This week marked the 25th anniversary of the Nintendo GameCube, and boy do I feel old. I still have vivid memories of the GameCube’s North American launch (which came a few months after Japan, in November 2001), because it was the first video game console that was truly mine, rather than one I shared with my brother. For some reason, I also still have the console’s launch lineup burned into my brain. I can see every single piece of box art in my mind, right down to Disney’s Tarzan: Untamed.
To celebrate the GameCube’s anniversary, and to test that my noggin still works, let’s take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about the console’s best launch games. Though the GameCube had several day one games in North America thanks to an influx of sports titles, there were five standouts that were must-own games right out the gate.
5
Wave Race: Blue Storm
Wave Race: Blue Storm is one of those Nintendo launch games that’s easy to underappreciate. A jet ski racing game was certainly less exciting on paper than a totally new franchise starring a beloved Mario character. It was the console’s second banana at the time, but it deserves its flowers in retrospect. It was a rock solid racing game that successfully showed off what was possible on new hardware. Speedy races and impressive water effects make for the kind of GameCube pioneer that you have to respect.
4
Luigi’s Mansion
If you weren’t around for the GameCube’s launch, you’d probably assume that Luigi’s Mansion was the console’s must-have launch game. That’s not entirely accurate. Yes, Luigi’s Mansion was pushed as Nintendo’s big first-party exclusive, and it did launch to positive buzz. But much of the conversation around it at the time was centered around its tricky control scheme that took players off guard. It was a tough introduction to the GameCube controller’s unusual design. That aside, though, Luigi’s Mansion holds up as a delightful left-field oddity that set the tone for a creatively experimental console generation.
3
Super Monkey Ball
Believe it or not, all the GameCube’s best launch games came from third-party partners. That list started with Sega thanks to Super Monkey Ball. The physics-based game was a unique concept at the time, combining puzzle and platform elements into a never-racking game of balance. The cartoon mascots fit right in with Nintendo’s family-friendly vibe at the time, practically making it feel like a creation of its own. It has only gotten better over time too thanks to its position in the speedrunning community; it’s one of the most fun spectator sports there is.
2
Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader
Though Luigi’s Mansion was positioned as the GameCube’s big game, all the cool kids were playing Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader on day one — and for good reason. To this day, it’s still one of the best Star Wars games of all time. Its intense aerial dog fights have only since been rivaled by Star Wars Squadrons. Even then, Rogue Leader still has the edge thanks to a slew of memorable missions, including one that lets you take on a bombing run on the Death Star. It’s the kind of Star Wars wish fulfillment that hasn’t quite been topped since.
1
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
For my money, Tony Hawks’ Pro Skater 3 might just be the best launch game of all time. Okay, it only gets into that conversation on a technicality considering that it came out on other platforms a few weeks before the GameCube launched, but I’m counting it. The skateboarding game was a cultural phenomenon at the time, taking an already popular series to new heights. (Check out its absurdly high Metacritic score for proof.) It was proof that the GameCube wouldn’t solely be defined by its Nintendo exclusives, but by third-party support from partners who were just as eager to develop for it as they were for Xbox and PS2.