IGN's Top 25 Gamecube games

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New Wii owners that never had a GC are always making topics here asking for the best GC games to pick up. While CAG's have given lots of good answers, there is now another source to point these people too. IGN is running a series on the "dead" platforms where they pick their top 25.

Here is the Gamecube list:

http://cube.ign.com/articles/772/772300p1.html

1. Metroid Prime
2. Resident Evil 4
3. Super Smash Bros. Melee
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
5. Eternal Darkness
6. Pikmin 2
7. F-Zero GX
8. Prince of Persia Sands of Time
9. Super Mario Sunshine
10. Wave Race Blue Storm
11. Animal Crossing
12. Beyond Good & Evil
13. Resident Evil
14. Soulcalibur 2
15. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes
16. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
17. Viewtiful Joe
18. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
19. Timesplitters 2
20. Killer 7
21. Super Monkey Ball 2
22. Battalion Wars
23. Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
24. DK Jungle Beat
25. Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes

I would put Rogue Leader higher (it is still one of my favorite console games OF ALL TIME, any platform). Also, Paper Mario probably ought to be higher. I haven't played MGS, Killer 7, or BK, though I have them all - but they seem appropriately placed from what I've read (except possibly Killer 7 which maybe doesn't belong on the list at all). Apparently they didn't consider Twilight Princess a GC title, though many may consider that the best one, Wii or no Wii ;). Conspicuously missing from the list are Mario Kart DD, Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, and Tales of Symphonia, IMO (I'd remove SMB 2, Timesplitters 2, Killer 7, Resident Evil, and Wave Race for these in a heartbeat with a few spare slots left over for some other games).

FWIW, I own 20 of the 25, with my only missing ones being Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4, Wave Race, Timesplitters 2, and BG&E. I have BG&E on the PS2 and would gladly swap that for a GC copy if I could ever find one. And I have Timesplitters Future Perfect, which I've heard from some is better than 2. I'd snag Wave Race if I could ever find that cheap, and I simply have no interest whatsoever in Resident Evil, no matter how good people tell me it is.

Other lists:

:gba: http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/772/772284p1.html (I own 16/25 - kind of surprising since I've never really been into playing GBA games)
:ps2: http://ps2.ign.com/articles/772/772296p1.html (I own 16/25, including 4 of the top 5 - like RE, I have no interest in GTA)
:xbox: http://xbox.ign.com/articles/772/772315p1.html (I own 4/25 - not too bad considering I have never owned an Xbox or 360. I also played KOTOR on the PC.)
:pc: http://pc.ign.com/articles/772/772285p1.html (I have owned only 3 of these - nearly every one of them postdates my PC playing days - where's the old school love IGN? I have never even heard of their number 1 - X-COM UFO Defense. WTF?).
 
[quote name='whoknows']I'm guessing #1 will be one of the Zelda games or Mario.[/QUOTE]

Oh, no doubt the following are still to come (in no particular order):

Animal Crossing
Super Mario Sunshine
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Resident Evil 4
Zelda Wind Waker
Zelda Twilight Princess
Pikmin (1 or 2, or both combined as one entry)
Tales of Symphonia
Mario Kart Double Dash
Metroid Prime

So, barring some huge oversight (as all of those belong way above most of the ones they've listed so far), that's 10 of the 15 remaining slots. Much like the bubble teams for the NCAA tournament, here are others that could be in those last 5 slots:

Soul Calibur II
Eternal Darkness
Prince of Persia Sands of Time
F-Zero GX
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
Ikaruga
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Mario Power Tennis
Super Mario Strikers
Lego Star Wars

I'd be inclined to exlude the multiplatform titles, but they did put Killer 7 on the list already, so they aren't doing that.
 
[quote name='whoknows']It really would be more interesting if they did Gamecube exclusive games only.[/QUOTE]

Well, except for Killer 7 and Viewtiful Joe (and that WAS an exclusive for a bit), they did. I wouldn't expect them to include Soul Calibur II at 15 or above, so that's probably out. Same with Lego Star Wars and PoP.

If I had to make a guess of just 5 more to add:
Eternal Darkness
F-Zero GX
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
Ikaruga
Super Mario Strikers

I dunno... I could see Ikaruga or Strikers being off the list completely. So who knows what they'll throw in there ;).

I also forgot a few others they might consider:
Chibi-Robo
Mario Party series (unlikely but maybe as a whole they'd include them)
 
The best part is you can pick up pretty much any of those games for under $20 each. :D


Killer 7 is a strange animal. Is it a good game? Not really. Its more like an interactive flash app.

Is it a stunningly beautiful and stylisitc game? Yes.

Is that enough? Considering its under $10 now I say yes. I'd be mad if I paid $50 for it, but for $7, its a must buy. And you really should play it a bit, even for an hour or so.

I think that Killer 7 will be one of the names that gets thrown into the 'are games art?' discussions.
 
I probably used to have whatever the top 25 are in my rack of a hundred games, but now that I've cut that down to 27... unlikely. For better or worse, I don't like many of the popular games:

Paper Mario: Awesome
Viewtiful Joe: felt tedious
Rogue Leader: good, but only played it a few times
TimeSplitters 2: good, but gave me nausea
Killer 7: interesting, not selling it :D
Monkey Ball: ugh
Battalion Wars: digging it, but can be hard as hell
Baten Kaitos: wanted to love it, hate cards
DK JB: rather play Donkey Konga or DKC, not the two mashed together
MGS: don't like the series
 
[quote name='botticus']
TimeSplitters 2: good, but gave me nausea
[/QUOTE]

Same here, that and a James Bond game were the only ones to ever do that.

I think the game is overrated, but the multiplayer is great.
 
Ooo these lists aren't good at all so far...I mean theres 1 or 2 on every list that I think deserves its spot...but the rest I hate. Seems they're really into sports for the PS2 or something...anyway what I gotta say about the GC ones:

Paper Mario: Awesome
Viewtiful Joe: great at first...got repetitive fairly quickly
Rogue Leader: awful...
TimeSplitters 2: awful...
Killer 7: horrid!
Monkey Ball 2: not bad...but number one was better...should be monkey ball series since they're kinda similar, but ya I'd say top 25
Battalion Wars: pretty awesome the first time around, not sure if it's top 25, but then again there isn't much selection
Baten Kaitos: never played it, but really want to if I can find it cheap!!
DK JB: never played....agreed on the new DKC needed instead. I'd freaking love a DK64 or DKC sidescroller in 3D graphics...cmon Microsoft make one!!
MGS: w/e...

So far I really only think Paper mario deserves to be there, and MAYBE Monkeyball 2 and battalion wars depending on how many good games there are...I can't think of many right now.
 
I loved Viewtiful Joe, simply because it was DMC made into a side-scroller.

TimeSplitters 2 was quite good, but if TS:FP doesn't supplant it higher up on the list, then a travesty is committed. TS2 was kinda weak in the late game. Hell, I liked 007:Nightfire more than TS2, and 007:EoN is a MUCH better game than stuff like Twin Snakes.

I still remain firmly in the "What the heck do you people see in the disjointed mess that is Killer7?" camp, so there.

What did Battalion Wars deliver to make it worth a sequel, anyway? I couldn't get into it.
 
Well, we know RE4 will be number 1.:lol:

I have all of the games except for Super Monkey Ball 2. I wonder if I'll be missing any in the top 15.
 
Not a bad list. Eternal Darkness MUST make the top 15. Its the only game (shabby graphics and all) that I've beaten 3 times.
 
I am confused by the high ratings of Timesplitters 2. It's probably for the multiplayer, but I play most games alone. I bought it a few years ago at Best Buy for $10 and felt like I got ripped off. The enemy AI was horrible, and I don't usually judge AI too harshly (I was really pleased by Red Steel). But the enemies would not shoot at me and just stand there. It just felt really generic.
 
Come to think of it, I really don't understand the high rating for TS2 either. TS:FP is the superior game, hands down. And for multi-console games, they could have dug into an immense selection of juicy stuff. Coming up with TS2 is like coming up with pizza when you could come up with lobster bisque.

MGS:Twin Snakes was just a PS1 game with prettier graphics, and all the flaws of that PS1 game (lol backtracking) without any of what could be a THOUSAND improvements to the flawed original. Plus, the voice actors dropped all their accents.
 
D'oh! Numbers 15-11 are in and there are a few I wasn't expecting. That means they've left some REALLY good stuff off the final list that I would expect to be top 10 material. Interesting...

11. Animal Crossing
12. Beyond Good & Evil
13. Resident Evil
14. Soulcalibur 2
15. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes

Wow... I wasn't expecting any of those except AC. Possibly SC II as I had listed it before - but thought it might be excluded from being so high up as it is multi-platform. I am VERY surprised at Resident Evil (note this isn't 4 yet!). And BG&E is also a surprise that high. Does this mean we will still see Prince of Persia Sands of Time up there? If not, why isn't it lower on the list when all these other multiplatform games are on there?

So now there's only 10 left. OK, let's list the stone-cold locks:

SSBM
SMS
Zelda Wind Waker
Zelda Twilight Princess
Metroid Prime (they say as much under MP2)
Resident Evil 4

That leaves only 4 spots for other ones such as:
Eternal Darkness
F-Zero GX
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
Ikaruga
Super Mario Strikers
Pikmin (1 or 2, or both combined as one entry)
Tales of Symphonia
Mario Kart Double Dash
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Mario Power Tennis
Super Mario Strikers
Lego Star Wars

I'm going to guess that the final 4 come out of the following though, based on what they've picked so far:

Eternal Darkness (they seem to have a horror fetish - personally no RE games or anything from that genre would be on my top 25)
Pikmin (probably the 1st one)
F-Zero GX or Mario Kart Double Dash
Tales of Symphonia (as this is thought of as much better than BK which they already included)

What this means is they've left Fire Emblem PoR completely off the list which is criminal considering they put crap like RE on there (and SC II and Killer 7 and TS2 and MGS:TS).

I'll have to consider their final list and then make my own... Mine would vary wildly from theirs and probably most CAG's too, as RE 4 won't be anywhere near it ;).
 
[quote name='RollingSkull']Come to think of it, I really don't understand the high rating for TS2 either. TS:FP is the superior game, hands down. And for multi-console games, they could have dug into an immense selection of juicy stuff. Coming up with TS2 is like coming up with pizza when you could come up with lobster bisque.

MGS:Twin Snakes was just a PS1 game with prettier graphics, and all the flaws of that PS1 game (lol backtracking) without any of what could be a THOUSAND improvements to the flawed original. Plus, the voice actors dropped all their accents.[/QUOTE]
Well they did eliminated the key card things near the end of the game. I agree with the voice acting, it is just not that good even with most of the same voice actors.
 
Interesting list. I'm surprised that I own two-thirds of the games on the list so far (or have played them extensively, and own a prequel/sequel). Of the remainder, I'll probably check out Viewtiful Joe, Beyond Good and Evil, Killer 7, and Battalion Wars, as they've all been games that have been on and off my list. As for Resident Evil, I still have no interest in it.

Of the games off your list, I'd say Eternal Darkness and Tales of Symphonia are guaranteed, seeing as similar, "inferior" games are already included (Resident Evil, Baten Kaitos). As for the remaining two, Mario Kart: Double Dash and Pikmin are probably the most "logical" choices, as Mario Kart and Pikmin are iconic, and I can't see either of them not making the list when Killer 7 did, even if it is a work of art.
 
[quote name='G33']Interesting list. I'm surprised that I own two-thirds of the games on the list so far (or have played them extensively, and own a prequel/sequel). Of the remainder, I'll probably check out Viewtiful Joe, Beyond Good and Evil, Killer 7, and Battalion Wars, as they've all been games that have been on and off my list. As for Resident Evil, I still have no interest in it.

Of the games off your list, I'd say Eternal Darkness and Tales of Symphonia are guaranteed, seeing as similar, "inferior" games are already included (Resident Evil, Baten Kaitos). As for the remaining two, Mario Kart: Double Dash and Pikmin are probably the most "logical" choices, as Mario Kart and Pikmin are iconic, and I can't see either of them not making the list when Killer 7 did, even if it is a work of art.[/quote]

IGN gave Mario Kart Double Dash a 7.9 though. No way can they consider that a top 25 game. Pikmin got a 9.1, so that will be on there.
 
[quote name='Spades22']
Rogue Leader: awful...[/quote]


WhatwhatWHAT??? Wow. Ive never heard anyone call those SW Rogue games 'awful' before. Those are my favorite Star Wars games ever, across all systems.


I predict RE4 will be #1 on the list. Thats where I would put it. Its my favorite game of all of last gen.
 
Are they on crack? If Super Monkey Ball 2 is #21 then the original better be in the Top 10. The first one is MILES better.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']WhatwhatWHAT??? Wow. Ive never heard anyone call those SW Rogue games 'awful' before. Those are my favorite Star Wars games ever, across all systems.


I predict RE4 will be #1 on the list. Thats where I would put it. Its my favorite game of all of last gen.[/quote]

It has to be, unless they put Twilight Princess there. I still don't think that even comes close to topping RE4. In my opinion that is the best game of all time.
 
It's funny how Battalion Wars received so much backlash when it was first released, bombed at retail (even, if this is true, I heard that Nintendo was originally going to call it Advance Wars something but then changed it to Battalion Wars because the quality wasent there) and now it's become somewhat of a cult classic. Odd.

Also, I just coulden't get into TimeSplitters 2. It's not a Halo, let me tell you that. And I tried to play it. I didn't even enjoy the co-op, an the multiplayer was take it or leave it. Also, it doesent help that none of my friends, cousins, or anyone likes it, so I have a mint copy just sitting on my shelves going unplayed. Oh well. It only cost me $13
 
I think this further proves that IGN is on something.

Anyone look at their PC list yet besides the OP? They are shit! I didn't play a lot of PCs games but C&Cs should have at least two spots, Sim City, Civ. To IGN it seems that PC gaming is no older than 10 years old.
 
I own 10/15 listed so far, but a few are borderline top 25 when looking at what will be left off. Beyond Good & Evil and Resident Evil stick out as WTF. I'd laugh but not be surprised if they included Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles in the top ten.
 
Ya...forgot Donkey Kong is Nintendo I was thinking Rare since they made the DKC ones xD Anyway Nintendo probably can't make it as good as Rare did...but I still want one!

And first of all I don't like star wars really anyway...(although lightsabering on those jedi academy games for PC is fun online...it's like swordfighting except you can jump and fly all over the place in a duel...) but I have only played one rogue game a couple levels...didn't like it...

BTW you guys already know MP will be in the top 10 because they say it under the MP2 explanation lol. I like PS2s new additions...I think they chose good titles for those. Animal Crossing deserves the spot around there...I still REALLY gotta get Baten Kaitos, BG&E and SCII for GC...been wanting to for awhile but just can't find em. Metroid is pretty good...but its the type of game I have to buy and beat on my own time to like it...renting just makes it bleh.
 
[quote name='62t']Well they did eliminated the key card things near the end of the game. I agree with the voice acting, it is just not that good even with most of the same voice actors.[/quote]

They eliminated the temperature changing keycards? I must have stopped playing right before that then...
 
[quote name='Doylerulez']I own 10/15 listed so far, but a few are borderline top 25 when looking at what will be left off. Beyond Good & Evil and Resident Evil stick out as WTF. I'd laugh but not be surprised if they included Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles in the top ten.[/quote]

I loved REmake! lol
 
Based on the picks so far and looking at the Editor's Choice sorted by score, the top 10 will probably be these games (I'm predicting the order):
1. RE4
2. Super Smash Bros. Melee
3. Metroid Prime
4. Zelda: Twilight Princess
5. Zelda: Wind Waker
6. Eternal Darkness
7. Pikmin 2
8. F-Zero X
9. SSX 3
10. Super Mario Sunshine

I'm predicting they will list both Zeldas, both Metroids (because they would drop 2, not 1), but only one Pikmin game (no way do they spend two top 10 slots).

Note: this is *not* my top 10, just what I think theirs will be.

Mine would have been significantly different.
 
Yeah, I think you are pretty close ma, though I somehow doubt SSX 3 will be on there. Or at least it shouldn't be. If they put that on, it invalidates their whole list (not that it is a bad game, but it just doesn't belong on a top 25 GC list - I mean, where are all the versions of Madden then?). I do have a feeling Mario Kart DD will be left off. That is a crime - it may not be top 10, but c'mon, it is a top 25 GC title. I know many purists here don't think it is all that great, but I've played the very meh N64 version (VC) and it is a pale imitation of MK DD as far as I'm concerned.

I also think FE:poR and Chibi-Robo should be on the list, but i can understand them not including them. Anyway, when they are all done I'll compile my own list. Maybe we can have a bunch of people make lists and then average them into one CAG top 25 list? I can do the work on that if everyone wants to join in. Just post them here...
 
[quote name='schuerm26']IGN gave Mario Kart Double Dash a 7.9 though. No way can they consider that a top 25 game. Pikmin got a 9.1, so that will be on there.[/quote]
Didn't realize that. In that case, it'll probably go to F-Zero GX (mainstream) or Ikaruga (sleeper), unless they decide that Mario Kart is iconic enough that it has to make the list somewhere, regardless of the score they gave it.
 
[quote name='G33']Didn't realize that. In that case, it'll probably go to F-Zero GX (mainstream) or Ikaruga (sleeper), unless they decide that Mario Kart is iconic enough that it has to make the list somewhere, regardless of the score they gave it.[/quote]personally i didn't like double dash, but thats just because it didn't feel "smooth" enough
 
My list would be something like this. I'm not a fan of RPGs through and there are a few more than 25.

Animal Crossing
Battalion Wars
Beyond Good & Evil
Billy Hatcher and The Giant Egg
Chibi-Robo
Cubivore
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Donkey Konga
F-Zero GX
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Geist
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Mario Sports
Mario Parties
Metal Arms: Glitch In the System
Metriod Primes
Pac-Man Vs.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Resident Evil 4
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
Super Mario Sunshine (You have to have Mario)
Super Money Ball
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Zeldas
 
Other games influenced by Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes: The ability to use first-person control has existed in every Metal Gear game since Twin Snakes. In addition, Snake is now making a headlining appearance in Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii.
Click to expand...
WTF? First-person in Metal Gear games started back in MGS2 in 2001.
 
OK, the next 5 are in, and one came out of the blue (so to speak ;)):

10. Wave Race Blue Storm (major WTF!? here)
9. Super Mario Sunshine
8. Prince of Persia Sands of Time (d'oh!)
7. F Zero GX
6. Pikmin 2

OK, so now we are down to 5 spots and we know exactly what they are, barring a complete and utter collapse of civilization (or possible they leave Zelda TP off because they consider it a Wii title??):

Metroid Prime
SSBM
Zelda Wind Waker
Zelda TP
Resident Evil 4

This means that such classics as Mario Kart Double Dash, Eternal Darkness, and Tales of Symphonia were left off the list entirely - which is utterly insane. I've never played ED, so I'm going off the CAG consensus on that one. But the other two belong in the top 25 over many of their other entries. I don't think either should be top 10, but definitely top 25, c'mon!
 
10 for GCN so far. Not bad, but it is technically higher as I own quite a few of those on the PS2/other systems

9 for the Xbox so far

14 for the PS2 so far

6 for GBA so far (They had the worst choices for this system. Ultimate card games? WTF?)
 
Eternal Darkness is a shit game and a very others here see that.

"But it has a good story". Wow! a good story in a game that the camra angles are so bad it's unplayable! And that the fighting system is a joke! It's a game not a movie people and I'm glad, but surprise, it didn't make the list.

EDIT -

God good... Even more proof of how dumb IGN is. They talk about how great Sim City 2000 is and then they show a picture of Sim City 3000. 2000 and 3000 look nothing alike.
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']WTF? First-person in Metal Gear games started back in MGS2 in 2001.[/quote]

Yeah, that me wondering what they're on. Where do they think that game engine came from? Maybe MGS2?

I don't know about anyone else, but seems like they're cheating. Picking multiplatform games and putting them on other lists(I've seen BG&E and POP:SOT so far). They should've just picked the best version and put it on that list, so that the others will have a chance for other games.
 
12/20 for GCN so far. I had a couple more, but I sold them off.

13/20 for GBA

8/20 for PS2, though I've only had it for 1 year.
 
Interesting to see Tales of Symphonia and Eternal Darkness get left off a top 25 list. ToS does suffer from "over-hype" and has a cliched story, so I could see it missing a top-25 if the reviewer hates things like that (I suppose it's in the 25-30 range). I still feel it should have been included somewhere, as I'd say it's top-25 worthy. I've never played Eternal Darkness, so I was rating it on what I've heard about it. My friend did quit playing it because of the poor control scheme, but I thought that was just because the game he finished before it was RE4. I don't play survival/horrors, so I don't know if this was justified or not.

As for the top 5, Resident Evil 4, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Metroid Prime and Super Smash Brothers Melee are guaranteed to have a spot. Twilight Princess will probably take the 5th spot (multiplatform games don't seem to be an issue), but it was a bit of a disappointment, and may thus be left off the overall list. However, if that were to happen, I would have expected it to at least get a token mention in the 21-25 range, just for being a solid (but slightly underachieving) Zelda game, so it's probably there.

I think they should have had a top multi-platform list, instead of including games like PoP:SoT and BGaE on every single console. Even if you have to dig harder for exclusives, it does unclutter the individual lists quite a bit. Otherwise, the lists are quite interesting, including and excluding games that would be definite exclusions/inclusions on any other list. I don't quite agree with them, but I respect that fact.

Own/Played extensively
GBA: 5/20 (Adding Mario Golf sometime in the future)
PS2: 5/20 (most on my "to buy/play" list)
XBX: 1/20 (don't own an Xbox. I do have a $1 JSRF though)
PC: 7/20
GCN: 12/20

Apparently, my tastes aren't top-25 worthy :D.
 
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