GameCube - Best to own forever

[lisalover1]

Usually omissions like that are because there is a better version of the same game in other generations. So I guess my question would be, would you pull out your GameCube specifically to play DD? I'm interested in your opinion.

If I may chime in, almost everyone I know is absolutely adamant that Double Dash was the moment where Mario Kart reached perfection. Me and my friends play a lot of MK, and both the N64 and Wii versions are significantly less popular in our circle than Double Dash. It's simply the nonplusultra, the peak of the series.
I myself do very much appreciate the fact that the Wii version has a lot of different tracks from other versions of the game.

It's interesting that they included Viewtiful Joe which was on PS2 the same as Resident Evil 4.

As for Mario Kart, me and my friends still feel Mario Kart 64 is the pinnacle of multiplayer Mario Kart. It didn't overcomplicate things and although I really enjoyed the Gamecube and Wii versions, it was around when 4 player games were a regular occurrence with friends, although it may be because all my friends had N64s and didn't have Gamecubes.

I'm curious as to why Mario Kart 64 is so popular. In my opinion, it is probably the low point of the series. The controls are way too floaty, the tracks are uninspired, the visuals are muddy (even by N64 standards), and everything just feels half-baked, especially compared to the sublime Diddy Kong Racing. Personally, I believe that Mario Kart DS stands far and away as the best game in the series. It was the first to incorporate online multiplayer, had a wide selection of tracks, lots of playable characters, and the best controls I have seen on any DS racing game. Second best would probably be DD, as it was the only MK game to feature LAN play, it had phenomenal visual flair, creative tracks, buttery-smooth controls, and a rock-solid framerate.

[retrosportsgamer]

Differing of opinions there lisalover. While you cite the high point of the series because of LAN play, I counter with the insane atmosphere of local multiplayer. Mario Kart 64 was fantastic for its time and pretty much set the mark for all future kart games. That's why it remains so popular today. This is almost like saying Super Mario Bros is tame because The New Super Mario Bros was so much better.

[lisalover1]

Differing of opinions there lisalover. While you cite the high point of the series because of LAN play, I counter with the insane atmosphere of local multiplayer. Mario Kart 64 was fantastic for its time and pretty much set the mark for all future kart games. That's why it remains so popular today. This is almost like saying Super Mario Bros is tame because The New Super Mario Bros was so much better.

Oh, come on. I always judge a game based on the time in which it was released. If you'll notice, I didn't say MK64 was bad because DD is better; I said MK64 was bad compared to Diddy Kong Racing, its contemporary. To me, it felt like MK64 never managed to capture the same energy in multiplayer mode that every other MK game has as a staple. Even the original Super Mario Kart felt more energetic. Mario Kart 64, in my opinion, is just a really bland game, and I don't see what the fuss is about. Why do people regard it as one of the best multiplayer games ever?

[Forlorn Drifter]

Differing of opinions there lisalover. While you cite the high point of the series because of LAN play, I counter with the insane atmosphere of local multiplayer. Mario Kart 64 was fantastic for its time and pretty much set the mark for all future kart games. That's why it remains so popular today. This is almost like saying Super Mario Bros is tame because The New Super Mario Bros was so much better.

Oh, come on. I always judge a game based on the time in which it was released. If you'll notice, I didn't say MK64 was bad because DD is better; I said MK64 was bad compared to Diddy Kong Racing, its contemporary. To me, it felt like MK64 never managed to capture the same energy in multiplayer mode that every other MK game has as a staple. Even the original Super Mario Kart felt more energetic. Mario Kart 64, in my opinion, is just a really bland game, and I don't see what the fuss is about. Why do people regard it as one of the best multiplayer games ever?

^I've asked the same about Goldeneye before. The answer is a mix of nostalgia and being one of the better and more popular of the time. Thus, it is believed to be.

[gtmtnbiker]

Mario Kart 64, in my opinion, is just a really bland game, and I don't see what the fuss is about. Why do people regard it as one of the best multiplayer games ever?

I really enjoyed the Battle Mode of MK64. If you lose all of your balloons, you become a bomb and you drive around trying to blow up the other player. I don't recall DD having this. This made multi-player mode lots of fun.

[foxhound1022]

Blasphemy! Goldeneye is the shit.

Nostalgia does play a part, but I can honestly say that for it's time you were hard-pressed to find a more robust multiplayer shooter on a console. Then when Perfect Dark came out, I was stunned. More maps, weapons, options, and bots! There were many outstanding things about both titles, but Goldeneye will always hold a special place for me.

[J T]

It's the whole "best forever" thing that makes this list a challenge. I love F-Zero GX... but I find it hard to think that any racing game is good forever because it is a genre that keeps improving itself with better graphics and sound, but seldomly with new play control. But then again, the original F-Zero for SNES has never gotten old for me, so maybe GX will be good forever too.

Likewise, Soul Calibur II. There are just so many fighting games out there and very, very few are timeless. It's another genre that makes its big strides in graphics and sound, while making incremental improvements in gameplay and balance. I don't think any Soul Calibur is truly good forever.

I think if you are really going to say a game is good forever, it either has to be so absolutely perfect that it can't be improved, or it has to be so original and strange that nobody can copy it. I think games like Odama and Killer 7 would probably be better candidates for this list. Odama is not a great game, but it's the only voice-activated RTS pinball game on the market, and that will probably always be the case. Killer 7 isn't perfect, but the bizarre themes and art direction are really one-of-a-kind and any attempt to replicate that strangeness would quickly be recognized as a copycat.

[johnblade]

So so list. They`re quite a bit of games the GameCube have that is still worth it. Most are already say here but they is one I notice no one say yet. Phantasy Star Online I and II. I know you can play it on the Dreamcast and the PC and yes, the PC one is still playable online (private server) but the GameCube version is still a fun and addicting game which I am still playing even today. Now, need to find the other Phantasy Star game for the Gamecube and I will be a happy man.

[k.vlaros]

After understanding the premise of the list, I see the reason for the obvious omissions and agree with most of these picks. My only nitpick is that Miyamoto has recently given the vaguest of hints that we might see a new F-Zero someday (not counting the Nintendoland mode), and I think GX is a little over rated besides (I like the original and X more to play, though of course less to look at). I'd probably swap Lost Kingdoms or Baten Kaitos with Wind Waker and call it good.

edit,

The paradox of the list's premise, though, is that all it would take would be a HD remake on PSN/XBLA to invalidate any pick. You could minimize that by sticking to smaller devs (or bankrupt devs). JT's suggestion a couple posts above would produce a less mutable list.

[WallCrusher]

Haven't looked at the list yet, but from what I've seen in this topic, lack of TWW is highly insulting. I sure hope Twilight Princess didn't get listed instead.

EDIT: Looked over at the list, man that was pretty lackluster. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Kirby's Air Ride were chosen over so many other 1st party titles? Also, while Viewtiful Joe isn't a bad game, it's definitely not one that I find to fun to replay.