The GameCube was, and still is, a treasure trove

The funky box launched 20 years ago in Japan

It feels like we were just reminiscing about the Super Nintendo on its 30th anniversary, and today, fans are buzzing about another cherished Nintendo console celebrating a milestone birthday. It’s been 20 short years since the GameCube debuted in Japan.

Even though the PlayStation 2 was an undeniable powerhouse and the Xbox had Halo, the GameCube is a system I absolutely loved at the time, and one I still think about to this day.

I’ll still happily bust my GameCube out for the MVPs (Metroid Prime, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Pikmin 1+2, Rogue Leader), multiplayer antics (WarioWare, Super Monkey Ball, TimeSplitters 2, Melee, Soulcalibur II with Link), novel experiences (Donkey Konga, Eternal Darkness, Cubivore — if I had a copy), sports games (Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Superstar Baseball), vibes I miss in 2021 (SSX Tricky, Viewtiful Joe, Burnout 2), and Resident Evil (I love Remake and RE4 specifically with the GameCube controller, to the point where they still have value after the HD re-releases).

That’s not an exhaustive list by any means, which just goes to show that when the dust settled, the GameCube had plenty of gems and some killer exclusives. When we got to talking about the GameCube’s 20th birthday in Japan in our staff Slack, the first topics that came up were console colors (I went purple) and launch-game favorites. I shocked everyone by admitting that I haven’t played Luigi’s Mansion. Look, folks, we’ve all sinned.

Happy 20th anniversary to the Nintendo GameCube!

What are some of your favorite GameCube games? pic.twitter.com/Gg8LCWddmT

— Destructoid (@destructoid) September 14, 2021

With GameCube prices soaring in recent years, I regret selling some of my hardware — I kept my e-Reader, but ditched my Game Boy Player a while back — as well as some of my games, most, but not all of which, I’ve since re-bought. I’d like to expand my GameCube library, especially after I buy an HDMI solution, but I know it’s really going to cost me.

While it’s an exaggeration to refer to the GameCube as my second-favorite Nintendo console after the SNES — it isn’t really better than the Switch — deep in my heart, this funky box with a built-in handle is worthy of that status. It didn’t have the most Robust Library Ever, but man, these games connected with me on a near-spiritual level.

You’ve got a lot of GameCube thoughts, I just know it. Spill ’em!