great Top 10 guys. So glad that you included Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1127463898 Brian Mulcrone

     Ehh. My biggest beefs with this list are Zelda: Collector’s Edition and Resident Evil. Since both were either ports or remakes. They might both be pretty awesome games (I own both) but I feel they’re taking up spots that Gamecube Original games could have taken up. I’m just surpirsed that Symphonia didn’t make the top 3.

    • RyanOPR

      I understand where you are coming from, but the list was for Gamecube games, without specifics. Both the Zelda Collection and Resident Evil remake are two excellent Gamecube games.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000864646705 Alec Smith

    I’m a little disappointed that Paper Mario: TTYD wasn’t number one and SSBM didn’t get number four instead. Oh well, as long as Tales of Symphonia, TTYD, and SSBM made it on the list I’m fine. lol

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=609185359 Matt Honey

    I actually never owned a Gamecube but I took full advantage over the backwards compability of the WIi and managed to play some classics, such as Metroid Prime 1 & 2, Mario Kart Double Dash and I even have Wind Waker… yet I’ve not played it and I now longer have my Wii.
    Sad face :(

    • http://www.facebook.com/david.rawlings.353 David Rawlings

      you missed out on some gems.

  • ZanetheWise

    Odd to see remakes and collections preferred over original games, especially considering the crappy opinion piece linked at the end of the list. That said, that’s a nice top ten ye got there Op Rainfall.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Louis-Polite/714483128 Louis Polite

    So let me get this straight: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time didn’t come up anywhere in that conversation, no Pikmin 2, no Soul Calibur II, no Beyond Good & Evil, No Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, no The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (I don’t mind Super Mario Sunshine not making the list, I do love Star Fox Adventures but I can see why it didn’t get past the quality checks for this list), but you put a Legend of Zelda collection over these games that were not only groundbreaking for just the Gamecube, but broke ground for..maybe the sixth gen in general (with no LTTP I might add) That….is not good. I want to avoid complaining about order but Resident Evil 4 is too low and I’d even question the spot of Metroid Prime below Wind Waker and freaking Super Smash Bros. Melee (really Metroid Prime and RE4 should be 1 and 2, because MP was a groundbreaking first-person non-linear adventure and RE4 took survival horror to the next level and they are role models for other games). I was expecting either the list would be overly JRPG or anti-Nintendo typical friendly (which still wouldn’t be that good being it’s one-dimensional, but at least coming from Operation Rainfall it’d make sense) or a list, that actually had nothing less than milestone. I thought this group of people had better taste, because not only are the critically acclaimed titles (some are GOTY candidates I might add, especially Sands of TIme) I’ve stated earlier aren’t on the list, but they’re not even honorable mentions. I know I sound like I’m moaning but this isn’t the best representation of what the Nintendo Gamecube had to offer and it’s actually kind of ignorant to leave such games out of contention. I’m sorry OpRa, you need to be more careful when taking consideration with top games lists. (I’ll just assume your eeny meeny miny moe game just landed on a collection with roms on a disc and honorable mentions landed on a lackluster Mario Kart which I can’t believe sits right next to F-Zero GX on the honorable mentions list (a racer created by Sega and even arguably looks better than a lot of Wii games)

    • http://www.facebook.com/david.rawlings.353 David Rawlings

      All those games you mentioned were up for voting. It was incredibly close, but sadly they just missed out, they didn’t get enough votes. If this was a Top 20, they would’ve been in there, but its not.  Besides its all just a bit of fun.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=740051018 Clinton Nix

      Funny, you are arguing and complaining about a list that was made from a poll of what our staff like.  Seriously, you can like what you like.  And honestly, I don’t agree with everything either.  But this is the result, and so we put it out as it is.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/XMPZLJOY3U3HBIFOFICRWYJLZ4 Chris

     Resident Evil 4 remains my favorite video game ever.  Before that, it was Eternal Darkness.  Some of these were surprising, but I guess the fact that there’s so much disagreement about what games deserve to be on this list proves that the Gamecube had a really strong library.

  • http://www.facebook.com/BStar Ben Andrews

    no Super Mario Sunshine?!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Best/100003863840372 James Best

    I would have put Path of Radiance much higher up. One of my favorite games right there. Unfortunately, I really did not like Radiant Dawn.

  • http://twitter.com/cutthemac Cutthemac

    10. Luigi’s Mansion
    9. Pokemon Coloseum
    8. Super Mario Sunshine
    7. Viewtiful Joe 2 (only have for PS2 :( )
    6. Viewtiful Joe
    5. Metroid Prime
    4. Super Smash Bros. Melee
    3. Paper Mario TTYD
    2. Pikmin
    1. Pikmin 2

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Cameron-Ward/100001209355282 Cameron Ward

    not to be a prude, but where is Super Mario Sunshine?

  • TwilightBacon68

     If Gauntlet Dark Legacy Isn’t In The #1 Spot, You Should Consider Buying A Brain

  • Noah Slavitch

    I agree with this list, however, i always think that kirby air ride should at least get an honorable mention, for it is a unique game in the kirby series, and one that is tonnes of fun

  • Retard

    Hee hee I got #1 wrong, since I realized they didn’t put Super Mario Sunshine anywhere.

  • http://www.facebook.com/DKMRFCB Francisco Cruz Badilla

    I think Tales of Symphonia deserves number 1, also I would have add Mario Sunshine and Twilight Princess.
    And quit paper mario lol