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Cult Classics: GameCube Article
GameCube Retro Article by Keza MacDonald
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Star Fox Adventures
- Developer: Rare
- Release: 2002
Was this terrible? In retrospect, yes, probably. But what's so interesting about Star Fox Adventures is why it's not a great game. Everything about it says that it should be: superb developer, exciting new platform, incredible graphics, well-loved but little-known characters just waiting to be creatively fleshed-out, built on a Zelda template straight from Nintendo itself. It's so weird that this game ended up such a completely unimaginative, repetitive, oddly sterile epic adventure, with so much filler packing out its sumptuously rendered world. I remember, at the time, wondering how on earth this could have fallen so short of Rare's previous achievements, and nobody really seems to know. It's a definite curiosity piece, this - its weird and unique blandness is interesting enough to make it worth playing for a Cube historian.
What we said: "Acky wah blah di blah gah GENERAL SCALES!" That rather sums things up.
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure
- Developer: Nintendo
- Release: 2004
This fantastic, inspired game is easily the most under-played and under-appreciated Zelda title ever. Why? Because you had to spend in the area of seven hundred pounds to play it, once you've taken into account the game, the four GBAs, GameCube, four special GBP 15 cables and television big enough and pretty enough to show you Four Swords in all its sumptuous 2D glory. As we've said before, Four Swords looks and plays like a series Best Of, melding superb, sharp Link to the Past graphics with gorgeous GameCube effects, and making the whole experience something to share with friends. If you're not a Zelda fan, it's probably not worth the bother getting all the equipment together four years later. If you are, oh my goodness do it now. You and three excitable friends will be switching between GBA screen and TV screen with synchronised Kraftwerk-esque head movements and bickering over the Fire Rod in no time.
What we said: "A genuine step forwards for multiplayer gaming, wrought from some of the best single-player game design ever put out to pasture."
Bloody Roar: Primal Fury
- Developer: 8ting
- Release: 2002
Ask a critic and they'll tell you that Bloody Roar was pretty average. Ask anyone starved for multiplayer action in the first few months of the GameCube's European release, and they'll tell you it was brilliant. Bloody Roar is a fully and unashamedly ridiculous beat-'em-up wherein every fighter can turn into a different animal for massive damage, and this particular instalment in the series was a GameCube exclusive. It's great because it actually looks and feels like you're hurting things, and because it's silly enough for everyone to play (although I'm told by people who are better at beat-'em-ups than I am that the fighting system has surprising depth). The fighters are big, heavy and violent, and the combat is just simple enough to allow both beginner button-mashers and practiced players to rip things apart with animal force. There are few more raucous, amusing and satisfying Cube multiplayer moments than transforming into a massive tiger and ripping someone's head off.
What we said: Not reviewed. What were they doing when the GameCube was released?
Bomberman Generations
- Developer: Hudson Soft
- Release: 2002
This rarely went back in its box over the course of the five years that my GameCube was on permanent standby under the telly, and is the only really superb Cube multiplayer game that didn't require half a grand's worth of Nintendo hardware to play. Unlike preceding Bombermans, the single-player wasn't rubbish either. Generations is one of the only modern Bomberman games to find the exact correct balance for multiplayer - no item is redundant, no game option is unalterable, and no Saturday night for a long time was complete without a good few matches on this. Not many GameCube owners seemed to have it, either, following the streak of poor N64 titles. It's well worth seeking out.
What we said: Never reviewed. Cocks.
Are you excited about Bloody Roar: Primal Fury on GameCube?
View Eurogamer readers most anticipated games
Related Games
Luigi's Mansion
Lost Kingdoms
Bomberman Generations
Star Fox Adventures
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Lost Kingdoms II
P.N.03 (Product Number 03)
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure
Odama
Kururin Squash
Pac Man Vs.
Bloody Roar: Primal Fury
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Comments: 1-43 of 43 in total
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There was a reader review for Bomberman Generations. Written by me in fact :-)
Not my finest work admittedly, but here we are. |
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BillyBrush
12/03/08 @ 15:15
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Loved Luigi's mansion
the character model was fab, like claymation or something, and he had a hoover which is a big bonus, and when you went in the music room you could turn all the instruments one by one into a mario medly!! it doesn't get much better than that...but it does, the disc could glow in the dark! (if you put it near a light 1st) PN03 is somewhat interesting too, i beleive it inspired the change in Resi4 but maybe that's just because it was wot Mikami did 1st, the game is far to rigid in control though, you'd have thought a dancing character would have had a lil more room for expression rather than being space invaders in 3d |
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seasidebaz
12/03/08 @ 15:24
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ah, bloody roar...
the only game ever where a rabbit could beat the crap out of a tiger... |
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JohnnyWashnGo
12/03/08 @ 15:42
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Skies of arcadia requires a sequel right now on the Wii.
Am I right in assuming that the Gamecube version was sanitised by Nintendo and included none of the naughty things found in the dreamcast version? I only played it on the dreamcast so I don't know if the rumours were true. |
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Skies of Arcadia, best game ever. :)
"Am I right in assuming that the Gamecube version was sanitised by Nintendo and included none of the naughty things found in the dreamcast version?" I think so, something like that. They changed the name of alcohol, too, if I remember right. I don't agree with a sequel on Wii though, it just couldn't do a SoA2 justice. It's a great console, but I'd prefer an expansive world to explore that only the 360/PS3 could produce well enough. |
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Philistines! Odama was amazing. When your men were near the gate, it was somehow amazingly exciting repeatedly yelling "PRESS FORWARD!" at the top of your lungs to force them over the line. Anyone who gave it 3 or 4/10 clearly just found it too hard. It's telling how few reviews featured shots of any stages after Level 4 or 5.
But I digress. I'd like to express my gratitude to Keza for a fantastic feature that almost brought nostalgic tears of joy to my eye. Most. Underrated. Console. Ever. |
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It's telling how few reviews featured shots of any stages after Level 4 or 5.
Except, y'know, most reviews only use screenshots from the press material. So that isn't so much an argument. Loved these Cult Classics articles, by the way. Good stuff. How about doing a comprehensive feature series on lesser known Dreamcast, PSX and N64 games? |
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Skies of Arcadia was censored in exactly the same way on the Dreamcast in Europe and the States.
The only untouched version is the original Japanese release, apart from stuff like the drinks one of the characters is a colossal pervert, you can still see some trace of this in a certain scene where Aika is given some unwelcome attention when she is imprisoned. |
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PlugMonkey
12/03/08 @ 17:28
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I'm truly loving these articles. Had completely forgotten about Odama. Now winging its way to me by the magic of eBay.
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Muddtallica
12/03/08 @ 21:25
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Good calls on the very underappreciated Luigi's Mansion and Four Swords. Luigi's, once you let go of the fact that it's not the epic Mario launch title everyone wanted it to be, is a beautiful and eminently playable cartoon cross between Ghostbusters and Resident Evil, with some excellent stylish touches (the game's soundtrack of Luigi's humming, which gets more tremulous the more damage you take, is little short of genius) and a great sense of humour. Four Swords, meanwhile, is one of the best co-operative multiplayer games of all time; I can't think of a game that is better at filing you with a sense of warm camaraderie one moment, before turning it to vicious, hate-filled rivalry the next (for example, by having all four players standing on pressure pads, only for ONE gem to drop down as a reward...). It's also pure Zelda, albeit Zelda re-envisaged as the sort of old-school multiplayer dungeon crawler that defined a generation's perception of gaming back in the Eighties...essential purchases, the both of them, in my book.
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Four Swords Adventure was and still is awesome, managed to get three of us on at once and that was great, I can imagine how that factor must be multiplied by the addition of just one more person.
I agree with the idea to make some sort of version on the Wii using DS, perhaps as a downloadable Wiiware game? |
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GiarcYekrub
12/03/08 @ 23:43
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I disagree with Star Fox Adventures, apart from Tricky being a Dick it's a fantastic game.
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Triggerhappytel
13/03/08 @ 00:02
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I find that image of Link on the front page somewhat misleading.
I was all ready to rant about how Zelda will never qualify as a 'cult classic'. Boo. |
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Triggerhappytel
13/03/08 @ 06:56
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Why all the GameCube hate, Shaka? Or are you just fishing for an arguement?
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No, Shaka is just 13.
Because you had to spend in the area of seven hundred pounds to play it, once you've taken into account the game, the four GBAs, GameCube, four special GBP 15 cables and television big enough and pretty enough to show you Four Swords in all its sumptuous 2D glory. You forgot the cost of the chairs and/or couch! What about food? The house? Your taxes every month, without paying those you couldn't be playing the game. But seriously, I just hope that line was tongue-in-cheek. I have a hard time telling. ;) |
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spacenugget
14/03/08 @ 03:27
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Ah the Gamecube... my favourite console ever, and the only console Ive actually spent time and effort collecting for despite owning many.....
The cube was cursed I tells ya. Underrated gems and an underrated console, but I could care less because of the enjoyment my housemates and I have slapped out of it, Im only getting to play the games now because I bought most of them during my first college years! :) Funny that since I finished Bioshock Ive played the Cube more than the Wii or 360 lol (just realised thats a little sad :/) But tales of symphonia is amazing!!!! and wheres the wave race love? sigh (Stares at 40+ games, 4 bongos, two dancemats, 5 pads and 8 memory cards and laughs at the fact a college grant could afford beer to!!) ;oP |
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Four Swords was lovely, in both single and multiplayer. End of. As for the cost, well hello, most people I played with on the game had their own GBA SP and link cable. Just leaving someone to supply the Cube and the screen...
Lost Kingdoms was also great, played that to death. Likewise Pacman Vs in multiplayer. The Cube version of Skies of Arcadia made the random battling ALMOST bearable... still a classic title. |
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Starfox Adventures didn't work because it was Fox levered into a different game (Dinosaur Planet) that Rare had in development. It's a decent adventure in its own right with moments of humour and drama.
I was lucky enough to watch (not play) a four GAMECUBE set-up playing Four Swords. That's right, four Gamecubes, each with a GBA player, linked up to a projector. It was immense. |
Comments: 1-43 of 43 in total
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