Yesterday was the 14th of September, and it was the Nintendo GameCube’s 24th birthday. Does it really seem as though it were yesterday when each and every one of us was worried about how to hold that weird little lunchbox with a handle? Throwback on Twitter gave a little reminder and then asked the big question: What would be your most favorite GameCube game? The answers were absolutely drenched in a downpour of nostalgia and hot takes.
Instantly, Genki cried out about his favorites: RE4 and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. I mean, honestly, that is dope. RE4 on GameCube was the shit back then, and the art style of Wind Waker still stands well today.
From the comment section on, it was a full blast of never-ending throwbacks from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (shoutout to danstaw1223 in caps, we got you) to Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. That Sonic game even got special mention from Genki who said it converted him into 3D Sonic titles. Though, jtmooten was a bit contrary by saying Sonic and Shadow stages were good, but Knuckles and Rouge stages were… well, “incredibly tedious.” Genki was like, “Those levels were terrible! Hated trying to dig up and find emeralds. Lol” — possibly the most relatable GameCube opinion an individual can utter.
It really was a deep love for Resident Evil. Duditsky was even noticing neat little details about the GC version of RE4, the kind of things that go unnoticed sometimes, like “Leon is holding back from hugging in this cutscene?” and preferring the GC version. In the meantime, Speirs44 said they bought the GameCube for three games: Resident Evil 1 remake, Resident Evil 0, and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. Extreme dedication to horror.
But it was about more than those famous names. We got some deep cut classics with AGregtothePast shouting for Phantasy Star Online and Skies of Arcadia Legends, the absolute classics that don’t really get enough respect. KevinKenson seriously waiting on Fire Emblem Path of Radiance to drop on Nintendo Switch Online, which like… same, Kevin. Same.
And then, of course, joined the ranks of the fighting game people with Thyfaris placing RE4 and Soulcalibur 2 together, which honestly was probably the best version of that game because Link was in it?? Remember that? Nintendo exclusive character in a fighting game was wild for the time.
Of course, Double Dash stans made an appearance (BRUNNODANTE is hyped for that) along with a shoutout from ZTriggerDX for WWE WrestleMania 19. Sometimes you have to slam somebody through digital tables, y’know?
It’s really nice to see how many people are still super passionate about a console that came out 24 years ago. PCMR_Elitist said it best: “Man I love GameCube, such a great console 😍” – and honestly? Mood. GameCube had this weird charm to it. It wasn’t the most powerful, it used those tiny discs, but it had some of the most memorable games of the generation.
Just looking at all those replies giving their top four games and specific memories… it feels nice. In a time where games are patched and updated almost constantly, these are special, complete experiences. These are games that just… existed. You popped in the disc and played. No day one patch; no microtransactions. Just pure gaming.
Also, can we just take a moment to talk about how many people are still holding out for the remakes? Wander626 went ahead and dropped an image of Eternal Darkness with the caption “We need a modern remake,” and like… yes, please. Nintendo if you are guys listening, the people have spoken.
Isn’t it wild for the GameCube to be old enough to have a college degree? But those games? They still hold up. Whether you were team Resident Evil or team Zelda, team Mario, or even team Sonic (minus those treasure hunting levels), the Cube had something for everyone. Here’s to 24 years of one of Nintendo’s most uniquely designed consoles—and games we still talk about after decades.
Say, maybe it’s time to reach into that purple box tucked away in the closet and see if it still works.
