Lunar Threads

I saw this thread on another forum and thought it was interesting since the GameCube certainly isn't many people's favorite console, nor is it mine. But let's talk about what we did like about it.

I'll start:

There's a lot I like about the GameCube. To this day, the controller is still one of my all-time favorites. I actually refuse to play Smash on WiiU without it. I have to say it, though, the D-Pad was absolutely awful. Thankfully, it wasn't needed very often. The system itself was neat, too. The purple color was pretty rad and I liked the small size with the handle, making it easy to carry to friend's houses to play Melee... not to mention the four controller ports. The GBA player was something else I really loved, as well as linking certain GBA games to GameCube games for secret unlocks, such as getting the Fusion Suit in Metroid Prime or unlocking the original NES version of Metroid - that was awesome.

When I got my GameCube I got it with Super Mario Sunshine and Metroid Prime. Those two games together had me in gaming bliss. A lot of people don't care much for Sunshine but I really enjoyed it. Soul Calibur was one of my favorite Dreamcast games so, naturally, I put an insane amount of time into SC2 on the GameCube, which, also had Link as a playable character and thus making it all the better.

The GameCube era was also my introduction to one of my favorite things in life: Smash Bros. Ah, the memories of when I first got into that game and the long, frustration road of getting good at it...

One genre the system was really lacking in was RPGs. Although, the few that were on it were fantastic. Twilight Princess (though I technically never played the GCN version since I got it at the launch of the Wii), Wind Waker, Baten Kaitos, Paper Mario, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance... Shockingly, Skies of Arcadia and Phantasy Star Online saw ports to the 'Cube, though I never did pick them up since I already had the Dreamcast versions (perhaps now would be a good time to replay Skies, on a Nintendo system this time. Hmm)

Two of my favorite games ever got remakes on the GameCube, which are Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil. While I didn't care much for the remixed music of MGS: Twin Snakes, the better graphics and new gameplay mechanics made it worthwhile. And that RE remake was nothing short of a masterpiece.

Another advantage the console had was that, due to a deal between Nintendo and Capcom, Resident Evil 4 and Zero were exclusive to the GameCube at launch and for a long time after. PS2 didn't get ports of those games for years, IIRC. And with RE4 arguably being the best installment in the series, that was huge at the time.

Something else I was super excited about during the GameCube's heyday was that we were getting home-console Pokemon games for the system. I was crazy hype for Colosseum before it came out. And while I did enjoy the game, it was Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness that I truly loved. Something about that game really got me. The environments, characters, music... I thought it was great, though it's not highly regarded as one of the better Pokemon games. I sure put a lot of time into it and it's still to this day one of my favorites in the franchise. On a side note, I seriously can't wait for the first Pokemon game to come to Switch!

Other honorable mentions:

Animal Crossing
Viewtiful Joe
Battalion Wars
Pikmin 2
Beyond Good & Evil
Wave Race: Blue Storm
F-Zero GX
Luigi's Mansion

In trying to be positive. I'll say I liked it cause it was purple...That is all lol

Skies of Arcadia. I prefer it to the Dreamcast version, cause of the bounties, and the comical situations they produce (I'm aware the Dreamcast version ha better sound, but it's barely noticeable. unlike many Saturn/SNES games ported to PS1 where I notice a definite drop in audio quality.).
I own a Micomsoft XRGB-mini Framemeister. Nintendo putting a propriatary chip for Component / Y PB PR cables is a crime against people who want to play their games with the best possible A/V cables.

The Gamecube was a lot of fun. It was physically the most distinct system out there: small, cube-like, with controllers that didn't have four evenly-shaped and spaced right buttons.

What did I like? The games. I played more PS2 games by virtue of it having more JRPGs, but I still would return to the Gamecube regularly. A few of the highlights, in rough chronological order:

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle - I'd already played it on the Dreamcast, but this one was a frequent feature. My brother and I would play a lot. When we weren't playing multiplayer, we'd each try to get high rankings in levels.
Skies of Arcadia: Legends - I lucked out on finding this in a music and media store on sale. I played the Dreamcast version before, but wanted to see the expanded content. I mainly like this one because the encounter rate is lower.
Super Smash Bros. Melee - my first experience with the series. Still a favorite.
Soul Calibur 2 - I primarily played as Sophitia and Cassandra, but would also dabble in Kilik and Raphael. It's the last traditional fighting game that I really played through. (Sorry Injustice, I only did the story and multiplayer with you.)
Zelda: Ocarina of Time - I acquired this port used. I think it was a bonus for getting Wind Waker. I didn't have an N64, so this was the only way for me to play. It was the first Zelda I beat.
Sonic Riders - I played a couple of other Sonic games I won't mention. This one was my favorite racer for the Gamecube. It was tough but fair, and the drift/board mechanics were a lot of fun. This was the last game I played before getting a Wii.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - I did play a couple of Gamecube games after getting a Wii. This was the main one - my girlfriend at the time bought it for me. First Fire Emblem I played, best Fire Emblem in my opinion.

Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. I cannot figure out why this game hasn't been rereleased for handhelds with screens you can actually see. A couple of months ago I had reason to pop it into the Wii and was reminded all over again of how much I loved it. A cute, fun, multiplayer Zelda with perfectly serviceable single player mode, good music, and charming graphics. Sigh.

Also: the Game Boy Player. I wanted that so badly I actually imported it -- my now-husband had modded his GC so I could play Ura-Zelda, for which I preordered Japanese Wind Waker because the bonus hadn't been announced for the US yet. I still love the GBP.

And, as people said above, Wind Waker and Paper Mario 2. And purple, and orange for the JP market, and platinum. I so very much wanted a platinum GC but got a black one because that's what came with the Zelda Collection. I really really wish the consoles since then had continued with the fun colors. There are like half a dozen black game consoles below our TV, and two that are white. Boring. One of these days I'm going to lose it and paint them all.