On its release in 2001, theNintendo Gamecubefound itself in the unenviable position of being Nintendo’s follow-up to the N64, one of the most beloved video game consoles of all time.This was always going to be a tough position to be in, and theGamecube’s lasting reputationinevitably suffered as a result. Despite this though, the console became the home of several highly acclaimed games, includingSuper Mario SunshineandThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Its launch titles weren’t bad either, with many of them receiving critical praise.
For its initial release in Japan, Nintendo definitely took a quality-over-quantity approach to the Gamecube’s launch library. While it only contained three games, each of them offered something very different.Luigi’s Mansionacted as the console’s flagship title, and launchedLuigi into a solo adventure, eventually going on to spawn two sequels.Super Monkey Ballis a ported version of the platform party arcade gameMonkey Ball, andWave Race: Blue Stormis a jet-ski racer, the third installment in theWave Raceseries. The console’s North American launch in May 2002 saw the release of several other games, includingStar Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron IIis the follow-up toRogue Squadron, a highly impressive flight action game for the N64.
Japanese Launch titles:
North American Launch titles(as well as the above 3):
Luigi’s Mansionfinds Luigi scouring a haunted mansion in search of his brother Mario. The game features various explorable areas of the mansion, as well as boss fights. Its unique concept sees players capturing ghosts using a modified vacuum cleaner. The gameplay, soundtrack and general atmosphere was praised by critics, and it went on to become the fifth-best selling Gamecube game of all time. It went on to spawn two sequels:Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, andLuigi’s Mansion 3, both of which were successful.
Wave Race: Blue Stormserved as the third overallWave Racegame, following the original Game Boy game and theN64’s launch title,Wave Race 64. Both of those earned high review scores, andWave Race 64in particular wowed critics with its accurate use of water and physics.Blue Stormlooked to build on this by using the Gamecube’s increased processing power to take the water realism to new levels. For the most part, it succeeded. Critics were in full agreement that the game’s weather effects were incredible, and the gameplay held up well too. To date, this was the last new release in theWave Racefranchise.
The arcade gameMonkey Ballhad proved to be a huge success when it originally released in June 2001, so when it was ported to a home console later that same year, nobody was particularly surprised. Arriving during a time whenSEGA’s Dreamcast, its final foray into the console market, was being discontinued,Super Monkey Ballhas the distinction of being the very first SEGA-published game to be released on a Nintendo home console. The game was commercially successful, which led to a sequel,Super Monkey Ball 2, being released the following year.
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The Gamecube’s North American Release Saw More Launch Titles Added
Star Warsgames can be incredibly hit-and-miss, butStar Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron IImanaged to successfully build on the solid foundations of its predecessor, arguably creating one of thebestStar Warsgames ever made. The game incorporates missions from all three of the originalStar Warsmovies, as the player controls either Luke Skywalker or Wedge Antilles in the fight against the Galactic Empire. The high-speed airborne action features a total of seven aircraft to pilot, including the infamous Millenium Falcon, and Luke’s X-Wing. The final game in the trilogy,Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, was released on the Gamecube two years later.
Batman: Vengeanceis an action-adventure game that sees the caped crusader investigating the apparent death of his arch-nemesis the Joker, as well as battling a couple of other villains including Mr Freeze. The game features a strong voice cast, with many reprising their roles from the cartoonBatman: The Animated Series, includingKevin Conroy as the protagonist Batmanand Mark Hamill as the Joker. The general art and visual presentation is also styled on the animated show too. The game received mixed reviews, despite praise for the voice acting and visuals.
Crazy Taxiput a new spin on the jaded racing genre. Initially released in arcades before being ported to several consoles including the Sega Dreamcast and PS2, the game sees players attempting to pick up and drop off fares while a timer counts down. Players are rewarded for performing stunts as well as getting their passengers to their destination unharmed. The game was critically acclaimed and spawned several sequels. Now largely forgotten, it may be time for thisSega franchise to make a comeback.Disney’s Tarzan: Untamedputs players in control of the titular jungle dweller as he attempts to free several baby gorillas from captivity. It received middling reviews, with critics in agreement that the game lacked any significant depth.
The launch catalog was capped off with some of thebest sports gamesavailable at the time.All-Star Baseball 2002, with a user-friendly control scheme and innovative batting control, ensured the game was a hit for fans of the sport.Madden NFL 2002garnered relatively strong review scores and is notable for being the firstMaddengame to feature the Houston Texans as a playable team.NHL Hitz 20-02is a distinctly arcade-style ice hockey game that doesn’t concern itself with realism, offering a far more exaggerated version of the sport.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3was the pinnacle of the hugely successfulTony Hawk’sfranchise, with highly polished visuals and engaging gameplay leading to some calling it one of the greatest video games of all time.Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2largely attempted to mirror this success, replacing skateboards with BMX’s. It received favorable reviews, but poor graphics and gameplay not quite as robust as it should’ve been prevented theGamecubetitle from reaching anywhere near the same heights.
