{"id":86661,"date":"2026-09-21T11:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T03:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=86661"},"modified":"2026-09-21T11:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T03:52:12","slug":"25-years-later-the-gamecubes-5-best-launch-games-are-still-as-good-as-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=86661","title":{"rendered":"25 Years Later, the GameCube\u2019s 5 Best Launch Games Are Still As Good as Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"


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This week marked the 25th anniversary of the Nintendo GameCube, and boy do I feel old. I still have vivid memories of the GameCube\u2019s 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\u2019s launch lineup burned into my brain. I can see every single piece of box art in my mind, right down to Disney\u2019s Tarzan: Untamed<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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To celebrate the GameCube\u2019s anniversary, and to test that my noggin still works, let\u2019s take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about the console\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\n 5 <\/span>
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\n Wave Race: Blue Storm
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\n <\/h2>\n
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\"A\n <\/picture>Image: Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Wave Race: Blue Storm<\/em> is one of those Nintendo launch games that\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\n 4 <\/span>
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\n Luigi\u2019s Mansion
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\n <\/h2>\n
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\"A\n <\/picture>Image: Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

If you weren\u2019t around for the GameCube\u2019s launch, you\u2019d probably assume that Luigi\u2019s Mansion<\/em> was the console\u2019s must-have launch game. That\u2019s not entirely accurate. Yes, Luigi\u2019s Mansion<\/em> was pushed as Nintendo\u2019s 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\u2019s unusual design. That aside, though, Luigi\u2019s Mansion <\/em>holds up as a delightful left-field oddity that set the tone for a creatively experimental console generation.<\/p>\n

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\n 3 <\/span>
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\n Super Monkey Ball
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\n <\/h2>\n
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\"A\n <\/picture>Image: Amusement Vision\/Sega<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Believe it or not, all the GameCube\u2019s best launch games came from third-party partners. That list started with Sega thanks to Super Monkey Ball<\/em>. 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\u2019s 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\u2019s one of the most fun spectator sports there is.<\/p>\n

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\n 2 <\/span>
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\n Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader
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\n <\/h2>\n
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\"A\n <\/picture>Image: Factor 5\/LucasArts<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Though Luigi\u2019s Mansion <\/em>was positioned as the GameCube\u2019s big game, all the cool kids were playing Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader <\/em>on day one \u2014 and for good reason. To this day, it\u2019s 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<\/em>. Even then, Rogue Leader<\/em> 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\u2019s the kind of Star Wars wish fulfillment that hasn\u2019t quite been topped since.<\/p>\n

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\n 1 <\/span>
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\n Tony Hawk\u2019s Pro Skater 3
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\n <\/h2>\n
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\"A\n <\/picture>Image: Neversoft\/Activision<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

For my money, Tony Hawks\u2019 Pro Skater 3 <\/em>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\u2019m 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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