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Nintendo's 6th generation console. Vastly overshadowed by the massive success of the PS2, the NGC never truly achieved market acceptance during its production; still, it had a fuckwin game library which, among others, includes games from Nintendo's flagship franchises and some of the best versions of multiplatform titles such as Resident Evil 4, Killer7, and Skies of Arcadia. One of the last game consoles released to be entirely about just vidya and nothing else.

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The List

Box Art Title Genre Description
Aufgc front 007: Agent Under Fire FPS Awesome Bond FPS. Great Multiplayer.
JamesBond007Nightfire 007: Nightfire FPS Fuck yeah Nightfire. Bitchin' story, Bondan with Brosnan, and fucking amazing multiplayer. Sequel to Agent Under Fire.
AlienHominid(GC) Alien Hominid Run 'n Gun Hyper-violent game originally conceived on NewGrounds, later expanded for a console release. Basically a Metal Slug tribute where you control an escaped alien going up against the rest of humanity in a Flash animation visual style. Also on PS2, XBLA (HD version), Xbox and GBA (EU only.)
Animal Crossing Gamecube Cover Animal Crossing Sim The first Animal Crossing to be released outside of Japan will keep you busy for quite a while. Decorate your home, go fishing, find rare fossils, make friends, make payments on your house, fish, and do uncountable other things as you live a full and satisfying life in the idyllic little town of the game. This game is so chock-full of content that in theory it could last you 23 years, so have fun with that. Never ever ever reset.
BatenKaitosEternalWingsandtheLostOcean Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and The Lost Ocean RPG A lengthy two-disc JRPG about winged humans living on floating island-nations. Character and world design are exotic, original and occasionally insane, while the battle system is fast-paced and turn-based, based on using magical cards. The characters themselves vary in quality, but each gets developed pretty well; this game is also known for some crazy plot twists. Also, the soundtrack is awesome and the whole package looks nice. Go to the options and turn on Surround to remove a grating filter from the voice acting.
BatenKaitosOrigins Baten Kaitos: Origins RPG The GameCube's swansong, Origins is actually a prequel to the first Baten Kaitos game. It has a significantly smaller playable cast, for which the characters are better-developed, and it generally does a good job of expanding upon the series' unique universe (which includes introducing even more insane plot twists). The battle system has also been streamlined and allows for easier combo-stringing. Generally a solid RPG, sometimes considered better than the original, but it never came out in Europe.
BattalionWarsBoxart-1- Battalion Wars Action Started life as Advance Wars in 3D but a name change later it became a rather different game. Instead of controlling your units directly from above, you actually control your units in a third-person view, always playing one of the men and swapping between different units. You can stay as one man, ordering your squad to fight or defend around you, or go all out and have several groups lined around the enemy. Very fun and addictive but rather hard later on. Sequel is on Wii.

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Beyond Good & Evil Action A stealth-action game (with puzzles too!) about a freelance journalist in a unique sci-fi world. Follow her as she uncovers a massive conspiracy. Includes addictive photography side-questing and fluid melee combat (though it doesn't give you a lot of options). The game is quite linear but there's a fair bit of side-content, and though it comes up rather short in the end, everything is so meticulously and perfectly crafter that it's really no bother. Also on PS2 and PS3 (HD). Sequel is currently in development hell.

Billyhatcher front

Billy Hatcher and The Giant Egg

Platformer

A unique little title by the Sonic Team. You play as a dude who got captured by talking chickens so that he can defeat evil crows threatening to stop the sun from rising. The chicken gods gave him a magic chicken suit so that he can bulldoze enemies with gargantuan eggs. Along the way, you come across your buddies who you saw in the intro video. Like you, they have magic chicken suits, meaning you can play as them after you save them from being tied to a bomb. Lots of good platforming. Groovy soundtrack. Sonic fans will like it a lot, it has that 90s Sonic charm.

Cvs2zu5

Capcom vs. SNK 2: E.O.

2D Fighting

The biggest and baddest Capcom crossover fighter after Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Features upwards of forty fighters (including some lesser-known ones, like Kyosuke from Rival Schools, Hibiki from The Last Blade 2 and Maki from Final Fight 2) with unique Arcade endings for each and two hidden super-powered characters. If you don't normally play fighters, this has a beginner style that lets you pull off special moves with ease, so don't feel daunted. There's no reason not to pick this up!

Chaos Field GC Cover Chaos Field Shoot-em-up One of the few existing gamecube SHUMPS out there. Music and atmosphere are pretty good. It's pretty good, but not you're best option for a SHMUP, but hey, at least this one is in engrish now!

Chibi-Robo!PlugIntoAdventure!

Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!

Adventure

Be really cute and explore the house, cleaning up litter and stains and killing robot spiders. Enjoy some costuming, giant roboting, aliening fun! As the game gets longer Chibi needs to solve the families personal problems and the story gets surprisingly deep. Two sequels on DS, but the gameplay has shifted a bit.

Cubivorebox

Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest

Action

You play as an organism that must consume others to survive, grow stronger and ultimately reproduce. The game's style makes it so all animals are made of cardboard, with varying, often awkward shapes. This game gets very difficult and does not hold your hand for a second, but the concept is very interesting. No PAL release.

Crbox Custom Robo Combat / Sim Customize tiny robots with military grade weaponry and fight them. The battles are fun and the customization is really expansive. Has a great sense of humor, even when the story goes total grimdark. Actually gives two good explantions for why everyone uses Custom Robos.
Donkeykonga Donkey Konga Rhythm Got some flak for being Nintendo's Donkey Kong series from the 6th gen. You jam out on these badass bongo controllers to the beat. Uses all kinds of music from different genres, some good, some bad. Fun for the whole family. Regular GC controllers are usable but kill the point. One important point is that the US, PAL, and Japan versions of 1 and 2 all have different song lists. So consider the list you like ahead of time.
Donkeykonga2 Donkey Konga 2 Rhythm Same as the first game, but a bit harder and with a new selection of music in each region. Can be somewhat hard to find, depending on the region.
Donkeykonga3 Donkey Konga 3 Rhythm You should know what to expect by now. No western release on this one. Has the most number of songs in a single DKonga game: 57! There's some fun songs here, especially the game tunes, but a good chunk is Japanese anime, TV, and J-Pop. Unless you really love this sorta stuff, you may want to sit out on this one.
Donkey kong Jungle beat Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Platformer Aw shit, get ready for some trippy adventures. DK goes around beating the shit out of other apes to prove he's the true king of the jungle. Despite requiring the Bongos to play, this game's no gimmick-fest and the controls are very tight and involving. Level design is flawless, graphics are flawless, music is flawless. You might call this "Donkey Kong Country 4" over DKC Returns (or vice-versa, but both are fun and solid). If you want some classic platforming, do yourself a favor and get this. You won't regret it. Also available on Wii with different non-bongo controls.
DBZ Budokai GC Cover DragonBall Z: Budokai Fighting Pretty good fighting game by Atari and Bandai. Pretty fun, but not many charcters in this installment. The story mode is the best of all of the Budokai games, making this one the most faithful story wise of the Budokai games. Includes fucking awesome Legend Of Hercule unlockable which puts Hercule against the Z-fighters from the cell saga. GameCube version is supposedly better because it came out after the PS2 version, thus making the graphics better supposedly. Sequel is on GameCube as well. Also on PS2, with an HD version of it through the Budokai HD Collection on PS3/360.
DragonBallZBudokai2GameC3171 f DragonBall Z: Budokai 2 Fighting Not as good as the 1st story-wise, but still a solid fighter. This entry has a different style of graphics that was used more often that the 1st one's style. Also has more characters than the first one spanning the Majinn Buu saga. Adds a new button pressing thing that dtermines who damages who instead of that burst attack thing from the 1st. Story mode is like a fucking board game, and you will be bored. Also on PS2. Sadly, not on the HD Collection, but one figures the story mode is to blame for that.  Another GC DBZ game exist called DBZ Sagas, but one wouldn't recommend it at all.
DreamMix TV World Fighters Dream Mix TV World Fighters Fighting Rather shameless Smash Bros. rip-off with characters from Konami, Hudson, and Japanese toy company Takara. The eclectic roster includes: Solid Snake, Tyson from Beyblade, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Master Higgins from Adventure Island, a Moai head from Gradius, and Licca-chan, the Japanese Barbie. The roster is half the fun, as the gameplay is a watered-down Melee with less interesting stages and lower attention to detail. Single-player is barebones and very easy, but required to unlock all those crazy hidden fighters. Japan-only. Also on PS2.
Eternal darkness box Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem Survival Horror Play as very different characters who lived in distinct time periods and places, but all encountered an ancient, evil force that has existed since time immemorial. A survival horror game with a unique feature that fucks with the player as your character's Sanity meter drops, duping you into thinking that the game just deleted all your save data, among other, even more insidious things. Other than that, a very well-crafted title in the genre with an interesting, non-linear story. You'll need to play the game three times to complete it.
F-ZeroGX F-Zero GX Racing / Being a Badass Insanely hard futuristic racing game. Great graphics and music too. Lotsa unlockables, lotsa tracks and even more racers. Prepare for some awesome "better than Wipeout HD" racin'! Best in the series.
76 2400 0 FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles-1- Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Action-RPG 1-4 players. Co-op. 1p decent, 2p bad, 3p good, 4p good. Ditches the turn-based battle system for real-time dungeon crawling, ARPG-style combat. Beautiful stylized worlds with impressive graphics and music. Best played with others as 1P mode can be pretty weak; the bucket chalice will start many amusing arguments, as will 'who gets the magicite'. Requires GBAs and the link cables for multiplayer for each player.
FireEmblemPathofRadiance Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance Strategy RPG As per usual for the series, you control a rag-tag gang of warriors with unique personalities in a medieval fantasy war for the fate of the continent. Takes place in a new region called Tellius, with a new race known as the Laguz, half-beasts who are weak in combat but can temporarily transform into overkill full-beast forms. If a character dies in battle they're gone forever. A great entry point for SRPG beginners. Radiant Dawn (WII) is a direct sequel.
Freedom fighters Freedom Fighters Action Underrated shooter with a similar plot to the Patrick Swayze movie Red Dawn. Noted for its fantastic squad system. Made by the same team behind the Hitman series as well as Kane and Lynch, its spiritual sequel. Also on other PS2/Xbox/PC.
557003 front-1- Gauntlet: Dark Legacy Hack-'n'-Slash Classic Gauntlet hack and slash, with great gameplay elements and 4-player fun. Lots of unlockables, cheat codes, and levels make for a lengthy game. A sequel to Gauntlet Legends, it is also available on the PS2 and the Xbox. However, the Gamecube version of this game is the best version, containing extras and the like.
Geist box Geist FPS Solid adventure-FPS with a twist. Imagine an evil corporation that was a mix of Umbrella and the Ghostbusters: rather than reanimating soulless bodies, this one is in the business of disembodying souls - and using them for their own ends. You play as a ghost with the ability to possess people, animals, and machines, each with their unique set of skills, and must find out what the bad guys intend and how to get back to your body. Very unique gameplay, excellent visuals, a bit buggy, a lot hard but worth it.
Gladius Gladius RPG Awesome turn-based fantasy RPG set in Roman times. Made by LucasArts back before they sucked. The premise of the game is to recruit and train a school of gladiators in order to compete in gladiator arenas and stuff. There are 16 different classes to choose from, 15 different landscapes, and a fuck ton of different gladiator arenas. Sold like shit and hard to find now, but since it hasn't caught anyone's attention that it is a good game(despite getting really good reviews), if you can find a copy, it is most likely an inexpensive purchase. While on the Xbox and PS2, the GCN doesn't have (most) of the other's insane loading times, so get this verison.
Gotcha Force Coverart Gotcha Force Fighter A cult-fave Capcom game where you play as Borgs, weapon-wielding toy robots controlled by kids, who fight each other in playground parks, toy rooms, etc., but in gigantic scales. Most find the single-player campaign to be either hotblooded-and-awesome (fuck yeah, Kakeru and Nekobe) or goofy-and-meh (fuck no, Tama and Sho). Either way it helps unlock more of the 200+ Borgs. Multi-player is extremely fun and hectic, and probably the best part. Unlike Custom Robo, the customization here is about building an army of different Borg types to counter your opponent. Balanced vs specialized, lots of weak borgs vs a powerful few, there's no limit to how you form your force!
Ikaruga Ikaruga Shoot-'em-up Ee-Ka-Roo-Ga. Spiritual Successor to Radiant Silvergun. Made by Treasure, so you know it's good. It's also one of the only shmups in the Gamecube's library (seriously, try naming 5 GC shmups WITHOUT including Ikaruga!). Also on Dreamcast, Arcade and Xbox Live arcade, each version is different when it comes to unlockables (of which the 360 version has none).
256px-Killer7boxnew Killer7 Adventure/FPS A highly stylized, cel-shaded, Suda51 game about a wheelchair-bound assassin whose seven deadly personalities materialize as different characters for you to use. The plot is one of the best stories in a video game ever, and it's gorey and mysterious. You will probably want to play it multiple times to realize what the fuck you just witnessed, as there is multiple layers of depth to the story of the game. The whole game is on-rails, with shooting segments in first person. Very odd; some love it and some hate it. The PS2 version has minor issues compared to the GC version, such as loading times and framerate, but is still entirely playable.
KirbyAirRide Kirby Air Ride Racing A Sakurai-helmed spin-off to the Kirby franchise, it is a game often overlooked by racing fans solely for it's cute factor alone, and because they were too focused on F-Zero GX. Though, don't let that fool you! This game is tons of fun with a couple bros! Race on 8 unique tracks in Air Ride mode, play a top-down arcade style racer in Top Ride, or race around a bustling city gathering powerups and experiencing thrilling events that range from Dyna Blade coming down and stomping on people to exploding meteors raining from the sky in City Trial! Also, it was one of the few games to have LAN play, which would have been badass if only more people liked the game. Very unappreciated indeed.
Lost Kingdoms Lost Kingdoms RPG Build a deck out of monsters you capture, and then use your cards to capture even more monsters! The game play of this game is reminiscent of Pokémon with a little dash of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and those who enjoy monster collectan games will enjoy this one.
Lost Kingdoms 2 Lost Kingdoms 2 RPG This sequel to Lost Kingdoms expands and improves upon the gameplay of its predecessor. It's generally recommended over the first game, as Lost Kingdom 2's plot doesn't rely on the plot of Lost Kingdoms too much to hinder a newcomer's enjoyment.
Zelda Collectors edition The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition Action-Adventure / Compilation A promotional game disc containing The Legend of Zelda (NES), The Adventure of Link (NES), Ocarina of Time (N64), and Majora's Mask (N64). This delicious, delicious package also includes a Zelda retrospective video, and a 20 minute demo for Wind Waker. All the games play via this disc are emulated on the GameCube. It usually isn't a problem except with Majora's Mask, which has some sound errors (due to loading between rooms) and some freezing and crashing (though turning rumble off does stabilize it for some reason). A must-own unless you already have all four games, and even then it's convenient to have them all in one place.
TheLegendofZeldaFourSwordsAdventures The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures Action-Adventure Basically a full-game sequel/expansion of the Four Swords multiplayer game that came with the A Link to the Past GBA port. Allows up to four player cooperative play, but can even be fun alone. Link(s) has new moves as well, like rolling, formations, and improved swordplay. Nice cartoony visuals, good music, and, of course, fun-as-shit gameplay (until THAT ONE ASSHOLE in your group fucks with everyone and steals their cash). Hard to find, but worth it.
642652-zelda master quest us front large The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time- Master Quest Action-Adventure / Compilation NOT THE SAME AS THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION. This was bonus for Wind Waker's release, and contains 2 versions of Ocarina of Time - the N64 original (also on the Zelda CE) and a Master Quest, which remixes the dungeons like Zelda 1 NES. Complete hell for the completionist who must have everything. Overall, it's fun for those who want to play OoT but can beat the original easily. An N64 ROM of OOT: Master Quest exists, but crashes at the very end. Master Quest is also on the 3DS remastery of OoT, but is flipped left-to-right similar to the Wii version of Twilight Princess, and you must beat the original version to unlock it.
THE-LEGEND-OF-ZELDA-T-R73318 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Action / Adventure SO MUCH BLOOM. Link can turn into a wolf, the "dual world" mechanic is back, and now your companion isn't that irritating. Same good Zelda gameplay, puzzling through temples, fighting bosses, using tools, and so on. This version is the game as it was intended to be played. Controls are much tighter on this version. This version lacks the 16:9 and frame rate stability of the Wii edition, but also replaces the waggle and pointer controls with actual camera control. You know what's best son.
TheLegendofZeldaTheWindWaker The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker Action / Adventure Link must don a green cap and tunic in order to save his sister, who's been kidnapped by a giant bird! Who could be behind this? Incidentally the game's cel-shaded. Oh, and your boat talks to you. In all seriousness though, this is one of the more clever and light-hearted Zelda games. Plenty of humor, excellent adventuran, updates to combat, and of course, pirates. The problem is that it has a too few dungeons and, in many people's opinion, the Triforce-collectan quest is a huge timesink. On the upside, if you're one of those people that love to 100% games, look no further because there's plenty to do here, especially that figurine collectan. Also, new game plus lets you play in your PJs. Sequel to OoT with LOTS of references to the game, which is pretty funny due to how much more lighthearted this game is with its cuteness.
Luigis Mansion Luigi's Mansion Adventure / Puzzle Not a platformer, so people were disappointed. Those who can look past this will find a fantastic game that's seated itself solidly in the Mario franchise. A goofy, ghostbusters-esque adventure starring Mario's brother in a haunted mansion. Use the younger Mario brother to navigate the ghost-infested abode while, scared out of his mind, he has to collect the SOULS OF THE DEAD with a VACUUM. Fantastic. Launch title for the GC. Really short but really good!
Mario golf TT Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Sports Golf, with Mario. What else do you want! Developed by Camelot, the same studio behind the previous Mario Golf titles, as well as Golden Sun on GBA.
File:Mario kart DD.jpg Mario Kart: Double Dash Racing Two riders per kart. Switch mechanics allow you to stock special items while using others. There is a two player per kart mode but each player can still drive their own kart if they so choose. Really just the same mario Kart you'd expect but it now with a little more depth. Has some great courses (DK Jungle?) and many unlockable karts. Sadly, eight-player LAN is unfeasable nowadays due to the raity of the GC's Broadband Adapter add-on.
928284 67341 front Mario Party series (4-7) Board Game/Minigames Jesus Christ, Mary and Joseph on a pogo stick Nintendo, was it necessary to release THIS many Mario Party games on the Gamecube? They're all the same, except the story changes. Mario Party 4, you're just partying. 5, you go into dreams. 6, the Sun and Moon are fighting, so you have to compete to stop them. 7, you just go on a tour. It's always been the same, collect enough stars to win the game, play Minigames, etc, etc. If you REALLY love your Mario Party, then get all of them. But if you like them just for being fun games, then get one or two. I STILL can't believe they're still being released...
Mario Superstar Baseball Mario Superstar Baseball Sports Generally fun and varied Mario sports game for GameCube, by Namco.  Fun with friends, even fun by yourself, especially if your a big baseball fan.  Has some fun modes and even a story mode? Huh.  Sequel on Wii.
Mario power tennis Mario Power Tennis Sports Sequel to Mario Tennis for the N64. Very fun game, even with some of the ridiculous power shots. Ported to Wii.
Mmacbox Mega Man Anniversary Collection Compilation Mega Man games 1-8 on one disc, plus bonus content. Unfortunately the jumping and shooting buttons have been reversed from the originals and cannot be remapped. If you can get used to that it's a great collection. Also on PS2 and Xbox, each version is slightly different. This version can be annoying as the GCN controller is perfect for 3D games, but garbage for older ones so you might want the PS2 one. Or grab yourself a decent third-party controller like the Hori retro.
Mega-man-x-collection-gamecube Mega Man X Collection Compilation Mega Man games X1-X6 on one disc. Unlike the classic series collection above, the ports on these are a little sub-par, with a few graphical and audio glitches. Also on PS2 with differences. Best if you pick up a retro controller like the one from Hori.
Mmnt Mega Man Network Transmission Platformer A platformer spin-off of the Battle Network series that takes place between the 1st & 2nd games. Starts out a little slow and there is less focus on story than in other Battle Networks, but it picks up speed very quickly and only gets better from there. Mixes elements of the Battle Network series seamlessly with classic Mega Man platforming, making it perfect for those who felt a little alienated by the sudden change in pace between the two. Has really great music as is the standard for these games, but the lazyish cel-shaded graphics leave a little to be desired.
Metal arms GITS Metal Arms: Glitch in the System Run-'n'-Gun Play as a small robot with a huge arsenal of weapons. Very hard, very good. On all formats, none of which are superior. Great, but overlooked. Features a lot of levels, some funny cutscenes and a lot of robots. Also on PS2/Xbox.
MetalGearSolidTheTwinSnakes Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Action / Stealth Developed by Silicon Knights, The Twin Snakes is an enhanced retelling of Kojima hit PS1 title, Metal Gear Solid. Save for a few new surprises, and even more over-the-top cutscenes, the game remains fairly faithful to its precursor. Introduces gameplay elements first seen in MGS2, such as first-person aiming and the ability to hide bodies. Now a collectors item! "I can read your mind...You've been playing Super Mario Sunshine..."
MetroidPrime Metroid Prime FPS / Adventure Successfully transfered the Metroid series to 3D, making it an FPS (some prefer the term "First Person Adventure") in the process. Jumpan, shootan, scannan, upgradan. Made before console shooters had universally assigned left stick to move and right stick to aim. Controls are still tight. An engrossing, heavily atmospheric and lovingly crafted game with the endless exploration and challenging difficulty characteristic of the series. It often ranks among the best games ever made, and for good reason. Also, one of the first games made by Retro Studios. Available on the Wii as part of the Metroid Prime Trilogy.

MetroidPrime2Echoes

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes FPS / Adventure Same tight controls as MP1. A continuation of the story that began with the first Prime. The hook here is the fact that within the game's main setting there are two realities: one light, one dark, similar to Zelda: ALttP. Both combat and puzzle solving practically depend on this dark/light mechanic. A fun title, but seen as less faithful to the Metroid series than the first Prime, in addition to being more difficult. Available on the Wii as part of the Metroid Prime Trilogy. Arguably better on the Wii thanks to some rebalancing of the bosses.'
Clash 2 Naruto: Clash Of Ninja 2 Fighting Pretty awesome improvement upon the first game. Adds mor content, chracters, music, stages, storyline, everything you would expect from an awesome sequel. Don't knock it because it has Naruto on the label, it is one of the gamecube's best single and multiplayer games out there with 4-player versus as well. Soundtrack is kinda solid as well. Very recommended. Play this because of how clash of ninja 4 never came out here. Sequels are on GC as well, but japan only. 3rd game ported as Calsh of ninja Revolution on wii, 4th never ported at all.
File:Clash 3.jpg Naruto: Gekito Ninja Taisen! 3 Fighting This game was never released in america, but ported as Revolution on the wii. Adds a 3-player fighting mode a-la Capcom/SNK fighting -esque because of how all of the squads are playable now. 4th entry is recommended greatly and is the best of the gamecube games. Wii version contains Kisame.
File:Clash 4.jpg Naruto: Gekito Ninja Taisen! 4 Fighting One of THE best fighting games based off of an anime, Naruto GNT 4 has pretty much all of the characters and cover the entire story throughout the original manga/anime. Triple team specials are fucking insane.
Need-for-speed-underground-2-gc Need For Speed Underground 2 Racing Need for Speed, but for black people and white guys who wear their caps sideways.

One Piece Grand Battle GC cover

One piece grand battle rush

One Piece: Grand Battle / One Piece: Grand Battle RUSH Fighting

The original Japanese-only game is One Piece: Grand Battle Rush, the American 4KIDS port/bastardization is just One Piece Grand Battle.  Get the American one if you're too lazy to import or whatever the Japanese version.  Anyways, a fun 3D ish arena fighter akin to Power Stone, features a lot of One Piece characters to play as and has some nice special attacks to boot.

562549 front P.N.03 Third person shooter The mostly forgotten, criminally underrated spiritual predecessor to Vanquish. You play as a sexy freelance mercenary hired to destroy a series of military robots that are going berserk all over the colony planet. Now, this game got bad reviews because it is hard to get into. For example, you can't move fluidly like in Tomb Raider, you can't run and shoot at the same time. But when you learn to play on the game's own terms instead of however you learned elsewhere, you realize that it has a very unique style: a merciless hardcore mix of rhythm and shmup, disguised as a super stylish third person shooter.
652966-ttydus large-1- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door RPG A solid RPG that improves upon its predecessor in many ways. You can now pull off stylish moves, your partners have health bars, and an audience system is in place that judges your performance as well as helping you fight. Clever and funny writing. The gameplay is still very fun; so good, /v/ can agree on it. Prequel is on the N64, platforman sequel is on Wii (Super Paper Mario), with another sequel on the 3DS (Sticker Star), but you don't need knowledge of those to enjoy this. 
Kongcube Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie Action-Adventure/FPS That's right, a good movie tie-in! Made by Rayman/Beyond Good and Evil creator Michel Ancel. Apparently Peter Jackson liked BG&E so much he chose Michel's team to create the game!

Play in first person as Jack, or in third person as Kong himself. Really fun, really atmospheric and very faithful to the movie, with some great voice acting from the movie's cast. One of the first games to throw away the HUD and rely on visual/audio cues to let you know what's up. While it's short (4-6 hours) and could use a few more Kong levels it's a great game and worth checking out.

Also on the Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2 and PC. The Xbox 360 version is superior due to heavily upgraded graphics.

193-1-1- Phantasy Star Online Episodes 1 & 2 RPG Same as the Dreamcast version but with a few additions like multiplayer, faster loading and such. Allows for third-party servers so the online community is still alive(ish). No longer have to pay a sign up fee. A "plus" upgraded edition of 1 and 2, along with a third game that is card-based, are also very good, but very rare!
Pikmin Pikmin RTS A unique game straight from the mind of Miyamoto. You play as Olimar, a captain of an interstellar delivery company from the planet Hocotate who crash lands on Earth an alien world with a bunch of weird-ass creatures on it. With most of your ship (save for the life support which holds 30 days of clean air) scattered around the world, you enlist the help of Pikmin, tiny multicolored plant people, to assist you in finding and salvaging all the needed parts while also fighting off the many creatures who inhabit the Earth.
The last few days can be a real test of sanity, as it gets closer and closer to game over. There is no screwing around. A wasted day means game over. Also ported to the Wii for more wagglan fun!
Pikmin2box Pikmin 2 RTS

Considered better than the first one by most people. Removes the 30 day limit, and adds Olimar's stoner friend coworker Louie. Best additions are two new Pikmin, badass heavy purple and badass white ones. Premise of the game is to collect the many over-sized "treasures" (read: random shit found on the ground like bottle caps, batteries, and pot leaves) in order to pay off a debt Olimar's employer's shipping company has collected. Probably one of the most aesthetically beautiful games on the purple lunchbox. Also ported to the Wii (now in all regions) for more wagglan fun!

914973 front-1- Pokémon Colosseum RPG If you enjoy Pokémon, this is a fun game with or without the GBA counterparts. The main game consists of an RPG where you initially start out with Umbreon and Espeon. As the game progresses, you are able to steal specific Pokémon from other trainers. Only worth it if you're a hardcore fan, as you can only even get certain Pokémon in the game, which restricts some of the freedom of the traditional Pokémon games.
Pokémon XD cover US Pokémon XD: Gale Of Darkness RPG Sequel to Colosseum in which it has a different story set five years after the original. This time, you travel alone, using a device to find Shadow Pokémon, instead of relying on Rui's shadow perception. Way better, more Pokemon to chose from and all that jazz. Can also link to the GBA pokemon games for trade/transfer which you can use to purify your Pokémon so fucking fast it's not funny.

F4fddddf19b803c7c7b5d218f1ca2474-Prince of Persia The Sands of Time

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Action / Platformer A fun platformer made even better by the ability to reverse time. Also noted for its well-done plot and realistic character development. Also on PS2/Xbox, with ports on the PS3 and PC for more high-def delight.
919988 front Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Action / Platformer Improves on the combat from the first game at the expense of an idiotic decision to make the Prince darker and edgier. Fuck you, market research. An enhanced version is available for the PS3.
D2a74e5444580f0497bdb2bbdb93ed73-Prince of Persia The Two Thrones Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Action / Platformer Third game is better than the second. Also on the Wii for some reason.
Redcard RedCard Sports / Fighting

This soccer game doesn't want to be a professional simulation and thus combines fouls plus retarded boosted super kicks (that most of the time score a goal). You can play as the typical national teams but there are also special teams such as dolphins and samurais. (Yeah, I don't know why) The game is so bad that it's actually fun. And yes, not even the referee gives a damn if you kick him in the face. (This is NOT a FIFA Street spinoff)

Red faction II Red Faction II TPS Not as good as the first, but still a solid shooter. Multiplayer is awesome fun with a friend as games can last up to one hour. Can blow up walls!
ResidentEvilCodeVeronicaGC Resident Evil Code: Veronica X Survival Horror Chris and Claire Redfield in the remake of Code Veronica for Dreamcast. This game had some good graphics for its time. Also on PS2, along with an enhanced version for the 360 and PS3.
Residentevil Resident Evil Survival Horror Remake of the original, Resident Evil has excellent graphics, a re-worked script and new voice acting, in addition to some new goodies, such as Crimson Heads (fast, aggressive zombies) and Lisa Trevor (a horribly mutated, insane woman). It lacks the kitsch appeal of the original, but has been improved in every other aspect, and is a must-play for any fan of survival horror. It was ported to the Wii with new play control and 480p support (although the FMV scenes weren't upgraded).
Resident evil 2 cover Resident Evil 2 Survival Horror A direct port of Resident Evil 2, with no improvements in graphics (doesn't support 480p, for instance) and doesn't have the extras of DC version. That's pretty cheap of Nintendo, but if you find it at a reasonable price and don't have a copy of this game, then pick it up. Play as Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield and search for survivors in the devastated Raccoon City; it's often considered one of the best games in the series.
ResidentEvil3NemesisGC Resident Evil 3: NEMESIS Survival Horror / STAAAAAARS FUCK YEAR NEMESIS AND CAPS LOCK! This game is pretty fun and the whole nemesis factor adds to the fear. Also rare for some, thus usually expensive. Doesn't support 480p either.
Resident Evil 4 Resident Evil 4 TPS / Survival Horror Four years in the making, Resident Evil 4 reworked the survival horror series into an action TPS with an over-the-shoulder view. It's extremely fun, but while there may be tense moments, it's not really scary. Also beloved for its ridiculous and self parodying dialogue. ("Small time", "Right hand", etc.) The Wii version has lots of new goodies, higher difficulty, and the 360/PS3 version is a direct port of the GCN version in high-def. Go get those too.
Rezerobox Resident Evil Zero Survival Horror Takes place before the first game. Play as Rebecca Chambers and escaped convict Billy Coen as they discover what's going on in this damned mansion. Has a 'partner swapping' system where you can switch characters on the fly. Also on Wii (though with errors).
106550p The Simpsons Hit & Run Sandbox GTA: Springfield. Catches the feel of the show very well and is great fun. Lots of fan service with references to various episodes. The best Simpsons title since Konami's original Simpsons Arcade game, and way better than the next-gen EA offering.

Also on the Playstation 2 and Xbox.

220px-The Simpsons Road Rage The Simpsons Road Rage Arcade Racing/Crazy Taxi Clone A complete rip-off of Sega's Crazy Taxi series. Sega apparently agreed and sued Fox over it!

While not great it's still a fun little game and well worth playing, especially if you're a fan of the series.

Also on the Playstation 2 and Xbox.

Skies of Arcadia Legends box-1- Skies of Arcadia Legends RPG The definitive version of Skies of Arcadia, this port of the Dreamcast classic includes bonus missions, items, and a new reoccurring antagonist. Turn based battles, intriguing airship battles, epic story line, memorable characters, this is one swashbuckling RPG that you won't want to miss. Music is a bit messed up but still good. Amazingly rare! Best RPG of recent years.
Sonic Gems Collection Coverart Sonic Gems Collection Compilation Sonic CD, Sonic the Fighters, Sonic R, and all of the Game Gear Sonic games all appear for you to play, including a few bonus games! Sonic CD audio is dependent on your location. Sonic R and CD are both ports of the PC versions. Versions outside Japan had games removed.
Sonic mega collection GC Sonic Mega Collection Compilation Sonic 1, 2, 3 and Knuckles, as well as all lock-on variants are all here, including Ristar, Mean Bean Machine and Flicky! Sadly, you have to play each game about thirty times to unlock most of these. Also includes some random FMVs and a huge collection of Sonic comic covers. Game manuals are included! Versions outside Japan had games removed. An expanded version called Sonic Mega Collection Plus came out for PS2 and Xbox which includes the Game Gear games and a few more pictures. PS2 version isn't great, so get it here.
Spiderman2 Spider-Man 2 Action One of the better movie games ever made. Notable for having a huge sandbox version of NYC for you to swing around in. {C}Short main game but billions of sidequests. It's even fun just to swing around, who knows what things you may find. Just keep in mind that like all sandbox games from the 6th gen, the graphics are horrible but the framerate is stable.
Ssx tricky SSX Tricky Sports This title brought "Uber" tricks, off-the-board aerial maneuvers, to snowboarding. Very non-linear level design with plenty of terrain variety combined with the excellent trick system made Tricky unique and fun as hell.
SSX3 SSX 3 Sports Do "Uber" tricks and explore the mountain. Best in the series, with tons to do and tons to buy and unlock.
Starfox adventure cover Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet Adventure Originally intended as a new IP, it was turned into a Starfox title halfway through development. As a result, the vast majority of the game is an on-foot, Zelda-like adventure where Fox uses a magical staff to solve puzzles and fight dinosaurs. Has some very nice graphics. Also introduced furry wet dream Krystal and ever-annoying sidekick Tricky. The Arwing sections are very short and unremarkable. A nice game on its own merits, but not a Starfox title at all.
File:Star-fox-assault.jpg Star Fox: Assault Action / Rail Shooter Arwing parts good, everything else bad. Great soundtrack, bad voice acting. Though it has only ten levels, it does have some replay value but not much. Depending on region, there will be more or less unlockable games. English versions have weird cutscenes (blinking was accidentally removed). Has a hugely improved multiplayer, despite no one liking it in the N64 version.
Star Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast GCN Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast FPS / Action Pretty good SW FPS with fun third-person lightsaber action. Also on PC and Xbox.
Rogue squadron 2 Box Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Flight Sim The sequel to the popular game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for the N64, this time you're taken through Star Wars history as you're guided from one Death Star to another. Amazingly good graphics - some of the best of the generation - though the general feel of the game will remind you strongly of its N64 predecessor.
Star Wars Rogue Squadron III - Rebel Strike Coverart Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike Flight Sim / Action The third in the series, this game is normally frowned upon due to the missions that take place outside of the cockpit. Of course, the missions that take place in the cockpit are top notch and match expectations of any other Rogue Squadron game. This game also includes a fun versus mode and a co-op mode where you can play the more consistent second game with friends.
Super mario sunshine Super Mario Sunshine Platformer Mario has to clean up the hazardous goop that coats the tropical Delphino Island, thanks to Bowser Jr.'s mischief. Use the sentient water-spraying backpack FLUDD to complete levels and collect Shine Sprites; there are also parts where FLUDD is taken away and you'll have to rely on your old-school platform skills. People seem to be warming up to it long after its release; it's a great game, just not what you'd expect from your once-a-generation 3D Mario platformer.
Super monkey ball Super Monkey Ball Puzzle Maneuver your monkey, who is trapped in a ball, to end the exit area of about one hundred hard to stupidly hard levels. Even has some amazing minigames to enjoy, such as billiards, golf and flying. Has a number of sequels on many consoles but only 2 is worth getting.
SuperSmashBros.Melee Super Smash Bros. Melee 2D Fighting Although Brawl made Melee mostly obsolete in terms of roster, this game still has a devoted following. For one thing, fighting is more fast-paced and less floaty than in Brawl. It also doesn't have all the superfluous crap Brawl came with, like tripping. It has an active competitive community, as you've probably heard.
TalesofSymphonia Tales of Symphonia RPG One of the best in the Tales of series. Awesome fighting system, long and decent storyline, good characters, plenty to do, and overall fun. Has a Multiplayer mode, but in battle only. Even after completion, you can replay the whole game with the stats and equipment you already have, plus an added hard mode for kicks! Also released with added content on PS2 only in Japan. Sequel is on Wii, but it's a weird 'un.
Timesplitters 2 TimeSplitters 2 FPS A quirky FPS made by many of the men and women behind GoldenEye. Worth playing for its wealth of modes as well as its fantastic multiplayer. 10 main story levels and countless mission levels as well as a huge unlockable array of characters and cheats mean you'll be playing this one for ages. Also, map editor.
Timesplitters future perfect TimeSplitters: Future Perfect FPS See above, only now with Monkey Curling and a goofy plot. Lotsa new missions, a huge story mode and even more unlockables. Also on PS2 and Xbox, which had online play, but that's probably long gone at this point.
Tomb raider legend gc Tomb Raider: Legend Action / Adventure This is the first appearance of Ms. Croft on a Nintendo home console, and it's nice to have her here too! The game is more action oriented than the previous entries for PS1, but you have some puzzles here and there that will put you to think. It takes place in various sites including Peru, Bolivia, Japan and Kazakhstan among others. Some of those levels are beautifully done. Anyway, it's a great game, rather short, but by the time you finish it you'll be probably missing a lot of hidden treasures. You can replay levels to acquire them and unlock new outfits for Lara, some concept artwork, and cheats among other stuff. There is a "time trial" mode which is quite challenging too. Also available on PS2, PSP, PC, XBox, XBox 360 and PS3 (included in Tomb Raider Trilogy).
Tony hawk 3 GC Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Sports One of the best extreme sports games ever made. Perfected the formula from THPS2, and threw in Darth Maul.
Tony hawk underground Tony Hawk's Underground Sports Taking a departure from traditional Tony Hawk games, Underground places you in the shoes of an aspiring skater working to the big leagues. Easier than the previous games, but a lot of fun. Good story. Eric is the biggest asshole in existence. Play through it twice, and the ending will make you cum buckets. The second Underground game is also pretty good if you can look past the Jackass bullshit.
Tubeslider Tube Slider Racing / Tube Sliding A racing game where the objective is to slide down tubes, Space Pirates would love it.
Ultimatemusclelegendvsnewgen Ultimate Muscle: Legends vs. New Generation Wrestling / Arcade

The definitive Ultimate Muscle (known as Kinnikuman in Japan) game. It's an awesome arcade wrestler that mixes real wrestling moves with super arcade over-the-top finishers. With twenty fighters, a hilarious story mode, and an awesome easy to learn yet hard to master gameplay, this is the ultimate game to allow the player to SHOW THEM WHO THEIR DADDY BE!!!

Also on PS2 as Galactic Wrestling: Featuring Ultimate Muscle with more characters but no story mode.

UltimateSpiderMan GCN Ultimate Spider-Man Action

Follows the comic book series of the same name. Play as both Spidey and Venom, switching aesthetics and playing style. Noted for its comic book aesthetic, but overall a small step down from Spider-Man 2.

Also available on PS2

Viewtiful-joe-boxart Viewtiful Joe Beat-'em-up There's trouble in Movie-land! Joe's girlfriend, Silvia, has been kidnapped by dark forces, and the only way he can save her is by transforming into a tribute to his child superhero, Captain Blue -- Viewtiful Joe! Slow down and speed up time, zoom in, and dazzle the crowd with fancy brawling moves in a love letter to action games of days past. Also on PS2 with some added content. Henshin-a-go-go, baby!
Viewtiful joe 2 Viewtiful Joe 2 Beat-'em-up Essentially an extension of the first game but you can now play as Silvia, Joe's previously kidnapped girlfriend, with her new abilities, adding a whole new level of hardness to an already hard game. Save Movie-land and prepare for awesome! Poor sequels on handhelds, ignore them and treasure 1 and 2.
918882 front WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! Mini-games A port of the first GBA WarioWare title, now on the big screen with multiplayer modes and a few bonus minigames. The cool cutscenes for each level have been removed and replaced with weird FMV things.
Warioworld Wario World Action / Adventure Made by Treasure of all people, Wario World sadly doesn't stack up to its pedigree. It's short and very easy, although most of the boss battles are a lot of fun, and it is a Wario game that isn't a mini-game compilation, so that alone may convince many to buy it. What's there is good, but it's rather empty and unremarkable.

Recommendation Copypasta