So you’ve not really been drawn into this generation of game consoles? Or perhaps you’re new to gaming? You may even been a keen gamer, but you’ve passed the GameCube by because you’re scared your so-called, crack smoking friends will mock you for owning one. This article will explain in no uncertain terms why you should get hold of Nintendo’s spare-time death machine.

It’s late in the generation. All three manufacturers will be showing off their new consoles at this May’s E3, which means the current batch of consoles are in their respective primes. Each with a vast library of titles, capable of satisfying even the most exacting gamer. Of these three, the GameCube has always been the cheapest and you can pick one up for US$99 or less.

The GameCube is small, comes in many colours and has the shortest loading times out of the current crop. It’s controllers are fantastically comfortable, light and stylish. Furthermore, the Wavebird RF controller, is without a doubt the best wireless controller available.

But hardware aside, a game console is nothing without great games. If you can get past what I like to call “Nintendo sugar”, you’ll find some of the best gaming experiences of this generation have their home on the ‘Cube. As in all forms of artistic expression, a lot of stunning examples have been largely ignored by the gaming public, and though I’m not going to turn this article into an “games you’ve never heard of but should have”, it should be known that there are many obscure and bizarre experiences to be had on Nintendo’s baby box.

These are some of my favourites, divided into genre groups:

Platform / Adventure Games

Super Mario Sunshine: The latest 3D Mario platformer is quite a challenge. It has been criticised as being too hard and crafted to cater only to existing gamers, which I have to agree with. It’s for this very reason that Sunshine is such a great game. If you’ve ever played a Mario platformer before, and enjoyed it, Mario Sunshine will satisfy.
(official site, review 1 (Planet GameCube), review 2 (Gamespot) )

Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2: Sega’s charming monkey-based ball rolling puzzlers are delightful surrogate updates to Marble Madness. Apart from the 100+ level single player game in each title, there’s also a wide variety of extremely entertaining multi-player games to choose from. Monkey Target, Monkey Golf, Monkey Bowling and Monkey Boxing are the perfect excuse for yelling and screaming over a few hours (if you’ve got any friends : ). Try attaching a drinking game to any of these primate themed outings and you’re in for quite the evening’s entertainment.
Super Monkey Ball: (official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)
Super Monkey Ball 2: (official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: The latest in a series of Legend of Zelda games departed from a realistic graphical style and instead presented a truly charming cel-shaded world that looks like a Saturday morning cartoon. “Celda” as some call it, is partially a follow-on from the Ocarina of Time, a remake of which you may get if you buy this game (have a look around). You play Link, a young adventurer on a quest to first save his sister, and then the world. Using the power of the wind to navigate an virtual ocean to various islands, Link unravels the past and fights evil. One of my favourite games of all time.
(official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)

Other games that I highly recommend (all reviews are from Planet GameCube):
Luigi’s Mansion (review), Viewtiful Joe (review) & Viewtiful Joe 2 (review), Animal Crossing (review), Harvest Moon : A Wonderful Life (review), Paper Mario : The Thousand Year Door (review).

Strategy / Puzzlers

Pikmin 1 & 2: Have you ever dreamed of controlling an army of angry plant monsters with a whistle? I know I have. Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto apparently conceived the concept of Pikmin whilst gardening one day. You play captain Olimar, a tiny alien stranded on the Earth with a broken ship, the pieces of which have been scattered over a wide area. In order to collect them, you employ the power of up to 100 “pikmin”; tiny plant creatures that come in a variety of colours each with it’s own specialised ability. It’s difficult to describe why playing Pikmin is so much fun, as my description make it sound more like a chore. I strongly suggest playing both the original and then the sequel, as the concept is unique and highly entertaining.
Pikmin: (official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)
Pikmin 2: (official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)

Resident Evil & Resident Evil Zero: Capcom’s super realistic Zombie fests are scary. Maybe not as scary as Silent Hill or Project Zero on the PS2, but they’ll still have you creeping around corners and dreading what’s behind that locked door. If you’re into being scared, play it in the dark and on your own. You play as two people in Zero, one a S.T.A.R.S member (effectively a cop), and the other an escaped convict. Using each person’s abilities you must overcome the Zombie threat and unravel the undertakings of the Umbrella Corporation. Resident Evil (without the Zero), is a remake of the original Playstation game. Both games are effectively adventure/puzzle games with guns and zombies – which is a nice mixture.
Resident Evil: (official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)
Resident Evil Zero: (official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)

Shooters / Racers / Fighters

Since we all know the basic mechanics behind these games, I’m just going to write short summaries.

F-Zero GX: Without a doubt, the fastest racing game you’ll ever play.
(official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)

Metroid Prime & Metroid Prime 2: The best FPS on any console. Yeah, you heard me Halo boy. Metroid Prime Echoes (the sequel to Metroid Prime) is also absolutely superb.
Metroid Prime: (official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)
Metroid Prime 2:(official site, Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)

Ikaruga: From Treasure, the masters of the vertical shooter genre comes Ikaruga. Your tiny ship is sent to face an amarda of enemies and is bombarded with black and white bullets. You polarise your shields to absorb one type, which puts an interesting twist on the genre. A truly beautiful game which first appeared on Sega’s Dreamcast.
(official site (In Japanese), Planet GameCube review, Gamespot review)

Other games that I highly recommend (all reviews are from Planet GameCube):
Mario Kart Double Dash (review), Super Smash Bros. Melee(review), Soul Calibur 2 (review).

It should be clear by now that there are many, many high quality games for the GameCube. There is only one major flaw with the platform, and that’s Nintendo’s seeming disinterest in online gaming. There are a few online games, a modem adapter and a broadband adapter, but it’s nothing compared to Xbox Live.

If you’re looking for an online game box, the GameCube is not right for you. If, however, you want a cheap, high quality console with a vast quantity of unique, exclusive games, in my opinion you need look no further.