10 Underrated Nintendo Gamecube Titles That Still Hold Up Today

This year, the Nintendo Gamecube will turn 20 years old. From its debut in 2001 to its discontinuation in 2007, the boxy console amassed an impressive library of games, including a number of all-time classics like Metroid Prime, Super Mario Sunshine, Animal Crossing, and Pikmin.

Look beyond the system seller hits, though, and inquisitive gamers will find a treasure trove of overlooked, underrated, and underperforming games that deserved way more attention than they got. Whatever the reason for their lack of success, the Gamecube’s lesser-known titles are also some of its most innovative, creative, and interesting.

10 Custom Robo

Although Custom Robo lives on through assorted spirits and easter eggs in Super Smash Bros., the underwhelming reception the game received on its home console was criminal. The game offered a unique hybrid of arena fighter gameplay with in-depth customization and a compelling story.

The combat and customization, true to the name, are the real stars of the show. Players can change out hundreds of parts to personalize their robots, allowing for dozens of unique playstyles and builds. Going head-to-head with friends in multiplayer mode is exhilarating, but outside of that, there’s a surprisingly robust single-player story with a memorable cast of characters.

9 Skies Of Arcadia Legends

The old-school JRPG Skies of Arcadia initially debuted on the Sega Dreamcast, but struggled with some technical limitations such as punishing load times, which, in addition to the lackluster sales of the console, led to the game missing much of its targeted exposure.

Thankfully it was ported to the Gamecube as Skies of Arcadia Legends in 2002, with the re-release fixing the game’s technical shortcomings. Although it once again fell short of cracking into the mainstream, Skies of Arcadia is remembered as a charming JRPG with an engaging emphasis on exploration.

8 Battalion Wars

Fans of the tactics series Advance Wars, part of the larger Wars metaseries, have good reason to be excited at the moment – after all, a remake of the first two Advance Wars games was announced for the Nintendo Switch. The games feature intense, fast-paced tactical gameplay in a multiplayer and single-player environment, winning them devoted fans.

But there’s a forgotten cousin to Advance Wars, and that’s Battalion Wars for the Gamecube. Battalion Wars puts a unique spin on the franchise by combining the traditional turn-based gameplay with third-person shooter elements, making it a compelling entry in the franchise in spite of its lesser-known status.

7 Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings And The Lost Ocean

JRPG offerings on the Gamecube were somewhat sparse, with the PlayStation 2 sporting most of the generation’s classics. Perhaps because of this reputation, there were a number of intriguing titles on the console that went unnoticed, with one such example being Baten Kaitos.

Developed by Monolith Soft, the team behind modern classics like Xenoblade Chronicles, Baten Kaitos features an innovative approach to its combat and story. Battles are conducted with a unique card game-like system, and the player assumes the role of an unseen guardian spirit rather than one of the main characters, making Baten Kaitos a unique spin on an occasionally tired genre.

6 Geist

There weren’t that many first-person shooters on the Gamecube, with Metroid Prime and its sequel being easily the most prominent entries in the genre. Those who dug a little deeper, however, would have inevitably come across Geist – presumably an attempt to fill the “gritty FPS” niche on the console.

Geist offers an intriguing spin on the genre: rather than playing as a generic soldier or space marine, the player controls a ghost with powers of possession. To start blasting away at enemies, the player must first possess an unsuspecting target to jump into the fray with. This opened up unique opportunities for combat encounters and level design, making Geist an interesting title despite its lackluster sales.

5 P.N.03

P.N.03, short for “Product Number 03”, is an odd Gamecube exclusive from Capcom. Directed by Shinji Mikami (of Resident Evil fame) as part of Capcom’s licensing agreement with Nintendo, P.N.03 is a shooter with an interesting gimmick, or perhaps “shooter” isn’t quite the right word.

P.N.03 appears to have been designed with more of an emphasis on dodging and defense than on shooting, making it play quite differently from other shooters on the market, especially for the Gamecube. Although most would agree that the game doesn’t quite live up to its full potential, the interesting concept and unique controls make it worth checking out.

4 Billy Hatcher And The Giant Egg

Billy Hatcher is a 3D platformer developed by Sega’s Sonic Team, the developers behind most mainline Sonic titles. The game sees the player taking control of the game’s protagonist as he uses the powers granted to him by enormous eggs to explore the game’s 3D environments.

Despite the impressive pedigree of the development team, Billy Hatcher disappointed Sega in sales, perhaps because it failed to compete with bigger releases in the same genre like Super Mario Sunshine. However, despite underwhelming numbers, Billy Hatcher has its proponents who see it as an underlooked entry in the genre.

3 Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

When asked about the classic horror games available on Gamecube, most players would likely point to Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4. Although those games certainly deserve their stellar reputations, there is, in fact, another hidden horror classic in the console’s library.

That title is Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. As a time-hopping horror romp, Eternal Darkness sets itself apart from other horror games of the era through the sheer ingenuity of its scares. The game regularly breaks the fourth wall, feigns technical issues, and will even pretend to delete save files to keep players on their toes.

2 Cubivore

Cubivore is an odd game to exist, and one of the better examples of the low-to-mid budget projects of the era that resulted in some intriguing, but strange games. In Cubivore the player is tasked with guiding a small predatory animal called a Cubivore down its evolutionary pathway, eating, mating, and morphing as it goes along.

Gameplay-wise, the player must guide their Cubivore through a series of 3D levels, exploring them to grow bigger and stronger before they challenge and ultimately eat the level’s boss. The game was released to mixed reviews and lackluster sales, but its oddball concept and unique aesthetic make it worth checking out today. It’s also considerably rare today, so congratulations to those who still have a copy.

1 Chibi-Robo!

Enthusiasm for the odd Gamecube adventure title Chibi-Robo! has never quite gone away on account of its tiny, but exceptionally devoted fanbase. The game was met with poor sales on release, but those lucky enough to have gotten their hands on a copy would have found a game bent on consistently defying expectations.

The game’s structure, environments, and story are the real draws here. Chibi-Robo! is a game about a tiny robot cleaning up the home of his owners, so the player has the opportunity to explore a richly detailed family home from a minuscule scale. There’s also a surprisingly grounded, dramatic, and affecting story at play, which is sure to keep players coming back for more.

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