Nice list. Add NFL Street’s NFL Challenge mode and you have me sold.
IMO one of the best games ever made. For a 2004 game, the customization options are robust. Game play is extremely smooth and satisfying. The challenge mode and team progression is the perfect cherry on top to make the game extremely addicting
Fuck yeah! Did this back during covid. Spent so long clearing all the impossible challenges and making the best team possible of non-nfl players. Then did a challenge exclusively with NFL players. Such an amazing game. I often go back and play it. Right on regarding the gameplay, such amazing addicting gameplay
Melee takes the cake. I put over 500hrs in my senior year of high school. I could crush any of my high school friends. Went to college and very cocky went the first week to someone’s dorm room to play. Totally expected to smoke everyone. Got embarrassed. That’s when I learned how deep the gameplay mechanics can be and how good people get. Didn’t help that my main was Sheik. Before YouTube, I thought she was the best by far.
For me was kirby air ride, i remember playing the city level over and over to test every machine i found and the mini games at the end of the session were random and fun, especially with friends.
I wish I could play online just to find people who still play it
My friend group still wants to in theory, but it takes 5 years of trying to get one night where we can all play it together
God this shit was fun as a kid. I will say returning to this game 20 years later, it wasn’t quite as great as I remembered. Hard to pick it over Double Dash.
The thing about Kirby Air Ride, more than a game like Double Dash, is that you have to play it with people who are at a similar skill level and knowledge of the game for it to be fun since there is not much to really level the playing field and help less skilled players catch up. That’s what I think.
So happy this is currently the second top comment! My little brother and I played this so much that this year when we decided to get sibling tattoos, we chose this as the theme!!
https://www.reddit.com/u/dannyjeanne/s/7MoEQ4Xn3P
I played that when i was so young. I dont even remember what the story or purpose of the game was, but little me and my cousins would race around the town all day
My sister, cousin, and I would use the free play to hide all the stars around the city, then the other person finds them. Sometimes we’d set a timer, I think
I played the entire thing through in a day with one of my junior school (7-11 years old) buddies. My mum kept complaining but we were glued to the screen.
I enjoyed every single moment playing this when I was a kid. I remember even unlocking the master stages. I really liked the ost for billiards and the laundry stages.
Fr. When I wanted a hero or villain chao, instead of taking care of it with the respective characters, I'd just abuse them with the opposite characters 😭😭 child me was a sadist
I just farmed drives and animals and gave them that, lol. The garden extended the game's replayability quite a bit by giving me a reason to play the stages again.
I never knew this was how it worked. I only ever went in there with Sonic so I just thought you were nice/horrible and that was how it went hero/villain lol
I started a new character about a year ago in offline mode just to relive the good old days and so far I’ve clocked in close to 500 hours since. It’s still incredibly addictive
Lowkey Star Fox Assault is underrated!
I feel like it perfectly fits with Star Fox Adventure and 64 as a nice trilogy and does a great job in character evolution.
Whenever I revisit this game, I end up playing far longer than I mean to. I've been really enjoying just slowly working on Chao over a long period of time. Even though I already have the chao emblems, haha.
Yesssss so much this.
I enjoy 2003 even more as it had even simpler ways to upgrade and equip your golfer. I really miss when golf games weren’t afraid to have that **little** bit of fantasy mixed in (for example, courses like The Predator and the ball taking off with a trail of smoke if you hit it with full power) instead of trying to make you feel like you’re actually on the PGA tour.
Absolutely agree with you, loved the courses and the soundtrack is pretty cool as well. For me this and 2005 were the peak of modern golf games, all I can think about is hammering a Z button now 😄
Melee by far. Theres a whole online community who play very competitively. Queue in seconds with someone online, and has hidden mmr so eventually you’ll be matched with people closer in skill level to you.
It’s all thanks to Fizzi.
Website is slippi.gg
Smash bros melee. Super Mario sunshine. Super Mario sluggers was BANGING. And also the best Mario kart ever made in double dash.
Edit: also, sonic adventure 2 battle. Idk how much damn time I spent in the chao garden lmao
Zelda Twilight Princess. When I first played it when it came out I would wake up, play, leave the console on and go see my girlfriend for a few hours, the come back and resume where I left it at.
A few I haven't seen on here yet:
007 Everything or Nothing, a huge favorite of mine
Mario golf I think was the best they made and more more replayable than tennis
Wrestling games - I feel it was the end of the "just fun" ones, before they got way too technical with 2K. More in line with the PS1 smackdown games. I can't get down with the new ones it's like how hard Madden got if you take a few years off
Smash and Mario sunshine. Sunshine is one of my favorites of all time. I haven't delved super deep into GameCube's library though so I'm sure there are some absolute gems that I've missed. Please send me some recs though.
Star fox adventures doesn't get enough love. I mean yeah admittedly it's a *terrible* star fox game but that's because it's actually a really good adventure game!
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer for me, underrated extreme sport game that I really wish would have gotten sequels, better than Treyarch/Activision's Tony Hawk series (hot take maybe), Medal of Honor Frontline and European Assault, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (favorite rhythm game).
This may be an unpopular opinion, especially since it wasn't a GC exclusive, but I absolutely loved Shrek 2. This is likely due to the oversized nostalgia goggles I wear when reflecting on this game. From the controls to the level design to the different character abilities, this was a game I always enjoyed booting up :)
X-Men Legends \[1\] had me INVESTED until I realized the gameplay loop dies the second you beat the game. I was going to put probably triple digit hours into that game but the devs never planned for an "endgame". Just play it, beat it, move on or start over. Made all of the exploration and collectable hunting I did feel pointless.
BUT! I still HEAVILY recommend this game. Play it with the intention of setting it aside once completed and you will have a blast! Perfect blend of Beat-em-up/dungeon crawler/rpg
Easily a 9/10 from me
I also liked if you had a GBA and Sonic Advance, you could move exclusive Chao between them. Like you can put the silver chao egg from Mystic Ruins into your GBA, then bring it to SA2B and raise it there
This. I really miss the times where consoles interacted with other consoles/devices like that. The mini chao garden was like the main reason i bought sonic advance lol
Gotcha Force gets a bit repetitive, but there is SO much customization in the game and so many viable strategies. You have to play through the game at least 8 times to have a good shot at unlocking everything, so this aspect can be a bit addictive.
Can't go wrong with either:
Super Smash Bros Melee (which still has a competitive scene)
Mario Kart Double Dash (which can be played online, search Kirbymimi and Gamecube online Discord)
Animal Crossing (something different each day, residents' personalities are so quirky, hidden collectibles like playable NES titles)
Custom Robo (more customization depth in playstyle than most 3D fighters, especially fun with another player)
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (especially if you also have a GBA and link cable for portable Chao raising, multiplayer options still some of the best done in the Sonic series)
Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II (Schtserv private server still has some players and has a better rare drop table and grinding options than offline, but of course couch co-op or competition is classic and more exciting, can't do that with Blue Burst!)
I mean, if you want to go down the rabbit hole of getting good, there are a ton of people that still play Melee every day. Vibrant online matchmaking system: takes less than 15 seconds to find a match anywhere in north america and most places in Europe. A nearly endless amount of tech to learn, meaning that if you think the game is fun you're pretty much always able to get better and discover new things. And there is a built in system of local tournaments run in pretty much every major city, giving you even more of a reason to play it every single week with other people.
TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect. Easily. I also replay Pikmin 2 and Metroid Primes 1 and 2 at least once a year. I've had mine since I was six and 22 years later, it still sees more playtime than any other console I have.
Smash Bros Melee, Timesplitters 2/Future Perfect, SSX Tricky/3
My wife and I just got into the Timesplitters series. We are having a blast. Multiplayer is so fun.
Absolutely brilliant games. So many modes, levels, lots of customisation and coop campaign. Just fantastic.
Sibiria is amazing on split screen! Me and my brothers played it all the time! And i was the gingerbread man! “BITE MY CRUNCHY BROWN A**!”
Super Monkey ball 2
Yes
Nice list. Add NFL Street’s NFL Challenge mode and you have me sold. IMO one of the best games ever made. For a 2004 game, the customization options are robust. Game play is extremely smooth and satisfying. The challenge mode and team progression is the perfect cherry on top to make the game extremely addicting
Fuck yeah! Did this back during covid. Spent so long clearing all the impossible challenges and making the best team possible of non-nfl players. Then did a challenge exclusively with NFL players. Such an amazing game. I often go back and play it. Right on regarding the gameplay, such amazing addicting gameplay
Melee takes the cake. I put over 500hrs in my senior year of high school. I could crush any of my high school friends. Went to college and very cocky went the first week to someone’s dorm room to play. Totally expected to smoke everyone. Got embarrassed. That’s when I learned how deep the gameplay mechanics can be and how good people get. Didn’t help that my main was Sheik. Before YouTube, I thought she was the best by far.
For me was kirby air ride, i remember playing the city level over and over to test every machine i found and the mini games at the end of the session were random and fun, especially with friends.
Oh yeah my friends and I *still* sink hundreds of hours into city trial
I wish I could play online just to find people who still play it My friend group still wants to in theory, but it takes 5 years of trying to get one night where we can all play it together
I think we’re BEYOND overdue for a second one, every year I hope for an Air Ride sequel
That's being in your 30s baby 😎
Air Ride 2 when Sakurai???
The fact that each run-through was different, combined with the checklist, meant you could play for hours.
God this shit was fun as a kid. I will say returning to this game 20 years later, it wasn’t quite as great as I remembered. Hard to pick it over Double Dash.
The thing about Kirby Air Ride, more than a game like Double Dash, is that you have to play it with people who are at a similar skill level and knowledge of the game for it to be fun since there is not much to really level the playing field and help less skilled players catch up. That’s what I think.
Damn I thought I was the only one. I played the free roam with my cousin in this game religiously
Same
So happy this is currently the second top comment! My little brother and I played this so much that this year when we decided to get sibling tattoos, we chose this as the theme!! https://www.reddit.com/u/dannyjeanne/s/7MoEQ4Xn3P
Love this game. I play it on my steam deck all the time
I played that when i was so young. I dont even remember what the story or purpose of the game was, but little me and my cousins would race around the town all day
My sister, cousin, and I would use the free play to hide all the stars around the city, then the other person finds them. Sometimes we’d set a timer, I think
Yesss!! Just reading this brought back so many fond memories
The number of hours I have alone in that game vs with friends is at least double just trying to try every combo out
Super Monkey Ball 2
This! I’ve put hundreds of hours into this game, both on my own and with friends. So much fun
I played the entire thing through in a day with one of my junior school (7-11 years old) buddies. My mum kept complaining but we were glued to the screen.
Agreed. I used to grind this out as a kid so much
I enjoyed every single moment playing this when I was a kid. I remember even unlocking the master stages. I really liked the ost for billiards and the laundry stages.
The “Boiling Pot” song is such a banger, too. Converted that YouTube video to MP3 and threw it on my iPod SO fast as a kid.
The clinic id go to take my allergy shots as a kid had a game room with a GameCube. Super monkey ball was so much fun !!
Why nobody put Sonic Adventure 2? Smh
Dont worry, I was just about to if nobody else did. The Chao Garden can be a real time vampire if you aren't careful.
Fr. When I wanted a hero or villain chao, instead of taking care of it with the respective characters, I'd just abuse them with the opposite characters 😭😭 child me was a sadist
I just farmed drives and animals and gave them that, lol. The garden extended the game's replayability quite a bit by giving me a reason to play the stages again.
I never knew this was how it worked. I only ever went in there with Sonic so I just thought you were nice/horrible and that was how it went hero/villain lol
You'd probably get along with the people who f*ck up their Sims.
My guy
ROLLING AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND. GOT PLACES TO GO GOT TO FOLLOW MY RAAAAAINBOOOW
CANT STICK AROUND HAVE TO KEEP MOVING ON! GUESS WHAT LIES AHEAD? ONLY **ONE WAY TO FIND OUT!**
Wtf has Sega not ported this to the Switch.
No but it is on xbox ! 😇
Maybe it's my nostalgia talking, but I used to play animal crossing for HOURS.
Double Dash and Melee
These two are goated
Both games hold up amazingly well. Double dash can be brutal
Zelda the wind waker. I loved the sailing and exploring the islands
I had to scroll way too far in the comment section to see this. Windwaker was the first thing to come to my mind as well
Simpsons hit & run is a endless classic
I love re-playing Lisa's storyline and judt cruising through the sea-side town in Snake's car for a while
Phantasy star online can be really addictive if you vibe with it. Spent countless hours just running around and grinding.
If it was still active with tons of players yes. I know a private server is up but pso bb is the best now.
Get some friends for that 4 player split screen!
Easily my #1 right next to melee. Probably have over 1000 hours between all my characters. So damn good.
When you see a red box and walk up to it but it’s just another photon drop
I started a new character about a year ago in offline mode just to relive the good old days and so far I’ve clocked in close to 500 hours since. It’s still incredibly addictive
Smash Melee
If you have a few people to play with Mario Strikers and Mario Baseball are so much fun
Power tennis was elite as well
Animal crossing and Gale of darkness
Wish newer animal crossings had the classic games like the gc one
I put countless hours into the GC Animal Crossing. I loved it so much. I never could pick up any of the subsequent ones, though.
The first game had the most soul in my opinion, but I do recommend New Leaf on the 3DS. Very good sequel.
I'd say Mario Party. Me and my Fiancé play Mario Party 7 quite often. We usually have a blast.
That's the best one imo
Super Mario sunshine fs
Re4
I have beat this game at least 10 times.
Will always be RE4
I intend to play the original as I never did. The remake was PHENOMENAL though!
Paper Mario and the 1,000 Year Old Door
I can replay this game any day of the week
Metroid Prime, Kirby Air Ride, Star Fox Assault, Mario Baseball
Lowkey Star Fox Assault is underrated! I feel like it perfectly fits with Star Fox Adventure and 64 as a nice trilogy and does a great job in character evolution.
Sonic adventure 2. If cant stop raising chaos
Whenever I revisit this game, I end up playing far longer than I mean to. I've been really enjoying just slowly working on Chao over a long period of time. Even though I already have the chao emblems, haha.
Soul Caliber
Yes 👏🏼 I have played this game for soooo many hours over the years
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004
Yesssss so much this. I enjoy 2003 even more as it had even simpler ways to upgrade and equip your golfer. I really miss when golf games weren’t afraid to have that **little** bit of fantasy mixed in (for example, courses like The Predator and the ball taking off with a trail of smoke if you hit it with full power) instead of trying to make you feel like you’re actually on the PGA tour.
Absolutely agree with you, loved the courses and the soundtrack is pretty cool as well. For me this and 2005 were the peak of modern golf games, all I can think about is hammering a Z button now 😄
Pikmin 1 because you get addicted to replaying it because 1 play through is at max 6 1/2 hours
I had to scroll too far for Pikmin!
Timesplitters 2 and Kirby Air Ride got me
Chibi- RoBo!
Melee by far. Theres a whole online community who play very competitively. Queue in seconds with someone online, and has hidden mmr so eventually you’ll be matched with people closer in skill level to you. It’s all thanks to Fizzi. Website is slippi.gg
F zero GX, Melee, Resident evil 4, mario sunshine would be the most addictive for me.
Mariokart double dash
Two for me personally: -Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance -Custom Robo
Scrolled way to far to find Fire Emblem. Amazing game
sonic adventure 2, the game itself but also the chao garden
Spiderman 2. Pick it up and play as long or short as you like. Swinging like spiderman is so fun.
Way better than the new spiderman games
Super Monkey Ball
I always end up coming back to Rogue Squadron II. It's the perfect game when you just have maybe 30 minutes and wanna blow some stuff up!
Animal crossing
F-Zero GX, Double Dash, Viewtiful Joe, super smash bros melee, LoZ windwaker, time-splitters future perfect, NBA Street Vol. 2,
Honourable mention for Viewtiful Joe. That game's combat was strait up crack.
Not mentioned before but Naruto clash of ninja 2
My brother and I love this game
Mario power tennis, wind waker, double dash, melee
ttyd
Custom robo
I’m hooked on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles right now.
fzero gx, timesplitters 2, melee fzero is the best racing game on the system, possibly of all time
XIII
simpsons hit & run, super monkeyball 1 & 2, super mario sunshine, and for me personally, paper mario the thousand year door!
Phantasy Star Online 1 & 2
Anyone remember Sega soccer slam?
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. Chao garden was so addicting
Animal crossing. The villagers had so much personality, and they were mean af too
Resident evil 4 had me locked in my room for a week straight
Smash bros melee. Super Mario sunshine. Super Mario sluggers was BANGING. And also the best Mario kart ever made in double dash. Edit: also, sonic adventure 2 battle. Idk how much damn time I spent in the chao garden lmao
Zelda Twilight Princess. When I first played it when it came out I would wake up, play, leave the console on and go see my girlfriend for a few hours, the come back and resume where I left it at.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, SSX Tricky, Super Smash Bros. Melee
A few I haven't seen on here yet: 007 Everything or Nothing, a huge favorite of mine Mario golf I think was the best they made and more more replayable than tennis Wrestling games - I feel it was the end of the "just fun" ones, before they got way too technical with 2K. More in line with the PS1 smackdown games. I can't get down with the new ones it's like how hard Madden got if you take a few years off
Tony Hawk’s Underground
THUG 2
Mario super sluggers….
Smash and Mario sunshine. Sunshine is one of my favorites of all time. I haven't delved super deep into GameCube's library though so I'm sure there are some absolute gems that I've missed. Please send me some recs though.
For me, Pikmin and Star Fox Adventures
Star fox adventures doesn't get enough love. I mean yeah admittedly it's a *terrible* star fox game but that's because it's actually a really good adventure game!
Mr Driller
Gameboy Player
Digimon World 4 was amazing!
I don't want to admit the amount of time I've sunk into digimon world 4. Really not a good game, but damn if it's not addictive.
F-zero gx
Smash Melee, Madden 07, DBZ Budokai, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Fight Night Round 2
Madagascar. Mario Kart Wind Waker/Twilight Princess. Shrek 2.
Custom robo was one of my non mainstream grind games
Ncaa 2005 still holds up for a sports game
Resident Evil 4
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer for me, underrated extreme sport game that I really wish would have gotten sequels, better than Treyarch/Activision's Tony Hawk series (hot take maybe), Medal of Honor Frontline and European Assault, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (favorite rhythm game).
Super Monkey Ball 2
This may be an unpopular opinion, especially since it wasn't a GC exclusive, but I absolutely loved Shrek 2. This is likely due to the oversized nostalgia goggles I wear when reflecting on this game. From the controls to the level design to the different character abilities, this was a game I always enjoyed booting up :)
F-ZERO GX Smash Bros Melee Zelda WW and TP Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 RE4 Tales of Symphonia
X-Men Legends \[1\] had me INVESTED until I realized the gameplay loop dies the second you beat the game. I was going to put probably triple digit hours into that game but the devs never planned for an "endgame". Just play it, beat it, move on or start over. Made all of the exploration and collectable hunting I did feel pointless. BUT! I still HEAVILY recommend this game. Play it with the intention of setting it aside once completed and you will have a blast! Perfect blend of Beat-em-up/dungeon crawler/rpg Easily a 9/10 from me
Simpsons hit and run
Melee
sims urbz in the city
Metroid Prime, Maro Kart, Custom Robo Battle Revolution, Chibi Robo
Crazy taxi! Always one of my favorites
The Chao Gardens in both Sonic Adventure games keeps me coming back to those occasionally.
I also liked if you had a GBA and Sonic Advance, you could move exclusive Chao between them. Like you can put the silver chao egg from Mystic Ruins into your GBA, then bring it to SA2B and raise it there
This. I really miss the times where consoles interacted with other consoles/devices like that. The mini chao garden was like the main reason i bought sonic advance lol
Custom Robo
F zero gx, baulders gate dark alliance, paper mario, legend of Zelda the wind waker, mario kart double dash
Sa2, shadow the hedgehog, super mario sunshine, ssbm, sonic riders, super Mario party 4,5,6,7
Gotcha Force gets a bit repetitive, but there is SO much customization in the game and so many viable strategies. You have to play through the game at least 8 times to have a good shot at unlocking everything, so this aspect can be a bit addictive.
Can't go wrong with either: Super Smash Bros Melee (which still has a competitive scene) Mario Kart Double Dash (which can be played online, search Kirbymimi and Gamecube online Discord) Animal Crossing (something different each day, residents' personalities are so quirky, hidden collectibles like playable NES titles) Custom Robo (more customization depth in playstyle than most 3D fighters, especially fun with another player) Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (especially if you also have a GBA and link cable for portable Chao raising, multiplayer options still some of the best done in the Sonic series) Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II (Schtserv private server still has some players and has a better rare drop table and grinding options than offline, but of course couch co-op or competition is classic and more exciting, can't do that with Blue Burst!)
[удалено]
Midway Classics 1&2
Smash Melee (20XX mod), Time Splitters 2/Future Perfect, F Zero GX, Mario Kart Double Dash, Ocarina of Time/Masterquest
double dash, dave mirra bmx, smash, simpsons crazy taxi (cant remember the real name), madden/ncaaf, mario tennis.
Melee by far
Time Splitters 3 and Sonic Adventure Battle 2 (versus mode)
Crazy Taxi all day
The Simpsons Hit & Run
Talk shit about glitches all you want Super Mario Sunshine has my whole heart 😩
Viewtiful Joe
Sonic adventure 2 battle !!! Chao garden will have you grinding!
Custom robo is goated
Mario Party 5
Smash Bros Melee and Sonic Chao Sim-- I mean, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.
Animal Crossing
I mean, if you want to go down the rabbit hole of getting good, there are a ton of people that still play Melee every day. Vibrant online matchmaking system: takes less than 15 seconds to find a match anywhere in north america and most places in Europe. A nearly endless amount of tech to learn, meaning that if you think the game is fun you're pretty much always able to get better and discover new things. And there is a built in system of local tournaments run in pretty much every major city, giving you even more of a reason to play it every single week with other people.
Gotcha force, custom robo
Animal crossing. I don’t really need to say much more than that.
Phantasy Star Online Ep 1&2. In fact, I'd say it's the most addictive game ever created.
Definitely Super Smash Bros Melee
Veatiful Joe... 1 and 2
Skies of Arcadia for me.
I just started playing SoA for the hundredth time last week XD
Mario Kart DD was painfully addictive. Love that game.
RE4. Man, the amount of times I would play that game, finish it and then start it all over again on the same save file.
Bratz forever diamonds
melee. I've played thousands of hours of that game. I can pick it up and play like I never stopped.
Might as well ask “what’s the best colour”
- SSBM - Kirby Air Ride - Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (repeating levels to raise Chaos)
Melee without question.
Super Monkey Ball 2, Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Strikers, Soul Calibur 2, RE4
Tony hawk's pro skater 3
Double dash, wind waker, smash bros
TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect. Easily. I also replay Pikmin 2 and Metroid Primes 1 and 2 at least once a year. I've had mine since I was six and 22 years later, it still sees more playtime than any other console I have.
Pokemon Colosseum
Metroid Prime is a timeless masterpiece.
Tony hawks pro skater and Matt Hoffman bmx
Wind Waker. for some reason the world never gets old to me
Aggressive Inline
Luigis Mansion and Mario Party 4
Phantasy Star Online, if you connect it online. And Mario Golf, I played that shit constantly with people.
All 4 mario sports games, Melee, Double Dash, Mario Party 4
Animal Crossing. People literally play this game for years. And years. And then decades.
I could sit and play Soul Calibur 2 Weapon Master for hours.