Coming from a kid growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, I can truly say that the GameCube is one of Nintendo’s most underrated consoles of all time. Today many still scratch their heads wondering why the GameCube flopped because the console was practically oozing with games that we consider masterpieces today. Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, and one of my all-time favorites, Animal Crossing.
I can’t remember a day where I didn’t look forward to getting up to pop those 4-inch discs into my GameCube to go onto have hours of entertainment that I’ll never forget.
The GameCube was truly a special console, and one that I believe the Wii, or even the Wii U, never truly lived up to. It’s the reason why you still see so many gamers hang onto, and even continue to play on their GameCube. Go ahead, step on any college campus and tell me you don’t see people still going head to head in Mario Kart: Double Dash or Melee.
If you owned a GameCube, then it definitely still holds a special place in your heart, and if you never did, then after this list you’ll no doubt be compelled to buy one. Because today we’re going through 15 underrated games on the console that deserve a second look, and also bringing up 15 games that feel a tad overrated looking back on it. Hopefully, we’ll turn you on to a slew of hidden gems, while not inciting too much rage by bringing up too many games you love in the “overrated” section… either way, here we go.
30 Overrated: Mario Superstar Baseball
The GameCube introduced us to maybe the best versions of every Mario sports game. There was Mario Tennis, a game that redefined the tennis experience, giving us something that anyone could enjoy regardless if they liked tennis or not. And nobody who calls themselves a gamer can forget Super Mario Strikers.
But when looking at Mario Superstar Baseball, it’s hard not to get underwhelmed.
This is especially when looking at the two other major Mario sports games on the consoles. Truly, the game isn’t bad, just not as amazing as the other two.
29 Worth A Second Look: Simpsons Hit & Run
If you were like me when you had a GameCube, then you surely owned Simpsons Hit & Run. This was the game for kids who wanted to play GTA but either couldn’t play it because of the age restriction, or realized that there’s no GTA game for GameCube.
Either way, Simpsons Hit & Run is one heck of a good game, even when compared to its GTA counterpart. The game might wear its influences on its sleeve, but it’s unique enough to deliver a sensational experience whether you like The Simpsons or not.
28 Overrated: Sonic Adventure
Sorry, but if you’re a Sonic Adventure game and you don’t feature the iconic “Escape from the City,” then you’re not cutting it in my books. The first Sonic Adventure is just a game that feels so messy, and it truly doesn’t feel like it has stood the test of time.
Granted, I do get a kind of guilty pleasure feeling when I play this game, but that’s because I’ve already accepted that it’s a terrible game.
I barely even give the second game a pass because these were the games that led to the horrendous Sonic 3D games like Sonic 06 (I shivered just at its mention).
27 Worth A Second Look: Viewtiful Joe
If you look at any GameCube top 10 lists, then this game is sure to make it, so it begs the question of if it’s truly underrated. But since we rarely hear anything about this game today, we just had to include it on this list.
Viewtiful Joe is a game that was seriously ahead of its time, and it could totally still pass as a release today.
You take control of a pizza delivery boy who becomes a behind-kicking superhero, but story aside, the mechanics and visuals of this game make me salivate. This game deserves a remaster now.
26 Overrated: Crash Tag Team Racing
This is a game that easily can be seen as underrated if you wear a nice pair of rose-colored nostalgia glasses but this is just another game that has not stood the test of time.
There’s a reason you never hear anybody bring up Crash Tag Team Racing even after the massive amounts of success that the remastered trilogy has received. Sure, the game was a ton of fun, but it was a Diddy Kong Racing/Mario Kart rip-off and it doesn’t separate itself from those two really at all.
25 Worth A Second Look: Sega Soccer Slam
I’m a guy who absolutely hates sports games, especially those realistic ones that EA rehashes and resells every year. But I always keep an open mind in this genre, and a lot of the reasons for that can be attributed to Sega Soccer Slam.
Now, you may be asking yourselves, is this game really worth it when you have a game like Super Mario Strikers? And the answer to that is, yes, 1000 times yes.
This game is nuts, the rosters are unique and off-the-wall, and the gameplay is something that could truly go head to head with Mario Strikers.
24 Overrated: Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Yup, it’s time to get serious in this list, and this is the part where a ton of you start to begin your march asking for my head, because this game feels like the most overrated entry in the series.
If you asked me as a kid, I’d only respond by screaming at how amazing this game is, but it’s easy to see how blown out of proportion that opinion was.
The game was worshipped for being the best Zelda game, but looking back on it I don’t even think it was the best Zelda game on the GameCube.
23 Worth A Second Look: Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2
Remember when Star Wars games (and movies) were good? Yeah, I know, it’s a little hazy… I have a hard time going that far back as well, because it truly does feel like it’s been such a long, long time.
But for a period we were in a renaissance of Star Wars games, and Rogue Squadron 2 was in the middle of it.
The game lets you take control of a multitude of Star Wars vehicles and lets you take on iconic missions in them. The controls were tight, the graphics were solid, and the game was great.
22 Overrated: Pokémon Colosseum
It may be more so regarded as an N64 game, but this game did manage to find its way onto the GameCube as well. This game ain’t bad, because you know, 3D console Pokémon games are a genre that we’ve lacked in until very recently.
Now that we have a 3D Pokémon on deck for consoles, this game just looks like an unnecessary precursor.
And I’ll honestly give this game leeway on the N64, but for GameCube, nah. That console had the power to run a full-fledged 3D Pokémon, making Pokémon Colosseum an unworthy entry to the GameCube’s library.
21 Worth A Second Look: Super Monkey Ball 2
Man oh man was this game the bee’s knees back in the day (kids still say bee’s knees right?). It’s almost eerie to see this franchise have no support nowadays, especially looking at how massively popular the games were.
Super Monkey Ball 2 in a way was that super frustrating, but super addictive mobile game that we’re all into to see who could be the best.
Personally, I was trash, falling off the map every two seconds but that didn’t stop me from having a blast. Oh, and the story mode is a serious improvement over the first.
20 Overrated: Super Monkey Ball
Yeah, this one’s going to feel like a bit of nitpicking, but sometimes the sequel is just so good that you just feel like the original can’t even compare. Super Monkey Ball 2 was the Dark Knight of video games, offering something that was just better on every level than the first.
I can’t even go back to the first game because I just feel like I’m playing the inferior version.
The first Super Monkey Ball ain’t bad, but it’s easy to see that the developers were still working out the kinks and got most of them out the second time around.
19 Worth A Second Look: Donkey Konga
Raise your hand if you thought this game was trash growing up, but you never played it. Yeah, that was pretty much me, always scoffing at the sight of this game until one day I gave it a try when a friend busted them out.
And honestly, once you get the controls down, this game is just a good time.
This was Nintendo’s attempt at capitalizing at all that Guitar Hero success and they made a quality, yet underappreciated experience with Donkey Konga. If anything, just check out that wicked soundtrack.
18 Overrated: Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Well, we might as well stay in the music genre and get this one out of the way because it seriously brings back terrible memories. It was fun to watch friends tear up the dance mat and their floors from this game, but this game just suffers from some problems I can’t overlook.
And I’m willing to overlook the price, the gimmicky floor map, and the almost meme-able Mario dance moves.
But what I’m not willing to overlook is the soundtrack, which I just find laughably bad. Seriously, play this game if you want a good laugh because I never get over how awkward and cringy everything comes off.
17 Worth A Second Look: SSX Tricky
Surprisingly, this game is a candidate for one of my favorite games on the GameCube, and I find it to be one of the best-hidden gaming gems, period.
This game is a perfect mesh of so many things: soundtrack, mechanics, characters, maps, all perfected to give you an unforgettable experience.
As soon as you turn on the game and hear the “EA BIG!!” soundbyte, you’re greeted by the song “It’s Tricky” by Run DMC and a montage of gameplay that still gives me chills to this day. I still have to come back to this game every year to get my nostalgia fix.
16 Overrated: Mario Golf
Allow me to preface this one by saying that it’s truly unfair how stacked the Mario sports games are on the GameCube, making games like Mario Golf and Mario Baseball look bland in comparison. These games aren’t bad by any means, but if I’m turning on my GameCube I’m never, ever putting these two on.
Mario Golf did make golf “fun-ish” for me as a kid, but I still found it the weakest out of the Mario sports games.
If you’re a golf fan, then you might like it more than most, but this game is just one I never really feel compelled to go back to.
15 Worth A Second Look: Mario Party 4
Any true Mario Party fan will let you know that the series was on the decline after its glorious N64 years. But what most N64 Mario Party fans always fail to recognize is that there were a few good ones on the GameCube.
Specifically, Mario Party 4 shined as a game that took the best elements from the N64 Mario Party games while also giving us more timeless mini games and boards.
For me, Mario Party 4 is the last of the truly great Mario Party games. I like a few after 4, but they just never had the same feel that I’ll always love.
14 Overrated: Metroid Prime 2
This game is usually regarded as the weakest in the Metroid Prime trilogy, but since it still received so much critical and fan acclaim I decided to feature it here. And just like a lot of other games in this section, this is BY NO MEANS a bad game… in fact, it’s pretty good, just basic.
The game introduces us to Dark Samus, which is just “been there, done that” after playing Zelda games.
And the game doesn’t come with anything truly new and innovating coming off the first game.
13 Worth A Second Look: Ultimate Muscle Legends Vs. New Generation
This is definitely the most hidden out of all the hidden gems on this list, but I still think it’s just as good if not better than a lot of the games here. Ultimate Muscle was a manga/anime series that was rather popular internationally but now is more so seen as achieving cult-appreciation status.
It’s a goofy series about wrestling with characters like Ramen Man, Wally Tusket, and GazelleMan.
Yeah, it’s really weird, and the game embraces that while just giving us a really good fighting game… definitely check this one out.
12 Overrated: Pikmin
I feel bad picking on the Pikmin franchise (pun intended) because this fandom is just so nice, and is relatively small when compared to the rest of the Nintendo sub-fanbases. But the first game rubs me the same way the first Monkey Ball does, you can tell it’s just the start of things.
The Pikmin games have gotten progressively better with the third game being the best in my opinion and the first giving us something good that had a whole lot of potential. Thankfully, that potential was reached with later entries.
11 Worth A Second Look: Ikaruga
Ika who ga? Well, I guess I can’t make that joke because this game has reached some mainstream success with a release on the Switch, but I still feel like it deserves more attention.
You get thrown into the action as soon as you turn this on, and you’ll see that you’re a ship that can flip between two distinct colors.
Also, you’ll see that the screen is always littered with bullets, but the cool thing is you can go through the bullets of the color of your ship. This game is awesome and is worth a buy on your Switch or GameCube.
